This week,

The Spectator

sat down for an interview with the Co-Presidents of Basketball Club, Carter Segal ’25 and Cooper Xu ’25. Here’s what they had to say:

What inspired you to start this club?

Cooper

: When we were freshmen, Friday and Saturday nights were the prime time slots for pickup runs at Hamilton. I’m talking 30–40 kids each time and we could barely get on the court. A community was born and we made a lot of friends through these runs. Starting sophomore year, however, the runs disappeared. The only times people got together to play was when someone texted in the intramural basketball group chat. [Segal] and I felt that Hamilton was missing a basketball community and decided to create Basketball Club so that people knew on Friday nights they could come to play ball.

Who’s your basketball playstyle comp?

Carter

: I would consider my NBA comp to be Desmond Bane. I am definitely a little undersized, but my shooting off the catch and my dribbling aility opens everything up for both myself and my teammates. I love using off-ball movement to strain defenses, and I think that there are very few players in the NBA that know how to tie up the defense with their movement like Bane.

Cooper

: Connor Jenkins…If you know, you know.

What got you interested in basketball?

Cooper

: Soccer was my first sport but I was trash. No improvement in six years. Decided to look for other opportunities and found more enjoyment using my hands instead of my feet. Also the culture and community for basketball is fire.

What does an average session look like?

Carter

: This semester, we have been hosting basketball club at the end of the week on Friday. After such long weeks, we have found that most people primarily want to just play in open-run pickup basketball, so that is what we’ve been doing. We typically will have two half-court games going on simultaneously, and try to split the courts up by how intense the game is intended to be. This is providing everyone with a set time in the week where they can get reps in, work on their game, and most of all, just play basketball without the stress that can be baked into more organized runs and leagues.

Who is this club for?

Carter

: This club is for everyone in the Hamilton community who is interested in basketball in any capacity! Our goal is to provide an inclusive environment for anyone who loves basketball and wants to kickstart their weekend with open runs and all of our great club members. I know that for me, pickup basketball provided a really easy and fun way to get involved in the Hamilton community. So likewise, we really encourage Continentals of all skill levels and backgrounds to check out Basketball Club because everyone should get a chance to have that same invaluable experience. At the end of the day, this club is not a hard sell — it is basketball.

Did you run into any troubles when you first started the club? Have any others shown up since?

Cooper

: The main problem we had was just not having enough people to help run the club at first. The weekly pickup sessions were hard for Carter and I to attend consistently due to conflicts with the basketball season and schoolwork. Being able to recruit more e-board members definitely helped for the day-to-day running of the club. No other troubles have shown up except we often have to track down where our basketballs went.

How has Hamilton’s Basketball Club changed since you first started?

Carter

: At basketball club’s first ever meeting last winter, we had three students who came to play (unintentionally — they did not know that basketball club existed) in some light-hearted two-on-two matches. Even as the semester progressed, our membership improved to 10–15 people on our best weeks, but it did not change the fact that every meeting, the environment remained supportive, energetic and most importantly really fun. Even these past two semesters, we have consistently had 20–30 players on any given week, and it has not changed what basketball club is at its core. Despite these tangible aspects of the club that have changed such as volume of people, the skill getting involved with off the court, the supportive environment that promotes growth as players and teammates has stayed the same. And while I am so proud of all of these great things that have changed for our club and has provided us the platform for expansion and growth, I am most proud of how our initial mission of providing that encouraging environment for the Hamilton community has stayed the course.

Outside of pickup runs, what other activities is the club involved in?

Cooper

: We are in the works of planning an NBA watch party event on April 20 for the first day of playoffs! We will have catered food too. This is something we are trying to do more and more of: continuing to build that basketball community on campus. We are also hosting a NESCAC day of service where Clinton Elementary School kids will come up to Alumni gym to play basketball with the club.

As you enter your final year of college, what do you hope for basketball club after you’ve left Hamilton?

Carter

: As many seniors know, COVID did a number on the pickup basketball scene at Hamilton. I understand that only so much progress and growth can happen in just five semesters. That said, I truly am hopeful that, by the time Cooper and I graduate, we have laid the foundation for what I believe could be one of the most impactful clubs at Hamilton. On the court, we hope to have reestablished a platform for the Hamilton community to come together and bond over this shared interest. I also hope that we have established the potential for what basketball club can be off the court through events such as charity fundraisers, skill-development clinics for the greater Clinton area, and NBA watch-parties for those who can’t get enough hoops from just the 2 hours of pickup alone. We are going to be leaving the club in good hands, but that means it is going to be on our next generation of club leaders to advance the scope in which basketball can provide for everyone on the hill.

What do you hope to accomplish with basketball club?

Cooper

: Very simple: create a community of basketball on campus. You get to see people who you know because every week you played basketball together and bonded over that experience.

Best story since you started the club?

Cooper

: Cooking e-board member Akay when he tried to play me one on one.

Carter

: Not exactly a story, but just seeing how much all of our regular attendees have developed as players since last year. They show up weekly ready to try new things and get better and the results really do show. I feel like every meeting I go to this year, I see someone expand out of their comfort zone and try new moves and play with confidence that they didn’t have a year ago. I love how this club has served as a platform for them to get runs in with the sole purpose of practice and that it has actually panned out and has fostered a great group of players who I would love to have by my side in any pickup game.

Anything else to add for The Spectator?

Carter

: I just want to throw some shoutouts here to some very deserving people. First of all, to our E-Board of Kaljang Sherpa, Ben Zhao, Akay Kaya, Hank Morgan, and Sandor Lin. Our club picked up so many people in such a short amount of time to start the year, and all of these people readily volunteered to step up and help maintain the club and keep it functional, and we would not have been able to achieve as much success as we have had without them. On that same note but deserving his own shoutout, Cooper has been the best Co-President you could ever ask for. There is so much logistical work that goes into starting up, running, and maintaining a club and Cooper was essential for all of it going smoothly. Even while balancing classes and being in season, Cooper has been so supportive, communicative, and resourceful as a Co-President, and there is absolutely no one else I would rather have taken up this project with. And finally, I want to thank everyone who comes to basketball club and makes it what it is. Logistical work aside, Cooper and I are not doing anything that groundbreaking. At the end of the day, we have such a great group of people who show up every Friday eager to play and cultivate the environment we have today. They are the ones who make the club so special and I am so thankful for their continued support, attendance, and leadership in Alumni.

Cooper

: I think Carter said it all, thank you to everyone for their support!