Members of Phi Slamma Jamma at one of their weekly games last March in the RPAC. Credit: Courtesy of Joe Petrilla
Phi Slamma Jamma is eager to take advantage of the recently reopened RPAC basketball courts after months of them being shut down.
Members of Phi Slamma Jamma, a social fraternity based around weekly pickup basketball games, were encouraged by the recent announcement that student organizations could begin making requests for both indoor and outdoor spaces for groups of less than 10 people beginning Oct. 19. The RPAC basketball courts are currently accepting reservations, according to the Recreational Sports website.
“We’re most looking forward to the opportunity to just get on the court again, because I mean, I have a basketball hoop in the backyard here off-campus housing, but it’s kind of crappy outside lately and we haven’t been able to play that much so I think it’s pretty fair to say that we’re all pretty excited to be able to at least shoot around indoors,” Joseph Petrilla, a third-year in sports industry and the club’s secondary leader, said.
Under normal circumstances, the club would organize weekly five-on-five pickup games, which is something Petrilla said he misses.
“My favorite pastime is playing basketball, so not being able to do that with my friends has not been ideal,” Petrilla said.
Andrew Helenbrook, a fourth-year in chemical engineering and the club’s president, said he has been anxiously awaiting the reopening of these facilities. He said the club hopes the RPAC will allow them to have a one-on-one tournament lasting until the end of the semester since they are a registered student organization. According to the website, there can only be a maximum of one player per half court for a one hour time slot.
Helenbrook said he emailed the RPAC asking to change the new rules and provide them the chance to have a one-on-one tournament. He is still awaiting a response.
During the first few months of the semester, Helenbrook said the club was pretty much shut down.
“I do know a few outdoor courts on campus that I would send out texts like, ‘Hey, if you want to come and shoot around at any of these courts,’ just to plug a location for them,” Helenbrook said.
The club has expanded rapidly since its unofficial start two years ago, with more than 120 members today. Helenbrook said COVID-19 has stunted its growth.
“Moving forward, we really need to get back in the gym to doing five-on-five,” Helenbrook said. “At the end of the day, that’s what people joined the club for — hanging out with people who like basketball and have a competitive group to go out and play with at the RPAC.”
Helenbrook said Phi Slamma Jamma is accepting new members and those interested in joining should reach out to [email protected].
