CAMBRIDGE, MA- A new student group organized by the Phillips Brooks House Association has just been formed with the goal of teaching every Harvard undergraduate how to dribble a basketball.

“After the success of the men’s basketball team during the NCAA tournament, we really saw an opportunity to engage the Harvard community in the spirit of public service,” said PBHA president Kate Meakem. “There was clearly a new enthusiasm about basketball around campus, and it was too good an opportunity to pass up. It’s a testament to the entire team here at PBHA that we were able to get the program going so fast.” 

The new group, called Bostonians Advocating for Learning Layup Skills, or BALLS, promises a new partnership between Harvard and the local community. Community volunteers from high-basketball-skills areas such as Roxbury and Dorchester will meet participating Harvard students and teach them the basics of ball handling.

“We’re really hoping that we can get students to dribble the basketball without having to use both hands. That would be huge,” says Meakem. 

So far, BALLS has already acquired sixty participants, with more signing up every day. Most of those taking part in the program have been enthusiastic about learning the new skill, although some have also expressed reservations. “To tell you the truth, I’m just not sure how it’s going to work,” said one participant, Mike O’Connelly ’16, whose life recently crumbled apart when he was assigned to Cabot House. “It’s a really noble goal, to get every student to learn to dribble, but let’s be a little realistic here.”

In other news, a new study released by the Harvard Statistics Department found that more undergraduates knew all the lyrics from the Broadway musical Wicked but could not name an NBA team.