Rec ‘N Ballz
10 players, 2 coaches
Record: 7-0
The Rec ‘N Ballz, a team of BVNW senior boys, has been together for two years. The unique thing about this team, according to senior Brady Kurtz, is that Kurtz and the majority of the other players are experienced in sports other than basketball.
“When you have a bunch of athletes on a team, that’s what makes it fun,” Kurtz said. “You’re all friends but you’re also all pretty athletic, and you can play basketball at a pretty good level when you want to try. It’s fun in that sense that you get to play basketball.”
Senior Brett White said the downside to playing rec basketball while being involved with another sport is the risk of injury. White is committed to play college tennis at Washburn University, and he dislocated his knee while playing rec basketball this year. After the injury, White said his college coach told him to stop playing basketball.
“[I was kind of upset that I couldn’t play rec basketball anymore] because it’s a fun thing to do, but at the same time, especially after dislocating my knee, you kind of realize that it’s a risk, and if you play other sports, you need to be careful when you’re playing a rec activity,” White said.
White will sit out for the rest of the basketball season, but according to Kurtz he will be the “honorary coach.” Although the team has three coaches, Kurtz said their secret to success is keeping it simple when it comes to having strategies.
“I think in rec basketball we try to do the best result with the bare minimum, so we just put five guys out there,” Kurtz said. “On defense we play a two-three zone, which basically just means we put our big guy in the middle and everyone just runs around him. We try not to play too hard in defense, [and on offense we just] make people shoot.”

Hoopin’ Hotties:
11 players
Record: 7-1
The Hoopin’ Hotties are a team comprised of junior and senior girls at BVNW. Among the players are junior Lauren Beischel and senior Morgan Welch. According to Beischel, the team originated from a desire to create new friendships among the team members, and it was also a unique way to have fun.
“We decided to start a team because everyone was from a different group I guess, and we wanted to come together and make a team that was diverse with different people so we could hang out with others and not just stay in our groups,” Beischel said.
The attempt at making new friends in creating a team, Welch said, was a successful one as she now talks to people she previously did not talk to.
“You play with [your teammates] and sit on the bench with them and see them in the halls,” Welch said. “It’s nice because I wouldn’t have formed that friendship if I hadn’t played on this team and it’s been cool to get to know such a different group of people than I normally hang out with.”
Welch said she was inspired to try basketball again after years of being away from playing on a competitive basketball team. The rec team she now plays on is a very drastic change of pace according to Welch.
“I played through like seventh grade and we played tournaments and…all the girls were really good and now this is just completely, 100 percent for fun,” Welch said. “I mean obviously we try to win and we want to win, but we don’t really care.”

PrimeTime Chicken Sandwich:
9 players
Record: 3-4
PrimeTime Chicken Sandwich, primarily known as PTCS, is a team of BVNW juniors created by friends of junior Alex DeMarea. DeMarea said the idea for the name came from the lunch room in BVNW.
“We were inspired one day when we saw that the chicken sandwich they serve in the school cafeteria is called PrimeTime Chicken Sandwich, and we just thought, ‘Hey that’s a great name for a rec basketball team,’ so we chose it,” DeMarea said.
DeMarea said he began playing rec basketball after his friends recommended it to him.
Junior Ryan Boepple, the unofficial head coach of PTCS, said rec basketball appeals to him because of its relaxed nature.
“It’s not like school basketball where everyone’s uptight,” Boepple said. “Everybody’s just having fun and you get to be loud and have fun.”
When comparing rec basketball to sports played through the school, DeMarea said it is a much more relaxed environment where people who would not otherwise participate in sports are able to.
“I would say it’s more fun for the kids who wouldn’t have an opportunity to play for the school,” DeMarea said. “It gives them a fun place to play, a good, safe place to play a really fun sport with all of their friends.”