the power forward

Boy, I guess I shoulda known. Saturday morning I was up way early, as my body wanted, and prepped for my needed trip to Darien to get a haircut - but a much welcomed side trip was to see nephew.3's basketball game. I've seen him play football twice and baseball once, so I was glad to add hoops to the resume. But what I didn't see coming was that the kid was a fucking revelation. Now understand, this was just eight grade hoops out in the suburbs. And also - though his team won this game by 25, they had lost the previous game badly. Despite all that - the kid was The Man on the court. They had a taller kid and a take charge point guard, but it was real fun to see this very well mannered kid boxing out, rebounding, taking it to the hole repeatedly and stacking up free throws (he shot like 80%), and hitting outside shots. He seems the type of kid who will do real well in everything. I can remember a cousin asking him about his report card - all A's - and he being genuinely mystified when the cousin expressed surprise at his success - his looked seemed like well, what else would be on a report card except all A's?

Funnysites.

The pace of the game. In the early Ninties, I cribbed w/ Jackson and Hon in Uptown. One fine watching a West Coast/Western Conference NBA frentic shootout, we both instinctually started to laugh @ the so different than the slower Eastern Conference style of play. As Hon and I watched, each possesion was a long pass followed by a jump shot, and either a basket or a long rebound which led to yet another fast break and quick shot. Shot after shot after shot we finally just started to laugh @ the insane pace. I remembered that watching nephew.3's game, since there was a huge premium on "getting off the shot" here.

Big Men on the outside. Both teams had some tall kids. It was a slightly jarring sight seeing the tallest of the kids on both sides taking tht open shot repeatedly from the out side. After a bit, I realised that the taller the kid @ this age the more likely he has played ball. The more likely he has played, then the better his shot. So, in context, the tallest kids on both sides taking outside shots isn't wierd @ all.

Coaching and the barking point guard. It was obvious these kids were coached well. They passed the ball and guarded players. But my favourite was th barking point guard - he yelled two basic things - a screaming, piercing "GIMMIE THE BALL" when hi team rebounded and he was in position to bring it up - and "PUT IT UP" when the tall player rebounded and was in a positon to shoot unfettered, even if this tallest kid didn't know he had a nice shot. This was coached into them - to instantly respond to a harsh yelled barking voice - an it sometimes hurt them. There was a steal of such a "GIMMIE THE BALL" pass when the point guard himself didn't see an opposing player who stole the ball.

SHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!. God this crowd was quiet. So quiet, that the coaches had to give instructions in a hush when there were timeouts. Strange, since most crowds I sit in @ basketball games are always engaged in creative insult competitions with each other - i join in as well.

But the best site? The battling nephew, spinning between two and reverse laying it up, stepping in front of the pass and going the other way, and the free throw shot after free throw shot - not necessarily all made, but so many opportunities.