Call me Coach . . .

The week before Benjamin was supposed to start basketball practice, there was no one to coach his team.  I checked with Jeff, and with some creative juggling of kids and schedules, I volunteered to be his coach.  This is a sport that makes sense to me:  follow your shot, crash the boards, hands up on defense, look for the open shot, good passes, see your posts, rebound! hustle, hustle, hustle!  

Funny how some of these terms seemed a bit like a foreign language to my little team, but they sure do learn fast and have a WHOLE lot of heart.  They've really come together as a team, and are learning their rhythm.  Last week, they were within two points of winning, and were really excited.  This week, they did an excellent job of listening to what I was asking them to do, and trying to do it.  I think I might have just confused them more than anything.  It's all about giving equal playing time, and learning the game, but I know these kiddos would really like to win a game.  

 They are all great kids, and I've enjoyed getting to coach them, and the support their parents give me.  One of the moms stays on the bench to keep track of who has been playing when, so that I make sure everyone has equal playing time, VERY necessary to me. When I first started sending out reminders to the families, I almost signed the email:  Coach K, and then I thought, wait, I don't think I should really do that one in this instance . . . 

Benjamin is excellent at steeling the ball from the other team, and hustling down the court.  He just wants to play play play.  I think his team would be really excited if one game there were only five people to show up, that way no one would have to ever leave the game!  

One of my favorite things is that he wears his soccer shorts
all the way up
on his waste,
with his shirt tucked in of coarse.
Oh, and he loves his
Basketball shoes.