|
1-23 intramural team loves game 
The clock is ticking down as the tension mounts. The crowd is screaming and cheering for the most exciting team in intramural basketball. The Phi Delt Towers are down two points and John Housholder has the ball. He dribbles twice and fires the ball from half-court.The ball sails through the air like an arrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the crowd looking on with anticipation.He knows if the ball goes in there will be an explosion of cheers and celebration. The ball continues on. Over the three point line and free throw line it travels. The fans lean to the edge of their seats and then stand. As the ball sails to the goal there is a deafening silence. Could it be? Could the ball actually be going in? Waiting for a miracle, Housholder falls to his knees praying for divine intervention. He then watches the ball sail completely over the backboard and into the crowd. He shrugs his shoulders and walks back to play defense. No big deal! After all, there are 19 minutes left in the first half. Very few people would construct a team that shoots half-court shots the entire game. Very few people would create a basketball team for people 5'7" and under. However, very few people have the qualities and outlook on life that represents the vertically challenged Phi Delt Towers. "In constructing this team, we looked for the worst players possible," team co-founder Kevin Westbrook said. "This team is for all of those players who got cut from their high school teams for being too short and fat." Over the past two years, the Towers have compiled an impressive record of one win and 23 losses. The team also holds the intramural record for 38 half-court shots made in its two year history as well as a 19-game streak of hitting at least one half-court shot. Earlier this year, the team's only win came from a shot just inside the half-court line as time expired to win 43-42. "The only disappointing thing about this year was winning that one game," junior Chris Sobczak said. "We really felt like we hurt the integrity of the team by winning. However, we bounced back from our disappointing win by losing the next game 132-12." On March 27, tragedy struck the Towers. Going up for a lay-up, John Housholder came down clutching his leg. Every basketball player's nightmare had come true, a torn ACL. However, Housholder made the most improbable of comebacks. For the final game, the Towers made a substitution with two minutes left. Housholder dropped his crutches and hopped onto the court. Hopping on one leg, the half-court specialist let it fly from behind the half-court line and it went in. "That shot was a synopsis of what Phi Delt Tower basketball is all about," intramural supervisor Kevin Pace said. "They can lose by one or by a hundred and they still have a good time." The team, whose adopted mascot is Mini-Me from the Movie "Austin Powers 2," will be losing seniors Richard Russo, Kevin Westbrook and Tige Hopper next year. "We are going to work hard in the off season to find replacements for these vetrans," Housholder said. "We will lose some valuable leadership and we expect next year to be a rebuilding year." |
