CCAD Night Owls take on security

Columbus College of Art & Design’s own Night Owls basketball team handily defeated its rivals from the college’s Safety & Security Office Friday, Dec. 2, winning 71-13.

Senior Joe Lewis (Cinematic Arts, 2017) joined Conor Heisler (Interior Design, 2017) in co-captaining the Owls to their overwhelming victory.

“There’s no ego” with the team, Lewis said. “There’s no captain who’s screaming their head off, we’re just here to be healthy.”

Wallace Tanksley is director of CCAD Safety & Security and is the Owls' coach. He joined his colleagues in security in competing against the young Owls, but in a post-game conversation, said he was grateful that it gave the college players a chance to face some competition in advance of their participation in the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department league, which kicks off on Jan. 8.

“I think the game was fun, and it was helpful for the players and the team,” he said.

CCAD’s basketball club team won the city league championship in 2004, Tanksley said.

Lewis played competitive basketball in high school and received offers from other institutions to play college ball, but said he was driven by a passion for art and chose CCAD because of its respectful, personable admissions process. Lewis joined CCAD’s basketball club his freshman year; the Owls team hatched last year and were the subject of his documentary short Same Ball: Different Court.

The game against security, Lewis said, was a great way to get all of the players acquainted with the sport. “Some of these guys have never played organized ball, this was their first time playing in a game,” he said.

Front row, from left: Casey Brochhagen, Aaron Shields, Erica Wander, Deshawn Young, Robert Thompson

Back row, from left: Joe Lewis, Conor Heisler, WuJian Wang, Samuel Koh, Montel Thomas

Apart from Lewis and Heisler, all of Owls are freshmen and sophomores. Despite some players’ lack of familiarity with the finer points of playing hoops, Lewis said he finds “a huge amount of joy working as a mentor with them” and has high hopes for the future of the young team.