By Maddox Weddle
One of eight intramural basketball teams this winter is called BBE, or Big Bubba Elite. This team is widely considered to be the toughest team in the league.
Their star player Landon (D1) Brooks is a 6-foot-6-inch junior with 10 NCAA Division I football offers as a defensive end. He towers over the opponents and is nearly unstoppable in the paint, which is the painted box under the rim.
His teammates consist of Chase Flannery, Zane Cline, Nolan Carpenter, Keighan Minor, Nate Manor, Jay Crawford and Marcus Bright.
The idea of the team started after the 2023 football season. They just wanted to have fun on early Saturday mornings to play some basketball in their free time.
They all have matching jerseys with their nicknames and numbers on it.
The season for Big Bubba Elite and the other seven teams will be coming to a close on Saturday, March 2, when the final tournament will be played.
This will determine who the best team is. It is a single elimination one-day tournament to determine the winner.
The tournament will start at 7:30 a.m. in the main and auxiliary gyms. It is open to watch and anyone can come to see how the final games of the season unfold.
Last intramural season junior Owen Cupp had to make a tough choice whether to leave his friends and teammates on his own or he would be cut.
“It was either I listen or I get cut,” Cupp said.
This was going on with some of his other teammates and friends as well, so when tournament time came they had to forfeit because they didn’t have enough players.
However, this year is different. Instead of backing down, Cupp decided to make his own team in the face of adversity.
Cupp’s teammates include Jackson Robbins, Collin Haughn, Kody Vest and more.
Not all of them knew each other at first.
“Some of them could start off as complete strangers and become close friends who may even hang out outside of intramurals,” Intramural Director Mr. Brian Brewer said.
One of the players on this team stands out from the others: Jackson Robbins. He was not even on the team list because he didn’t know when it started, but since the second week of games when he was asked to join the team he has been a good addition.
These games are played on early Saturday mornings.
Science teacher Mr. Brewer organizes these games.
“It gives them an opportunity to socialize with other students and get them off their phones,” Brewer said. “We will have 60 students or more early Saturday morning just to play basketball. It’s great.”
He has been the director for the past eight years and took over the position when former math teacher Mr. Scroggins retired. Brewer enjoys going to intramurals and watching the kids get out and play some basketball.
“It’s really fun to spend time with students outside of the classroom and get to see them when they’re not sitting at a desk and being able to interact with them,” Brewer said.
Brewer and many others are ready to watch the kids give it all they have in the tournament and see who the true champion is.
