Law School Team Wins Hoops Championship
Proving that our students' versatile talents are as valuable on the court as they are in court, a team from the Law School has been crowned the University intramural basketball champions--for the second year in a row.
Illegal Defense, a team of 2L and 3L students, took the championship after beating a team of fourth-year Medical School students, the reigning champions before Illegal Defense joined the league.
The game wasn't a slam dunk. In fact, the first five minutes looked pretty bleak as Illegal Defense trailed 4-17. Center Richard Leverett, '10, says the team needed time to warm up before playing at their typical competitive level. "We weren't panicking at all," he recalls. Illegal Defense eked out a two-point win in overtime.
In addition to Leverett, team members include 3Ls Adrian Milton and Chuck Baxter, and 2Ls Jason Owens, Jonathan Stratton, Tyler Beas, and Michael Holecek. Games were played weekly at the Henry Crown Field House against other graduate school teams. Two other teams formed by law students lost early in the playoffs.
Milton, the team captain, says Illegal Defense's best court weapons were their height and overall talent. About half the team had high school basketball experience, and Stratton had played college basketball at the University of Miami. Continuity might have been a factor, too. After last year's win, Illegal Defense's team roster stayed mostly intact: They lost two players to graduation and picked up one.
While the win doesn't carry the cache of an NCAA trophy, Milton and Leverett say it boosts their social standing at the Ratner Center. It also means the team will be featured in next year's University intramural calendar. Stay tuned to see if back-to-back championships qualify them for the cover.
Read the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's article from March 26, 2010, about Illegal Defense.