It’s game day, and despite lacking a fan section and broadcast coverage, the local recreation center is brimming with energy. Ten high schoolers run back and forth on the basketball court; five are wearing the blue side of their reversible county-sponsored jerseys, and the other five are sporting the white side. There are no college scouts or home-court advantages — the only thing driving these high schoolers is the pursuit of a good time.
Montgomery County’s high school recreational basketball league offers a casual basketball experience for students of all skill levels. The league allows players to build and manage their own teams of approximately 8-12 players. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced sub-leagues that effectively categorize teams by skill level and ensure even matchups. Teams in the advanced league can roster unlimited players who play on club or travel teams, while intermediate and beginner teams aren’t allowed any advanced players.
Whitman Varsity Basketball player and junior Rowan Conroy has played on a Moco Rec team since fifth grade and appreciates how the league allowed him to play organized sports with his friends.
“I don’t normally get to play the same sport with all of my friends, but with rec, it’s really inclusive towards everyone,” Conroy said. “Just playing alongside my friends and even against my friends makes it that much more fun.”
In-season, high school athletes spend an average of 10-15 hours per week on sports-related activities, with many dedicating even more time to training. Conroy, who left his rec basketball team this year due to his role on Whitman’s Varsity team, compared his experiences playing on both ends of the competitive spectrum.
“The skill level in rec is obviously less, but it’s just a way to have fun,” Conroy said. “I feel like the casual environment made everyone more passionate because everyone had a chance to impact the team. Nobody takes it too seriously, but everyone still wants to win.”
Recently, many high school rec teams have started creating Instagram accounts. On these accounts, teams post signing graphics, game schedules, trash talk, and memes to garner support and build a community for their team. Junior Simon Rubenstein, a player on the intermediate 11th-grade team, the Moco Snowbunnies, takes great pride in his team’s Instagram. Currently, the Snowbunnies account has 167 followers, the most of any 11th-grade team.
“We started it mostly as a joke to have fun, but then it caught on and we started taking it more seriously,” Rubenstein said. “We made sure to post before and after every game, and more teams started to follow along.”
The autonomy teams have to manage themselves plays a large role in fostering Moco Rec traditions. Like other players, Rubenstein appreciates the community aspect of rec basketball.
“We were all friends before, but rec brought us closer together,” Rubenstein said. “Even when we’re not playing basketball in the off-season, we still text a lot on the group chat. We’ll also hang out on gamedays before or after the games. It just builds a good environment.”
Many current high school groups created the teams while the players were in elementary school, but they continued running as the team grew older. Players’ parents coach many of the teams, resulting in many years of important memories for students and parents alike.
One of these parents is Paul Lane, the Moco Warriors’ assistant coach, who has been coaching since 2014.
“It’s an instructional league. You bring this crazy group together and just play, and that’s what I love about it,” Lane said. “Get out there and play basketball. Foul out every game if you can; just learn how to play.”
Lane’s favorite part of coaching is laughing with his players and watching them enjoy competing. Lane prioritizes an inclusive and educational basketball experience for his team because he feels that’s how teams can stay true to Moco Rec’s nature as an instructional league.
“They remember the blocked shot, or the buzzer beater, or losing to their friends,” Lane said. They remember all those kinds of things, and you can see that it breaks down barriers among friend groups and opens a lot of social doors for a lot of kids.”
