Anybody see the recent video of the two boys running to each other and embracing with unabashed excitement? Life and friendship should always be so simple. Maxwell and his buddy Finnegan provide us a look at what genuine, unfiltered emotion can be before the real world, adults and the scars of experience begin reshaping those unrestrained organic feelings. Maxwell’s father Michael Cisneros posted the video which went viral early in September. Click on the link below for a quick glimpse and reminder of something lost on us all a long time ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icLxgrttFCk
Sadly, we’ve also found a way to contaminate those same innate feelings even as they apply to basketball. Think about it. Everything we do in the grassroots space of the game is to qualify for this or for that. To earn this invitation or that recognition. To play in front of this committee or that evaluation service. To get some social media love or a media website evaluation. Every time a player takes the floor anymore it comes with some baggage or expectations attached to it that diminishes or buries that natural joy which originally came with just playing the game back when we first picked up a ball.
Reach back. Remember the very first time it was just you, a ball and a rim. That’s a life moment. At that point it didn’t remotely cross your mind that that your shooting percentage was somewhere in the neighborhood of President Trumps current approval ratings. Hell, it didn’t even matter if you hit the rim. “Air ball” has no meaning to someone looking up at a goal for that very first time. Just the chance to heave it up there again and again was the ultimate appetizer to a lifetime menu of basketball games and experiences that you weren’t yet old enough to even imagine or comprehend. Unfortunately, as we grow into the game over the years, every layer we add also diminishes that initial pure joy to a slight, microscopic degree.
The game itself helps corrupt our bliss by way of inherent human nature. The very moment you make that memorable first shot as a child…the exhilaration is followed almost instantaneously by expectations. It’s no longer enough to just have the opportunity put it up. We now “need” to get that feeling again once we see the ball settle into the net more and more often.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
In reality, it’s actually a necessity for those hopeful of a scholastic, collegiate or professional career. It’s that same “need” that motivates and makes us put in the work through the years to refine our skills, advance our game and put ourselves in a position to find success. If you sincerely love the game you’re not often aware of those increasing expectations over the years whether they come from inside yourself or from those around you with their own agendas for your future. Please note, however, that I said “not often aware” rather than an all-inclusive “always”.
Over the years I’ve seen more and more players beginning to wear the burden of outside influences and expectations on their sleeve at younger and younger ages. That moment in time where things evolve from “playing” a game into “working” on a “craft” (Sorry for the much overused cliché) is closing a window to an important element in the success of any athlete in any sport. That thrill of simply being on a court and having the chance to play, practice, train or simply shoot around begins to take a backseat more and more often while that “joy” slides further and further down the bench.
Recently I had the chance to travel to Stockholm, Sweden with an elite group of Blue Star 30 athletes along with Blue Star head and founder Mike Flynn, Blue Star Europe’s Dan Bowmaker and International evaluator Paul Nilsen of FIBA. I say elite because every athlete competing for the seven person Blue Star 30 team in the Blackeberg Cup is already highly regarded and established nationally among college recruiters, evaluators and media. And no, I won’t insult anyone with any asinine reference to the nightmare of youth basketball…rankings. These players don’t need a number, their games more than speak for themselves. We’ll leave the numerical foolishness to the insecure and the uninformed.
Why do I bring up this group and this trip? It was a rare chance in today’s environment to see young, top tier players once again embracing the unabashed joy and pleasure that can come with just playing the game. Granted, they rolled through the opposition like an NFL team taking on the bottom of the Pop Warner standings. They still played hard. They stayed focused. Shot selection didn’t crash and burn with extreme leads and they continued to play regardless of the gap in the score.
More so, each reveled in the success of their teammates. In the course of the five game schedule every player had a run or a moment where they were the one making plays or connecting on shots. When those moments became obvious there was no issue sharing the ball or cases of “I’ve got to get mine”. The fire was fed and the player’s “moment” ran its natural course with vocal support and genuine enthusiasm.
Note that last reference.
G-e-n-u-i-n-e….E-t-h-u-s-i-a-s-m.
It was sincere and not that plastic “cheer because it’s appropriate” thing we see all too often from players with a warped view of what being part of a team is all about. Yes, I know, emotion and energy aren’t difficult to harness when you’re burning out LED bulbs on the scoreboard. This young group was well past that. It wasn’t about the score. These games were resolved early yet they still looked to sharpen and refine their play. Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of creative shot attempts and some passes that had little more than a prayer of finding their targets, but then again we are talking about the class of 2023.
Returning to my earlier point…this group had fun. They enjoyed playing and competing with their teammates. They appreciated the talent level of the elite roster they were part of rather than being threatened by it. They made the most of their time off the floor and shared a weekend of memories they’ll be talking about years from now when the stories get longer and the truth takes a beating. In this case the truth will easily stand on its own needing no fiction to enhance what this group got out of simply “playing” the game once again.
To see who made the trip to Stockholm or check out some results and see some action images, follow the links below to our coverage from Sweden and the 2019 Blackeberg Cup.
https://bluestarmedia.org/blue-star-30-claims-blackeberg-cup-in-stockholm/
https://bluestarmedia.org/blue-star-30-two-games-254-points/
https://bluestarmedia.org/blue-star-30-invades-sweden/
The 2019 – 2020 high school season is just around the corner. The expectations of programs, coaches, parents, and the multitude of others constantly clouding the clearest of views will again crowd that beautiful and natural enthusiasm for the game to the very back of the stage once more. And that’s a shame.
Beyond evaluations and photography, my writing for ESPN years ago and for Blue Star Media since has always centered around the recruiting process and sharing my experience of 25 years as a Division I Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. I’ve often been asked to write some basketball specific articles but have not really been inclined to go that direction. We’ve got enough coaches, trainers and self-anointed experts to go around. Players certainly don’t need another voice in their ear beyond the coach going to the floor with them this season. However I will cite this column as an important one with sound and very simple basketball advice.
For a brief weekend last month I got to see great players get even better. Not by challenging, cut throat competition and not by Mike, Dan and Paul’s Wooden-esqe coaching performances. It was the joy of making the right play, setting up a teammate, embracing success as a group rather than an individual…and it was the enthusiasm…the joy…and the fun both on and off the floor.
Without a doubt, ultimately reaching your potential necessitates elite, experienced, fundamental teaching on the part of your coaches. It’s also a given that the same potential must be honed and sharpened by way of application against challenging competition. But, don’t ever underestimate the value and possibilities in enjoying a setting and moment whether it be in life…the classroom…or on the court.
Make no mistake. Those seven came back better players. Just by rediscovering, even just for a weekend halfway around the world, the comfort of an old friend…their love for the game itself.
Basketball, you’ve gotta give it a hug once in a while or it might not love you back.
Best of luck from this old coach and all of us at Blue Star Media as the new season gets underway.
