Sports
Competition comes alive at Adult Basketball League
Eight-team league provides excitement – and stress relief – for its roster of players
It's gametime every Tuesday and Thursday night at the in Little Neck, where winning is serious business for the eight teams making up the Adult Basketball League.
"Each year that I've been in this league the competition has elevated," said Mike Wagner, a player on the Cold Cuts squad. "We haven't won the championship yet but we've come close. We are looking to get it this year."
For players, the league is more than just about competition – it's also about stress relief and a break from work-day reality. "I am a teacher at St. Francis Prep," Wagner said. "Playing basketball gives me the opportunity to get out and run around. It is a great way to relieve stress and get some exercise."
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The league, which started three years ago, has grown from four to eight teams. There are three different seasons in which players can compete, starting with a fall league schedule, a spring schedule and a summer League.
"Before this league started we had just an open gym time for adults," said Robert Schwendel, organizer of the Adult Basketball League at the Y. "We found that this way made things easier plus the players like the real feel of a game atmosphere with the scoreboard and the referees. We even have stat sheets where they get to see their individual performances in each game."
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The eight teams, sporting memorable names like Superbad and The Alpha Q's, play an eight-game season schedule capped by a double-elimination playoff.
At the end of each season the winning team gets championship t-shirts for each team member. The team manager is also awarded a sizeable trophy.
"We found that the players liked having the t-shirts more than just small sized trophies for each team member," Schwendel said. "They get to walk around with that shirt until the next season starts. It gives them a little bragging rights."
The cost for each team member to join the league is $650, much cheaper than the fees for other basketball leagues around the area, players say. Included in the costs are the referee fees and player jerseys.
The majority of players are in or have already graduated college. A lot are from the immediate area but others travel from Long Island and other parts of New York City to play.
One of those travelers is the Cold Cuts' Mike Sarro who hails from the Upper West Side in Manhattan. "This is great competition and a lot of fun," said Sarro. "I don't mind driving out here at all to play."
Currently in second place in the league behind Team Princeton, the Cold Cuts had little trouble defeating their opponents L.F.C, a team from Queens College, on Tuesday night.
The next game that evening featured the Alpha Q's vs. Superbad. The game was a bit more tightly contested but the size and strength of Superbad's roster eventually wore down the Q's defense.
"Those are our fiercest competitors," Wagner said of Superbad. "We will be looking for them in the playoffs."
The fall league is currently filled. To find out about openings in the spring and summer leagues, contact league organizer Robert Schwendel at 718-225-6750 ext. 206 or by email at RSchwendel@sfy.org.