Game Log 4/11/09: Competence

Two summer league games, two blowouts: the first, I believe, was varsity boys; the second more likely sophomores.

I have very few memories of the first game. There was barking from the bench over "a travel right in front of you, and you didn't even call it." The kid sort of shifted his weight as though he shuffled his feet, but the feet stayed down. I went to the barking coach, since he was so near, and said "Do you have a question?" He gave an inadequate and unmemorable response. I said "I'll respond to you if you have questions, but you can't be barking at me."

Turns out that was the ASSISTANT coach. Oops. If I'd have had that straight in my head, I'd have gone to the head coach and had him handle it. But the game was a relative blowout--20 points or so--and mostly cruising. Some minor conditioning problems late, especially in one of those ohmygod four-or-five straight turnover situations, but not bad for 2-person all told.

The second game had several firsts. It was a horrendous blowout from the word go.

First 100-point game. The winners nearly doubled up the losers.
First dunk.
First situation where I could have called basket interference. On a layup, a defender whacked the net and (I think) the ball through the net. The ball went through anyway, so that fact that I froze (as is to be expected, I suppose, for my first call of its sort) had no impact. But I'll be readier for the next one.

Main thing is how damn good I felt about this one. I had a partner who I was totally in sync with. While we didn't switch on all fouls, we did report to the table for all fouls, which gave me an opportunity to think about posture and slowing down. While I wasn't perfect, I was aware, and I think I was improving. That's the first step.

Also, during that second game, there was a moment where everything could have gone into the crapper and didn't. At halftime, when it was clear we had a massive blowout and a frustrated losing team, I said to my partner that we needed to be vigilant about frustration fouls by the losing team.

As we approached 9 minutes left, there was a light push on a breakaway. Not intentional, but time to start looking.

At 8 minutes left, there was a worse one. My partner didn't have the intentional, and I don't think I would have either...just not quite enough. But things were starting to turn. I walked to give the free throws and told everybody to settle down. We wanted it cleaner, we said.

We then called it very tight for about two minutes...got several bits of contact we might otherwise have overlooked. Didn't frustrate anybody, since they were equally on both teams, but got it better.

Losing coach told partner in there that players were complaining about the winning team talking smack. He said we'd listen for it. We didn't hear any.

When winning team knocked an opponent over on a routine foul on the shot, he helped him up. I thanked him for his sportsmanship.

No problems from there. I'm quite proud of our work on this one. It absolutely could have become ugly without us. It didn't.

Losing team gave up its 96th, then 98th point with about a minute left. Winning team, who I don't feel was doing anything to run up the score (although they did run a one-on-one press throughout, but not anything egregious), then wanted to get to a century. Losing coach saw what was happening and kept saying "Hold the ball! Slow it down! Hold up!" He was satisfied to let the clock run out and avoid the embarrassment of giving up 100. But kids were not even remotely listening to him. They were just cranking up shots. Winning team would rebound, and then, with about ten seconds left, with 98, ran the ball downcourt, was pushed, went up and made the shot...but I had vociferously waved it off. "No shot! On the floor!" It was the right call. but it prevented the winning team from getting 98 on that shot. (They did get it when the kid drained both double-bonus free throws.)

Anyway, it felt great. If all summer partners and games were like this one, I'd do more of them. As is, I'll maybe give one weekend a month, mostly to work on slowing down and looking athletic.

THINGS I DID WELL: Game awareness, crew consistency, mostly conditioning, posture and slowing down at the table.
THINGS TO WORK ON: Coach awareness (don't talk to assistant), some conditioning, posture adn slowing down at spot.
NEXT UP: Nothing on the slate, but I'll take any tournaments that come along. Meanwhile, I'll run and walk along a nearby semi-desolate route I've found, looking to see whether anyone's watching and then calling fouls and violations on flowers.