FRESHMAN JERAMIE GRIFFIN shoots in a warm up session before playing a pick-up game with his club basketball teammates . Photo: Tiffany Krause
Coach Phelps’ basketball team isn’t the only group of ball handlers lighting up the court in the Knapp Center this year.
Starting just this year, a new club team for men’s basketball has started at Drake.
Play started back during the second week of classes. The club team began practicing on Monday nights at 9 p.m. in the Knapp Center. Now that the semester is almost over and finals are approaching, the team hasn’t been holding regular practice.
“A lot of us on the team are friends so we will get together and play pick up in the Bell Center on random nights,” junior team member David Johnson said.
Earlier in the fall, the club team participated in the Aspen Athletic Club’s basketball league. The league featured Thursday night games at Aspen’s Gym in Des Moines.
Since the club’s season ended about a month ago, many of the team’s players are keeping their skill sharp by playing co-ed intramurals or joining other leagues.
“Some guys are also playing in the Urbandale Basketball League,” Johnson said, “but it is not a ‘club team’ just a mix of guys.”
Any basketball player may show up and join the club team for no entry fee. Each player just has to chip in money to cover the league fee to play at Aspen Athletic Club, and if the team continues to grow and joins more leagues the fees will most likely increase.
Players looking to join the team can look forward to hooping it up with some of Drake’s most talented basketball players outside of the varsity squad.
“A few played college level basketball before coming to Drake, mostly NAIA level,” Johnson said, “all of us played high school varsity basketball.”
Interested students shouldn’t be intimidated by these high-level players. The team is constantly looking for new members so that the club can grow.
As more players join, team captain Evan Weight and co-captain Nigel Buoga are looking to make the team more legitimate and organized in the coming seasons. All the members are taking strides to help the team become more structured as the year continues and the club matures.
The team is looking to join more leagues this year, but they also hope to expand beyond nearby leagues in years to come. Currently, the team is working to get games set up against other nearby schools by next year.
Players can contact team captains Weight or Buoga at their Drake e-mail accounts with any questions, comments or more information. Although no practices are scheduled before winter break, look for the team to get back on the court in January.
