For the dozens of students that flood the gym after school for pickup basketball games, the time has finally come. Saturday mornings for many will once again will be spent in the gym battling it out for immense bragging rights. The talent on the court may not match that of the Varsity team, but the passion surely does.
Freshmen, seniors, girls, and boys alike all take the court with mutual love for the sport and a flaming desire to be crowned champions. As a player myself, I can attest firsthand that the roster construction, strategic planning, and most importantly, trash talk regarding IBL has been a non stop presence throughout my four years at East.
With senior teams like Jwalkers, NBA Street, Brick Squad, The Elite, and Airballerz entering their last season after four fantastic years in the league, December 2nd can’t come soon enough. Rivalries aside, IBL over my four years has been nothing short of incredible. The cammadire of the league, and the players within it means much more than pickup basketball, it brings the school closer together. As crazy as that may sound to someone unfamiliar, it is most definitely true.
By providing a safe and fun environment for students to simply play basketball, IBL has become a commonplace for many students and has become the talk of the hallway. Mr Hopkins and the students who run the league have done a tremendous job in growing this league into something that has such a huge place in the culture of the high school, and students throughout East, myself included, can’t wait for the upcoming season.