We had a great time at the 2017 NIRSA National Basketball Championship

As Alexander Pope once wrote, “Hope springs eternal.” That phrase could not have been any truer as the 2017 NIRSA National Basketball Championships returned to Columbus, Ohio this past April. Eighty-nine teams with 933 participants from 29 states converged on the Recreation/Physical Activity Center at The Ohio State University with hopes that their squad would rise to the occasion and become a NIRSA National Champion. A competitive and action-filled tournament saw new champions crowned in the Men’s and Women’s Club and Intramural Divisions as well as the Unified Sports Division.

Keeping the tournament running smoothly

With the National Basketball Championships running in its second year at Ohio State, the university’s Department of Recreational Sports looked to build upon the solid foundation from last year’s event to make this year even more exceptional. “Here at Ohio State, we were excited to host this event for the second consecutive year,” says Jarrode Davis, Competitive Sports Coordinator at The Ohio State University and tournament co-director. “I can’t remember a more competitive tournament with all of the overtime thrillers that took place; the competition alone made this tournament one to remember. It was also a great opportunity to expand our partnership with Special Olympics by bringing more Unified League teams into this year’s tournament.”

Brooke Turner, the Chair of the NIRSA Championship Series and Assistant Director of Competitive Sports at the University of Alabama, was on hand to assist with tournament oversight. This tournament had the distinction of being her last before she steps down from the Series leadership track at the end of May. It was quite a way to go out. Brooke offered praise to the staff for their overall effort and execution at the end of the tournament:

“It was exciting to have 89 team participate in the tournament this year. The Ohio State University staff did a wonderful job organizing the event in conjunction with the volunteer staff from around the country. The officiating committee did a great job developing the next generation of officials at the tournament who had the opportunity to learn from experienced high school and college officials from around the country. The event is a team effort between the host, officials clinicians, officials, all-tournament staff, the media team, and the competition team. Every staff member was on their A-game for the event to make it a great experience for teams and student officials. It is an honor to work with this amazing group of volunteer staff.”

The NIRSA Championship Series’ social media presence has been ever impressive and increasing at national events. With Twitter and Instagram as established outlets, the Series added a new wrinkle this year: Snapchat. During the weekend, the nirsachamp Snapchat was active and getting fresh and organic perspectives of the tournament. To go along with this outlet, the Series designed and unveiled its first geofilter for the event. This filter highlighted the NIRSA Championship Series logo and helped to spread more awareness for the Series. The filter was extremely successful, garnering over 47,000 views during its three-day activation.

Teams came to play hard

Navigating your team to the championship can be a daunting task. Each squad knows the task that lays before them, but accomplishing that task requires some strategy. A couple of our participants shared their keys to winning. Cody Hanna from the University of Louisville explains, “The keys to success are teamwork, hard work and just making your shots, man. Making your shots.” Joshua Reece of the Air Force Academy adds, “Our keys to success: tough defense, making shots, and playing together.”

Still, some participants had an additional agenda for the weekend. Many were there to absorb the experience of the tournament and enjoy the competitive and positive atmosphere provided by the host site, volunteer staff, and other teams. “I’m so excited for my last tournament,” says Sara Land, a senior from Duke University. “It’s going to mean a lot to me.” Christine Ford of Duke adds, “As a freshman, it’s just such an awesome experience to be surrounded by so many other teams from across the country and we have the opportunity to play against them.”

The Unified Sports Division made its return for a second year, bringing with it more teams to vie for the Unified Division crown. Unified Sports is an inclusive sports program that unites Special Olympics athletes and their partners as teammates for training and competition. Teams from Towson, Ole Miss, Alabama, Central Michigan, and The Ohio State battled to display competitive comradery and exemplary sportsmanship. In the end, Central Michigan University came away with this year’s title.

Amanda Alpert, Assistant Director of the Unified Sport Division and Assistant Director of Intramural Sports and Sport Clubs at Ole Miss, says, “Working with the Unified Division at the 2017 NIRSA National Basketball Championships was another amazing experience partnering with Special Olympics to add to the books! I was ecstatic to see the division grow from four to six teams this year giving new institutions the opportunity to participate. New friendships were formed and teams gave it their all competing for the National Championship title.” Sam Files of the Ohio State Renegades summed up his weekend experience after a victory over Alabama by saying, “What this game means to me is that I enjoy playing with my teammates, and I also like to meet a lot of new people that we were able to play against.”

