Hoop Dreams

Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Larry Bird.

These names might not mean a lot to you. And maybe only one stands out, but the fact I remember these guys at all is a bit impressive. They were members of the Boston Celtics basketball team in 1984/85.

I didn’t care about basketball, baseball or football growing up but my brother and dad did. Sports were a huge part of my youth and some things I just kind of absorbed like the names Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. 

My brother played sports in his sleep. He was an all year-round athlete and for every season there was a sport. His favorite baseball player - Roberto Clemente. His favorite football player - local boy Dan Marino. His favorite basketball player - Larry Bird. 

To be honest, basketball is my least favorite sport. It's the one I understand the least and the one that, to me, is the least exciting unless I’m watching the movie Hoosiers for the 19th time. I don’t have many memories of watching my brother play basketball but for the past couple years I’ve been watching my youngest play. 

It has been a difficult journey for my 11-year-old because for one thing he is tiny. He hasn’t hit his growth spurt yet but he plays like he is 7 feet tall. Game after game he takes chance after chance. He defends like the basketball is made of gold. He takes shots that his little body cannot possibly propel into the hoop. 

But he never seems tired of trying. And one day, he will have the height to back up his heart and drive. This year has been his best for basketball. He plays on a team with kids who do not go to his school. Most of the kids are involved in other basketball related activities and most of them are taller. 

When the season started, he was a stranger. It took a while for the team to accept him and it was a bit frustrating at first. No one wanted to pass the ball to the tiny, new kid. But as the weeks went on the boys started to gel. 

The tallest and most skilled kid on the team took a liking to my son. They look like Tom and Jerry on the court and when my kiddo gets a head rub, slap on the arm or the two share a joke it is beyond heartwarming. I know how much my son has longed to be accepted and when you play in a league that is not affiliated with your school, it sometimes takes longer for others to come around. 

This season, thanks to my son’s “big brother” the team has been undefeated. There had been only one game that put the boys to the test until this past Sunday. We knew it would be a different kind of game since our star player would not be playing due to injury. We kind of expected a loss since their go to was gone. But it ended up being the game of the season. 

These boys played their hearts out and really rose to the challenge. They had to depend on each other not just a quick rebound plunked in with ease. This game was exciting, thrilling, exasperating, redemptive and all the adjectives one can conjure. My son could have won the game if he made a final foul shot but it wasn’t meant to be. 

The tie was broken by the visiting team after a three-minute overtime. The loss did not bother me at all. It was the game of a lifetime, in my eyes, and they left everything they had on the court. 

My husband played basketball as a kid and ended his career early when the power of peer pressure and other fun activities got in the way. His love of the sport has been rekindled watching his youngest pick up where he left off. It has been nice to see the two watch videos before the games and talk strategy. 

I didn’t think anything could rival the emotion and tunnel vision which occurs when my husband watches the Steelers play. Well, honey, youth basketball is where it’s at for the player once known as Sweetness. Will the progeny of Sweetness make a name for himself like Robert Parish, Kevin McHale or Larry Bird?

Who knows. Someone has some growing to do first.

*My blog is featured in the weekly column 'On My Mind' in The Valley Mirror Newspaper. The publication covers the Steel Valley and Woodland Hills communities. *