Photo courtesy of Mark Chinn

By Terrence Hinds, Staff Writer

Published in print Mar. 17, 2015

Intramural basketball is a big deal. Okay, in the grand scheme of things, it is not the biggest deal in the world, but some do take it seriously. It is harder than you might think to put together a team, and it is even more difficult for everyone to be on the same page, and playing as one unit.

MJ’s Secret Stuff, a team name derived from the  placebo-effected drink in the cult 1996 film, Space Jam which starred NBA legend Michael Jordan as well as the Looney Tunes, was a team which was able to follow this formula of winning and beat out their competition to win this year’s competitive, intramural division at the campus Rec Center. The team was able to win in impressive fashion too.

The team was able to go undefeated including a nine point win over DPG in the championship game, 53 to 44.

I was able to interview Mark Chinn who was a member of the team. According to Cinn “The key to us going undefeated was just playing our game. Good ball movement and knocking down shots. A lot of teams would try to beat us with 1 on 1 play and that hurt them.”

MJ’s Secret Stuff seemed to just have had their chemistry from the beginning, and for intramural sports,  that is all it takes to have a major leg up in games. What is even more spectacular of the team was that the unit did not even practice together.

“We didn’t practice as a team” Chinn said. ‘We all usually do individual work or played in the rec often to stay sharp and in shape.” It was just a natural fit for this team.

It is always interesting how these teams come together though.

You need a variety of skill to win a championship at any level. And according to Chinn, the team had a general idea of whom they wanted to play with way before the season started.

“We pretty much knew who our team would be about a month or two after school started. We played together with each other in the Rec and knew what type of players we wanted” Chinn stated. “Fundamental players, smart players, and also people who could shoot the three is mainly what our team consisted of.”

That was definitely a solid base to build a team off of. The team played with high confidence from game one. I asked Chinn if there was a clear moment during the course of the season where they felt like they were going to win it all.

“I knew we had a chance to win the championship on the opening night of games” Chinn replied.

“I got to get a good look at the teams and knew my team stood apart from the rest. Most of the team members on the team played for previous colleges and universities so we knew how to play the game the right way with each other.”

This team was loaded with talent from the very beginning. After the first game, the vibe throughout the team was a belief that there was no way they were going to lose. “ I would not say there was ever a doubt in any of our minds throughout the games” Chinn said.

“Teams would get within a few points and get excited and we would end up winning by 25” Chinn said. “We were always calm and just played our game. The championship was our only close game and we did not have 4 players.”

When you play as a unit and win games the overall flow of the team improves and Chinn’s team proved that . You start to know where your teammates are going to be before they even know. The basketball begins to have energy. In regards to an individual player who perhaps stood out, Chinn stated the team’s run was based on a more team-oriented style of play.

“I don’t think the team would even think about who was MVP. We all played off one another” Chinn said.

“Everybody played their part. Everybody had their own moments to shine as individuals at one-point or another in the games that we played.”

That statement is all you need to know to understand why this team had success.

So congratulations to MJ’s Secret Stuff.

Categories: Sports, terrence hinds