SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – On Thursday nights at the basketball gym of the Shelby Township recreation center, the competition is always fierce.
Every shot means something, and every big game is made up of many small victories. What started with four or five players is now an entire adult basketball league for every ability and every age.
“That is the mission, basketball for everyone,” Shelby Township Parks and Recreation director Joe Youngblood said. “This is a first time for a lot of athletes playing basketball and they just love it.”
The Shelby Pistons going on almost two decades, including some who have been playing with the team from the start.
“I’ve been playing for 16 or 17 years,” Bryan Woodward said. “I’ve been on this team for a long time.”
The game making a difference for players and their parents alike.
Arlene Susalla’s daughter never got the chance to play organized sports growing up, but getting the chance as an adult is all the more special.
“I did not know it would progress to this,” Susalla said. “She can be involved with all of these sports, it’s just so good for her.”
The rules are all the same. From coaches making calls to dribbling up the floor and keeping score.
“It gets very, very competitive,” Youngblood said. “I’ve had to get between a couple of athletes already this year because they want to win as much as anyone.”
Games with a final outcome that just can’t be measured.
“When they get done playing, Michelle says that it’s a tie,” Susalla said. “They just play together so well.”
“It means a lot to me,” athlete Robin Ronayne said. “It feels like a big family.”