Intramural Basketball Championship Packs the Courts

Stepping onto the courts Thursday evening, friends and family gathered to cheer and support teams as they competed for the basketball intramural championship. With six games playing back-to-back, the sidelines became flooded with spectators and excitement filled the air. Starting the evening was the graduates/faculty/staff/alumni game. This was the first year alumni were invited to join intramural basketball, and the Nooners and Strictly Financial played for the championship title. Brad Collins, who plays for the Nooners, not only works for NC State in the DELTA Center but also graduated from NC State in 2013 and has played intramural basketball since 2005 with the same group of teammates. “My favorite part has been the camaraderie, I have played with a good group of guys,” Collins stated. The Nooners won the championship that night with an eleven point lead.

Following the Nooners and Strictly Financial was the women’s game. The Money Team and Chi Omega played head-to-head for the hour, and finally, the Money Team won with a score of 40-34. Bernice McGriff plays for the Money Team and explained that the team started off slow on Thursday’s game, “but even though we are missing a couple players tonight, we pushed through.” McGriff said she will definitely play intramural basketball again next year. In addition to playing at the championship, McGriff immediately traded her jersey for a referee shirt and officiated the following championship game between the co-ed teams, Victorious Secret and Stupid Fruity baskets. The Victorious Secret team won the co-ed game with a score of 83-63.

Two games finished off the night, the fraternity game and the men’s game. The fraternity game was played between Delta Sigma Phi and Sigma Pi where Sigma Pi won with a 9 point lead. The men’s basketball championship game was played between the Washington Generals and Tune Squad. Friends and family filled the bleachers and sidelines in the court. Cameron Marshall plays on Tune Squad’s flag football team and was one of the dozens of people who showed up to support Tune Squad that night. “It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s great to come here and support my team,” Marshall added. The intensity of the game heightened when the game was tied at the buzzer. The two teams continued to go head-to-head until finally, Tune Squad managed to keep a 1 point lead on the Washington Generals, making the final score 46-45. Spencer Clark, a senior at NC State, played for Tune Squad for the first time this year. “It’s great how everyone contributes and has a passion for the game,” Clark explained. He also mentioned how exciting it is to have so many people to come and support them in the bleachers.

Whether it be in the PNC arena or in Court 8 of Carmichael Gym, support from the crowd can go a long way and have a big impact on players on the courts. Regardless if you play ball or prefer to watch from the sidelines, there’s always a way for you to get involved and personify our #PackInAction goals in your own way.