Henry Ford College’s annual Students vs. Staff Basketball Tournament once again brought students and employees together for friendly competition and campus tradition. The event created a fun and welcoming atmosphere that gave students and staff a chance to connect outside the classroom.

Hosted by the Henry Ford College Student Council, the tournament took place on Wednesday, April 22, at 5 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Athletic Memorial Building (Building H). The event was free and open to the public, with music playing throughout the night and free drinks and snacks provided for the players.

The tournament featured a four-team format, with winners advancing to the championship game. Students, employees, and alumni of all skill levels were invited to participate, and around 35 players signed up to compete.

Student Council representative Easton Socola, who helped organize the event, said the tournament has been a long-running tradition on campus since 2010. He explained that former Student Council president Russell Cabaluna helped make the event a staple of the council’s activities because of his love for basketball and bringing people together. Even after Cabaluna’s departure, the Student Council has continued organizing the tournament each year to keep the tradition alive and give students and staff something to look forward to.

“It’s nice to get the students together, get the staff involved,” Socola said, “they don’t get to play too many sports so often, so it’s fun to test their athletic abilities.”

Socola also said that while the event can be challenging to organize, he genuinely enjoys putting it together, especially seeing everyone attend and enjoying the friendly competition.

Socola said one of the things he was most excited to see during this year’s game was the possibility of someone making a half-court shot during halftime.

“I would really love to see a half-court shot,” Socola said. “It would be pretty crazy if someone made that.”

Both students and staff shared the same excitement for the tournament, although they had different reasons for joining. Student Omar Barziq said he joined because he was inspired by one of his favorite basketball players and his love for the game, saying, “Me splashing those threes is all because of Jayson Tatum.” Meanwhile, Jeremy Taber from the IT department said he simply enjoys being part of the competition, saying jokingly, “I just like playing sports, even if I’m getting my butt kicked.”

Easton said he hopes this year’s tournament helps the event continue to grow and remains an annual tradition at Henry Ford College. He added that organizing this year’s event helped him learn what worked well and what could be improved moving forward. “I really hope this event next year is bigger and better and it continues to grow,” he said.