Thursday, November 29, 2018

‘TIS THE SEASON

By DILLON SULLIVAN

As it gets colder outside and snowflakes fall from the pitch black sky, the light from St. Mary’s CYO shines bright through the darkness. High school students walk in the doors of the building with the distinct “CYO smell” filling up their noses.  Although it smells like feet and sweat, this aroma means the most wonderful time of the year is upon us: Rec. Season.

DILLON SULLIVAN FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY
The Blooming Grove Recreational Basketball League is a competitive basketball organization in Washingtonville in which many of the high school students participate.  Games are held once a week at St. Mary’s CYO, usually on Wednesdays.  Almost always composed of four teams, the league consists of about 40 players of junior and senior athletes. Each week, there are two games: the first at eight o’clock and the second at nine.  In total throughout the season, there are about 16 games with two rounds of playoffs where all  four teams compete for the coveted championship. 

At the end of every season, before the playoffs are underway, various awards are given out to the players. Such awards include Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Fan Favorite.  After not having one last year, the Offensive Player of the Year award will be returning this year due to many requests.  One of the leading candidates for MVP and OPOY this year, Kieran Justiniano, explained, “Honestly, I’m very excited for the rec. season to start… last year was a disappointment because my team did not win at all. This year my goal is to be the best player I can be and to win this chip!”

Benjamin W. Sorensen, an experienced rec. veteran, has been looking forward to this season ever since the last one ended.  “For this up and coming, as well as my final season, I have been working every single day to better myself on the court. I have been hitting the weight room frequently and running track to get my fitness up.  This is all the extra work besides what I do on the court. Three nights a week I have professional one on one training to best prepare me for the season.” 

While rec. is a  very competitive league where everyone wants to win, there is no shortage of fun moments and comedy.  Sorensen explained, “My favorite thing about rec. is having fun with my friends and making the crowd laugh.  Rec. is a nice place to spend time with friends and have fun, but in a competitive environment doing what we love to do.”  Now, don’t let his attitude fool you; Benjamin is planning on ending his senior season with a bang. “Personally, I cannot say enough about how well I am going to do this season.  I plan on dropping at least 30 points per game and anything less than an MVP and the league championship will be a disappointment for me. People have big expectations for me, and I am ready to live up to them!"

This season should be an exciting and interesting one as everyone is ready to compete and have fun! Everyone come see the games Wednesday nights at eight and nine o’clock, and follow the official Instagram account, @bgrecball, for information on the league and weekly highlights!

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