The OCCC Men’s Community Basketball League kicked off its Spring season at 7 p.m. on March 8. The season, however, is still going strong through May 3 and exciting game play can be seen every Thursday evening at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the Wellness Center Gymnasium.

The cost to play in the league is $250 per team and must be paid upfront in order to participate in the league, according to Recreation and Sports Specialist Eric Watson.

The OCCC Men’s Basketball League has been a staple of the Wellness Center for more than a decade, he said.

Watson said in order to participate, participants must be 18 years of age, but the sign up period for the men’s league ended in March.

According to Watson, students and members from the community flock to OCCC in March just to sign up for the popular league.

Watson believes the competitiveness of the league is based on the teams that sign up every year.

“The competitive aspect of the league is based on the conditions of the team members and on the league,” Watson said.

Saajan Patel, student and frequent visitor of the Wellness Center, said he believes that the league always offers a very competetive challenge.

“I think this league is pretty tough,” Patel said.

“You have a lot of good players who have played together for a while, so they have good chemistry.”

The individual talent level of each player can vary depending on which team you are watching, Watson said.

He said, he also believes the talent level is mostly for recreational purposes.

“Most players only have high school playing experience and very little college playing experience,” Watson said.

Wellness Center staff and OCCC Pioneers team member Pierre Davis said he thinks the league has quality talent for a recreational men’s league.

“There are some guys out here who can really play and some have played college ball,” Davis said.

For more information about the OCCC Men’s Community Basketball League or anything else involving the Recreation and Fitness department call the Wellness Center Desk at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.

To contact Brandon Willis, email sportswriter@occc.edu.