Sunday, March 04, 2018

Basketball Boy

Yesterday was Zach's last basketball game of the season. Practices started in November and games started in January. I talked about the practice times in the blog post "A Third Grade Night".

He very much enjoyed this season. He had an excellent coach and really liked his teammates. I'm not 100% sure but I think their record was 4 - 5. Throughout the season I sat in on practices. They were only an hour and I didn't know what else to do while waiting.

I watched them grow. I watched the team talk about what needs improvements, work on them, and talk about their strengths. I watched them learn new plays and run them in games. I learned their names and cheered for them by name during games. The "Pink Panthers" have come a long way this season. They had an amazing coach and amazing assistant coaches.

Zach learned about being confident and agressive to get the ball. His strength was more on defense. I'm going to be honest. He was the weakest on the team. But, the team had three third graders and seven fourth graders. Next year, he'll have more experience and things will come a little easier. When Zach made a strong contribution, I was beaming with pride. He did make two baskets during games as well as defensive contributions.

My dad came to two games and my mom came to one. They very much enjoyed watching the games. Most of them were close. The gym had three bleachers and they were always full with parents, siblings, grandparents, and sometimes aunts, uncles, and cousins too. The crowd cheered for everyone and the kids knew they were supported.

The referee said he has worked for the rec department for 30 years. He means that literally. 30 years ago I was 7 and in the rec summer camp program. He was one of the councilors. I suspect he was in high school at the time though.

In the fourth period of the last game Zach surprised some people. He caught a rebound from the other team and brought it down the court to their side. But, he lost confidence partially through and walked a few steps to pass it to a teammate. The referee made it clear in the beginning of the season. This is a learning experience. He didn't call Zach on that. But, he told Zach that traveling is a no-no shortly after. Next year I hope he has the confidence to keep going and take that shot!

Last night I found him watching a NBA game on tv. This morning he made it clear he wants to do basketball again next year. I'm not surprised. It was a positive experience and he'll get better with time. He's a coachable kid.

It's like with baseball. He was able to learn but then something clicked. After that, he has been improving at a faster pace. When basketball clicks, I can't wait to see how well he does! I hope we are able to stay in contact with teammates and see them around in other places.

In November I prayed for guidance. I wanted to encourage him to do things he'll enjoy and be good at. I just didn't know what those things would be. He tried Tennis and Soccer and didn't like them. So, he tried Basketball and Baseball and does like those. As a parent it's hard to know what to point your kid to. I have confidence now that he's doing the right thing.





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