8-14-2021 4:33am

Saline Grads' Champions League Provides an Outlet for People Who Love Playing Sports

Recreational and competitive athletics have played a role in many people's lives. Pick-up basketball is one of the most popular recreational activities in the United States.

There are many opportunities for high school students in Saline to play basketball - they can play competitively for Saline schools, recreationally through the Saline Community Education HS League, and now, in The Champions League hosted by JBR Sports.

The Champions League is a recreational basketball opportunity open to high school and college students who seek a structured atmosphere to play the game. The organization is made up of 9 teams and over 72 high school and college participants. The league is hosted by JBR Sports LLC, a company started by three former Saline High School students, Josh Finn, Ben Stack, and Ritom Sen, hence the name JBR Sports.

The creation of JBR Sports was no simple task. Similar to creating any other small business, Josh, Ben, and Ritom endured complex legal and financial challenges.

“The creation of the LLC was definitely a time-consuming process,” Stack said. “The legal aspects of creating an LLC and some of the financial aspects of starting a new small business, like starting a bank account and filing for taxes definitely required a lot of work.”

Co-Founder Ritom Sen also expressed how it can be a bit difficult starting a business straight out of high school with little business experience.

“Starting a business from the ground up isn’t an easy task,” Sen said. “Being fresh out of high school with little to no experience in starting a business definitely made this a challenge, but it has also been an incredible learning experience.”

After establishing the LLC in late February 2021, JBR Sports immediately began the creation of the Champions League. They wanted to create a league open to high school and college students from all over the Saline-Ann Arbor area.

“We grew up playing very competitively in the Saline Rec basketball league, but as soon as we graduated that wasn’t really an option anymore,” Sen said. “We wanted to create a league that welcomed high school and college students, no matter their athletic background.”

Stack also shared how he had always wanted to create a league that was inclusive of all athletes.

“Whether or not you are on the varsity team at Saline, play college basketball somewhere, or are just a competitive high school or college student, you are welcome to play,” Stack said. “With the creation of this league, we really wanted to fill the gap for high school and college students looking to play in a competitive league.”

Members of the Champions League expressed how they were incredibly grateful for an opportunity to compete again after high school.

“I was excited to find out about the league because I really missed playing with my friends,” 2020 Saline HS graduate Liz Sekerak said. “It is a great way to have some fun while getting a good workout in at the same time.”

Other players shared how they enjoy playing in a competitive atmosphere.

“I was super excited when I heard about the creation of the Champions League,” 2020 Saline HS graduate Alex Melnyk said. “The competitive nature of the league and the tense games make it really enjoyable.”

Similarly, some players are using the competitive environment to prepare for basketball at the next level.

“I really like how the league is a mix of games that are really serious and really fun,” 2021 Pioneer HS graduate & league MVP Rasheed Sampson said. “I am heading to Veritas Academy in Orlando for prep school next year, and these league games have given me another opportunity to continue to improve my skills.”

While JBR Sports has created an opportunity for high school and college students to participate in recreational basketball, they also have other plans for expansion. Soccer, Volleyball, and Spikeball are on their radar as potential sports that could attract some students.

“We have definitely had some requests from our current athletes to expand into other sports,” Sen said. “Spikeball, Soccer, and Volleyball are definitely some of the popular sports that have expansion opportunities for next summer.”

Additionally, the rapid expansion of the Champions League has attracted some post-college adults that want to participate in a similar recreational league.

“We have definitely had a fair amount of adults reach out to us about participating in a league similar to The Champions League,” Stack said. “The demand for a league like that is definitely growing and there is a lot of potential in an adult league that could serve people from all over the Saline - Ann Arbor area.”

JBR Sports recently announced that they will be hosting a 3v3 basketball tournament this upcoming winter. The JBR 3v3 Winter Bash will take place December 18-19 in the Ann Arbor area. The tournament will be open to players under 22 years of age and teams will be limited to 5 players. Teams will compete for cash prizes determined by tournament placement.

On top of all the activities and plans for expansion, they’ve also taken advantage of the new NCAA NIL policy and are sponsoring 5 college athletes. Lexie Hamilton - FGCU Volleyball, Serah O’Keefe - FIU Volleyball, Collin Clark - LTU Hockey, and Griffin Yaklich - UIC Basketball.

“As soon as the new NIL NCAA policy came out, we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity,” Stack said. “We started with Lexie, who is actually helping us start a volleyball league in Florida, and we expanded from there.”

In exchange for JBR Sports sponsorship, the athletes promote the brand and aid in its expansion. “We send our athletes merchandise and other things that promote our brand and they help us continue to expand,” Sen said. “We have a lot of requests for sponsorships and we will continue to expand as long as it’s financially viable.”

The Champions League playoff began Saturday, Aug. 7. The predetermined seeds were posted in a playoff bracket and teams began competing for the top spot throughout the weekend. The Under Dawgs defeated The Sneezy Weasels in the first game of the final series. The two teams will face each other again Aug. 14 (1 PM @ Saline Middle) and an if needed tiebreaker game will take place afterward at 2:30 PM.

You can learn more about JBR Sports and their upcoming opportunities through their website https://www.jbrchampionsleague.org/ and social media, @jbsports on Instagram, @JBRSportsOrg on Twitter.