The Other Basketball Games I go to (OT, NO ODE)

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 9, 2008 9:49 PM PST

It's "Basketball Season", Baby!

I get to watch my Daughter play Jr. High (The Lions) Ball once or twice a week. She won her First Games this week (both away games at Nestucca & St. Helens). I saw her Team get into double figures, for the first time, last week.

They play six minute Quarters and a 3 - 2 zone. The game lasts about an hour. She runs up and down the court as fast as she can, with the same Big Smile on her face, that she had when she got her new BMX and road it home through Down Town Tillamook, a couple Birthdays ago.

Turnovers abound. About half the time they head back the other way around half court only to have the ball reclaimed and they race to the other end of the court. Where at about the top of the key, control of the ball is lost again. Then they face the same obstacles going in the other direction. This can go on for more than a minute, sometimes two, of their short quarters.

Finally they will settle into position at one end of the court. Paired up like square dancers as their Coaches have instructed them. My Daughter's Team has a dribble first and always until you can shoot PG. Who can always get her shot, open or not, from anywhere.

Once the shot goes up, the other phase of the Game starts to take shape. At best, I have seen about 10% of the shots actually Go in the Hoop! The ten girls will be drawn closer together under the rim, until they become a rugby like scrum! Then the ball will eventually appear from this melee! Sometimes airborne with the appearance of a shot attempt. The odds of it hitting net, backboard, coming back into the scrum or going over the end line, are about equal. The basketball will usually end up rolling out of bounds (with three to four girls chasing it), a three second violation will be called (on one whole Team or the other) or a foul will be called on the one standing nearest to the girls entangled in what appears to be a wrestling match on the floor of the Court.

A rebound is a Highlight. A score happens about once a quarter for the losing Team and as much as two times a quarter for the winning Team in a "Blow Out" Game (her Team lost 17 to 10 in the last Game I attended).

My Daughter has a big lump on the right side of her forehead (She called to come home from practice early that day, because she felt a little queasy) Slightly swollen sprained fingers on her right hand, a sore left ankle, knee and elbow. I have bags of blue ice in our freezer and many rolls of stretchy bandages to apply the ice with.

I listen to the Blazers, thru ear buds, when they have played early on the East Coast, at her Games. She still has that goofy smile of hers on her face as she runs up and down the court. I always think she's the fastest runner but she tells me she isn't.

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I can imagine that game

This sounds kind of like my tee-ball era. Error at first, error at second, error at third, home run!

Nice description!

by Section323 on Feb 9, 2008 10:00 PM PST reply actions

T-Ball, Tee Ball!

We didn't have no stinkin' tees when I was a kid! They wouldn't let ya play "Organized Baseball" until you were 8 years old. Lents Little League (ages 8 - 12). This was Hard Ball, Baby. You started in the minors (8 - 10, 10 year olds could opt to "The Majors). The Coach told you to get a helmet on that was so BIG your head would spin around in it when you swang at a pitch. The Pitcher was always the Biggest, Lankiest, Hardest throwing, Wildman you'd ever seen, cause you hadn't wanted to get caught staring at all the Seventh Graders hangin out at the remote ends of the playground during recess. Coach told ya to stand up to the plate and keep your eye on the ball.

Talk about facing your fears. This was the moment! You either "stood in there" and "took your lumps" "like a Man" or got down on your hands and knees and crawled off the field cryin', with tear rolling down your cheeks, into "Your Mommies arms" in front of all your friends, nieghbors and Team Mates.

I took you about half a season of getting beaned and hit about your body to get on base or striking out, to develope the skills to stop the trembling when it was your turn to bat.

Don't kids get to do this anymore? S'pose someone got killed or something. But Hey!

T-Ball, hehe

"Lenny Suckerpunch NEVER bet on me!" - Elizabeth "The Lizzard" Lowblow

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 9, 2008 10:42 PM PST up reply actions

And you took it like a man, didn't you...!

