Daily Egyptian Reporter 15

For SIUC student Sam Boben, playing intramural basketball is a way of fulfilling his dreams of playing professional basketball.

Boben, a senior in education from Harlem, N.Y., has led his team to three consecutive men’s Division A championships, the program’s most competitive division.

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For many males who don’t get to play pro or collegiate ball, I guess it’s like our own NBA, Boben said. I look at [intramurals] as a league where I get to collect a championship ring, only we get T-shirts. It’s basically bragging rights to let people know who’s the best.

The start of the intramural basketball practice league Sunday marked the beginning of Boben’s quest for a fourth title.

The practice league is four weeks long, and regular-season play is scheduled to begin next semester. Practice league games take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday at the Recreation Center.

Darrin Behl, a graduate assistant with the intramural sports program, said basketball attracts the largest number of participants. The number of teams for the practice league jumped from 67 last year to 94 this year.

Behl, a first-year graduate student from Bethalto, expects a larger number of participants to compete in the regular season.

Typically in the spring we have over 100 teams, Behl said. The number of participants are roughly about 50 percent larger than any other intramural sport.

The teams are divided into six divisions based upon skill level, with five men’s leagues and one women’s league.

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While Boben views intramural sports as intense form of competition, others students look at it as an opportunity for a break from the pressures of college life. Though he enjoys winning, Terrance Boyd said his participation stems from his strong love for basketball.

When I first started playing basketball, it was a good way for me to meet people, said Boyd, a senior in administration of justice from Washington, D.C. Winning is important, but it’s all about getting a chance to compete and do something to get away from school.

But one SIUC student decided to give up intramural sports completely because of the fierce competition involved. Wardell Magitt, a senior in administration of justice from Chicago, said he often has seen arguments and fights break out during his two years of intramural competition.

Some people involved take it to the extreme, Magitt said. Intramurals is supposed to be fun, but now it has become too serious.

Players are given disciplinary action for disruptive or abusive behavior toward other participants or student officials. Individual players or entire teams can be disqualified from league play for violating rules.

Herman Williams, assistant director of intramural sports, said the Office of Intramural Sports tries to accommodate the students by running its program to the best of its ability.

We try hard not to suspend any teams, because we are here to serve our students as much as possible, he said. Whether it’s basketball or any other activities we have, this program belongs to the students.

Factoid:To get involved in Intramural Athletics, contact the Intramural-Recreational Sports at 536-5531