Intramural teams to start playoffs

By Nick Ostiller

By mid-May, most of the athletic teams at Santa Clara have completed their respective seasons. The only sports programs with games or meets left on their schedule are baseball, cross country, and track.

However, there is still a sense of competitiveness felt around campus in these final weeks before summer. The spring intramural season is in high gear now, as teams are preparing for their chances at glory with playoffs set to begin this week.

Spring intramurals give participants a  variety of incentives, including the opportunity  to stay in shape and maintain a beach body during the months leading up to summer.

For the intense competitors, the spring season is that third and final opportunity to achieve an admirable Malley Center reputation by winning an intramural championship.

Not only do the champions of each league receive a complimentary T-shirt  that shows off the team's triumph, but they also have a team photograph taken and placed on  display in the Malley Center hallway.

The intramural sports offered in the spring quarter include softball, soccer, tennis, triples volleyball, and three-on-three basketball. Each sport has divisions for both men and women. Every sport besides three-on-three basketball has a co-ed entry division as well.

Playoffs for the intramurals are exclusive, which fuels  the competitive nature of the program. Only the top teams in each league qualify for the playoffs, so the teams that are serious about winning a championship are forced to perform well in their regular season games leading up to their respective postseason tournament.

One of the three-on-three basketball teams that has advanced to the playoffs is I Think Therefore I Slam, captained by junior Jake Teeny. Although Teeny has yet to slam one down in a game, as his team name suggests, he remains confident about his team's chances at winning an intramural championship.

"Winning the championship would be similar to a PB and J sandwich," said Teeny. "It's nothing new for me, but it still tastes good every time."

The three-on-three basketball leagues offered in the spring require a different discipline than traditional basketball. The games are played on only half of the court, and successful teams usually develop a set of offensive plays that are specifically geared toward the three-man game.

There are also different rules for  three-on-three: every foul, shooting or non-shooting, results in a free throw. Teams that can successfully keep their hands out of the cookie jar on defense, avoid giving opponents easy opportunities at  the free-throw line.

"Three on three basketball has been all right this year," said Teeny. "But so is anything when you dominate the competition as easily as we have been doing."

Teeny will look to back up his confident words when I Think Therefore I Slam takes the court for its first playoff game Sunday night, May 22 at 6 p.m. in the Malley Center.

Similar to basketball, intramural volleyball also downsizes the roster to three players per team for the spring season. With fewer players on the court for both of these two sports, there is more room in the Malley Center to conduct the games simultaneously. On some nights, there are two basketball games taking place on each half of one court, while a volleyball game is happening on the other. However, with playoffs looming, there will be even more room in the gym as only the strongest teams advance.

Not all of the sports take place in the Malley Center. The spring intramural season also means that winter is over and the sun starts coming out. For athletes looking to take advantage of the improving weather or simply as an excuse to get out of the room, intramural softball is a popular solution.

"I played intramural softball to meet new people and get some exercise but mostly to just have a good time," said freshman Michael Davisson, whose team name is The Superheroes. "The best part of the season was getting to know my teammates; it was a good group. I am now determined to join a men's league when I grow up."

The intramural softball games are played on Bellomy Field, and each team comprises 10 players compared to the traditional nine. With the playoffs beginning this week, the successful teams from  the regular season will compete against each other in an attempt to follow the San Francisco Giants' footsteps, and win a championship on the diamond.

The intramural soccer games are also played on Bellomy Field. Similar to other spring intramural sports, the soccer games are played with a different amount of players on each team when compared to traditional soccer. Spring 2011 was the first season of intramural soccer in which each team was allowed to compete with seven players on the field. Traditional soccer consists of 11 players on each side.

A total of eight teams made the playoffs, all of which will play in games leading up to the championship match on Wednesday, June 1, at 7 p.m.

For freshman Nick Leasure, who was already crowned an intramural champion in the winter quarter, the prospect of winning another championship in soccer was something that could boost an athletic reputation around campus.

"Since I already got the T-shirt  from winning a championship with my intramural basketball team, winning another one for soccer would just mean more bragging rights," said Leasure, who explained that he played soccer "to make some new friends and to get some fun exercise."

Friends, exercise, and a chance to win a championship. What more could one want from spring intramurals?

Contact Nick Ostiller at nostiller@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.