Noah Shelton Lion’s Roar
Morning Basketball Offers Social Activity For Faculty If any South student were to venture the halls of the school at 6:00 a.m., silence would be expected, give or take a few custodians getting the building ready for the day. But if one were to take a trip to the field house at that time, a very different reality would be unfolding, in the form of ten groggy teachers dressed in athletic clothing, ready to hit the court for another round of the game they love. For several teachers at South, morning basketball has become a staple of their days. Hours before students arrive, these educators trade in their ties and khakis for shorts and Jordans. Teachers in Newton have been playing morning basketball together as early as 1991, and it has become a daily ritual in the past few years at South. Engineering teacher Matt Briggs remembers the start of morning basketball. He has been honing his early morning basketball skills since 1991, but recalls that the games weren’t as accessible as they are now. “Here at South we have probably played since the late ‘90s,” he said. “Really when we got the Field House built, we were finally able to get it going. I know I started playing over at Newton North in 1991 with the principal there.” Briggs attributes the success of the morning basketball program to the younger teachers that could eventually carry the torch of the program. “Eventually, we were able to get enough of a contingent, and the Field House built, we were really able to get it over here with some of the younger faculty.” Recruiting the younger staff guarantees that Morning basketball will continue. A few of the participants come from basketball backgrounds. English teacher Michael Lenzi played basketball at the varsity level for two years. “I played basketball in high school,” he said. “I was a two year varsity player as a center, even though I am only 6’2””. Other players, such as English department head Brian Baron played at a younger age, but gave it up in order to pursue other endeavors, “I played in Junior High, [but I] didn’t play in high school,” he said. History teacher Gene Stein grew up with the sport, having been raised in the basketball hotbed of Indiana. “It’s what you do in Indiana, play basketball,” he said. Teachers concur that if morning basketball were to stop happening, then there would be an uproar. Baron believes the club offers a chance to kick back that is not commonly experienced by adults. “You guys may not realize this, but there are a lot of times to be goofy as a kid,” he said. “As a grown up, there are only a few opportunities to let loose and just have fun. And that’s what basketball is, a time [where] there is no responsibility. You are not fulfilling the role that you have to the rest of the day.” Mr. Lenzi, a second year teacher, says morning basketball has helped him socially and he now knows more people than he did before. “Socially, last year was my first year at Newton South. It’s kind of like being a new student, I don’t really know that many people. And being a teacher it can kind of being isolating, being in your classroom by yourself,” he said. “Once I started playing, I meet a lot of faculty and it made me feel a lot more welcome.” These teachers do not keep it timid while playing. Briggs feels that things never get past small altercations, “Yeah, its competitive. It’s just like anything, we try to have fun. When
things get going arguments ensue. Nothing more than that,” he said. “We are always going to come back the next time. We are collegial and competitive. Everybody wants to win,” he said. Lenzi concedes that things can get heated, “It is more competitive than it should be,” he said. “There have been at least two occasions where we have had to stop the game because people start yelling at each other.” Lenzi went on to say that the group often had to look bigpicture at the altercations. “We had to remind ourselves where we are and what we are doing, [and] we realized that it probably wasn’t that important,” he said. “That’s just because we play hard and because we care.” Baron agreed with the common theme. “While you are in it, you are trying to do the best that you can, to beat the other guy,” he said.