Playing Old Man Basketball

It's been several years since I played organized basketball. It's amazing what a person can lose on the court after not having played for a while.

I was once a decent basketball player. I swear. I never claimed to be a superstar and I realized my NBA dreams were not going to be fruitive by the fifth grade. However, there was a time when I was a pretty good player. I was good enough to play in high school and at 6-2 I could even dunk a little.

After I quit playing in high school, I didn't really pick up a basketball for about two years. I discovered a lot can happen in that time. I could no longer dunk. Abrupt grunts and awkward rushes of air would spew from my lips when I tried. My cat-quick first step had devolved to a drunken man's stumblings as he tried to stay erect. My silky-smooth outside shot was sometimes lucky to even reach the rim. I had really lost my game.

So, it wasn't all that surprising to me that I was rusty when I tried to play a game of pick-up ball recently after not playing since last summer. Luckily, I know how to play the game pretty well, or I might be a liability on the court.

"Set a high pick," I'd direct to a teammate, while indicating for the other teammate to make a back cut off the screen and bee-line to the hoop. The result was a wide open layin.

"Open yourself up when you're playing weak side defense, so you can track your man in your peripheral vision," I'd direct to another teammate.

When I stopped directing so much and started playing, it meant that I'd caught my breath again for a few more plays. This might result in an impressive basket, or it might result in me throwing the ball three feet above a teammate's grasp. Either way, I know I'm rusty and I'm reminded that playing basketball well is about playing basketball often and against good competition. So, for all you looking to develop your game, choose to guard the opposition's best player, choose to work hard and choose to play often.

I love the game of basketball, and it can be frustrating when you lose skills to rust, but I realized that as long as I have the passion for the game at some level I'll always be able to help my team in some way. In other words, I'm happy to have evolved into a basketball geek. From the x's and o's to roster management and player development, hopefully I can continue to express that love of basketball.