Church League
Packed arenas, screaming fans, and excellent showings of athleticism. These are things that you will not find at a church league basketball game. However, you will find people that are looking to have a good time and play the game they love, even if they’re not quite good enough to play for a school team.
“I’m a huge advocate for church league basketball,” said junior Peyton Adams. “I like to think that I’m one of the better ones on our team. I’ve pretty much carried my team through our season with my D1 level skills. The Catholic team has been asking me to join back since I quit after freshman year, but I’m too dedicated to the church league squad at this point to go back.”
The Pulaski Heights Methodist Church gym is where it all goes down. During their pre-game warm ups the Christ the King team follows an unconventional path of mostly just taking half court shots and making fun of each other. Not necessarily what most experts would recommend, but to each his own I suppose.
There are all different levels of commitment in church league. Some make it their number one priority and treat it like they’re training for the Olympics. Some others are not quite as fanatic about the church league experience. “I’m technically part of a church league team, but I’ve only actually played in one game,” said junior Josh Pinter. “I’ve gone to watch two games, played in one, and gone to zero practices. So you could say I’m a pretty dedicated member of the squad.”
“I’m what I like to call a shooting specialist,” said junior Seth Hartnedy. “I specialize in half court lobs and turn around three pointers. We haven’t kept exact track, but I would venture to say that I lead our team in scoring this season. A lot of the other guys tell me that I shoot too much, but you have to shoot to score. Do you know that Kobe Bryant holds the NBA record for most missed shots? And he’s a shooting legend, so I’m gonna keep putting up my shots and watch them fall.”
With spring progressing, the tournament grows nearer. And I’m not talking about the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m talking about the church league “Road to the Finals” and it’s looking like it’s going to be a doozy. With Agape Life as the clear favorite for the title, it’s up to the underdogs of St. James and Holy Souls to clinch the victory and bring glory to Catholic High.
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