UPS Drivers Elite, a rising basketball team founded by Matthew Keaton (‘25), a senior at North, is making a name for itself in the Westerville Community Center league. The team, composed of students from multiple grade levels, has gained an overwhelming social media presence (863 followers) weeks before its first game on January 13.
In their season opener against the Whippersnappers, the Drivers secured a 42-39 victory in front of a packed crowd. Their supporters, known as The Warehouse, stormed the court in celebration. The following week, they defeated the D1 Rejects with a 52-31 win, bringing their record to 2-0.
The Drivers, a close-knit group of friends, had often talked about starting a basketball team. “We’ve always wanted to start a basketball team of some sort, so collectively we tried to organize something, and we all came together as a group,” Matthew Keaton said. The 14-member roster includes players with little to no prior league experience, such as Mike Jones (‘26), Jordan Rojas (‘25), Rhys Fairall (‘26), and Noah Kemp (‘25).
The team name originated from the video game NBA 2K. “When you start out, you wear a brown shirt, and it’s the same brown as UPS uniforms,” Keaton said. “So I said, ‘We’re the UPS Drivers.’”
Along with inspiring the team, they also had uniforms made for UPS officials by another North student, Nicholas Hageman (’26). The uniforms feature the UPS logo on the left chest and a rank or name on the back of them.
The Drivers fondly credit their strong bond and discipline as key factors in their success. “We have a good bond, and we have a lot of fun at practice even though we don’t practice a lot,” Jordan Mazak said. “We all know each other well and hope to build more chemistry as the season goes on.”
The Drivers continued their winning streak with a dominant 42-17 victory over the team ‘Freak Throws’ on Jan. 30. They are currently tied with the most wins in the league as of current, along with one other team, the ‘Backcourt Violaters’ .
Their next game, which will take place on February 10, will be the Driver’s biggest game yet.
Both teams, the Drivers and the ‘Backcourt Violaters’ have emerged as the only two undefeated teams in the league with a record of 3-0.
With the playoffs slowly approaching, the Drivers have their sights set on a matchup with their biggest rival in the league, the Dunkin Bronuts, as they aim to keep their momentum going.