Jr. Jazz Basketball

The winter session for the Bountiful, Jr. Jazz teams has come to end. Wednesday night Ben played his last game for the season.

I have really missed Steve not being here to coach Ben's basketball teams. Steve loved coaching Mike, and was really good at it. His coaching was a little intense. He usually stacked his team, never missed a practice, expected 100% from the kids, and always liked to win. He taught the kids great basketball skills, and it usually paid off with a winning season. He wasn’t necessarily about equality (each kids plays the exact amount of time), he was fair, but competitive.

Our coach this season has been more about equal time than being competitive. Not a bad thing, just different than I am used to. Our team has come a long way from the beginning of the season. They have learned to play together as a team, and accentuate the positive attributes in each player. We rarely win a game, but the kids have a great time. Well, that is most of the time they have a great time. Sometimes they are a little frustrated with loosing most games.

Ben has been among the top scorers of the team, with great assists as well. I may be a little partial but he has been a great asset to his team. On occasion, Ben will score at the buzzer usually ending a quarter. He loves the roaring crowd and excitement that is generated from those shots.

In his last game his was able to pull off one of his buzzer beaters at the end of the 3rd quarter. His shot was all net from way beyond the 3 point shot line. The crowd was on their feet applauding, even the coaches from the opposing team were cheering him on. There was discussion among the referees on the floor, and those at the scores table as whether or not 3 pointers were allowed in Jr. Jazz. We were happy when the 3 points were added.

The game ended in a sad loss, as Ben and other able players spent most of the 4th quarter on the bench. Equal time or come to compete? I know which way I sway.