So THIS is What It Feels Like?

Basketball season is nearly over in the grade schools. We're in the middle of tournament right now, a round robin that we just lost our first game in. We have one more game to play, and if we lose it, we're out. It's been funny to watch them all grow as ball players these past few months. Dante's team has third and fourth graders on it, both boys and girls. Some of them are still at the stage where if they make a basket, they go hug coach.

But it's also been quite intense, as well, especially for Dante. He's taller than pretty much everybody else in the 4th grade, so he got put down in the post. He's expected to clean up rebounds and make the tough inside shots. He started off kind of rough, but he has really grown as a player over the past weeks. He had one wicked block that he got to smack down, which reverberated through the gym and caused the audience to let out a whoop. Now, these kids aren't even five feet tall, so it's not like Dante got an eight foot block (we're talking maybe five and a half feet from the ground to the ball in the air, here). But the sound was impressive.

He's been frustrated because he isn't the point guard. Every kid wants to be the one who makes all the shots. The first few weeks were spent trying to convince him that he played one of the most important and complicated positions on the team. It finally kicked in after a while, and he got quite good at blocking, rebounding, and taking the ball away from other kids. Too bad his team usually couldn't capitalize on those turnovers. But he learned a lot.

I decided that my job in all of this was to be the loudest parent in the gym. I am pleased to say that I'm pretty sure I own that distinction. For whatever reason, our team doesn't seem to have as many family/fans at the games than all the other teams. You can see the disappointment on their little faces when they hear the huge roar of other people cheering on the other team. So, my job was to remedy that. I never shut up. I'm the obnoxious parent you wish would shut up. But I ain't going to. When we're on offense, it's "Come on Blue! You can do it! Go Whoever!" at the top of my lungs. If it's defense, then it's "Come on, defense, stay on him! Get the ball! Rebound! You can do it! DEFENSE! WOOT!" If a basket is made, I hoot even louder. I can tell a distinct difference when we parents start hooting. They play harder. They look more determined. They smile more. They do better.

Last night, some of the opposing parents, probably observing the correlation, started trying to counter me. I am proud to report that even though I'm only 120 pounds, I shouted down the ginormous pipefitter that was booing and screeching. I never yell bad things at the refs or the other team. I can keep it up longer than he can. I always come home slightly hoarse. There certainly is no question as to which child belongs to me. Which leads me to the interesting incident that happened last night.

After the season is over, they have a four-five week smaller season for those kids who aren't quite ready to quit. When we found out about it, I was under the impression it was too late to sign up. Apparently, the extra season lets volunteer coaches "recruit" who they want on the team; the regular season puts teams together somewhat randomly (with allowances for the nepotism that inevitably happens when coaches and their sons are both involved in the school system). You don't have much say about which team you're on at school. In the extra season, apparently a lot of scouting goes on, even at the 4th grade level. When word got around that Dante wasn't signed up yet, I had two offers within 48 hours--neither of which we'd solicited. One coach called me at work. Later last night, he came up to me, had the form and everything ready to go. He seemed to desperately want Dante for the team, even though the deadline was past. I "signed" him. :D

I like this coach anyway. But with Dante on board, he seems to have put together something of a "dream team." It'll be interesting to see how they do. None of the other teams seem to have anybody at post like Dante. If there were stats, he'd be at the top of the league defensively. His extra season team has on it two excellent shooters, including the best point guard in the league; we call her the "glamazon," because she's only about half an inch shorter than Dante and just dominates the other kids. The other team members are good supporting members as well. With Dante on board, it looks like Coach filled a hole. This particular coach's team is the number one team to beat in the regular season--they lost one game by only a couple of points.

It'll be good for Dante to get the experience that comes from playing with good ball players (not that the kids on his team are bad). It was also a little strange to get recruited that strongly at the fourth grade level. I have no illusions about Dante going on to play college ball. But I've often wondered what it must be like for the families of a talented player--all the phone calls and letters. If this is any indication what it's like at ten years old, it must be intense!

-- Virgil ("DEFENSE! WOOT!")