October 8, 2008
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3 on 3 Basketball...
All the past month I have been coaching some of our boys at basketball and preparing them for the Seoul Orphanage 3 on 3 tournament which was held last Friday. In the history of my home none of their basketball teams have ever won a single game. Of the boys interested in playing, only one kid was taller than 5'3. That is no misprint. The kids here are almost all short for their age. Its pretty shocking when you see them with kids from their school. I've heard about how a lack of good love can stunt your growth and I'm sad to see this at my home. Despite the height issue and their total lack of confidence, I drilled them nightly from 9:30pm to 11pm, sometimes later. First thing was the lay up. None of them could make it. Next came the basics of passing, shooting, rebounding, and setting screens. Despite all the practices, the only things they really got down were the lay-ups and rebounding. They just need more practice. And confidence.
When we arrived at the tournament my boys took one look at the other taller boys there and their eyes got big and they said, "We can't win. Lets just go home." This is how it is with most things with my kids. Quick to give up. I kept encouraging them though and they went into the first game prepared to lose, but at least willing to give it a shot. They played timidly early on, but thankfully the other team was also lacking in confidence and wasn't as good, so we gradually built a lead. We won the game 32-24. =) First win ever for my home! I think the boys were surprised when it ended and I could tell, although they were tired, they were happy.
Sadly, the next team up for us in the tournament was the best team by far, completely stacked. I could tell this team practices year round, while our boys were just beginners. Our boys went into this game with a little more confidence, but their lack of practice compared to the other team showed and we quickly fell far behind. Then something clicked in our one tall boy (whom the other boys refer to as, "Our Ace") and he began driving to the hoop and doing the lay-ups that I had taught him to do over and over. So despite the other team being vastly better, we were getting points on the board. I could tell the kids had a newfound confidence. That was my hope all along. These kids always think they're going to lose so they will play that way. But towards the end of that 2nd game, I saw my kids really trying and believing in themselves. We still lost, but I was proud of them.
I'm hoping to start a basketball "club" here at my home and have practices once a week. Hopefully we'll build on this year and get to the finals next year. God bless!
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