When spring rolls around, you can always look forward to a few constant things at Malvern. Spring means we trade our jackets and ties for polos, the weather starts to heat up, we have a ton of C schedules, and intramural basketball begins.

Though only on its third year of reboot, the intramural program dates back to the beginning of time – around the time its beloved leader Mr. Ostick began working here. Intramural basketball is the crown jewel of the program because it is a game that attracts the most interest and the best competition. Each spring those of us in the minority of students who do not play a spring sport lace up and prepare for war as we all embark on a quest for the coveted Intramurals Champion T-Shirt.

What the members of this year’s grade-comprehensive division did not know when they signed up is that this year the stakes are much, much higher. The Executive Board of the Intramural Committee decided to issue an ultimatum by exploiting its luxurious, sometimes forgotten budget. The group of 5 juniors and Mr. Ostick has gone all in with this year’s planning. It began with scheduling an ambitious line-up of 8 games a week to accommodate the league of 13 teams. Beyond that the Committee announces that this year’s champions of the soon-to-be released playoff bracket will not only receive the shirt, but also the honor of having their team’s name engraved in the inaugural John Ostick Champions’ Cup, and a chance to cut the nets down in O’Neil gymnasium.

After a long and arduous regular season filled with buzzer-beaters and blowouts alike, all teams are ready for what will soon prove to be the most exciting intramural tournament yet. The spectacular shooting of Sam Gilroy to upset Team Das, Nick Zark’s dunk display a few weeks ago, or the mysterious team chemistry of Team-Z, all give inclination to the excitement sure to come in the playoffs. With the standings and bracket below, let the late-April/May Madness begin! Any student can follow the progress of all Intramural Events on Twitter @MP_Intramurals or through the periodic e-mails from Jack St. Amour.