On & Off: Basketball roomies spend a lot of time living and working together

Although there is no official policy stating that DePaul athletes must live together, in most cases they do. They are able to give each other the type of support that non-athlete students may not be able to provide.

But, with so much time spent together as teammates, it would seem that sharing a living space as well could create potential problems. If someone is a good player and friend, but a bad roommate, that frustration could manifest itself during practice or games. However, here at DePaul, athletes seem to actually prefer it, and some didn't even realize that it wasn't a requirement.

Blue Demon men's basketball players Brandon Young and Moses Morgan love living together. Young said, "we get to grow as teammates and learn more about each other, you know, just having the trust of what's mines is yours is helpful."

Although Young and Morgan said they don't have any problems living together, some of their teammates do. Morgan said, "It really depends on who the person is, because some of the guys on our team have really bad hygiene."

When the team isn't in class, on the court or avoiding a shower, they find new ways to interact to keep things fun. The men enjoy playing video games. Though they never said they get sick of each other, they play against each other in separate rooms.

When it comes to living with a teammate, the female players had similar experiences. Maureen Mulchrone and Deanna Ortiz have known each other since high school and have gotten even closer through living together. Mulchrone said it's hard to get sick of each other when you don't get to really talk during practice. "It's nice to come home and be able to have real conversations that are not just about basketball."

Ortiz agrees and said, "You get to know each other personally as well as on the court and it helps to build team chemistry."

But, like most college living situations, it's not all fun and games. The worst part for Mulchrone is shower time. "We all get out of practice at the same time and there is only one shower. Late nights are worst when all you want to do is go to bed, but you have to wait."

Ortiz also hates shower time, but doesn't feel like she's in the room enough for anything to go wrong. When she is home, she said it's nice that she doesn't have to worry about a roommate wanting her to do something.

"We all have the same schedule so we also understand that when we finish practice we are tired and just want to relax," said Ortiz.

When the girls aren't relaxing or waiting in line for the shower, they spend a lot of their dorm time playing an arcade basketball game. Ortiz loves it because it adds a different type of competition to their living situation.

No one at DePaul can argue against the fact that athletes travel in groups. However, it doesn't bother them that their friendships may be limited.

Moses Morgan said, "We're with our teammates all day, every day, and I don't really have a problem with it. I have friends, but most of them are based around the team." Mulchrone and Ortiz from the women's team said that bond doesn't come from living together as much as it does from being in the athletic center constantly.

Ortiz said, "I'm not in the room enough to feel secluded. We are always over here (at the athletic center). Everybody is constantly in the weight room, or the gym, or study hall and I think that's where that bond happens."