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| There's plenty to smile about for the 4th grade basketball team. |
One who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight
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Another solid performance overall for the boys in white and red. Remember, it's Friday Night Whites, which means we wear white on Friday nights. But at least everybody but one player had matching shorts, a problem that has gone on now for two weeks.
Take the hint, person who can't find matching shorts.
Onto the games, where we saw the 4th and 5th grade improve to (5-0) on the season.
The 4th grade got another huge game from Jonathan, and got some good secondary scoring from Jason and Justin. Ethan and Ryan both played really good defense and grabbed some timely rebounds, and that formula has made the 4th grade favorites in their division.
5th grade got great contributions from everyone Friday night, and it's been said before that it was mainly Raymond doing all the heavy lifting. Yes, Raymond still led the team in points, but all the different players who scored, the two Jasons, Twins, and over the course of the season, Grant, Willard, Ryan, Garrick, all that helps.
It's been a team effort that they are where they are. I think one of the biggest factors is their ability to grab rebounds this year, and both of the Twins have been tremendous in that area.
They have been missing players down low to grab that ball off of missed shots, and when you limit the offensive rebounds by the other team, it just improves your chances of scoring so much.
Speaking of rebounds, or the lack thereof, the 6th grade was decimated on the boards Friday night, and not having Daniel proved very costly. They'll need him back immediately if they want any sort of a late season playoff push.
Rebounding is not easy. We've been to games and have even seen players from our own school who are tall, and you think can get rebounds, but never do.
Does being tall, and have long arms help with rebounding? Absolutely. Does it automatically mean they can grab rebounds? No.
Daniel is one of the best rebounders we have in the school because he is fearless, not afraid of contact and is willing to pay the price. Justin, 8th grade, also is good at coming up with balls inside, because he is not afraid to throw his body out there. Same goes for Clarissa and Tiffy, when they played. Not the biggest girls, but made it a point of emphasis that they were going to get the ball before the other team.
The same cannot be said for some players on the 6th grade who aren't willing to pay the price to get the rebound. They don't want to get physical, so instead they'll just let the other team score two points, instead of taking the contact.
And in their division, this is what needs to be done.
The Red Team, albeit, not at their best as a whole, actually should be happy with their outcome Saturday, because when you win without one of your best weapons at his best, it's always a good thing. Miles, battling a stomach ailment along with Justin, had an off game to say the least. But Jeremy and Michael Ng stepped up to make up for Miles.
This is what good teams do. And they should realize that this was a good thing. They were also missing David, a key contributor.
Look no further than the 7th grade as to how to lose a close game. When you miss your free-throws and lay-ups 90% of the time, you won't win many games.
The good news is that at least they know that the team they played was a beatable team. In the long run, that's what matters.
Divisons and mid-season reviews
This week, we will review the 8th grade teams and 6th grade team at the half-way point. And also, a closer look at the division breakdowns and how they are affecting all of the teams.
Thanks
Big thanks to Tim Lam and Mrs. Yu for their camera work this weekend.
In closing...
This is something I will repeat on Epic Video, coming tomorrow, so if you don't read it in print here, you may visually see the frustration that I have.
Maybe because I am not a parent and I don't get this, but I will never understand why some parents do not let their kids do want they want to do.
And it's almost pointless to write there here, but maybe by some chance, someone will read this and make a change.
I walked into classrooms last week and asked a few classes that by a show of hands, how many kids want to play baseball if their parents had no say in the matter? Almost every hand went up.
Yet, only 3 boys in the school currently played baseball last year.
This is not only baseball, but with volleyball, soccer and even basketball.
Grades are the most important thing, I get that. But I really question that as a reason why someone isn't able to play sports.
Countless graduates have done it for years and have gone off to do great things in high school, and college, and beyond. And a lot of them will attribute their confidence and development as a person to sports.
On the other hand, those who are prohibited from doing what they want to do, end up having a bitter feeling every time I walk into a classroom, because nothing I ever say will ever involve them.
There are those who have circumstances out of their control, living too far away from practice, the gap between the end of school and practice, ride issues, I totally get that.
But when everything can be set up as perfectly as possible to get someone to play, it's still sometimes rejected.
I came here a few years ago, wanting to change the culture, get people involved more. And there are so many times, and most notably the last week or so, I feel like I am starting over again.
And nobody wants to do that.
1 comment:
who was it?
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