One of the University of Alabama’s newest club teams, club basketball, started its season in November in the Tide Tip-Off Showdown. The team went 3-0, including wins against Tennessee and Auburn, and a triple overtime victory versus Chattanooga.
The team then realized that this was the start of something special.
Last year, Ace Kerr, a sports and fitness administration/ management major, was working at the UA Student Recreation Center when he was asked about taking on a new task: becoming the head coach of the club basketball team.
“Last year my boss approached me and he said, ‘We don’t have a club basketball team, and we’d think you would be really good at it,’” Kerr said. “It took us about eight months to have tryouts and create the team, which is how it all started.”
However, with the creation of a new team, there were new challenges to overcome.
“Logistically, at first we knew what we wanted to do, and we had a good plan on how we wanted to do it, but there were a lot of things we didn’t expect to be so technical,” said Rob Saville, a senior and the vice president of the team.
The team also made an effort to reach the public. To do this, team members hung posters in the rec center and held a table at Get on Board Day.
With all this hard work starting to pay off, the team started to see the payoff.
“One of the bigger rewards was seeing those jerseys for the first time, and getting to see all those logos and designs,” Saville said.
For the players, it was a chance to continue their love for basketball. Many of them played in high school and could not compete at the collegiate level, so this was an opportunity to showcase their talent and love for the sport.
With the news spreading about the new team, players knew they had to take advantage of it.
“I just really love competitive basketball,” said Braden Corbett, a junior and point guard. “It’s been great to play with people who love the sport as much as me.”
As for the future, the team has big plans. The idea of a women’s club basketball team is on the table, and the hopes are to make it to nationals.
“Hopefully in Year 3 of club basketball we can hopefully start introducing a women’s side to it,” Kerr said. “We are just trying to make it so that club basketball leaves a lasting impact as the best club Alabama has.”
