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Mass General Brigham Basketball League’s Legacy of Competition, Camaraderie and Connection

9 minute read
An early 80's photo of basketball players at the hoop, trying to make a goal.
The early days of the league

College basketball teams led by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson faced off in the 1979 NCAA Championship, a signature matchup that ignited the intense national interest in what is now known as March Madness. That same year — in a tiny bandbox of a gym on the second floor of the old West End House — the Massachusetts General Hospital Basketball League tipped off its first season, bringing together colleagues from across the hospital as teammates and competitors, united by their shared love of the game.

Today, as March Madness nears another exciting end, the now Mass General Brigham Basketball League is closing out another season with playoffs and a championship game at the Charlestown YMCA. (Replaced long ago as the league’s host gym, the location of the West End House on Blossom Street is the future home of the Phillip and Susan Ragon Building on Massachusetts General Hospital’s campus.)

Larry “Tree” Washington has been part of the league almost since the beginning. He played his first season in 1980, when he worked in Materials Management for Massachusetts General Hospital, and has been involved as a player or league coordinator every season since. The league was conceived as way to help break down any perceived, hierarchical barriers across roles at the hospital and forge close connections among employees who might otherwise never get to know each other, said Washington, now a Lead Security Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“It gave doctors and the guys who work in Environmental or Food Services something in common. When they saw each other in the hallway or the cafeteria, they stopped and talked about last night’s game,” said Washington, who earned his nickname in high school thanks to his slender, six-foot-four-inch frame. “A lot of great friendships have been formed through the league,” he said.

Larry Tree Washington and Harold Roy in their security uniforms at work.
Larry “Tree” Washington (left) and Harold Roy

Some of those friendships have been life-changing and produced positive impacts that extend far beyond the confines of a gym.

Harold Roy is a Special State Police Officer who has worked for Massachusetts General Hospital Security for 18 years and played in the league for just as long. During his first year, Roy, who played in college at Plymouth State University, blocked the shot of Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH. 

“I pinned the ball against the backboard,” Roy remembers with a smile.

This introduction sparked a friendship that helped inspire Roy in his efforts to co-found EPECARE, a nonprofit organization that develops emergency preparedness infrastructure, including the training of first responders, in resource-limited communities across the globe. The mission hits home for Roy, a first-generation Haitian American, who was visiting family in Haiti when the earthquake hit in 2010.

“I learned about the great work that Joe was doing in the community, and I wanted to do the same,” Roy said. “His support and guidance have been invaluable over the years.” 

Formerly the senior vice president for Equity and Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, Betancourt is now president of The Commonwealth Fund, a national foundation focused on promoting equity within the healthcare system, and improving access, quality and efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable. 

“If it wasn’t for my participation in the league, I would never have met Joe,” said Roy, who now works with Washington to organize and run the league. “It’s about playing ball and having fun, but it’s also about building relationships.”

“Everyone looks forward to Wednesday night”

Mia Holtze played at Williams College and in 2020, her team made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament before COVID canceled the season. “We consider it winning 1/16th of a national title,” she joked. Now a clinical research coordinator with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) Lab, Holtze is bringing her basketball talents to the Charlestown Y on Wednesday nights. She plays on a team put together by her CORE Lab colleague and friend Bridget Coffey, also a clinical research coordinator.

“The league helps spur a lot of excitement within our program,” Coffey said. “We have a lot of coworkers who come out and watch our games. The leaders in our research group love to hear updates after each game. It’s been super fun to be a part of from week to week.”

CORE Lab team and their cheering section

Six teams competed in the league this year. In addition to the CORE Lab, there are teams from Psychiatry, Physical Therapy, Food Services and Security, along with a team of “free agents,” or employees from many different departments who signed up to play. The league is coed and features a mix of talent and experience, from former college and high school players to those who honed their skills on playground courts and in pickup games.

The latter includes Angel Negron who spent most of his childhood playing baseball in his native Puerto Rico. His first experience with organized basketball is the Mass General Brigham League, which he has played in for more than 15 years. The team he captains, The Outsiders, is the league’s defending champs.

“We have players from different departments — the OR, Nutrition, Food Services, Materials Management — we’re a bunch of misfits,” said Negron, explaining the team's name. He has worked at Massachusetts General Hospital for 23 years and serves as operations retail manager for the Yawkey Center, overseeing the Riverside and Coffee South cafes.

“Everyone looks forward to Wednesday night,” Negron said. The friendly competition and connection to friends and colleagues are the primary draw, he said. “And the exercise helps you de-stress after a long day. It’s great for morale.”

Captain of the Psychiatry team (The Freudian Tips), Joshua Zollman, MD, grew up playing pickup in the Philadelphia area. He appreciates the team-building benefit of the league. “Playing has brought members of our department closer together — our residents, nurses and psychologists. It’s been a really positive experience for everyone on our squad,” Zollman said.

Joshua Fayer, PT, DPT, OMT, leads a team of mostly Physical Therapy colleagues. “I love basketball and have always found team basketball to be such a unifying experience,” he said. “It was exciting to bring together and play on a team with my colleagues. We’re going for the championship this year.”

In its 45th season (the league lost one season to COVID), the league has been a reliable, after-work outlet for recreation and camaraderie that players have returned to year after year, spanning careers and professional and personal milestones.

Aneesh Bapat, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist, has won a league championship, playing alongside Roy, but couldn’t be there for the final game. The date of the game is one he’ll never forget — April 11, 2018, the day his daughter was born.

“Mass General is a huge hospital, and we can get kind of stuck in our silos,” Bapat said. “Playing in the league, you cross paths with so many people with different backgrounds and roles. That’s what I value most about it.”

It’s about playing ball and having fun, but it’s also about building relationships.

Harold Roy

Special State Police Officer

Massachusetts General Hospital

Shining light on a “hidden gem”

Washington was walking through an airport in North Carolina a while back when he heard a voice call out, “What’s up, Tree?”

“How do I know you?” Washington asked. “I played in the basketball league,” said the former MGHer who had moved on to Duke University Hospital. “Let me tell you something,” he continued, “their league is nothing like your league.”

The specialness of the Mass General Brigham Basketball League is not lost on the players who gather in Charlestown on Wednesday nights. They all expressed appreciation and gratitude to Washington and Roy for their hard work and dedication to keeping the league alive.

“It’s a hidden gem,” Fayer said. The league is open to all Mass General Brigham employees, and players hope increased exposure and promotion will encourage more colleagues in hospitals across the system to play next season, which begins in January.

In the meantime, after the championship, this season will end the same way every one that has come before it has, with an awards banquet. Players will get together, swap stories about their on-court battles and maybe playfully talk a little trash. They will celebrate each other and another successful season.