What started as a group of close friends slowly including a game of basketball into their hangouts, soon led to one idea: creating a league where they could all play each other. The Great American Basketball League — GABL made that possible for them.
The GABL is a recreational youth basketball program that allows players to create their own teams and schedule games wherever the program offers space to play. GABL gives kids ranging from first grade to high school a chance to play basketball, develop skills and enjoy the sport.
As basketball season approaches, a group of sophomore boys formed four teams — Hooters Elite, Sauced Elite, Montferrand Academy and Kings — to play against each other throughout the league.
“Some friends and I got the idea that we could all start our own team and end up recruiting kids who wanted to join,” sophomore and Hooters Elite member, Hunter Sharkey said. “And then more of our friends started to make other teams, so that's when we decided the teams would just play each other.”
After the initial idea, each team selected a parent to officially register the squad with GABL, with that parent also serving as the coach.
Once the boys were registered, they finalized their teams, taking final offers from others who wanted to join. Soon after, a simple idea among friends turned into squads ready to compete. They plan to start their matches at the beginning of January.
With teams formed and the season started, the players turned to Instagram — to showcase their squads, highlighting their personalities and adding a playful, humorous element to their personal league. Their league has one main instagram account, as well as each team having its own. The team posts daily about each player, introducing them to followers. Every post included funny photos of players and captions about them, adding humor and excitement to their team.
As the season approaches, the accounts have begun gaining more followers, attracting attention from classmates and fans across the community. Right now all teams are roughly sitting at roughly 100 followers.
“I think the accounts are funny and add good entertainment to each of our teams,” sophomore and Sauced Elite member Owen Rook said.
Now that the teams are shining online, the players are turning their attention to the court.
Coaches from all four teams provide advice and encouragement to their team on and off the court. But with each squad determined to win every game and ready to challenge one another, it also comes with some rivalry.
Each team's Instagram bios play into the competition, with messages jokingly branding themselves as “Hooters Elite hate account,” or other jabs.
The two teams, Hooters Elite and Sauced Elite, have quickly emerged as a head-to-head matchup, with both squads eager to beat each other in every game this upcoming season.
Their rivalry is fueled not just by competition on the court, but also by their different approaches to preparation for their games.
Sauced Elite plans to practice as a team weekly, to ensure their victory, while Hooters Elite only practices occasionally, believing they already have what it takes to win, according to Sharkey.
“Sauced Elite really wants to win, so we're going to practice and scrimmage with our team,” Rook said. “I think without doing this, it'll be harder to play in the game.”
Despite their confidence, Hooters Elite faces early challenges with players Sharkey and sophomore Chase Kavpil sidelined due to injuries.
In addition to the rivalry between the two teams, some players have tried to bribe members of other teams with money, in hopes they would switch to their team.
Despite the competitiveness between Hooters Elite and Sauced Elite, players from all four teams say the league is ultimately about having fun and making the season something to look forward to.
The teams plan to bring their full effort to the court, each determined to win, while still ensuring they enjoy the sport — no matter the outcome.
“It's just something fun we'll do, it's just a way we can enjoy playing basketball with each other,” Sharkey said.
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