I remember when Maysen first started playing basketball for the YMCA. I thought sitting in the stands basically was one of the most frustrating things to do. I wanted to yell and "coach" from the stands. Boy did I not have a clue. The following year Maysen played on KidsSports and we got a whole new lesson. One in empathy and wanting to coach some other lessons from the stands that you normally don't want to coach from there.
So, while Griffin played his first ever basketball season with the YMCA (the Bulldogs), Nate and I decided we would coach Maysen's YMCA team. The idea was that I would be the brains (organizing the team, etc) and Nate would be the braun with the kids. Day 1 we knew this was all going to be a whole new ballgame for us (Pun unintended).
Griffin did just fine for his first year. His favorite part of the whole season/games was getting to throw the ball in once it was out of bounds, and getting to run it back to half-court after the other team had made a point. He would dribble as slllllllow as he possibly could, relishing in that moment of "power" he had. The other team could not interfere and waited at half-court for him. During one game, he sat on one side of the half-court line just dribbling while the entire team had lined up on the other side waiting for him. He didn't mind. It was Griffin Time and he was taking it all in.
He loved Ryen, the YMCA ref and coordinator and would spent a lot of time wanting to play with him. Other times, while the game was going on he'd just be chatting it up with the man he was supposed to be guarding because it was a pal from school. During one game he got hit in the head with he basketball and Ryen blew the whistle and asked if he was ok. Reverberating throughout the whole gym, he says, "Do I look like I'm ok? I just got nailed in the head with a basketball!"
He would be reminded to "hustle" down the court and when I'd yell out "Griffin, hustle!" he would find me in the crowd and give me that "I am - shut it!" look. Or he'd run down the court and out of th blue just pump his fist in the air.
In the midst of that, there was the Gentle Griffin I love and adore. If he would trip someone or foul someone, he'd be the first one to say, "Oh! Are you ok?" One little boy fell and Griffin went over to help him up and ask if he was Ok. That is the stuff you can't teach. It's just in there.
Do I think we'll have the next Shaq on our hands? No, nor do I think he wants to be! But it was sure fun watching him just be Griffin and not give a rip out on the court and just be himself.
Now, for Nate and I, keeping 8 kids under control and focused was one of the main challenges. We had a few kids that were more interested in messing around than listening, which would make the rest of the team just fall apart. Nate started to run warm ups with the boys and immediately injured his knee. Ha! It was partially my fault by telling the boys to outrun Coach Nate.
Managing the different talents was hard as well. We had some kids that were 2 steps from being on the NBA, and another 2 that had never dribbled a basketball before. So that was a challenge trying to coach to the different levels. Another challenge was trying to find a balance of firmness. if you were "too nice" the kids would walk all over you. If you were too "firm" you were afraid of offending either the parents or the kids.
Parents! Wow. I learned that I was probably one of the most challenging parts of having my kid in sports. Having parents try to coach from the stands was so frustrating. We had some great parents but boy did I learn that if I've turned my kid over to another coach to just shut my mouth.
When we lost a few kids, we gained a few new ones. Making sure the kids had a great time, learned at least one thing new, learned how to respect one another, and work as a team was our main goal and I think we accomplished it.
I will say that one more thing I learned is that refs have a hard job. I also learned that there REALLY is a difference between a good ref and a bad ref. And it has nothing to do with their calls. It has to do with their personality and ability to maintain control over their court ... and themselves. I got to experience a BAD ref at one of our Eugene games. He, unfortunately, had no control over himself and really acted like a juvenile, despite being probably a decade older than myself.
He was making some pretty horrendous calls - calls that were overly inappropriate for the age group of our kids. When somewhat called out by myself, I learned that he thought pretty highly of himself - and his calls. I was told to sit in my corner and shut it or be expelled from the game, because - afterall, I was only the assistant coach. What surprised me the most is how upset it made the kids. They were very protective over me and didn't like that at all. Another surprise for me!
One of the proudest moments was watching the other boys welcome the "newbies" with open arms. Watching them encourage one another, help one another, and support one another was beautiful. I haven't seen that on any other team - in fact it was quite opposite for Maysen last year so showing him this and having him be a part of it was truly a blessing for us as parents. And man has Maysen come a long way! We watched him be a bit timid last year playing on a much more advanced team. He wasn't ready for all the aggression of his team mates or the other teams. However, that must have simmered within him because he came out elbows swinging this year! He pushed himself more than I've seen and was hard on himself probably more than he should have been. But I suppose that's what growing is all about. In anything you do. I can't wait to watch him next year!
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