After practices on Friday, a couple guys and I always play a game of 21 before we leave. This is where I excel in basketball. I'm a mediocre player during organized games. But put me in a game of 21 and I'll beat anyone. It's my favorite part of the game. One of the main reasons I decided to play on the team this season is because I knew it would make me better at 21. After a season of hard basketball, I could proceed to embarrass all my friends when Spring comes around, and we spend every day playing 21 in an alley.
Today was different. Coach Tony decided to play with us, to everyone's amazement. He's always surprised when I win, maybe he wanted to see what it was like to play with us. Well anyway, the team finally learned just how good he is at basketball.
The man is an incredible basketball player, and athlete. He's 40-something years old, and is more athletic than anyone on the team, except maybe Earl. He wouldn't miss a 3-pointer, no matter who was guarding him. Whether it was Derick, our 6'3" man-child of a center, or James, our skilled small forward guarding him, he couldn't be beat. He would crossover about 3 times in one second and then proceed to hit a fadeaway 3-pointer in the defender's face. When he drove, he got over, under, and through anyone in his way to make the layup.
I've gained a newfound respect for Coach Tony. I always thought he took basketball too seriously, when all I wanted to do was play a game of 21in an alley, or a pickup game at the park. We've all learned that he can get back to basics and just have a fun time playing. And he's damn good at it too.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Suntimes
I saw on the Chicago Sun-Times's high school sports website that I was the third leading scorer in the game yesterday. I don't think thats necessarily true, but shouts out to Mr. Wu for putting my name down anyway. I think he knew I would freak out, and freak out I did.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Payton v. Sullivan
Due to some unfortunate circumstances and an overall lack of excitement the past couple of games, I've refrained from posting anything, because I didn't want to start down the "posting just for the hell of it" road. I don't know if anyone has continued to look at this blog after the first day anyway, but just in case anyone does, I'm going to take the time to write out whatever comes to mind.
A quick catch-up: We beat a couple teams since my last post, and one of those teams was Northside. I didn't play in that game due to an injury, and that really bummed me out because I have a couple friends at that school. The one game where I actually know people on the other team and I'm sitting on the bench in a shirt and tie, looking like the equipment manager. Now everyone at Northside thinks I'm a scrub. But there's always next year, and it's not like I would have played in the game anyway.
We've won our last several games, and we're on a 5 game winning streak right now. Maybe not so coincidentally, we also have happened to win every game we've played since Jerrod got a tattoo. Now I don't know how much of an effect that tattoo is having on our team, but what I do know is that someone is going to have to step up and get one after Jerrod graduates.... I guess I'm going to have to take one for the team and get a tattoo.
Today's game against Sullivan was a big one for the team, and for me personally. We beat this team by 30-something points, myself contributing 5 of them. 5 points! Now that might not seem like a lot, I know, but when your total minutes on the season add up to about one half of a high school basketball game, that's not too shabby. And now that I've reached my goal of scoring just one basket this season, I don't have to worry about getting salty if I don't get playing time, and I'll continue to support the team as best I can from the bench. Again, scoring one basket all season seems like a very low goal to set yourself, but I was cutting it pretty close there. My 3-pointer today was my first basket of the year, and we only have like 3 or 4 games left this season so I was starting to get worried.
I got a couple of other stats today, but enough about me. The team played great today and we're finally at .500 with a record of 10-10. Not the greatest record but it won't send Coach Tony over the edge. I don't think it registers with him that it is entirely possible, and very common, for a team to lose more games than they win. And to be honest, for the team's sake, I hope he never has to find that out. Because as nice of a guy as he is, I would be pretty scared to be on a losing team with him as the coach.
A quick catch-up: We beat a couple teams since my last post, and one of those teams was Northside. I didn't play in that game due to an injury, and that really bummed me out because I have a couple friends at that school. The one game where I actually know people on the other team and I'm sitting on the bench in a shirt and tie, looking like the equipment manager. Now everyone at Northside thinks I'm a scrub. But there's always next year, and it's not like I would have played in the game anyway.
We've won our last several games, and we're on a 5 game winning streak right now. Maybe not so coincidentally, we also have happened to win every game we've played since Jerrod got a tattoo. Now I don't know how much of an effect that tattoo is having on our team, but what I do know is that someone is going to have to step up and get one after Jerrod graduates.... I guess I'm going to have to take one for the team and get a tattoo.
