The squeaks. The swishes. The cheers. The highs the lows all jammed together on the hardwood floors around the Delta and beyond. It’s 32 minutes on the high school level and 40 on the collegiate level.
Fast breaks and full court presses, three’s and two’s and free throws, steals, assists and turnovers. That stats will stack up but the wins are the most important when the final seconds tick off the scoreboard.
It’s time for those endless pre-season line drills to pay off in endurance. Those fundamental dribbling drills with each hand, the footwork, the triangle defense, the rebounding stance and perfecting the two to three dribbles that become a superstitious pattern at the free throw line.
Basketball season, road trips, busses rocking up and down Highway 49, Highway 82, Highway 7 and 8 to destinations where the fans are rabid and supportive. Little band-box gymnasiums and gymnatoriums where banners hang, plaques detail winning seasons and championships yell out the memories of what’s been accomplished and what’s to be expected of the next generation. Public address announcers spell out the fouls and scream their starters and in some places, rock the house with tunes of all genres to keep the crowd rocking whether the home team has found their rhythm or not.
Second- and third-stringers await that nod or yell from the head coach as they smooth out their non-fitting uniforms with numbers from past Hall of Famers. They nervously tug at their neatly tied Nikes and Adidases with Chuck Taylor dreams of dominating a precisely-timed pick and roll. Sipping their Gatorade and awaiting a timeout to pat the starters on the back and yell a few enthusiastic phrases their coach had previously used before the timeout.
The starters sweat and grind and seek to perform to their coach’s expected level of perfection. The referees do their best to get to each hamlet after their daily 9-to-5 commitment. They stretch and joke with each other and work to take charge of the overly-hot 94 feet of hardwood that awaits.
The moms and dads nervously await their child’s entrance into the game. They smile and hope for the best for the next two hours or so. They cheer, volunteer at the ticket stand and concession stand on their night, and take breaks to hopefully see their “roundball star” on the court. Maybe for a second, maybe for a minute, but a glimpse of them executing what their coaches have drilled into them.
It's basketball season.
Time to come indoors and cheer great defense and effort. Time to remember the seasons that the championship banners proclaim.
Time to eat a hot dog and popcorn made with love by the booster club. Time to turn on the lights, dust the floor, enjoy the cheerleaders and get ready for opening tip!
Support your favorite team from beginning to end, no matter the record or bench of talent.
