Basketball is a game of not only physical stress, but also mental. Like in other things in life, you have to be prepared mentally to do well. To be a well-rounded basketball player you must have good sportsmanship, be able to work with a team, have good character on and off of the court, and also have the skill to play the game well. These qualities are also needed to help people in life. As Hunter gets older, he will have to know how to work with a team well because you can’t do everything in life alone.
Hunter and Joseph are completely different when it comes to sportsmanship. Joseph plays to win. Hunter plays for fun. Don’t get me wrong, he loves to win, but if he loses, it’s not the end of the world. He does, however, get really nervous before the game. I once asked him what he felt before the game and he told me that as his team gets in line all he can hear is the chatter of his teammates, the sound of the crowd and he can practically hear his own heartbeat thump as he takes his seat on the chair right before the game starts.
One thing I love about his coach, other than his patience and the way he stays calm at every game is his devotion. At the last quarter during the game before Hunter's, his coach brings them into the locker room. In there, they go over the plans and he ends it with a devotion and during this everyone is very attentive and hanging on to every word he says. After that, the team says the Lord’s Prayer and then they go out the door to stretch. He keeps it real and teaches them the importance of prayer.
This year, Hunter played up. He is in 4th grade, but he played with 5th graders. He was a bit intimidated. "Intimidation is to playground basketball what sauce is to ribs. You can eat them plain but they taste a lot better with some heat" - Doug Konecky. It was a bit of a challenge for him, but he did great. He looked up to the older boys and was afraid to mess up. I think that is why he got so nervous before each game. But, in the end, he played well and went home with an undefeated season and won first place.
He has his first all-star game this weekend. During All-Stars, he must play with his own grade. Just for giggles, I wanted to show you this picture. He was asked to sub for the 3rd/4th grade team. He was actually supposed to play in the 3rd/4th level, but since he is so much bigger than these kids, they asked him to play up. During this game, I took a picture that I thought was hilarious. Look at how he towers over these kids. He looks like he is about the same size as the refs. hahahahaha
Do you have a favorite sport that you like to watch?
"Intimidation is to playground basketball what sauce is to ribs. You can eat them plain but they taste a lot better with some heat."
ReplyDeleteWe followed this line to track a student's plagiarism. Turns out it didn't originate here, though. Does Doug Konecky deserve some credit?
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteWhy yes, he does. I found it from somewhere else where it said author unknown. Thank you for the link.