Regarding Basketball

If I posted about basketball as often as it dominates our life, I’d be posting about basketball almost every day. But, because this is not a basketball blog, I tend to avoid posting about the subject. The last times I really gave basketball any devoted blog time was last July (post is here), and then a short post in August (post is here). Here I’ll try to convey, in one fell swoop, the past 9 months worth of basketball in our family life.

It might be a slight exaggeration to say that basketball dominates our life. It would only not be 100% true in the sense that — especially in the spring and early summer — baseball is huge too. But to say that K & O play basketball all the time is not really an untrue statement. We have an over-the-door hoop in the hall of our dorm. From the minute they wake up, until the minute they crawl into bed, it is where K & O spend the bulk of their free time. And when I say, “the bulk,” I mean probably — no exaggeration — at least 75% of the time (Braydon confirms this estimation to be an accurate one in his opinion).

It is intense bball. Sometimes (when the students are here) guys will join in with them. But usually, it is just the two of them. Going at it. In a big way. I have never seen them not sweating like crazy by the end of one of their little sessions. Often these ‘sessions’ involve — at some point — screaming, tackling, full-on-duking-it-out over some rule or regulation that one or the other has bent or broken (they make up all sorts of games and the rules are impossible for anyone but them to follow, let alone referee, so they are entirely on their own to work it all out). So far, no blood has been shed, but it has come very close many times.These bitter battles last approximately 2-5 minutes, and then it is on with the game.

It is shooting, jumping, blocking, slamming, non-stop hard-core hall ball. It never gets old (for them). But the constant incessant non-stop sound of dribbling, slamming, dunking, and swishing reverberating through the dorm day and night can often feel like it is slowly (or quickly) driving the rest of us crazy. Luckily for us all, during the regular academic year, we have to follow the dorm quiet hour rules — which means that K & O can not play basketball in the hallway before 10am — THANK GOD.

Living on campus has taken their love of basketball to a whole new level. If it were up to them we’d go to every single Lehigh basketball game — home or away — all season long. We take them to as many as we can. They love it love it love it love it love it.

I wonder sometimes what impact all this is having on them. These guys, who K & O greatly look up to and aspire to, are so within reach for K & O. While many young kids are sports fanatics, K & O have real college players right in their own little world. These guys are not untouchable to K & O. And K & O see them as real. They know them. In a way that most kids do not. And these guys (for the most part) embrace K & O. It is not at all uncommon to find K & O spending real time — outside of basketball — with the Lehigh players. It is not at all uncommon for them to be eating together in the dining hall, or hanging out tossing a frisbee on some lawn, or chit-chatting anywhere and everywhere that they might run into them on campus (including, sometimes, when K & O have the chance to attend Mommy’s classes). While on one level, K & O idolize these basketball players, they also see them as regular people too. This will be especially profound, I think, when tomorrow night K & O watch the NBA Draft on tv, and see a guy who they really actually know (a guy who was Mommy’s student) go pro. {If you don’t know about CJ McCollum, just google him to see.} What does it do to boys like K & O to watch someone they know become an NBA player? I have no idea. I suppose only time will tell.

As much as they love the hall ball, they’ll play on any court they possibly can, whenever they can, too. And living on campus, they have lots of options. They’ll play in the rain…

They’ll play in the snow…

And when they can’t be outside (because it is way too far below freezing), they’ll take any opportunity they can to play inside.

This year — the year they were 8 — was the year that basketball really exploded for them. Along with that came a newfound interest in basketball attire, Nike Elite socks, and — especially — basketball shoes. Our boys who never cared one bit about what they wore, now care. They want all sports attire all the time. Preferably basketball attire. The brighter the better.

They played again this year for their school’s basketball team. I wrote about that a little bit last September (post is here). The school has an official team for 3rd graders and higher, and a separate sports program for the younger kids. They had to bend the rules a little bit for K & O (the head of the program for younger kids said they were too good to play after kindergarten), and they started on the team in 1st grade. This year, as 2nd graders, they played again as real contributors.

Despite being much, much smaller than most all of the other players they played with and against, our boys proudly held their own against the competition. “Playing up” is an understatement here. But they did good.

Their team, once again this year, lost every single game that they played. But they had a ton of fun. And K & O have definitely had the privilege of learning at a young age how to lose, and lose gracefully.

Their coach from last year (a guy whose expertise with sports we greatly respect and trust) advised us that K & O need to be playing in an elite basketball program as soon as possible. We looked into it. Our local AAU program expressed interest in K & O and invited them try-out. They had a team for the youngest players (boys just slightly older than K & O were this year) and they thought K & O might be contenders to play on it. We went to the try-outs, and it was a mind-blowing experience for us all. We had never seen first-hand such an elite level of play, coaching, and training for kids. It was a 2-hour workout on a school night. We got a babysitter for Meera. We took it very seriously, and Kyle and Owen *LOVED* it. At the end of the session, the director of the program invited us to have K & O join. He was very clear: they are looking for three things — natural talent/athleticism, coach-ability/intelligence, and genuine passion for the sport. K & O were hitting on all three cylinders, at a very young age. Braydon and I thought long and hard about it. I did a lot of research and poured my heart out to some trustworthy sources (including coaches — and importantly — coaches-who-are-moms — at Lehigh). For about a week I grappled intensely with the decision. The kicker was that K & O would have to specialize– they’d have to basically devote themselves to basketball, and only basketball, starting now. Little League would be automatically ruled out for the spring, and the AAU program would mean heavy travel for us on many weekends. Kyle could have gone either way with it. Owen was chomping at the bit to sign up immediately for the AAU program. Ultimately, Braydon and I decided (after losing much sleep) that we had to make an executive decision to not do it. We felt strongly that they are too young to specialize, we did not want them to give up baseball, and we felt like it would be too much too soon to jump in 100% to one single sport. Now, looking back on it, it seems so obvious that we made the right decision. But at the time it felt like a grueling decision. Braydon and I are not well equipped to make determinations about the sports trajectories of such young and gifted athletes. We are new to this world and the learning curve is big.

Once basketball season ended they moved quickly onto baseball. (Our Little League experience deserves its own long post.) But basketball remains fully in tact as their primary love. At least for now.

Often after baseball practice, or between innings when watching a Red Sox game on tv, or upon coming inside from playing baseball together out in the yard, they’d move seamlessly to their beloved hall ball (note the gloves and bat on the floor in the photo above). One of the amazing things about having a twin is that you always have a built-in playmate who is your same age, same size, and same level of skill. Pretty amazing. (And pretty effective at a spiraling-never-ending-ratcheting-up-of-competitive-play.)

And then, of course, there is their “Heaven on Earth Week” (aka Basketball Camp) to round out the year. It was last week. There is really nothing much that they love more than that camp — the chance to play basketball all day long for an entire week with other boys and men who can understand and appreciate and relate to their love of the sport (people who are unlike the other three members of their family).

While I’ll never fully understand their adoration of bball, I try to be as respectful of it as possible. I’m trying hard to be the best mother I can be to these boys. Their athleticism is a challenge (a good challenge, one I embrace, but still– a challenge).

At the end of the day, though, one thing I can say for sure is this: I’m learning to love — and I mean, LOVE — watching them play. There is really nothing much that I love more than watching them play. Even when it does drive me absolutely crazy…. the sound at ridiculous decibels… the intensity reaching a fever pitch… the never-ending-inflow-of-sweat-drenched-clothing… the dribbling and slamming reverberating everywhere… at 7am, 7pm, and every time in between.

Who knows what the future holds? We sure don’t. But I’m so honored and privileged to be on the sidelines for these two.