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Esports is back in full swing with matches and competitions against various schools. A former player, alumnus Brandon Kwon, has re-joined the team as a coach.
Kwon said, “The season is going great so far. Our Varsity Rocket League team has had some really competitive matches.”
Kwon mentioned how weird being a coach instead of a player is. “Garrette [Kellam], Jalen [Davis], and Bailey [Miller], our starting trio, have been playing their best game and being able to coach them to this point has been some of the most fun I have had in the game to date,” Kwon said.
Senior Rocket League player Stephon Babb had similar things to say about the start of the season.
“The A team is on a hot streak right now as they are 3-0 to start off their NACE season,” Babb said. NACE is the National Association of Collegiate Esports which is the league our esports team belongs to in addition to the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
Babb and sophomore Gavin Ashe both have high expectations for this season. Babb is looking to win both an ECAC and NACE trophy. Ashe echoed similar words.
“I expect the Rocket League team to be better than we are seeded in our group,” Ashe said.
Last spring, the Esports team hosted a Rocket League tournament called Collision on the Coast, and they are hosting one again this spring. This year’s event will be two days long from Feb. 17-18. Kwon is hoping it will be a bigger and better event than last year’s.
“We are hoping to fill out a full 32 team event, and we have had interest from schools as far as Oregon for this year’s event,” Kwon said.
He also mentioned that it will be a big task for some of the players because of the professional players that are interested in coming out. “I believe in our team’s ability to perform,” Kwon said.
Babb also has high expectations for the Collision on the Coast 2 tournament. “My only expectation is for us to bring home 1st place,” Babb said.
The team was close last year and even with the higher level of difficulty in this year’s tournament, Babb believes they can do it.
Ashe also has expectations for the team in this year’s tournament and hopes the Rocket League team is able to get a top five finish.
Ashe said the team is part of the reason he is at VWU.
“I got into Esports through one of my tours when I happened to bump into an Esports member and I got a personal tour of the arena,” Ashe said.
Babb got into Esports by just playing video games.
“Then [I] just practiced the games that we offered here until I became somewhat decent at a few of them and now a few years later, and here I am,” Babb said.
To become an Esports member, students have to come to their tryouts in either the spring or the fall semester. Learn more information by emailing them at esports@vwu.edu.
By: Colette Kearney
cmkearney@vwu.edu