While basketball is first and foremost on the mind of the athletes in the Unified Sports Division, it didn’t mean they couldn’t have a little fun at the Unified Sports banquet Saturday night. “The team social for the Unified Sports teams was a great addition to the event and one of my favorite parts,” says Brooke. “This was added from the feedback of the Unified Teams last year as the opportunity to build community was something they were missing from the tournament. Teams sang karaoke, played games, and danced during the event. The athletes loved seeing partners and staff dancing and singing with them.” Amanda adds, “The highlight of the weekend was definitely the Unified Social bringing together—unifying—all partners and athletes for a night full of food, games, singing, and dancing!”

A platform for officials growth

Officiating basketball is not a skill set every individual can claim they have, much less one the average person wants to work on in their spare time. For 54 student officials, though, the opportunity for improvement and to receive critiques from some of the most decorated and dedicated mentors and clinicians in the avocation is not only welcomed, but highly valued. Forty-four institutions were represented by student officials during the 2017 tournament, and hopefully it was an experience they’ll never forget. Special guest clinicians JD Collins, the NCAA Men’s Officials Coordinator, and JB Caldwell, National Scouting Advisor for NBA Referee Operations, offered their unique perspective and advice on officiating throughout the weekend.

Shane Land, Assistant Director of Intramural Sports at the University of Central Florida and the Director of Officials at the National Championship, remarked on how hard the student officials worked during the weekend. “I was extremely impressed by this talented group of 54 student officials,” he says. “They were committed to the entire experience. From the welcome address by JB Caldwell on Thursday evening to the numerous classroom sessions throughout the weekend until the final game on Sunday, these officials were engaged and devoted to becoming better officials and also to learning a little about life off the court. If these students are the future of basketball officiating, we are in good hands!”

Student officials were eager to work and learn from some of the best clinicians in the nation as the tournament began. Dondra Fergerson of the University of Florida says, “I’m glad to be here as a first-time official at Ohio State. I’m definitely looking forward to some great basketball and to improving my skills as an official.” Angel Cruz from Eastern Washington University adds, “I’m here at this tournament hoping to gain a lot of information and take that back to my campus and spread that information to my peers so they can get better at officiating basketball.”

Congratulations!

We had a slam dunk contest, a three-point shootout, gripping overtime games, fantastic competition, and in the end, five teams, 30 players, and nine officials emerged as champions with a national title or all-tournament honors. Congratulations to the following teams and individuals that earned the national championship or all-tournament honors:

Championship Game Scores

Men’s Club Championship: Wisconsin 48, Boston College 38
Women’s Club Championship: Wisconsin 32, Air Force 14
Men’s Intramural Championship: Georgia Tech 48, Valdosta State 39
Women’s Intramural Championship: Grand Canyon 48, Georgia Southern 31
Unified Championship: Central Michigan 37, Ohio State 32

Men’s Club All-Tournament Team

Jake Boxleitner, Wisconsin (MVP)
Jake Casey, Wisconsin
Charles Irwin, Boston College
Evan Palmer, Boston College
Marc Brown, Ivy Tech
Desmond Williams, UNC Pembroke

Women’s Club All-Tournament Team

Katelyn Crothers, Wisconsin (MVP)
Connor Dlugopolski, Wisconsin
Myah Jackson, Air Force
Maggie Borngesser, Air Force
Jessica Eason, Penn State
Alessandra Dickos, The Ohio State

Men’s IM All-Tournament Team

Patrick Lamar, Georgia Tech (MVP)
Zion Thomas, Georgia Tech
Austin Card, Georgia Tech
Bryce Adair, Valdosta State
Rodrick Chandler, Valdosta State
Steven Shipwash, UCF

Women’s IM All-Tournament Team

Hannah Frederick, Grand Canyon (MVP)
Sabrina Johnson, Grand Canyon
Mariah Kempf, Grand Canyon
Smiljana Cuk, Georgia Southern
Dawona Magwood, Georgia Southern
Yashee Johnson, North Carolina A & T

Unified Sports All-Tournament Team

Kemondrao Taylor, Alabama
Timothy McClean, Rowan
Justin Gilloto, Ohio State-Grey
Sam Files, Ohio State-Grey
Nathan Hill, Central Michigan

All-Tournament Officials

Nate Cearley, Kansas State
Rhys Wilson, Oklahoma
Logan Cammack, Georgia Southern
Michelle Liu, Stony Brook
Jonny Grymes, UCF
MJ Thomas, TCU
Jay Burzych, Michigan State
Andrew Goodman, Cal State Northridge
John McNeal, Kentucky
For complete tournament coverage, including game recaps and award winners, visit the NIRSA Championship Series blog, and check out the @NIRSAChamp handle on Twitter and Instagram. The NIRSA National Basketball Championship makes another visit to the heart of Ohio in 2018 as the tournament returns to The Ohio State for its third consecutive year. To learn more about the NIRSA Championship Series—including information on 2017–2018 regional and national tournaments—visit the NIRSA website.