Recreational sports are a great way to spend time with friends and compete in a fun atmosphere. They can be a nice change from high school sports teams, where there is practice every day. However, house basketball in Arlington can also be very competitive at times, playing with and against your friends and other kids that you know can understandably create a competitive matchup.
Junior Matt Herrlein is a member of the team Chaos and loves to play for his house team. He likes that his team is made up of his friends and has a relatively laid-back approach to the game.
“The best part about house basketball is the fact that you get to create a team with your friends and just play and have fun. It is also great that it is not a huge commitment because there is only one practice and one game a week so you are always excited to play,” Herrlein said.
Senior Adam Luncher thinks that there is a good balance of relaxation and competitive spirit in house basketball. Everybody likes to win, but it is also about having a good time with friends.
“It’s fun and competitive at the same time. Me and the kids on my team like to win, but we all like playing basketball together,” Luncher said.
One of the most important parts of house basketball are the rivalry games. Generally, they involve some close friends, so the incentive to win is higher.
“Our biggest rival is this team called the Dominators because a couple of our very good friends are on that team. The past couple years we have always had really close, good games,” Herrlein said.
“I mean our ‘rival’ is Cash Money, but we have never lost to them so I don’t know if they are really our rival. They are our ‘rival’ because they all go to Yorktown,” Luncher said.
However, playing against friends does not always mean the game has to get more competitive. Freshman Kiera O’Harrow has not gotten many opportunities to play against her friends, but she takes a different approach compared to Herrlein and Luncher.
“So far, I have only played a couple of games against my friends and the only difference between those games and the ones against strangers is that I high-five [my friends] when they score,” O’Harrow said.
Lately, there have been tensions between players and the referees. The referees are trying to do their jobs, but some of the players feel like they should let them play.
“I hate the refs. They always call me on something dumb; I am just trying to ball and have a good time,” Luncher said.
Others have a more sympathetic view of the refs.
“I can’t really talk badly about the refs because they are voluntarily taking time out of their day to help us play our games … there are times where you do get frustrated with some calls, but that happens in every league around the world,” Herrlein said.
Ultimately, the season comes down to one final championship game. Winning the tournament can be a big deal, and there are definitely bragging rights for the victors.
“Of course we are the [best team] and we gonna win it. #RingSzn,” said Luncher.
Not every team can push for a title, but it is important to remember winning is not everything.
“I do not think our team is making a championship run,” O’Harrow said.
Although there are not league MVP’s, there are some players who are heralded as the most dominant player. According to their teammates, senior Nick Carrig and junior J.T. Dolan are considered the best players in their respective leagues. Both are great offensive players and are attempting to lead their teams to championships this year.
No matter what approach is taken, everyone agrees about the core foundation of house basketball. It is not all about who wins or loses, it is more about playing without stress and having a good time with friends.
