Saturday mornings, I spend the time training newbies in our local kids rec league. This morning, I had two 3rd grade boys games. The first one was pretty typical - lots of fouls, lots of violations (with us calling the obvious ones) and a final score of 18-10. At this age, they use the 28.5" ball, play 9 minute running quarters, shoot at 9 foot hoops and shoot free throws from a line 3 feet shorter than standard. It was the second game that blew my mind.
In that game, there were hardly any fouls. Neither team was ever in the bonus. I was amazed at how few violations there were and the final score was 52-46! One of the teams made almost all their free throws and the other team made over half of their free throws. The parents in the stands were actually on their feet applauding and cheering most of the game, especially in the fourth quarter. When the game was over, the boys felt about 10 feet tall and were slapping hands all over the place with their teammates and with the other team.
I almost asked my partner to pinch me to see if I was dreaming. Of course, if I had been working the game with Juulie, I definitely would have asked her to pinch me.
My only regret was that I couldn't find anyone who was taping it. Man - I wish all my games were that rewarding.