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Sophomore Antonio Ballard soars toward the hoop at the Recreational Sports Center. He and many other varsity basketball players often play with students during their spare time.

Miami athletes take part in Rec culture

By: Dan Kukla

Posted: 5/2/08

There is a thin line between passionate and obsessed. For many Miami University students, this line is as thin as the gap separating each hardwood panel on the Recreational Sports Center (RSC) basketball courts.

"A lot of people get their identity wrapped up in the sport," Miami graduate Jamie Borchik said. "It happened for me where growing up, basketball was the most important thing in my life. I needed basketball to affirm me everyday. I needed to make jump shots because I was a basketball player, so if I don't play basketball, who am I? I don't have an identity. For a lot of the guys playing at the Rec, they're still experiencing that."

Borchik, who currently works for Athletes in Action in Oxford, spent a lot of his time here as a "Rec rat." Trying to make Miami's varsity team as a walk-on during his freshman and sophomore years meant that it was rare for him to go more than one day at a time without shooting hoops. The more Borchik played, the more he became aware of how it was impacting his life perspective. He also realized he was not alone.

"There's a whole culture of Rec basketball," Borchik said. "A whole group of guys who all know each other, who all play together almost everyday. It's like this little world of Rec basketball players. It's kind of like the country club where everybody plays together all the time. They all know each other and that's kind of their bond."

According to Borchik, this culture encompasses all the RSC regulars, including several members of the Miami basketball team.

"There are a lot of people at the Rec who think they are better than the basketball team," Borchik said. "Guys (on the team) will start hearing about it and they'll say, 'Well, we're gonna go to the Rec and show people that we are better that you; that's why we're on the team and you're not.'"

Sophomore guard Antonio Ballard, the RedHawks' most frequent visitor to the RSC, even goes as far as to say that playing there can be more competitive than practicing with the team because students try extra hard when going head to head with a Division-1 athlete. According to him, opponents will often resort to hard fouls in order to stop him from scoring, leading to friendly, competitive exchanges on the court.

"There's probably a lot of trash talk behind our backs," Ballard said, "but when it's to your face they might just foul you and say, 'You're a D-1 player, you don't get fouled harder than that? Besides, what am I supposed to do?' … But after the game is over it's all good."

Playing at the RSC is a chance for Miami players to relax and have fun.

Winning quickly becomes less valued as the focus of their pick-up games is just to enjoy the sport they love.

"My record at the Rec might be like zero-and I don't think I've won a game," starting Miami point guard Kenny Hayes said.

Hayes said he enjoys playing at the RSC because it allows him to goof off and practice all at the same time.

"When you play at the Rec, you can try to work on things that you wouldn't normally do in team practices or in a game," Hayes said. "You can make a crazy pass that you would never make in a game or a crossover move that you would never make in a game but if you practice it against other people and it becomes a habit, then it can become a positive in a game."

Ballard finds that he is at the RSC most when he can't workout with team and needs to stay sharp. He said he especially likes to go to avoid missing any action when the team is on a road trip.

"I didn't travel," Ballard said. "So on game days when the team traveled away I would go to the Rec because that's like my game."

The opportunity to play with Miami's elite can leave some students star struck. Yet regardless of how they are viewed in the public eye, nothing can change the fact that these basketball players are still students, which allows for a unique interaction between fan and athlete that does not happen at the professional level.

"My freshman year," Borchik said, "I was a guy who was at the Rec thinking, 'Oh man, the basketball team is here; this is really cool.'"

The perks of being a Miami basketball player stretch beyond simple stardom. Ballard and Hayes both said that it is usually fairly easy for them to get playing time at the RSC, even when it is really busy. Whether students would rather be on their team or test their luck against them, having D-1 athletes on the court is in high demand.

The team doesn't always get special treatment, however. Referring back to the RSC basketball culture, Borchik said that students aren't always fond of breaking their system's unwritten rules, regardless of whom it is for.

"Those guys also have some territorial attitudes toward the court," Borchik said. "They want to play and just because you're on the basketball team (they're) not going to let you step over (them) because (they're) already in."

Along with the protectiveness of RSC basketball players comes an intense competitive spirit. As a result, disputes over rules and calls are common and can escalate beyond words to physical displays of discontent.

"I've seen balls punted all the way across the floor," Borchik said. "Literally, I've seen a guy punt a ball that went into the soccer court. It's just like, 'Are you serious? This means that much to you-this Rec basketball game that only 10 people in the world even know is happening?' It's just ridiculous. It goes back to if your identity is in basketball and you need it, then you get bent out of shape over a call because that's a personal attack."

Borchik says that the identity crisis among basketball players is a proverbial double-edged sword. On one side it can be great because it drives people to pursue and enjoy what they are most passionate about. On the other side, however, it can force people into a sad reality of chasing a dream that in the end does not bring complete satisfaction.

"Do they ever have a chance of playing competitive basketball again? No," Borchik said. "In the course of the next 50 years of their lives, they're gonna play in a whole bunch of YMCA leagues, they're gonna play in a lot of Rec leagues, they're gonna play pick-up ball at the local high school with the guys who are around-partially because they love to do it and partially because a lot of people just need it. They need to feed it. If that's your identity you gotta keep doing it."

According to Borchik, there is hope of breaking this cycle of dependency, and his life is a perfect testimony. As a former team manager for the RedHawks, he has seen both sides of the Miami basketball world-that of the players and that of the students. Through this process, Borchik also experienced both sides of basketball obsession.

"For eight years, until I got cut from the Miami team, it was rare for me to take more than one day a month where I didn't at least shoot a basketball," Borchik said. "Now I sometimes go two to three weeks in a row without touching a basketball and it doesn't matter."