January 9, 2023: One More Win

To say this was a good sports weekend would be an understatement. The Bulls winning both of their games vs the 76ers and the Jazz (we’ll talk about the Celtics game later…), the Bears getting the #1 pick, the Packers getting eliminated, and even the Blackhawks winning two games (WTF!?). We needed a weekend like this; it’s been a rough stretch. There was something else that made this weekend great; my son’s basketball team won both of their games too! They need one more win to finish the season undefeated.

Yeah, my son’s 5th grade team has been on quite the roll; after this weekend’s Ws, they are now 12-0… crazy. With their final game scheduled for this upcoming Saturday, they have a chance to finish a perfect 13-0. I guess there are no playoffs for the 5th graders, which is kind of crappy; I guess that starts next year. So… this really is it. What a long way we’ve come since last year’s basketball team. Most of the 4th graders at that time, including my son, got little run on a combined 6th grade team that had about 18 kids on the roster. It was a long season; lots of patience was required. That patience has paid off big time this year though. Splitting up the teams by grade was a great move. The fact that all the boys in his class play on the team makes it even cooler. The fact that they’re undefeated?!?! It’s been a very fun year.

It was about halfway through the season when something clicked for my son. He was never shy to shoot the ball when he was open, which is half the battle at this age. But when those shots started dropping, his confidence starting rising. Getting steals, racing down court, laying the ball up helped boost it too. I see him on the court today, and see a completely different kid than a year ago. He’s really feeling it. This weekend was no different. He scored 16 & 12 points respectively in those wins, bringing his double digit scoring streak to 6 games. On Sunday, he had back to back really impressive shots. The first one was a pretty long shot from the side that he banked in. The dad next to me was impressed with how he used the glass. I messed with him after the game, and asked him “did you call glass?” It looked like he meant to do that, and he did. The next shot was maybe his best of the season. It was just before the half, and the coaches told him to take it in. He got a screen, dribbled around it, crossed to his left, scooped the ball with one hand, and layed it off the backboard and in; wow!!! It was a highlight reel move for sure. And he’s doing all of this as one of the shortest kids on the court… just wait until that height comes…

I was just telling my wife… I’m proud of him. If I can toot my own horn for a minute, I’m proud of me too… haha. You can tell the kids who have spent a lot of time playing; I know the time I have spent playing with him… I’ll continue to do so. One guy at work told me, only a few more years until he makes it big, and dad can retire… haha. Who knows what will happen, but I’ll say it again: there is nothing better than seeing your kid do well. I love, love watching my teams play; I can talk about them all day. Yet, there is one thing that trumps them all. One more win to go undefeated! Let’s do it!!!