We had baseball like that! Only it was organized by the older boys of the neighborhood on "the end lot." (I lived in a very small town.) This is where the play was before Little League.
The dad at the house next door kept the diamond mowed in. The wide streets on three sides within the baseline served as outfield. (Can you say road rash?) Beyond, over the next neighbor's fences was home run. It was taboo to home run over left field because the lady there wouldn't give us back our ball or let us retrieve it. She bred dogs and didn't like the balls upsetting them. If it went over there, we'd all go back to our houses to search the bottom of our couches for dad's fallen change, and, back at the end lot, appoint someone to go to the dime store for another ball.
My brother was one of the 2 oldest who got to choose teams. The other leader had a tomboy type little sister older than me (and my sister). My brother was worried she'd break into the end lot play first. He was also upset that there were some young boys being allowed to play that weren't good enough to be an asset to the tem. He'd lost the argument that they should practice more at home before trying out at the end lot.
So, in secret, he taught my sister and me to bat, catch, throw, field grounders, and catch flies. Once the streetlights came on and we had to come inside, he'd lecture us on where to stand and where to go depending on the cirsumstances of the batting team.
Finally, the day came we showed up at the end lot first thing in the morning to be chosen for a team. One guy was so disgusted that girls would be allowed to play, he went home all mad and red faced. My brother had to let four of the youngest boys go to the other team while he got only the two of us. That was the last time my sister and I got to play on the same team.
Have you ever seen the movie, "The SandLot"? I love that movie and watched it many times with my son because it reminded me of my childhood end lot. (They played much better than us though with far fewer kids.)
Later, my dad coached my older brothers in Little League and the brother who'd taught me played in high school where he was All State and turned down a baseball scholarship to go to Annapolis. There was no ball for the girls. When I got high school, I signed up for the boys team to force the school district to start girls baseball because they'd just passed that law that said the girls could join the boys team if a girls team was not offered.

by ladygonegrey on Feb 10, 2008 11:31 AM PST up reply actions

Awesome

I used to go to my sisters JR High games and this sounds about the same, but I also noticed that no one can run and dribble. If I was the coach I would only practicing dribbling with the dominant hand. I would be the John Wooden of jr high girls basketball

by jonestr on Feb 9, 2008 10:04 PM PST reply actions

Hey now, John "jonestr" Wooden

My Daughter's PG CAN run & dribble. Thats why she has the B Ball 90% of the time. There ain't no (that's B Ball Talkin') right or left hand option on this drive either! The PG is goin' to get or be givin' the ball and then she's JJ1 gone wild! Either drivin' right through the nearest gap or down one side or the other of the court. She'll get her shoulder around a defender too. She knows right where she's goin' too and so does everyone else. She's takin it to the rim Baby!

The PG is even successful in beating everyone to the other end a time or two a Game. If she's rushed it's probally less than a 50/50 chance she'll score. If she has time it a 75% shot to go in. PG is probally the Team's Leading scorer. Making 3 of the five Team FGs. Thing is the ball gets swiped alot or the other players get in the way. If the players have assumed their position it is a pass from the drive back to the other guard, followed immediately by a pass back to the PG. Then you know what happens?

Guess. She's Takin' it to the rim Baby!

My Daughter's even setting a screen for her! But everyone knows what she's goin' to do. So it's going to be a steal, foul, travel, blocked shot OR (this is the exiting part) The Ball "Put in Play". A rushed shot chunked up in the air, which if followed by an offensive rebound, usually leads to a follow up shot or two, as the Teams "Pack the Paint" and the scrum has been formed again.

I have told my Daughter about BRoy (She knows who #7 is). Suggesting if she can get to a point of understanding what is going on around her in these melees. She might see opportunities. I haven't seen a 10 or 12 foot pass out to a wing yet. Cause there's no one there. Maybe Coach will put in this play. My Daughter keeps asking me what position she's playing? I tell her Forward (the other Girl down low, is Bigger).

"Lenny Suckerpunch NEVER bet on me!" - Elizabeth "The Lizzard" Lowblow

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 9, 2008 11:58 PM PST up reply actions

sounds like you need some iso

problem solved

by jonestr on Feb 10, 2008 10:56 AM PST up reply actions

Can You Volunteer As Assitant Coach?

Sounds like they need you! Imagine the advantage they'd have over the other teams in their league with a little strategy applied?

by ladygonegrey on Feb 10, 2008 11:38 AM PST up reply actions

I'm Retired

I was a baseball to fast pitch softball Coach. As I raised two of my older daughters I coached their "Y" slow pitch softball teams until that ended when they reached 12 years of age.

We ran into a hole in our Children's Athletics Program then! There was no organized softball for Girls until they entered High School a couple of years later. Two summer of no more ball, after that is what you've been doing for the last five years? Yah gotta be kiddin' me!

