With the season starting this week, the intramural basketball teams are warming up the courts for a four week round of play.

The teams are divided into four categories: competitive men’s, recreational men’s, women’s and co-recreational. Each team will receive about four games of playing time before the championship series in March.

“I hope to see everyone have a good time and to promote a quality program offered at the SRC that all UNA students can take pride in,” Dexter Shorter, coordinator of intramural sports at the Student Recreation Center, said. Shorter is in his first year at the University of North Alabama, and through the guidance of SRC Director Jim Eubanks, he is in charge of organizing the teams, games and referees.

The referees are UNA students that work through the SRC training program. A week and a half prior to the opening night they began to practice for the season, even participating in scrimmage games that were set up to prepare the teams. Eighteen of the referees are new to the program.

One rule they will have to enforce is that two women must be on the court for each team at all times for co-recreational games.

UNA junior Kyle Thomas is the coordinator for the Baptist Campus Ministries, which has teams competing in recreational men’s, women’s and co-recreational. He said that his teams have great speed, spending a majority of their time together on and off the court so they know how each person reacts to situations. “Most other teams have key players they build off of, and a lot of the teams go for the size of a player,” he said.

Last year the men’s recreational BCM team placed first in the championship. “I never know what to expect [from the other teams], we just show up and play. I don’t really worry about other teams, just my team and how ready we are.”

The games are split into two 20-minute halves, with free admission to the games. Shorter said that he expects the gymnasium in the SRC to get pretty crowded with spectators. Friends and family that are not affiliated with UNA are also encouraged to attend games to cheer for their team.

Competing at the intramural level allows participants to learn the importance of teamwork. Thomas said, “Competing in intramurals allows you to hang out with different people outside of the game. There’s tension during the game, but everyone’s cool afterwards.”

Shorter said that taking a role in intramurals prepares a person for life challenges while building character.

For more information on SRC intramurals, contact Dexter Shorter at [email protected].