Today's game against Sullivan was a big one for the team, and for me personally. We beat this team by 30-something points, myself contributing 5 of them. 5 points! Now that might not seem like a lot, I know, but when your total minutes on the season add up to about one half of a high school basketball game, that's not too shabby. And now that I've reached my goal of scoring just one basket this season, I don't have to worry about getting salty if I don't get playing time, and I'll continue to support the team as best I can from the bench. Again, scoring one basket all season seems like a very low goal to set yourself, but I was cutting it pretty close there. My 3-pointer today was my first basket of the year, and we only have like 3 or 4 games left this season so I was starting to get worried.
I got a couple of other stats today, but enough about me. The team played great today and we're finally at .500 with a record of 10-10. Not the greatest record but it won't send Coach Tony over the edge. I don't think it registers with him that it is entirely possible, and very common, for a team to lose more games than they win. And to be honest, for the team's sake, I hope he never has to find that out. Because as nice of a guy as he is, I would be pretty scared to be on a losing team with him as the coach.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
I swear I wasn't "smoking the loud"
It's hard for me to take our team seriously when Coach Tony tells us our pre-game warmup playlist is Run This Town by Rihanna, All I do is Win by DJ Khaled and Touch the Sky by Kanye West. It's even harder for me to keep a straight face when Bring Em' Out by T.I. starts playing as we run out of the locker room. Consequentially, I looked like an idiot when we did our lap around the court and I was laughing my ass off. I know those are good pump up songs but it just feels like a little much for such a small school.
We won our game by only 20 points today, I don't remember the final score, but we won and that's what's important. I do, however, remember the douchey/funny ref. After yelling at me for heckling from the bench, he proceeded to yell at Zac, our freshman point guard, for going up for a layup after the whistle was blown and getting clotheslined by a player on North-Grand. It made me really appreciate the Payton student body when the entire crowd broke out into a chorus of "boos."
The best part was when I finally got into the game at the end of the 4th quarter and was waiting for the ref to give me the ball. I didn't understand his directions when he was telling me where to inbound the ball, so he said "Boy you tweaking. You better stop smoking that loud." Everyone in the crowd exploded. I was laughing for the last couple minutes of the game, which probably wasn't too pleasing to Coach Tony but what can I do in a situation like that?
I didn't really do in the game, but I didn't screw it up, and I think that's enough to impress Coach at this point in the season. It was fun playing in front of my friends and my girlfriend, though I'm sure they all think I'm a scrub. Not that that's something they didn't already think though.
We won our game by only 20 points today, I don't remember the final score, but we won and that's what's important. I do, however, remember the douchey/funny ref. After yelling at me for heckling from the bench, he proceeded to yell at Zac, our freshman point guard, for going up for a layup after the whistle was blown and getting clotheslined by a player on North-Grand. It made me really appreciate the Payton student body when the entire crowd broke out into a chorus of "boos."
The best part was when I finally got into the game at the end of the 4th quarter and was waiting for the ref to give me the ball. I didn't understand his directions when he was telling me where to inbound the ball, so he said "Boy you tweaking. You better stop smoking that loud." Everyone in the crowd exploded. I was laughing for the last couple minutes of the game, which probably wasn't too pleasing to Coach Tony but what can I do in a situation like that?
I didn't really do in the game, but I didn't screw it up, and I think that's enough to impress Coach at this point in the season. It was fun playing in front of my friends and my girlfriend, though I'm sure they all think I'm a scrub. Not that that's something they didn't already think though.
Pre-game Mentality
We have a game this afternoon against North Grand High School, whom we beat 59-21 last Saturday. And I played a whole 8 minutes that game. So needless to say I'm excited that we're playing them again today. Because I learned two things from that game: that winning is fun, and playing is also fun.
My girlfriend is coming to today's game, which makes me kind of nervous. But I'm not too worried. I doubt she'll break up with me if I airball another 3-pointer. I'm letting her come today because I figured that this is probably the only game left in the season in which I'll play for more than 3 minutes. I haven't let her come to a game thus far, because I'd rather not have her come all the way to my school to watch me sit on the bench in a uniform that is several sizes too big on me. That's also why I tell my parents not to come to my games, but I have to be a little more lenient on that one since they're also my ride home.
