Pregame jitters can be quite common for teams during the season, especially for the first game.

But at the East Lawrence Rec Center Wednesday night, second-grader Cole Brungardt wasn’t nervous, he was eager -eager to play his first Hoopsters basketball game.

Brungardt is a member of the Terrapins basketball team and made his Hoopsters league debut against the Wildcats. Brungardt said he joined the Hoopsters league because he wanted something a little more challenging than what he had been playing.

“I got tired of playing Park and Rec,” Brungardt said. “I wanted to take the next step up.”

But before Brungardt could play in his first game, he had to participate in pregame warm ups.

Under the direction of former KU player and first-year assistant coach Chris Piper, Brungardt and his teammates practiced two-line lay ups and shooting drills.

The Terrapins also added a wrinkle just before the opening tip.

“We put in an in-bounds play right before the game,” Piper said. “And they ran it every time.”

Brungardt was right in the center of the action. He in-bounded the ball and made two nice passes, one of which led to a Terrapins score.

While Brungardt was happy to dish out the assist, he hopes to score most of his points for the Terrapins from the perimeter.

“Basketball is my favorite sport,” he said. “I like to shoot three-point shots.”

By connecting from behind the arc, Brungardt hoped to reach his goal of scoring 10 points a game. On defense, he said he enjoyed getting steals the most. Brungardt made a nice steal in the second quarter that led to another Terrapins score.

Scoring baskets was something Matthew Farley once did as a member of the Hoopsters league. Farley, a University of Kansas student, operates the clock and serves as a referee for the Hoopsters.

Farley has been involved with the Hoopsters basketball program since he was a kid and said his fondest memories were of the people he played with.

“When I was little, I played in this league,” he said. “I liked it a lot. I made a lot of friends that I still have today.”

Farley said that refereeing can at times be a lot like coaching because he must be in control of the game, and also provide the kids with instruction.

“You’re kind of like a coach,” Farley said. “You have to tell them what to do. Little kids this age, they don’t know what’s going on completely.”

Even though the Terrapins lost to the Wildcats, Piper was pleased with the team’s first-game performance.

“They’re great,” he said. “They try hard. They did a great job.”