The Colgate University club basketball team, formerly the women’s club basketball team, is led by co-captains and seniors Corey McLaughlin and Jesse Harris. The club recently opened practices from women’s to co-ed and are looking to meet new faces. Club basketball has practices twice a week, and occasionally, the club meets on weekends. Despite not currently being a part of a league, the co-ed club plays in the annual intramural league at Colgate and the women’s team seeks out other schools to play when they can. This semester, the team’s record against other colleges and universities is currently 2-0.
According to sophomore Sarah Perlitz, while other clubs on campus struggle with maintaining steady attendance at meetings or practice, club basketball members are extremely dedicated to their team. With such committed members, Perlitz and her teammates always have the opportunity to play and enjoy the sport.
“I joined club basketball in my first year [at Colgate] and my favorite thing about being a member of the club is definitely the people and the commitment that everyone shows to actually showing up to compete with one another,” Perlitz said. “[We] always have the best time with some good friendly competition. I’m really glad this club has allowed me to continue playing basketball in a more casual setting.”
Junior Nicole Rodgers echoed these sentiments and described how her dedicated teammates create an incredible community that she enjoys being a part of.
“Everyone shows up consistently and gives their all, whether it’s practice or a game,” Rodgers said. “People seem genuinely happy to be there, which radiates to me and everyone else. Practices are the highlights of my week and a great time to destress. We wouldn’t be able to practice without the people that show up and we are all very grateful for them.”
The club basketball program offers students the opportunity to continue basketball beyond high school. McLaughlin spoke of her gratitude for the team and the athletic and social experiences it has provided her.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was eight years old, and I really appreciate the past three years [of] club basketball, when I thought that I would never play again after high school,” McLaughlin said. “I knew I would love playing on this team right from the first practice during my sophomore fall, after the team was allowed to start up again after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. I became good friends with the captain at the time and knowing the girls in my year has been life-changing.”
Sarah Perlitz echoed a similar experience to McLaughlin’s, having played basketball most of her life.
“Being an athlete in high school, I knew coming to Colgate that I wanted to continue athletics in some way, so club basketball was always something that I was looking out for,” Perlitz said. “I was definitely a little nervous to join at first, but I decided to give it a try when [the club] held [their] first practice. I’m so glad that I made that decision because club basketball has been one of the best parts of my Colgate experience so far.”
Perlitz recounted one of the most significant memories she has from being on the team.
“My most memorable moment with the club was the very first game that I played with them last year against the Syracuse club team,” Perlitz said. “I remember showing up and seeing Syracuse with their massive team, official coach and uniforms, and thinking that we weren’t going to stand a chance against them. However, we ended up winning the game, which I think goes to show that while we have fun in practice, we have a lot of talented girls who are super competitive.”
The club has successfully revamped since the COVID-19 pandemic and is only continuing to grow in size and a sense of community moving forward.
“This club is the epitome of what it should feel like to be on a team and have a group of people outside of Colgate’s academic scene,” McLaughlin said.
Rodgers encourages all who may be curious about the team or sport to show up to practice.
“To anyone interested in joining [or] learning more, I would definitely suggest talking to a captain or anyone else on the team,” Rodgers said. “Finding out our schedule and showing up is a great way to start playing, even if you only show up once. We love playing with new people and encourage anyone who wants to join to reach out to us or just come to practice.”
The club aims to continue playing against other schools, with their next game coming up on April 14, and plans to maintain the balance between having fun at practices, making meaningful connections and staying competitive.
