"Hoop?"
What may appear to be just a simple question serves as a call to action for a diverse group of individuals who are brought together by their shared love for the game of basketball.
At 5 p.m. every Sunday to Friday, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Recreation Center becomes the meeting place for basketball enthusiasts from all corners of Lincoln as they converge for pickup games.
From UNL students to alumni and even former D-1 athletes, the nearly 200-member Snapchat group chat serves as the main hub for a unique community of people who take time out of their everyday lives to play basketball. The 'pick up' chat has become bigger than basketball as it has also served as the start place for several friendships.
College recreation centers across the country have been host to some of the most talented athletes whom you would never expect to be there. That includes when Zion Williamson broke a recreation center hoop in his spare time or Deion Sanders’s family had some of its first interactions at the University of Colorado through pick-up games at the recreation center.
Pick-up games everywhere are played with different sets of rules. Depending on where you are playing, everything from how teams are picked, to how many points a team must win by can be vastly different.
Although rules have changed over time, games at UNL’s rec center are played to 15 with baskets scored by ones and twos. Teams win by two points or more and teams are picked by shooting free throws until the first 10 people make them. Players alternate with every make to ensure that the teams are even as possible.
Even outside of the group chat, basketball is one of the most prevalent sports at the recreation center.
While the “pick up” group chat does not account for all the people who come to play basketball, every day except Saturday you can expect to see familiar faces pop up around 5 p.m.
Twenty-four-year-old Deng Bior was a business administration major at UNL in 2019 when he decided to start the group chat after he played several days in a row with a particular group of friends.
“We made sure to have the same schedule,” Bior said. “I came up with an idea to just be in the same group to remind us and let everybody know what time we were going to play together.”
The group started small but grew consistently over time. With every new person added, more people wanted to join. The group started with around 15 people that played almost every day.
“We would see, different and familiar faces every day,” Bior said. “So we ended up asking people if they wanted to be in a group chat. After that, it just blew up from there.”
After the first year, the group had ballooned to 30-plus people to the chat. The number of people those people invited to join, accelerated the growth of the group chat to a place where eventually it reached the maximum number of allotted members on Snap Chat.
With the chat’s new-found reach came an influx of high-profile members.
“We had multiple people who had Sam (Hoiberg) on Snapchat,” Bior said. “They would add him to hopefully come, and you know, play whenever he's free or not. He hasn't left yet, which is good, which means there's a possibility that he can come, and you know, enjoy a day of pickup.”
While the chat includes several players on the basketball and football teams, multiple high-profile athletes have shown up to play at the rec center even without being in the group chat itself.
Severalbasketball players would show up from time to time according to chat member Goi Chuol. According to Chuol, former five-star recruit and Husker player Bryce McGowens showed up once along with a few other players on the team. Nebraska Football players show up sometimes as well, despite being some of the most popular people on campus.
Players like former star recruit Jimma Gatwech, wide receiver Malachi Coleman, linebacker Mikai Gbayor, former Husker Teddy Allen and several other football players, Division II and Junior college athletes have shown up to play.
“It's gotten me better,” Bior said. “I've definitely gotten a lot better from, from being a regular pickup guy to now someone that can actually compete against high-level basketball players.”
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When such high-caliber athletes come to play it brings out the best in those who are not necessarily college-level athletes.
“I find it fun and like because I'm a competitive person,” Chuol said. “Being able to play with Division I athletes, especially when you're not one yourself and you are able to compete with them, it really means that maybe you might have a chance of doing what you love. it gives you the opportunity to see where your level of competition is at.”
Chuol is a former student at UNL and currently works as the manager at a local UPS store. He’s one of the longest-tenured members of the group chat.
“The Rec Center is like a big community base,” Chuol said. “It’s inclusive and diverse, You go there expecting just to play by yourself, and all of a sudden you start making all these new friends.”
One Sunday, Choul hit a game-winning shot he hit after a cross-over happened to get recorded and posted to the internet. Within days popular media outlets like Ballislife and Sportscenternext had reposted the viral video.
“One of the homies Massimo, was guarding me,” Chuol said. “I wasn't even trying to cross him I was just trying to create some separation there so I could get a good shot off. I went between my legs and pulled back and he ended up falling. I paused for a second to look, I wasn't sure if he was serious, but he fell pretty hard and then I had to get my shot up and I hit the shot it was a game-winner.”
Chuol was not tagged in the original video that was posted and he was unaware of just how widespread the video had become originally. It wouldn’t be until a day later when he found out just how far spread the video had become.
“All of a sudden next day I'm getting all these messages, talking about “you’re on Ballislife you're on Overtime” all these big entertainment, mediums and stuff,” Chuol said. “I thought it was pretty cool. You know? It's not often that people could go viral like that unless they're like big influencers. it was just a cool little moment.”
Outside of basketball one of the fundamental parts of the group chat is the sense of community the members foster amongst each other. Players see it as a way to make friends on and off the court with people who share common interests.
“Genuinely, everybody likes each other,” Bior said. “We don't ever have any issues, it is pick up so you will have arguments in a joking way, but it's always resolved, everybody definitely gets along with each other. And it's all fun and games.”
“It's created a lot of friendships,” Chuol said. “I have (a) pretty good amount of friends now. I can say they’re people who are also close friends outside of the rec. I'm able to rely on other people at the wreck, and I do hang out with most of the people that I actually met at the Rec.”
The group chat is a place where everyone who shares a love for the game is welcomed. People who no longer live in the Lincoln area or come to play are still active in the chat. The group chat has lost some members along the way to people who graduated or moved, but it still includes one of the most diverse cast of characters that you will find anywhere on campus. From correctional officers, UPS store managers, current students, Husker basketball and football players and many more all share in the community feeling that the chat has.
For people looking to join the community the message that all are welcome comes loud and clear.
“If you want to ever come want to come hoop, pull up to the rec center,” Chuol said. “Sundays through Friday at 5 p.m.”
