In the “NBA FINALS” or highest division of Seton Hall’s 2026 Spring intramural basketball season held in the university’s recreation center on March 9, Ogz took down the “Rim Reapers,” upsetting the senior-heavy squad’s last dance.
A true toss-up, with both teams showing inconsistency in the regular season, neither team being a favorite to reach the finals.
The Ogz held the lead steadily, however, finishing with 19 points ahead of the Rim Reapers’ 7.
Tyler Gordon, a junior communications major, for the Ogz said the win “feels good,” especially after working so hard throughout the season.
Additionally, he wanted to bring home the coveted intramural champion shirts for the seniors on the team.
Ogz posing with their intramural basketball championship shirts | Photo by Sofia Kasbo | The Setonian
“We just wanted to play like our last intramural game together and win,” Gordon said, who also won with the same teammates his freshman year.
Avery Smith, a senior sports management major, said it has “been a long time coming” for him to make it to the championship game and win it.
Coach of the Ogz, Ian Wallace, a senior business management major, said his players are “dogs” on the court.
“Man, these guys are hungry,” Wallace said. “You got to live and breathe it…you got to want it, and, you know, wherever you see a gap you want to go in and fill, and you want to be there offensively and defensively, and you want to apply that pressure…that's how they fold.”
It wasn’t an easy road to victory, however.
Gordon said the team struggled to get back into the groove of the game after not having played for a while.
“Some of [the players] hadn’t played basketball in so long, so, like, getting that shape again…that was the biggest struggle,” Gordon said.
Not only did the team have to overcome getting back into shape, but another member of the Ogz, James Dillard, a junior business administration major, said the team also had to battle busy schedules.
“A lot of our games, a lot of our players had classes, so a couple players didn’t show up,” Dillard said. “We only played with five players, six players, so it was hard, but I'm happy to have all the team together.”
Hunter Wachenheim getting blocked by the opposing team in the intramural basketball championship | Photo by Sofia Kasbo | The Setonian
Dillard’s coach reiterated the importance of team accountability and reliance.
“If you want to achieve something, you got to be there,” Wallace said. “So, you know, you showing up, that's the achievement.”
Wallace said he’s seen “tremendous growth” among his players, which he attributes to trust.
“You want to know who you're playing with, and you want to trust them,” Wallace said.
“[I’ve seen] tremendous growth, like, when they first started, there was probably like, what four people on the team…now, you got a whole stack of just, just talent, you know; the stuff they do, I couldn't even imagine doing.”
This growth wasn’t just limited to the Ogz; the Rim Reapers also saw growth heading into postseason play.
Hopes were high for the Rim Reapers, who just took down the only undefeated team in the league to reach the Finals just before spring break, after coming off the regular season with a record of just 3-5.
Rim Reapers coach, Michael Herring, a senior liberal studies major, said this record did not deter him and his team as they entered the tournament.
“We knew the potential our team had, ignoring our record,” Herring said. “We knew we could be the best team in the league—not just a notion, but a belief.”
As part of the self-proclaimed underdogs, Aaron Lawrence, a senior economics and finance major, said the journey to the finals was “a good run.”
“I guess our lights were a little bright,” Lawrence said of coming into tonight’s game. “It was our first time getting there, [and] we weren't fully expected to be there.”
Ryan McCoy, a senior finance major, said the team knew their potential throughout the season, but weren’t able to reach it in its fullness due to unforeseen setbacks.
“We didn't have our full team,” McCoy said. “We picked up two or two players midway through the season…but we knew since before the season that our team could be special come playoff time.”
But the team missed the mark as that “special” seemed to fade. McCoy said his team could’ve benefitted from better communication on defense.
“We left players wide open on multiple possessions and our defense, we weren't really locked in all together like we've been this playoff run,” McCoy said.
Some things are just left up to fate, according to McCoy, who said the team’s shots “just weren't falling” on offense.
“That just happens,” McCoy said. “That's basketball.”
McCoy also believes that Spring Break may have led to the team’s poor performance on the court.
“In the semifinals, we had a nine-point comeback late in the game…and we lost the groove,” McCoy said. “We couldn't keep our composure today.”
The loss is a tough pill to swallow for Lawrence, with the game being his last as a SHU student.
“It was a good run, I can't be mad, and I'm impressed by how my team plays,” Lawrence said. “To see all the explosiveness really leave a mark on intramural history.”
McCoy, also a senior, expressed how this game has been a long time in the making, as he has played every intramural season since his freshman year.
“We always had the championship in our goals, and that was always in the back of our heads— that was always the end point for us,” McCoy said. “So to get a finals appearance in the last dance, as they say, it meant a lot, and it's just very unfortunate we couldn't get the job done.”
Their coach also noted the harsh reality of being a senior, but still manages to find calm in the storm.
“Most of us are seniors, and the realization that we were not able to fill the dreams we set out is going to sting for a little bit,” Herring said. “Some of these guys I’ve been playing with since freshman year, like Ryan McCoy, Zach Mawby, Darren Worrell, and Ogo Akpala, so it stings, knowing that there’s no second chance, but to know that we fight hard…this team truly means something special to me.”
Ogochukwu Okpala going up for a layup in the intramural basketball championship | Photo by Sofia Kasbo | The Setonian
Despite the loss, Lawrence is keeping his head held high.
“I'm proud of all of us at the end of the day,” Lawrence said.
Win or lose, intramural basketball provides a space for students to foster friendships.
Lawrence said his team is “more than just a team to [him].”
“These are my dogs and my homeboys, these are people I can hang out with every single day,” Lawrence said. “So we went from just a bunch of us [having] no team chemistry, to the end, we actually probably had the most team chemistry out of any other team.”
As a coach, Herring said he appreciated watching his players form bonds off the court.
“I had a bunch of guys on a team that haven’t played with one another, and to see friendships form outside of the games and people having common interests in other sports careers was truly great to see make a community,” Herring said.
Gordon and Smith both met many friends at the university’s recreation center, playing pickup in the gym, with Smith calling making friends through basketball a “great experience.”
“Forming a team and, I mean, getting to know each other is just good, you know?” Gordon said. “I mean, just to be on the team together with these guys and win.”
Not only do the players enjoy friendships formed with their teammates, but some, like Dillard, have also made friendships with other teams.
“Playing against friends on campus just makes everything more fun,” Dillard said.
Gordon enjoys playing against his friends for a bit of friendly rivalry.
“Every time we see [our friends on the opposing team], we just want to kill them,” Gordon said.
Intramural basketball can also help fill a void for former athletes who dreamed of playing professional or college-level sports but were unable to make that dream a reality for many reasons.
“It really puts you in the setting of being a real player,” Lawrence said. “Even though people think it's just a minor game, it's a little bit more than what people think…it’s people who have a sense for the game, who really want to show people that they're actually that they're somebody.”
Additionally, it can be an escape from the go-go-go college lifestyle, as Lawrence calls basketball an “escape from the world.”
“If you have something going on or something that you're really passionate about [it can be an escape],” Lawrence said. “Everyone has certain passions, certain drives, and basketball might be one of their drives, which is something for me too, where it's mine, so I can't say this enough that it's very crucial to me that it gets played.”
Herring enjoys having a bird's-eye view, watching these bonds form and escape as a coach.
“Being a coach who was able to put the team together and see my team having fun off the court as well as on the court is what made me happy to be the coach of the Rim Reapers,” Herring said. “Intramural sports in general definitely aid in fostering a larger Seton Hall community.”
Lakyn Austin is the head editor for The Setonian’s Features section. She can be reached at lakyn.austin@student.shu.edu.
