By Luis Rodriguez
Contributing Writer
Students with a passion for basketball have found a new team to play for: the St. Bonaventure club basketball team.
After seeing many talented players walk in and out of the Richter Center, Amir Dastoori, a sophomore accounting major, came up with the idea to start a club basketball team so that these players’ skills do not go to waste.
“I came up with the idea of club basketball because I saw a good amount of talented players in intramurals who played high school basketball, and I thought we could compete against other universities and play at a higher level,” Dastoori said.
Dastoori did not work alone to start this new club. With the help of fellow classmates, professors and administration, Amir was able to put the team together.
“A lot of people helped and made it possible including (director of intramural and club sports) Rob DeFazio, Professor Bysiek, Dr. McCannon and sophomore Ryland Wiseman,” Dastoori said.
Anyone can try out for the team, as long as their GPA is above a 2.0. However, only 12 players are allowed on the roster. One of the 12 players on the team is former St. Bonaventure baseball player Joel Rosencrance.
“I decided to try out for club basketball because I had completed my eligibility for baseball, so I couldn’t play for Bona’s anymore,” Rosencrance said.
A lot of students join club sports to have fun and to be a involved with a group on campus. Other students join club sports because Division I sports are much harder and requires more time and dedication.
“Playing a Division I sport, I was busy every day doing something, whether it was lifting, practice, travel or games. In club, there aren’t as many games, and practices aren’t every day,” Rosencrance said.
Although the club schedule will not be as demanding as a Division I sport, the competitive spirit and intensity will still be there. With the club being the new team in the North Atlantic conference, along teams such as Syracuse and Niagara, they will have much to prove to the competition.
Since the team is still fairly new, some logistics are unknown. There will be a fee to join the team, but it has not been finalized.
“The cost isn’t finalized yet because we haven’t budgeted all the travel expenses, but the fee will cover referees for home games, the fee to join the NCBBA League and equipment,” Dastoori said.
Although the club does not know where its home games will be held, the players are excited to showcase their talent and compete in organized basketball.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to see how the Bona’s club team ranks amongst other schools,” Marcus Welch, sophomore management major said. “I am even more excited to finally play organized basketball again and show people what Bona’s basketball is all about.”
The team opens their season on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Niagara University.
