As final exams approach and academic pressure builds, students at Harvard-Westlake found a different kind of challenge waiting for them on the Lower Court. On Wednesday, May 27, middle school students gathered for a student-organized 3v3 basketball tournament, transforming the a stressful finals week into a morning of competition and school spirit.
The tournament, open to all interested students in grades 7 through 9, was organized by Owen Kim ’29. With five games taking place simultaneously across the Lower Court.
For Kim, organizing the event took precision and coordination behind the scenes.
“Just a lot of planning, reaching out to everybody,” Kim said when asked how he managed the tournament. “I don’t know. It’s great. It’s on.”
The event arrived at a particularly busy time in the school year, offering students an opportunity to step away from academic demands and reconnect with one another.
“With finals coming around and everyone’s stressed out, I think we need a moment to just have fun and hang out with each other,” Kim said. “It’s a distraction from all the academic pressure that’s on us right now.”
Many participants echoed that sentiment. Marcel Shepard ’29 said the tournament provided a welcome balance between schoolwork and recreation.
“I really love basketball, and I feel like it’ll help me balance out the stress between finals and having some fun with some of my friends,” Shepard said.
Beyond the competition itself, students emphasized the sense of community the tournament fostered. Ashwin Roy ’27 viewed the event as a reflection of Harvard-Westlake’s supportive culture.
“I think this shows that our community at HW is very strong,” Roy said. “Everyone’s showing up, everyone’s with each other, everyone’s supporting each other. I think that shows the community at HW is going strong.”
While, for some, the games served as an opportunity to take a break from stress, players were competitive, and had their eyes on winning. Before taking the other team, Taylan Kraus ’29 summed up his mindest: “Scared for the other team.”
Noah Williams ’29 shared a similarly confident outlook.
“I think it’s a great tournament, very well run by Owen Kim,” Williams said. “We’re going to dominate the other team. We feel very confident.”
As the school year draws to a close, the tournament demonstrated how student-led initiatives can bring classmates together outside the classroom. For a few hours, study guides gave way to basketballs and friendly competition, creating a memorable end-of-year experience for the Harvard-Westlake middle school community.
