I guess I'll start this whole blog off by letting you all get to know who I am and how I got started. The brief description: mother of 2 basketball loving kids, wife to 1 basketball loving coach, daughter of 1 basketball loving mother. Basically, I've been around basketball for a while, now. It all began with my mother who used to coach a men's team in Germany when she was in the Army. I learned how to scorekeep then, at a young age. I was in 6th grade, and I fell in love with the game, immediately.
A couple of years later, I tried out for my 8th grade team at Los Osos Jr. High. I guess I wasn't fit for the team, because I didn't make it. So, I became team manager....which consisted of traveling with the team, scorekeeping, getting water bottles together, etc, etc. I LOVED IT! However, after that, my stint with basketball had a draught.
Yeah, I dated a couple of basketball players in high school. I ended up being a cheerleader my senior year at Escondido High School. That's where I fell back in love, again! I loved basketball season. don't get me wrong, football was great, too. But, basketball just felt like home to me. Plus, you got to go to 2 games a week, instead of just 1!
Flash forward a few years, and poof! My son wants to play! GREAT!!! So, here I am, registering my son for the Boys and Girls Club basketball team. He was 7. He wanted to be on the same team as his good friend, Kevin. So, we got him registered. And, like any good mother would do, I conveniently volunteered my husband to coach the team, unbeknownst to him, LOL! Well, they didn't need him that season, they had enough coaches, already. So, his time would have to wait. I became team mom, because I have this huge issue with control. I wanted to make sure the kids got everything they could out of the experience. If that meant personalized water bottles and great snacks at every game, then I was the right person for the job.
So, we got through the first season. My son and his friend, Kevin, taught us a lot real quickly.
1. Don't buy shorts with pockets for a 1st grader if you expect him to catch the ball, or even run without his hands in his pockets!
2. Hot Potato can be played during any sport!
3. Kids love to talk while they are on the bench. Don't expect them to watch the game.
4. Kids are BALL HOGS!!! Those that can dribble, do. Those that can shoot, do. Those that can pass, DON'T - unless they can't dribble or shoot!
5. A little encouragement goes a long way. (I'll elaborate on this later!)
Then, the season ended. We had our team party, complete with every basketball decoration and party favor imaginable, and a great looking cake made by my mother. What to do now?
MORE BASKETBALL!!!!
So, we signed my son up for the next available league. Yeah! This time, my mother volunteered to coach. We went to practice the first day, and my son was whining. His leg was hurting. He had a huge splinter, that we later found out had to be surgically removed, thanks to a nice wooden bench outside of a store. So, the season for him was short. No practice or games for 7 of 10 games. The last 3 games - hot potato ball!
Well, I'm not the type to give up easily, so we waited until the next season came around at the Boys and Girls Club, a year from our original start. This time, they didn't have a coach, so I conveniently volunteered my husband, again. And he became a basketball coach. Honestly, wives do many things that there husbands wish they would consult with them about first. Some decisions we regret. Some decisions were are very proud to say we made them on our own. I would do it all again.
My husband took on the team, with a sense of responsibility mixed with confusion and sprinkled with intimidation. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He played basketball in high school, well, almost. He had to quit because his grades weren't up to par. So, aside from the streetballing he did, and being friends with future NBA players, he had no idea. But, he dove in, anyway.
We did quite well. We had one kid on the team who was a blue chip player. He had never played organized basketball before. As soon as the game tipped-off, he took the ball, dribbled it down, and swoosh - 2 points! About a minute later, the referees at the Boys and Girls Club sat him out. He had accumulated 12 points....the maximum allowed per kid per half. What?!!! We didn't understand, or know, the rule. To this day, it still doesn't make sense. But, we dealt with it. Eventually, my husband got smart and taught Xavier to dribble and pass, and to become a great point guard as well. Xavier was able to play much more time with this method, and still scored his 20-24 points a game.
As for our son, Rejalla......well, that's a different story. He had a rough season, at first. He learned how to dribble - a lot better. His shot was still skeptical. He loved the game, though. You couldn't take that away from him. And Kevin and Rejalla, no more shorts with pockets, so they did much better overall. At the same time, Rejalla began playing in Escondido National Junior Basketball (NJB). He had an outstanding coach - Coach William Egner. He saw something in our kid, that we didn't quite see yet. He played Rejalla, a lot. More than the required NJB participation rule. He took him under his wing and really worked with him.
In an effort to excite our son, and set a goal for him, we made Rejalla a deal. For every rebound, he was paid $1. For every basket, $5. For the first few games, we were doing good. Not much payout. A dollar here and there. No worries! Then, one day, I don't know what happened. Next thing I know, we were $30+ in debt to this kid! Okay, that's a new video game. We can do that. But the following couple of Sundays added to our bill, and we became less and less excited with this arrangement. Now, we owed around $75! Where did this kid come from?
We paid up. Both seasons ended. And we looked for the next available league!
Part Two coming soon!
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