That First W...
We won last night. The team met at school around 5 and then took the bus to Hingham, which, in case you're wondering, looks a lot different than Dorchester.
The girls eked out a 1 point win over South Short Charter Public School in a game that should not have been as close as it was.
The boys, playing with confidence, won big, 49-24. There was some ugliness, in no small part due to the slickness of the court surface, which had kids sliding and crashing all over the place. A mother and small baby were both crashed into by a diving player, among other incidents that made the game a two-plus hour affair.
The highlight, without a doubt or second thought, was when, with a couple of minutes remaining and the game's outcome secure, Daniel got his first burn of the season. Daniel is in 7th grade and has two sisters who star on the girls team. He is tiny. He comes to practice daily, or when he successfully avoids homework or behavior detention, which has been improving, and works his ass off. Daniel has never really been coached, but has a street ballers understanding of the game, acts like a thug when not being humbled by his sisters and dribbles well (especially considering he keeps the ball low, of course). Daniel has been working as hard as anyone, especially on moving without the ball. He is constantly chided to "pass and screen away." Daniel entered the game Sunday night to the largest ovation any member of the team has received this year. It seemed as if the gym erupted, with every girl screaming Daniel's name and cheering. He played it cool, swimming in his size Large uniform. He was calm, collected and handled the ball. He crossed some kid at half court and the starters on the bench fell over on themselves. Every time down, he brought the ball up, kept his head high, passed to a wing player and then darted the other way, looking for someone twice his size to pick. It was amazing, a true highlight of the year, one of those moments you realize that these kids are learning how to play legitimate team hoops, like to learn and are so coachable, if done correctly. Daniel had one attempt at the hoop, a jumper which was flung up there sling-shot style as to garner the proper muscle necessary, and just missed. He did not react, resuming his defensive stance and preparing to "man up" once his assignment crossed half-court.
But we left with a win and some momentum. Amazingly, our record is 1-2, but our point differential, which decides tie-breakers come playoff time, is a startling +22.
We have Prospect Hill Academy, our rival school, this Wednesday night in what will surely be an intense game. They will bring a loud, committed, raucous fan base as will we. I hope to have the official team photographer there and apologize for the lack of images from last night's game. We also have Boston Collegiate at home on Friday, before we all go and unwrap presents during a much-needed and deserved break.
More to come, surely. For now, though, a W in the record books feels strangely calming, though my observation is that it has simply made the kids hungry for many more. And I cannot complain about that sense of drive one bit...
The girls eked out a 1 point win over South Short Charter Public School in a game that should not have been as close as it was.
The boys, playing with confidence, won big, 49-24. There was some ugliness, in no small part due to the slickness of the court surface, which had kids sliding and crashing all over the place. A mother and small baby were both crashed into by a diving player, among other incidents that made the game a two-plus hour affair.
The highlight, without a doubt or second thought, was when, with a couple of minutes remaining and the game's outcome secure, Daniel got his first burn of the season. Daniel is in 7th grade and has two sisters who star on the girls team. He is tiny. He comes to practice daily, or when he successfully avoids homework or behavior detention, which has been improving, and works his ass off. Daniel has never really been coached, but has a street ballers understanding of the game, acts like a thug when not being humbled by his sisters and dribbles well (especially considering he keeps the ball low, of course). Daniel has been working as hard as anyone, especially on moving without the ball. He is constantly chided to "pass and screen away." Daniel entered the game Sunday night to the largest ovation any member of the team has received this year. It seemed as if the gym erupted, with every girl screaming Daniel's name and cheering. He played it cool, swimming in his size Large uniform. He was calm, collected and handled the ball. He crossed some kid at half court and the starters on the bench fell over on themselves. Every time down, he brought the ball up, kept his head high, passed to a wing player and then darted the other way, looking for someone twice his size to pick. It was amazing, a true highlight of the year, one of those moments you realize that these kids are learning how to play legitimate team hoops, like to learn and are so coachable, if done correctly. Daniel had one attempt at the hoop, a jumper which was flung up there sling-shot style as to garner the proper muscle necessary, and just missed. He did not react, resuming his defensive stance and preparing to "man up" once his assignment crossed half-court.
But we left with a win and some momentum. Amazingly, our record is 1-2, but our point differential, which decides tie-breakers come playoff time, is a startling +22.
We have Prospect Hill Academy, our rival school, this Wednesday night in what will surely be an intense game. They will bring a loud, committed, raucous fan base as will we. I hope to have the official team photographer there and apologize for the lack of images from last night's game. We also have Boston Collegiate at home on Friday, before we all go and unwrap presents during a much-needed and deserved break.
More to come, surely. For now, though, a W in the record books feels strangely calming, though my observation is that it has simply made the kids hungry for many more. And I cannot complain about that sense of drive one bit...
posted by caleb at 1:55 PM
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