Basketball is often seen as a glamorous sport filled with highlights and peak energy moments. Whether it is sinking a 3-pointer with a few seconds on the clock or a really good dunk, it's all exciting to watch and wows the crowd. On the contrary, it is not often seen in its simple form. It is only a ball and a hoop; what is exciting about that? Instead, it is about the sweat and long hours the players put into it that make it exciting.
Without their intense commitment to training and mastering their craft, the ball is meaningless. These were some thoughts I had as I created this series: what if all the glamour of the sport were toned down, allowing us to see basketball in its raw form? I spent time with the MSU basketball team during practice with a medium-format film camera, and I tried to document the intensity, the sweat, and the bond these players have. Then I spent time in the darkroom making these prints and experimenting with ways I could make basketball less appealing, no fancy peak action shots, just basketball in its raw, ugly form.