He's Back....

After learning that a bunch of guys play basketball up at the church on Sunday afternoons, I decided to show up yesterday.  Don’t worry - it’s an indoor, air-conditioned court.  After almost four years in retirement, I played my first round of hoops, since myself imposed retirement in 2008!  Yeah!  First, a little history, and then I’ll tell you how I did.

I have played recreational basketball all of my life. I didn’t play for my high-school team, or certainly not college level, but I have played on Club teams, intermural, and pick-up games all through high-school and college.  I played on Shell league and church league teams in Houston, before moving to Midland in 1997.  There I played with a rigorous bunch of guys a 6:00 AM - 3 mornings a week.  After moving back to Houston, I played on church league teams and another morning pick-up team, even though I was traveling out of the country about one week out of every month.  I was never the MVP or leading scorer, but I had a niche of being a good rebounder, and a decent passer.  I liked to think of myself as poor-man’s “double-double”.  Whatever I got, I earned through hustle – not necessarily skill.  I like the pictures, below, from my “retirement game”.  I’m the one that is blurry – I was heading up the court for a break, while others were standing.

 

I retired in 2008, after I turned fifty.  My knees were hurting, and I had had a pretty serious eye injury, that needed protecting (I wore goggles for a-while, but hated it).  I was working a pick and roll, and I rolled into a defenders hand at full speed.  The injury below almost cost me a 12 day trip to Ireland with my whole family!  It happened at 6:30 in the morning of the day that we were leaving at 2:30 PM.  I had to get the blessing Ophthalmologist and an eye-surgeon (that day), before they would let me go on an overseas flight.  I had two black eyes all throughout Ireland (kind of gives new meaning to black Irish, no?)!  

 

Anyway, as I ran the court yesterday, there was one guy older than me, but most were in their 20s and 30s.  I think I did okay.  I snagged a number of rebounds, scored four baskets, and drew a couple of fouls on other drives to the basket.  The guy I was covering hit one 3, but I never let him drive on me.

The highlight was: after grabbing a rebound, I brought the ball up the court.  There it was – I saw it plain as could be!  The defense was in a 2-2 zone, and (as my daughter, Erin, has known since early childhood), the 2-2 zone has a hole in the middle!  I slowed as I approached the 3-point line, looked left, to give the defense the thought that I was passing to the wing, blew by between the two perimeter defenders, and laid it in off the glass!  The old man took it all the way home!

Anyway, I think I’ll join these guys and play whenever I can.  After all, I have a couple of grandsons who need to learn about the hole in the middle of a 2-2 zone – and I’m just the guy to teach them!