Moment To Shine

So I've told you I coach my 6 yr old and 4 yr old in basketball, who play on the same team. It's the Upward Basketball League at a local church here in town. Well, today we had a special moment. So allow me to brag and pretend to be interested.

Logan, our 4 yr old, had his day of glory. You see, Braden, our oldest, has been a good player. He's one of the tallest kids on the team and has some previous experience. He usually scores a couple points every game. Logan, on the other hand, is one of the shortest on the team and this is his first year. Generally, when Logan shoots, the ball either hits the front of the rim or just brushes the net.

But today...today was a great day. Logan was standing there making faces at people on the sideline, watching the other game on the other court, and daydreaming about the Capri Sun and Cheezits that awaited him after the game.....when all of a sudden he found himself with an offensive rebound and standing around the freethrow line. Realizing this was a golden opportunity for him, I yell, "Dribble and shoot buddy, dribble and shoot!" And in that moment, his eyes lit up...something internally starting clicking...a gun went off...and with bright eyes and a renewed focus, he tucked the ball like a running back (yes, he tucked the ball and ran...he did not dribble...most kids at this age struggle to dribble - funny stuff), he got just at the right spot and with all his might he managed to push the ball high enough to get over the front of the 7.5 ft rim and fall through the hoop.

I set aside my coaching role and became an ecstatic parent! (It was almost a miracle!) I went straight to him and gave him a high five. His face said it all. He realized just how BIG this was. He knew how hard he had tried SO MANY times to get that daggum ball in that goal. And now not only had he scored, but he scored IN THE GAME! Dana and I made a big deal about it for the rest of the day - telling grandparents and anyone who would listen. (But also telling Braden how proud we were of his 2 buckets.)

Now we are working on the slam dunk. Why not just skip all the fundamental stuff?
:-)