Miracle in Malley

ASG intramural basketball team dominates the competition

The squeak of shoes on the Malley courts was nothing in comparison to the raucous crowd of Associated Student Government (ASG) representatives egging on our team at Sunday’s intramural basketball. As a Junior Senator, cheering on my spirited coworkers will always strengthen the solidarity integral to ASG. 

With a stacked team of senators chomping at the bit to get out there, the familiarity of committee members playing side-by-side adds an extra level of power. Neck-in-neck to lead the league, the ASG (Associated Student Government) Superstars marched into Week 6 with a 6-1 record

“We just have a lot of fun, you know?” said Bailey Black, ASG’s acting Pro-Tempore. “That was the pinnacle of it–just out here playing, good things happen.”

Our team represents something deeper than just a sport: the closeness and cooperation I’ve come to learn are inherent to ASG. As members of the closest student body to Santa Clara administration, we spend upwards of 20 hours a week working to provide for Santa Clara students. We voluntarily spend even more time together by being part of this team, and use it as an opportunity to discuss legislation, blow off steam from the working week and forge bonds between Senate committees.

Fairly representing the entire student body is no easy feat, and finding ways to avoid seeming unattainable or unreachable is a consistent mission for ASG. The Superstars team is one big way the organization connects with students on a personal level. Playing with and against fellow students wears down social barriers and reminds us that we’re all Broncos–and we’re all changing the campus community for the better. 

Take Oscar Shub, self-proclaimed politically involved sophomore and constituent. Shub was the MVP for the Superstars in last weekend’s game, hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater three-pointer that moves ASG into the front-running position for the league. You’d never know his ASG contract was a one-day sign–the Superstars regarded him as a prized teammate regardless.

Still recovering from his epic shot barely two minutes before, he couldn’t contain his surprise and relief over the Hail Mary he put up.

“I just got [over] Covid, but I feel good,” said Shub. “We were down by two when Coach Des called me over and he said–”

“I said, hit that bank shot you’d hit when we were kids,” said Desmond McDowell, Public Relations Representative. “I trained him right here, that’s my boy.”

“We’ve been practicing that in the school yard since I was in the womb, actually,” said Oscar.  “Bailey threw me a dime, I saw the rim. God spoke to me, and he said to shoot it, so I did. And I looked at the shot and said ‘that’s not going in’–and then it went in. I saw Kirubel’s face smiling at me, and the rest was history.”

Hearing Oscar recount the buzzer-beater with a smile, the entire gym burst into chants of “MVP! MVP! ASG! ASG!”

“I watched the last shot almost in slow motion–we were trying to foul them to get more time, but we pulled it out and made it happen,” said Senior Senator Clare MacMillan. “If anyone was going to do it, it was going to be Oscar. He’s the MVP for a reason, and we saw it. The crowd erupted, and we did a lap around. It’s exhilarating.”

As our team packed up their hightops and chatted about the win, team captain Zafir Chowdury’s exuberance was apparent. In his role as the Junior Senator at-Large for Athletic Relations, seeing the skillful play of his fellow committee members was another moment of pride in all parts of his position–sportsmanship, skill and politics.

“A different person steps up every game, and every person is all in,” Chowdury said. “No one is selfish here; everyone just cares about the team. We really pick each other up, and really have a family bond here. And we’re out here winning games, which we wouldn’t be able to do without everyone working together.”

That sentiment is built from solid stones of experience, reflecting the quintessential goals of ASG and our work with students. At the end of the day, there is no ASG without community, a promise none of the representatives take lightly. We work hard and we play hard–on and off the court.