My Pro

Last night's closing ceremonies at Karcher Nazarene capped Trey's first basketball season. Lori, Kassady, and I cheered him on as he enjoyed the evening's festivities. Since this was his first time to play basketball, we enrolled him in the Upward basketball league. He loved it! I had tried to teach Trey the basics, but we don't have a goal at home and the basketball goal at the church is 10 feet. So, though he could occasionally heave in a shot, it wasn't the easiest goal to practice on. He started practicing with his team in January and he gave it all he had. I'm so proud of that boy! He finished up being one of the best players on his team. Last night, his coach told me that out of all the kids on his team, Trey improved the most. He now has a good shot, plays great defense, and has learned how to move without the ball. Not bad for a 6-year-old. A parent from the opposing team congratulated me on his defensive prowess and aggressive (in a good way) play. He said that he and his wife were impressed with how Trey had improved.

I was able to get to only two of his games. Unfortunately, they were on Saturday mornings, so I didn't get to all of them. I did make it to most of his practices, though, and watched Trey work to improve his game. He doesn't let failure get him down. He just works harder. For those of you who don't know Trey's personality that well, he's obsessed with the mental and statistical part of the game. He watched game after game on TV (pro and college) trying to figure out how the guys played defense, how they rebounded, and how they moved without the ball. We were watching a pro game last week between the Suns and the Lakers (I think it was the Lakers) and someone made a great defensive play to strip Amare Stoudamire of the ball. Trey turned to me and said, "that's what I'm going to do on Saturday." Lori said he got over 12 steals, all without fouling. He's begging me to get a basketball goal at our house. We'll see what happens.

Trey with a couple of his buds (Noah and Tyler) from church who played in the same league.

Trey and Coach Kevin

Trey waits for some action on the court.

Announcement of the starting lineups prior to the game.