The Claremont McKenna Black Student Association (BSA) and the Pitzer Athletics commissioner held their annual At The Buzzer event on Oct. 24, filled with enthusiastic MCs and spirited fans as the squeak of sneakers echoed across the court.
The annual event, hosted at the outdoor Pitzer basketball courts, is a tournament where anyone, regardless of experience level, can enter in a team of four. Henry Burke CM ’25, a player in the tournament, felt that the event had both good organization and high energy.
“It was executed very well,” Burke said. “We were a play-in team, which meant we signed up at the very last second, and another team signed up at the last second with us. Instead of just kicking us out of the tournament, they allowed us to play a game, which was very nice.”
The experience Burke had was exactly what Charlie Morris PZ ’25, the Pitzer Athletics commissioner, wanted to bring to both attendees and players.
“Jaida McCullough [CM ’27], Mary [Ariri SC ’27] and I met three weeks prior to the October 24th event date,” Morris said. “With Halloween approaching and midterms on the horizon, this event allowed players and spectators alike to enjoy the music and nonstop entertainment of a raw competitive environment.”
Morris believes what made this event such a success was the effective communication between him and his fellow organizers.
“Communication between the lead organizers of the event, myself, Jaida and Mary was very fluid,” Morris said. “It is a special opportunity to be able to work with such a vibrant and passionate team. Ibukun [Owolabi CM ’28] also played a large role in connecting the tournament with CMS [Recreation], who provided referees and equipment for the event.”
Initially, the planning team encountered financial difficulties due to budget constraints and staffing shortages. However, thanks to help from external organizations and many hands on deck, Morris saw success in mitigating those challenges.
“The 5Cs are incredibly resourceful and connecting with organizations like Pitzer’s Events Board team and CMC BSA allowed for the event to include a wide variety of engaging activities for fans and players alike, including a half-court competition, halftime show and prizes,” Morris said.
Another one of Morris’ initial concerns was recruiting enough players, but changing the tournament to 12 teams of four, rather than in previous years with eight teams of five, led to an uptick in registered teams. The change also inspired participation from more players across different experience levels to enter the tournament.
To drive that participation, the planning team deployed an advertising strategy, mainly through social media.
“A large part of this [event’s success] was due to our leadership team’s willingness to promote the event via social media, collaborate with other organizations across campus and most importantly, connect with CMS [Recreation], who has a vital role in the 5C athletic whirlpool,” Morris said.
To ensure strong attendance, the CMC Recreation team, which Owolabi is a part of, made a concerted effort to promote the event both on campus and online.
“[CMC Recreation] helped get the word out there,” Owolabi said. “We put [At The Buzzer] in our weekly newsletter. We posted it on Instagram. We put it on our TVs inside the gym, and our flyers were placed on the front desk to advertise for them.”
Owolabi and the CMC Recreation team assisted with event marketing, providing the necessary technical skills and equipment.
“We supported them by bringing the scoreboard and a bit of the electrical setup, for example,” Owolabi said. “The referees for the event were my co-worker, Marcella [Bustamante SC ’25], and I … at the intramural sports program as well as CMS Recreation.”
That strategy of constant promotion was well received by the participants, as Burke recalled his experience learning about and signing up for the competition.
“I saw [the post] on Instagram, heard people talking about it around campus when I played basketball in the gym and the sign-up was really easy as we just had to fill out a Google Form,” Burke said.
According to Morris, At The Buzzer differed greatly from a standard basketball game.
“Unlike other basketball or athletic tournaments I’ve organized in the past, At The Buzzer is designed to be a scrappy, streetball style format,” Morris said. “Music blasting, announcer instigating on the mic, opponents trash-talking. It’s challenging to curate such a special environment by yourself, so the collaboration really helped bring this to life.”
Burke experienced that same intensity from a player’s perspective, describing the atmosphere as both electric and competitive.
“I really loved the people at the top who were speaking during the tournament, as well as the music,” Burke said. “It’s just a really fun atmosphere. A core moment was when my friend Luke Jacobson [CM ’25] drained a three-pointer against some of our best friends to move on to the semifinals. That was amazing.”
As Morris looks back at the event, he believes he has fulfilled his primary goal: to have the tournament bring together students from all over the 5Cs, and to be present during a special time of the semester.
As At The Buzzer continues to grow, its legacy will linger not just in the memory of highlight plays but in the lasting sense of collaboration, creativity and connection it fosters within the community.
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