Basketball has
been super fun lately. I started out having trouble making a left handed layup
but I have gotten a lot more consistent. We started out with the Turkey
tournament over thanksgiving break. I wasn’t there for the first game but
apparently we won by 9 against Villa Grove, a solid start. Two days later we
played a bad Decatur Christian. We were expected to destroy them but we ended
up going 0-5 down. After we woke up we started to come back and we beat them by
20 or so. This always sucks for me because I warm the benches for others and
only go in on games where we are up by a lot. Even though most games I sit out
the whole game, I really get a special type of thrill handing out water bottles
to the sweaty athletes who put their life on the line for their team. While the
game goes on, however, it’s fun because we start chants and talk crap about the
other team, yelling out funny remarks. We also have a freshman on the varsity
team who we designate to take stats, many times he is the butt of jokes and
some people, not naming any names, take it too far sometimes. But the bench is
a fun place to be, we always make jokes about how we might go in or it might be
our chance to make our impression on coach!
The
next couple games we lost to Clinton, a 3A school, 54-60, it was a good game
and we had a comeback going on, and later that day we beat Blue Ridge. That
concluded our tournament and we are now going into the regular season, 1-1,
with a loss to Arcola and a win against Villa Grove again. The Arcola loss was
bad and a game where we weren’t playing well at all, but I believe we bounced
back against Villa Grove. Speaking of Villa Grove, I scored my first basket
their!! I went in with 4 minutes to go and I made a layup but I think I made a good
cut to get into the position to shoot. I dedicate those two points towards the
bench squad for believing in me. Hopefully one day I can be like Paul and Noah
who brag about how many girls follow them on Instagram after every game. It’s
really just not fair because no one followed me after soccer games.
Although
it can be disheartening to not play at all some games, on away games
specifically, the bus rides back make it all worth. The upper classmen go to
the back of the bus, pull up a beat, and start rap battles, which if I may say
so myself, can get pretty heated sometimes. Yesterday, Tony was attempting to
rap and the bus driver interrupted and roasted the LIFE out of him. It was bad
and I don’t think Tony will have the courage to rap any time soon.
Hopefully
there will be many more highlights to the season and a regional plaque to
remember it all.
This is such a fun post! Being a part of a team in that sort of environment is such a blast and where so many hilarious memories can be made. Speaking for myself, that's one of the greatest perks of playing soccer or any other sport for that matter. Like you mentioned a few times in your post, of course points matter to a certain extent. I mean, who doesn't want to win a game? But at the end of the day, I think the bonds you make with your fellow team members from the bench, the court, or even the bus, are the real prize. All in all, thanks for making this a sincerely enjoyable read!
ReplyDeleteLOL this is so funny. Congrats on your first points of the season! It really shows that you've been improving your game. It's nice that you're enjoying your time on the bench, hopefully as the season goes on you'll get to be able to play more. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is both a funny and well-written post. It sounds you're all having a great start to the basketball season. You do a good job in this post describing what the basketball team means to you beyond just the games, as well.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same my freshman year because I was a splitter so I didn't get much varsity playing time except if we were up by a lot or losing badly. But honestly, sometimes the best part is being able to relax on the bench and just enjoy the game, because you learn so much from just watching. Hope you score more points!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're enjoying basketball season so far. This was a funny post and I especially like how you describe your activities on the bench in a more positive light. Good luck with your season!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who sits on the girls' bench every game taking stats but can't play, I understand the thrill of handing out waterbottles and everything to feel useful lmao. This post makes me feel bad for Tony because of what happened with the bus driver. Sometimes I think it can be for the better when people stop trying to rap though.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you've turned your time onto the bench into something positive. I like the funny experiences that you share in your post. Hope the rest of the season goes well!
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