And So It Goes

 I LOVE watching my children compete.   Basketball has been a standard for a lot of years and this is the last year I have a child competing.  Andrew was on a really good basketball team.  He is a great defender.  I know everyone likes to score points, but I think he would rather block someone's shot and keep them from scoring.  All year I have watched him play hard and never give up and always give it everything he's got.

He began the season as a starter but about a third of the way into the season, he was pulled as a starter as the coach changed up his offense and Andrew's position was basically eliminated.  Actually he became one of three guys to play the one position.

 He's a tall, lanky guy with no beef on him.  Thus he gets pushed around under the basket despite his best efforts.  Therefore, another guy got the spot of starting.  He wasn't happy about it, but didn't complain.

 As the tallest guy on the team, one would think he would start the game just for the jump ball.  That only lasted a short time.  Even though he wasn't starting the game, he still got quite a lot of minutes playing so he was happy.

 Once in a while he would get a little discouraged, but he would always pull himself up and get over it quickly.

 He certainly didn't hurt the team while he was on the floor.  He drew some fouls and always scrapped for a loose ball.

 As the season wore on, he got less and less playing time which was probably as frustrating to me as it was to him. The coach told him he didn't have a perimeter game and got pushed around too much under the basket.  This is the same coach who told him when he was open that he should shoot.  Early in the season he took five shots in one game.  He made two of them.  Then he was pulled from the game and asked why he was shooting.  I don't get it.  That was a HUGE blow to his confidence.

 Here's a young man who would do whatever the coach asked him to do and give 100%.  He is obedient and never took the open 3 pointer because the coach told him not to. 

 This is what I saw for the last third of the season.  It broke my heart.  If Andrew stunk at basketball, I would totally understand that he should sit the bench.  But he doesn't stink.  He's a great defender and he even had some great moves of which the coach mentioned to me.

I'm so proud of this young man who didn't complain about his playing time.  I'm sure he was hurt but he just kept playing and practicing hard. I had many people ask me why Andrew wasn't getting much playing time.  I always responded that I didn't know.  However, I did tell them what a great guy my son is and how he isn't an aggressive person who bullied others.  In fact, his gentle and kind demeanor will go a long way in his life.  It will make him a better man, employee, husband, father and priesthood leader.  I loved watching him play basketball but track season starts tomorrow and I LOVE coaching him.  He's a great man with a tender heart who loves others.  I can't ask for anything more than that.