This fall’s Intramural Basketball (IBB) season exceeded all expectations. Twenty-five teams registered, nearly matching the twenty-six from Fall ‘22 and sixteen from Spring ‘23. Overall, league participation has been going up each year since 2020. Every team came ready to compete for IBB glory. The league was electrified by new freshman talent and held steady by the old guard of veteran players giving it their all for their Last Dance. The regular season got off to a riveting start right from the first tip-off on Friday, November 11, and eighteen teams competed on the following Sunday, November 13.
Four teams—Them, Ben Norris Club (BNC), River Sharks, and Buckets for Jesus (B4J)—ruled the regular season, losing only a combined two games. While teams affiliated with Haverford Athletics programs were highly successful throughout the IBB season, such as Tender Meat and Blue Baller Group, unaffiliated teams like BNC, Haverford Basketball Team, and Them saw significant achievement as well, all posting positive records.
There was significant overlap with the Intramural Futsal League, whose players suited up for Team Swish, Team NPC, Stroking With Our Hands, and Solano Elite. IFL has demonstrated impressive engagement and talent, and it is only logical some of that energy carried over into the Fall IBB season. Nearly every out-of-season Haverford sport put in a team, including Volleyball (Vballers Bballin’), Softball (Late Night Buckets), Baseball (B4J), Mens’ (Tender Meat) and Womens’ Lacrosse (Blue Ballers’s Group), Mens’ (River Sharks) and Womens’ Soccer (Sarah Klink), Mens’ Tennis (Stroking With Our Hands), Mens’ (Team Swish) and Womens’ Club Soccer (Stanky Leg), and Field Hockey (Fhocking Ballers). The staff for the league was composed of the Mens’ and Womens’ Varsity Basketball teams, and they ran a tight ship. Multiple technical fouls were given out over the year, and attendance was closely monitored. IBB was able to function as an active, positive space where athletes and non-athletes alike were able to have fun and play a sport they enjoyed. The competitive level of the pre-playoff games was determined by the teams participating, making each game a comfortable experience for those involved.
With the start of the playoffs, however, the intensity kicked up a notch, with only nine teams remaining of the initial twenty-five. Due to a sportsmanlike forfeit from Team Keeton due to finals and schedule overlap, there was a three-round, single-elimination tournament, with the first round played on Thursday, December 14. Each team came into their playoff matchups fired up and ready to go, yet after Thursday, only BNC, B4J, Tender Meat, and River Sharks remained. The first matchup between B4J and BNC was a blowout, with B4J coasting through. The next semifinal matchup was a nail-biter, with Tender Meat barely edging River Sharks in overtime thanks to three misses in the final five seconds for the River Sharks, and clutch free throw shooting from Tender Meat. That thriller of a game prepared Tender Meat for the championship, as they took on the championship against B4J a mere seven minutes after their game against the River Sharks, and with only half of their players.
The Semifinals and Championship were played back to back on December 17, dubbed “Final Four Sunday.” The championship game had a few big swings and turned into a three-point shootout in the second half. Most notably, Tender Meat guard Phil Passalqua ‘26 drained four three-pointers. B4J tied the game with 1.6 seconds left with a 2-pointer from Jack Wallis ‘25, but a savvy timeout allowed Tender Meat to draw up a play running Passalqua across the arc as a decoy and drawing multiple B4J defenders, just to throw a dart bullet pass into the paint to junior Mathias Zawoiski. Zawoiski turned over his left shoulder and threw in a game-winner as the buzzer sounded. High community involvement, impressive sportsmanship, entertaining games, and an exhilarating championship made for an excellent end to an incredible season. With the start of a new semester, players are beginning to gear up for the spring IBB season, starting in a few days. Reflecting on Fall 2023, one can only hope this coming season will be as captivating and successful.
End-of-Season Awards
First Team
Dylan Monaghan ’27
Holly Vincent ’26
Jack Wallis ’25
Ronan West ’27
Ben Zimmerman ’27
Second Team
Yiping Hou ’24
Dylan Ioffreda ’24
Daniel Lee ’25
Addie Sapirstein ’26
Mathais Zawoiski ’25
Third Team
William Amiani ’25
John Dowd ’27
Cam Hamilton ’27
Grace Haskell ’25
Ryan Willsie ’27
Honorable Mentions
Owen Cross ’25
Ravi Eaton ’24
Max Friedmann ’24
Sam Stone ’25
All-Defense Team
Mauro DeCillis ’26
Boahen Kwakye ’24
Calum Mitchell ’24
Joey Rodriguez ’26
Ryan Willsie ’27
Sixth Man of the Year
Gabriel Morillo ’24
Inaugural Annabel Flint Referee Of The Year
Harry Johnson ’25
Khalil Walker Grit Ball Player of the Year
Camden Rodgers ’24
General Manager of the Year
Gio Baltazar ’24
Coach of the Year
Kyle Coll-Camalez-Galindez ’25
Defensive Player of the Year
Mathais Zawoiski ’25
Most Valuable Player
Phil Passalqua ’26
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