Weekend Kid Sports Notes

Kid Hoops

After a few weeks off, it’s back to the hoops grind for L.

Saturday her travel team kicked off a Back to School league that will play on Saturdays for the next two months. I think this is the first time her coach has put his team into the league, and he’s doing his best to keep it light. They won’t practice. He’s going to rotate starters every game. He wants girls to play different positions. Most of all he wants them to have fun.

S and I were at an engagement party so we missed their first game. L had six points in a three-point win. She hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to turn a two-point lead to four. Her coach texted me after the game and said she played well.

The St P’s teams for the upcoming CYO season were also released Saturday night. No surprise as far as L was concerned: she’s on the Cadet A team for the second-straight year. Her team has five eighth graders and three seventh graders. Five of those girls play travel, so we are excited about the chance to run a real offense! Although I am not coaching this year, I have been helping the guy who will coach get acclimated.[1]

Sunday six of those A team players played at the weekly CYO open gym. They won by eight. L played about as well as she’s ever played. I had her with at least 17 points and 5–6 assists. She and her travel team buddy took over the game in the second half after a six-point lead turned into a one-point deficit. Those two scored 12-straight points to put the game away. L was either hitting buckets or dropping dimes so her friend could score. I was a little bummed that they wasted it on a scrimmage that doesn’t count for anything. But it was really fun to watch. L is pumped for the season ahead.

Before the scrimmage began I was talking with the coach, coordinator, and my friend I’ve coached with for several years who is also helping. Apparently there was already a lot of bitching about how the St P’s teams were picked, what girls made what team, etc. Sounds like it was worse for some of the younger teams but there was controversy about who ended up on L’s.

I’ve always known that basketball brought out a whole different level of parent crazy than kickball does. I got a few complaints every year when I sent out kickball rosters but nothing like what the basketball coordinators get. Apparently girls are already threatening to quit because of the team they got placed on, and parents were sending long emails and texts to people who had nothing to do with the decisions airing their grievances. I’m so glad I am disconnected from the St P’s social circle and don’t have to get pulled into that nonsense (at least yet) and that this is our final year of CYO sports.

I know we were lucky. It has always been obvious where our girls belonged and there was rarely any lasting disappointment with their assignment. I get how it is a bummer not get on the team you want to be on. But some of these parents are delusional.

There is one parent who is already wearing everyone out with their complaints. I watched their kid play twice last week. She is not good. Every now and then she’ll hit a 3, but it’s just because she chucks as soon as she gets the ball. She can’t dribble, she can’t guard, and if she tries to pass it is most likely going out of bounds or to the other team. But one of her parents was a very good high school player and, thus, thinks that their kid is also very good.

It’s fine to have your kid’s back. But do it with some acceptance of reality. Plus I think for a developing player, especially one who is in the younger half of the age group, it can be better to be on a B team and play a lot than be on an A team and get far fewer minutes.

HS Football

The Indiana high school football season began on Friday. Cathedral has a terrible schedule this year. They couldn’t fill one spot so only have eight regular season games. Just two of those eight are home games. Two of the road games are over three hours away.

Friday’s opener was up in Lafayette and M and several of her friends caravanned up to watch the Irish get an easy 43–12 win. On the radio it sounded a little sloppy. They return a stud junior QB and several terrific receivers. One receiver is going to Purdue, a tight end is going to Western Michigan, and a defensive lineman has a final four that includes LSU. But their offensive line is all brand new and seemed to struggle opening holes Friday.

Making matters tougher this year is that CHS has moved up to 6A after winning two-straight 5A state titles.[2] Given they’ve only lost to the two-time 6A champs over the past two seasons, CHS opened the season ranked behind that team at number two. They get a big test this coming week when they travel to play the likely number three team in the state (that team was #5 last week, but numbers three and four both lost on Friday).

There could be more growing pains along the way this year than the last two. But they have a lot of skill position talent and if they can stay healthy and develop that O-line, they’ll likely be as good as anyone in 6A come playoff time.