By Jason Brisbois
Cape Ann Beacon
Mar 12, 2008

CAPE ANN - In most recreational sports leagues, traditionally the same players return year after year, with little change to rosters as things go along.

Apparently, that’s not the case with the Cape Ann YMCA’s Men’s 30-Plus Basketball League, which runs from December into April. The 30-Plus league, which has been in existence for 21 years, boasts not only veterans of the league who have been playing since its inception (Bob Iratano, of Robert’s Catering, is one such stalwart), but new blood every year, players who sign up to join in on the fun once they reach the big three-oh.

“It’s been a mainstay and a staple of Wednesday nights here at the Y for the last 20 odd years, and it’s great watching a lot of the same faces come back year after year,” explains Rick Doucette, executive director of the Cape Ann YMCA and director of the league. “It’s funny, you’ll see guys who hit 3-pointers at will three years ago still doing it now. And there’s also guys who we had here as children in youth programs here playing.

“It’s a strange perspective for me because 15 to 20 years ago, these guys were kids in third to fifth, or sixth to eighth grade. Now they’re in the 30-Plus league. It’s a real expanse of ages,” Doucette says.

It’s also a league that focuses on camaraderie as much as it does on competition. Yes, the battles on the court do get heated, and trash talking is as much a part of the game as it is anywhere else, but this is also a group of players of all ages who seem to get along and enjoy the game together as well.

“It’s a real neat group of guys,” says Doucette, who also runs the YMCA’s other adult basketball league that starts on April 12, and the ultra-competitive 18-plus league that runs throughout the summer.

“There’s a collegial feeling, even though it’s a competitive league. It’s not too competitive, though, in that the main thing is the very vast majority of players are having fun, having a good time.

“They are competitive whether they are on the floor or immediately after the game, but then you see guys from both teams sitting together to watch the game that follows them,” he says. “The competition stays on the floor, which makes it a fun league.”

That competition is about to be ramped up considerably over the next few weeks. The 15-week regular season for the six-team league wrapped up on Wednesday of this week, and the playoffs will begin next Wednesday. Jockeying for playoff position is crucial — each team makes the playoffs, but the top two seeds earn a first-round bye, giving them next week off to rest and heal any injuries. It’s a huge advantage, and one that was still up in the air at the start of the week with three teams (Pratty’s, Brown & Brown and Robert’s Catering) possibly challenging for the top three spots. The playoffs run until the championship game, which is slated to take place on April 5.

“That’s one of the things we got a lot of positive feedback on,” says Doucette. “The regular season is very important, being that finishing in third place is very different from finishing in second place because of that bye. They way the playoffs are structured, it’s exciting all the way through.

“Even the teams that struggle all season, they’re eager to prove that anyone is beatable on a given night. Teams at the bottom of the standings mentioned they’re inspired by things like the Giants, an underdog, beating the Patriots, and that any given night a team can topple a top team,” Doucette says. “We’re looking forward to it.”

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