By KAROLINA JURESIUTE
Student Reporter
The squeak of the sneakers, yelling and shouting, the roar of the small crowd – it’s Tuesday night at the Percefull Fieldhouse, and for Zach Volden, it’s game time.
The other two teams are playing right before it is his team’s Make-A-Swish time to shine. This isn’t the NBA or even the NCAA – this is college basketball intramurals.
Volden and the team are watching the other game happening at the moment, stretching, trying to focus on their upcoming game. This isn’t just another intramural basketball game; it is a weekly ritual, a pressure release, embracing the pure joy of the game and releasing the stress of college.
“I play intramurals to get some much-needed exercise and also for the joy of the game,” said Volden, sophomore agronomy major from Meade, Kansas. “I get to have fun with my friends, be competitive and enjoy my time in college.”
The game started and Make-A-Swish scored the first basket. The game was intense and close. They ended the first half with a tie 14-14.
Make-A-Swish came out hot in the second half of the game and was winning until the last couple of minutes, after making some turnovers. The team is now three points behind with five seconds left. Make-A-Swish calls a timeout and goes over their last play to tie the game. It needs to be a three-pointer. The clock is ticking, the pressure is on, the ball is in, and they are unable to score. The buzzer goes off.
“As of right now, the biggest challenge we face is conditioning and chemistry,” Volden said. “I believe that as the season progresses, we are going to settle in nicely and get hot. I hope to win the whole thing this year.”