SCRANTON — The University's spring intramural basketball season is underway.

Basketball is one of Scranton’s most popular intramural sports. The league features 30 teams with five to 12 players each. Students display their basketball skills in a 40-minute, five-on-five full-court showdown. After six regular-season games between teams in their respective divisions, a single-elimination, win-or-go-home bracket based on the teams’ standings is played to declare the champion.

Playing intramural basketball on a college campus isn’t comparable to gathering friends at a park. It’s a chance for college students to continue their love for the game of basketball in a competitive, formal and high energy environment.

DJ Gray, junior business administration major at the University, said intramural basketball gives him the opportunity to keep playing the sport he grew up on.

“(Intramural basketball) means coming together to play a sport so many of us love. I feel like most of us who come to a D3 school and know they won’t play on the team, then intramural is a way for them to enjoy themselves and still play the game they love,” Gray said.

Playing intramural basketball isn’t just exercise; it also gives students a new social life. Gray looks at intramural basketball as a way to get out of his comfort zone and make new friends through a similar interest — basketball.

“My favorite thing about it would be meeting new people for sure; I mean I know I'm not an extrovert at all, but I feel like with intramurals I’m able to meet new people through sports,” Gray said.

With most students at the University taking multiple high-level classes, trying to graduate on time and fulfill the necessary courses for their major, many students go to intramural sports as a chance to break away.

Philip Ostrosky, junior accounting major at the University, believes that intramural sports serve as a perfect opportunity to rewind from stress.

“(Intramural) basketball is a fun time to relax and unwind for the week. Just the perfect amount of competitiveness but also balanced so everybody can have fun,” Ostrosky said.

Events are scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Byron from 6 to 11 p.m. The $10 fee must be paid by the team captain prior to the beginning of the season. The winner of the spring intramural basketball championship will receive free custom intramural T-shirts for each player on the team, as well as an Instagram post on @scrantonrecsports.

Byron Bums, led by seniors Ethan Nguyen and Anthony Santos, will attempt to win their third consecutive championship.

Visit imleagues.com to join as a free agent.