Mr. MVP

Today was the first scrimmage of the season.  Noah was a little disapointed going in, as the 8:30 arrival time caused him to miss morning hunting.  Since this is the last weekend and tomorrow's forecasting rain, he really didn't want to give up what could have been his last morning opportunity.  The fact that it was only a 20 minute scrimmage made it difficult for all of us to justify.  I've always raised Noah to follow through on his committments though so we had to go and make the most of it.

Tim did decide to hunt, knowing he could rush out of the woods, strip down to one layer and be at the school in time for tip-off.  Noah's eyes would glance toward the door every few minutes during warm-up.  As the clock began the five minute countdown, he mouthed, "Where's Dad?" and I made the steering wheel motion to let him know he was on his way.  He arrived literally at the final second, settling in front of me as the buzzer sounded the beginning of the game. 

For probably the first five minutes of the game, it was ping pong action with no results.  We'd look down the left half of the court, missed shot, swap sides, another miss or steal.  I wondered if the game would ever see a score when our team came alive and merged.  The plays I'm sure they've practiced over and over began to take motion.  Each player took their spots, watching for signals on their next move.  The setup placed Noah at the basket, fairly obvious due to the size advantage he has over the majority of players. 

Like clockwork the ball made it's way down the court, passing from player to player and landing in my boys hands.  With a seasoned swoop, the ball swooshed, earning the first two points of the game.  Over the loud speakers the announcer called out, "Noah Blair, two points" and in the same instant my guy's face lit up, his arms pumping as he trotted down the court.  The other team dribbled, a steal from us, same setup and another swoosh, followed by hearing Noah's name over the loudspeakers.  This play went on for awhile, climbing us to six points.

Opposing team earned one point from a foul on our Beavers.  Noah played defense just as well, making some great blocks at the basket, rebounds and passes.  At our end, he scored four more points by stealing and swishing.  One was after three attempts, the ball kept swirling the rim and coming back out, but he was persistent using his size and elbows to bend, jump and repeat until he finally scored.  By the game end, he'd scored 10 of our 13 points to the other teams 3. 

I'll have to say Tim and I were beaming the entire game from the bleachers, as parents commented around us, clapped and cheered Noah on.  My joy though came from his face (and puffed chest) at each score, block or play and the response from the crowd.  Even on the way out, the pats on the back, high fives and shouts from the stands, had him walking tall.  I love seeing my boy happy, smiles are even bigger when I get to see him proud.  Today, as the MVP, he certainly had every reason to be.  However, even if he hadn't made a basket, just seeing him try hard on the court always makes this mom, and his number one fan, very proud and grinning from the inside out.

Today I'm thankful for basketball season but most importantly seeing my favorite player on the court. I will always big your biggest fan #40!!

Game Time

Last night's first game of the year was bound to be interesting.  It was a make-up game from last Friday, which was cancelled because of the snow.  In fact, it seems like they've had more cancelled games than actual play time so far this season.  This game was almost their first in a month between weather and Christmas break.  Even though they've had a few practices, you never know how the game will go when the boys are so stale.

After being cooped for the past several days because of the snowy roads, I was more than ready for some basketball action!  I'm really not a fan of basketball unless my favorite player is on the floor.  Sure, I'll take in a UK game every now and then but I'm just as ok if I miss it.  There's just no comparison to seeing a game live - and the excitement of watching your child play.

The smell of popcorn....the thud, thud, thud as the ball is bounced, waiting for just the right moment...the swish of a perfect basket...the roar of a crowd...the sharp contrast in facial expressions with every shot - one of excitement, another of disappointment.  And my favorite moments...when a kid makes the perfect block or an amazing shot and you see and feel everything from the look on their face.

For nearly the first quarter of the game, there were no points on the scoreboard.  Between missed shots and good defense on both sides, it seemed it might be a slow game.  Then it was as if both sides yawned, stretched and bounced out of bed - and the game was on.  It was one of those games where you felt like you were shaking your head no all night, from moving your eyes on one end of the court to other.  By the second half my knees were feeling it, as we'd inch the edge of our seats, jump up in excitement, or push back in defeat.  I joked that the crowd must look like a field of prairie dogs, popping up and down in the bleachers all night.

Noah made some great blocks but didn't get much basket action, as the opposing team was all over him defensively.  Smart on their part, though momma bear was frustrated!  Actually I could sense the tension between the teams, as they both wanted the win.  There were several "ball fights" that even made it all the way to the floor.  It was a close game all the way to the end.  I felt for the child who had the chance to tie the game with his foul shots at 1:00 second on the clock.  Can you imagine that pressure?  It swirled the rim as we all took a collective breath - and missed.  But it was still one amazing game!