Brand New Best Players

Hearing about local HS bball can seem a bit like listening to others talk about their kid; border-line boring- unless it's yours. Then ANY little nuance is incredible.

Kade, my 2 year old nephew sums it up best. "I DID IT!"

This he does as he pulls a red ball, connected to a string out of the small, target; a wooden bucket.

Unfortunately, "our" team couldn't pull off the final meeting with cross town rivals; IF. We'd watched them match up over and over, it seemed. Stealing a critical win, they sent us on the road to face the top seed, Highland. Fighting back we came home to IF to take on the Tigers in their own Den, and stung them with a win.

Only to face them the next day on our turf. Two games. In two nights. Too much.

J was solemn before the game.

"Mom, these guys are gonna graduate, go on to college, and I'm gonna have to find brand new best players."

Uf. The wind was knocked outta me. I could only nod and put an arm around him.

Some time past he named a player coming up. One that has talked with him at the games, given him the time.

"Spencer. Spencer's my new favorite player." he said dead pan, like he was leaving a fellow soldier where he couldn't retrieve him. But with the confidence that what lie ahead was okay in the next best player's hands.

We went out into the cold night and faced the weary attempt our boys gave in the last game of the season, watched the rivals rush our floor, a flood of orange and black covering up the Grizzly Bear clawing through the floor boards.

WE DID IT; we made it through another tough, Idaho winter. Despite the wet, gritty driveway, J is out there shooting hooop. With me rebounding and the sun watching in the west we can feel spring beggin to come and it's welcome to. After the wind reigns for a bit.

Thanks boys for a memorable year with my son, the slow re-building of dreams and strength, the hope for future blue and white games- the looming of my own heading off to college.

This year will always be a special one, not only because J finally latched on to heroes from the court, but because we spent time watching the magic, together.