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Last Thursday had to fly solo for 7/8 boys. Partner was a no-show. No problem - 2 very easy games. 8th grade game is a blow out. In 4th quarter visitors sub in a tall lanky kid who would be considered "special ed" or "special needs." They feed the ball to him and he throws up a brick. Next time down the court they feed it to him again. He throws up a flatline shot that banks in. The kid and the crowd go wild. On the defensive end his team fouls. He lines up and you can tell his heart is beating 1000 beats per minute he is so excited. Teammates keep reminding him to stay out of the lane until it hits the rim. He goes up for rebound and must have hit end of his thumb on ball. Tells me his hand hurts and he has to go out. I send him to bench, but about two minutes later he's back in game. He's all smiles and all excited. Teammates keep working the ball to him. I'm thinking, I sure hope this kid gets to the FT line, when he gets whacked on a shot. He goes to the line. His heart is still beating about 1000 bpm. He dribbles about 5 times, breathes out real loudly, and puts up the first shot. It rims in. Both teams are cheering, both sets of cheerleaders are jumping up and down, and I know some people in the crowd have tears in their eyes. I just smiled real big. Second shot rims out. A few more trips up and down the court and the game ends. Even though it was a blow out, both sides are upbeat afterwards. Several fans walk by and say, "You did a heck of a job by yourslef out there tonight. And wasn't it great to see their special player get to play and score. Some nights really make you glad you were there!