Saw it coming with little time to organize any type of a program. The High School was Slow pitching playing in the COWAPA Fast Pitch League! My oldest Daughter, her Friends and my former Players went to Camps for the next few year and learned how to Fast Pitch, Catch, Field and Hit. Got another Coach so we had two Teams and could play Games. Found other Teams to play. practiced year 'round with the School District and the AD's support.

We went Fast Pitch Baby!

Ended up Coaching the "CheeseMakers" until the mid 1980's when two of my Daughters Graduated. We set every pitching record for the High School, cause they hadn't kept any! Caught for my Daughters and friends every day they wanted to pitch for eight years or so (still get to once in awhile). One of my older Daughter's has hit a few balls outta Howe Field (Yah, there's a little duck in us). The Teams I Coached were competitive and had a good time. I gots the Players I Coached all over Town. The CheeseMakers have won more than one Championship since I stopped Coachin'. Life's Good.

I just like playin' a lil' catch to warm up the ol' Arm, hittin' n shaggin' a few fly balls now and then.

"Lenny Suckerpunch NEVER bet on me!" - Elizabeth "The Lizzard" Lowblow

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 10, 2008 2:10 PM PST up reply actions

Sounds less strenuous to asst coach basketball

Maybe it's your youngest's turn to have you in her huddle...

by ladygonegrey on Feb 10, 2008 10:58 PM PST up reply actions

Superb!

Yes! Jr. High girls basketball. I especially liked the "dribble first and always until you can shoot PG" comment.

I remember watching a ref get so frustrated with one girl's constant dribbling and going nowhere that he started calling her for a five-second call, even though she made penetration. She would penetrate, then back up, then do so again, and never do anything except dribble, dribble, dribble.

by jscot on Feb 10, 2008 12:03 AM PST reply actions

thank you.

by mrwonderfull on Feb 10, 2008 12:11 AM PST reply actions

Nice post!

I dug it.

"You don't live by the jumpshot, you die by the jumpshot." ---Charles Barkley, 2/7/08

by timbo on Feb 10, 2008 8:34 AM PST reply actions

Nice, but you left one thing out.

The Jump Ball. At least at my sister's games, that is the most frequent call. A girl gets a rebound and half the time another girl grabs it. Jump Ball. A girl that doesn't dribble gets it, pivots, another girl grabs it. Jump Ball. And so on.

The Rose Garden is our House.

by JTDuck22 on Feb 10, 2008 8:50 AM PST reply actions

No doubt about it

Keeping track of the side outs, is where the scorekeeper earns the goodies from the Student Snack Stand.

"Lenny Suckerpunch NEVER bet on me!" - Elizabeth "The Lizzard" Lowblow

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 10, 2008 11:02 AM PST up reply actions

Liz,

I think you'd make a wonderful play-by-play announcer. Your description of the game is too entertaining!

by TwoDeep on Feb 10, 2008 9:07 AM PST reply actions

You need to make a trade for a pass first PG!

Fire the coach if the team doesn't make the playoffs!

But seriously, that was an entertaining read. The positive energy comes through in the writing. Reminds me of my first year or two of playing organized ball as a kid, chucking 3 pointers up off the glass...

lickety-brindle

by Billy Ray Bates on Feb 10, 2008 10:44 AM PST reply actions

The high hard one !

It was always the biggest, wildest kid
on the mound for your first game as a 8yr old.
T-Ball ? What's that.
The primary experience before was sandlot,
streetball or whiffleball. In most cases, we
invented our own games in the neighborhood. One
kid had cool parents who would let us chalk up
a strike zone on their garage door and we would
pummel it with a rubber ball until someone broke
a window. The next step was to head to the elem school for Indian ball. Whiffleball became the solution to the window problem later. We'd cut the end off the yellow bat, put in some rocks and
tape it up with electrical tape. If you could
hit it onto the roof of the house across the street it was a rountripper. I always loved
pitching because of the movement created with
the ring of holes. Lifelong passion !!!
It has inspired the creation of Mini-Fenway.
A 1/8 scale replica of circa 1975 Fenway Park.
A whiffle stadium. It's been under construction
for the better part of 6-7 years, but I think
it will be ready this summer. Look out for the
Little Monster !

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Feb 10, 2008 7:11 PM PST reply actions