I'm pretty pumped for today's game. I still haven't scored any points and this might be the last chance I get to do so. I just hope I don't screw it up
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Intro to the blog
Ok first things first, let me explain the title of this blog:
If you're familiar with basketball, you know that a basketball team fields twelve players, and you know what it means to be the twelfth man. For those of you who don't keep up with the sport, it means that out of the whole bunch, the twelfth man is the last player who will ever go in to a game. He rarely sees playing time. Simply put, he is the worst player on the team. On Walter Payton College Prep's Varsity Basketball team, that role is occupied by me, Sam Kelly. I'm 5 feet 10 inches, 135 pounds, slow, and I can't jump high. I'm not exactly what you would call a "force to be reckoned with" on the basketball court. Not to say I'm bad at basketball. I'm pretty good compared to the average joe. I have long arms and a decent jump shot. But in a city with players like Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor, "pretty good" doesn't cut it. To be honest, I'm surprised I made the team.
Moving on the "the capitan". I'd like to clear up one thing about that. I am not currently a captain for Payton's 16" Softball team. There is no guarantee that I will be next year. I put it in the title because it rhymes (sort of) and I think it's clever. I've been the starting pitcher on the team for two years and this year, we won the city championship for the first time in almost a decade. And while being a pitcher for a softball team isn't the same as being a pitcher for a baseball team, it certainly makes me more valuable to the softball team than I am to the basketball team. If I don't end up being named captain, I'm gonna have to think up a new title. Until then though, I'm keeping it the way it is; partly out of laziness and partly out of a desperate hope I'll be named captain next year.
So if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a mediocre high school athlete writing about his experiences playing on varsity teams in a city that gave the world Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis. These posts could range from my personal opinions about team sports to simply relaying things that are happening on the teams. I promise I won't just give a play-by-play recap of games though, because that's no fun. To be honest, I don't know how this is going to go. I don't know what I'm going to write about during the off-season. I'm guessing it'll be anything that interests me, or that I think might interest the small number of readers I hope to win over. This could turn out to be great, or it could be a disaster. I'm hoping for the former.
Hoping this all goes well,
Sam
If you're familiar with basketball, you know that a basketball team fields twelve players, and you know what it means to be the twelfth man. For those of you who don't keep up with the sport, it means that out of the whole bunch, the twelfth man is the last player who will ever go in to a game. He rarely sees playing time. Simply put, he is the worst player on the team. On Walter Payton College Prep's Varsity Basketball team, that role is occupied by me, Sam Kelly. I'm 5 feet 10 inches, 135 pounds, slow, and I can't jump high. I'm not exactly what you would call a "force to be reckoned with" on the basketball court. Not to say I'm bad at basketball. I'm pretty good compared to the average joe. I have long arms and a decent jump shot. But in a city with players like Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor, "pretty good" doesn't cut it. To be honest, I'm surprised I made the team.
Moving on the "the capitan". I'd like to clear up one thing about that. I am not currently a captain for Payton's 16" Softball team. There is no guarantee that I will be next year. I put it in the title because it rhymes (sort of) and I think it's clever. I've been the starting pitcher on the team for two years and this year, we won the city championship for the first time in almost a decade. And while being a pitcher for a softball team isn't the same as being a pitcher for a baseball team, it certainly makes me more valuable to the softball team than I am to the basketball team. If I don't end up being named captain, I'm gonna have to think up a new title. Until then though, I'm keeping it the way it is; partly out of laziness and partly out of a desperate hope I'll be named captain next year.
So if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a mediocre high school athlete writing about his experiences playing on varsity teams in a city that gave the world Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis. These posts could range from my personal opinions about team sports to simply relaying things that are happening on the teams. I promise I won't just give a play-by-play recap of games though, because that's no fun. To be honest, I don't know how this is going to go. I don't know what I'm going to write about during the off-season. I'm guessing it'll be anything that interests me, or that I think might interest the small number of readers I hope to win over. This could turn out to be great, or it could be a disaster. I'm hoping for the former.
Hoping this all goes well,
Sam
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