Its Basketball Season

  I bet when you read the title, you immediately thought of your favorite team like the Celtics or the Golden State Warriors.  You know, those games you spend the weekend watching with all the snacks, camaraderie and the soda or beer.  You cheer when they sink a basket or steal the ball or you groan when your guy misses the basket.

In my case, I don't spend my weekends watching televised games, I head over to the local elementary to catch them live.  The elementary school runs a program for grades 3 to 6 so they can learn the finer points of playing basketball.

Last night, they had the first games of the seasons for grades 3 and 4, 5 and 6, finishing off with middle school.  I absolutely love watching the 3rd and 4th graders play basketball because besides being cute, they are almost as funny to watch as the old men. 

I've reffed, kept score, coached, and watched them play.  They are just learning so some of their moves are not standard.  Some of the more common moves are:

1.  Instead of stealing, they grab the ball and the person with the ball won't let go or they grab it back and all the sudden they are wrestling and end up on the ground fighting over it.

2.  Traveling is defined as the kid picks up the ball and runs with it rather than trying to dribble.  When they do dibble, the ball sometimes gets moving faster than them and it runs off.

3.  Passing turns out to be handing the ball off, or throwing it by bouncing it off the floor under the hands of the opposing team, to their teammate. 

4.  The ball gets loose, rolls in front of a child who can't stop in time and they end up kicking the ball across the floor so one of the other children jumps on it followed closely by several other teammates who pile on top so it looks like something out of a football game.  Or the ball rolls out of bounds.

5.  Of course, some of the smaller children dribble the ball under the arms of the taller kids rather than moving out of the way.

I absolutely love watching them.  They keep the audience entertained as well of the Harlem Globe Trotters and everyone has a good time.  Maybe tomorrow I'll share how entertaining it is to watch the old men's basketball.