Pee Wee Basketball

I was in 7th grade, living in a little town in Missouri called Belton, when I decided to play basketball in our local rec league. It was mostly out of peer pressure if I remember right.

I had a few friends that lived a couple of blocks away and on most days after school, I would end up in one friend, John's, driveway playing two on two basketball or horse or pig or around the world. I wasn't particularly good at basketball in any of its forms....but your perceived basketball abilities are somehow skewed if you can occasionally hit a 20 footer with your back to the goal or one-handed granny shot while standing on one foot singing "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. Therefore, when my friend John Blazek told me that his dad was going to coach a basketball team and he was going to make sure I was on his team, I was honored AND petrified at the same time. I mean, I had made some great shots in my day.....but I had never really played a real game on a real court with a real team. I would get so nervous before games that I would get sick! My coach would comment that when I was playing I looked so nervous that he thought I would wet my shorts!

I feel that way today. I am nervous and scared about what is ahead. Perry talked about insecurities during the second session at Unleash last week.....I've got some too! Way too often I think I have gotten off a couple of lucky granny shots and everyone thinks I can play ball...but I am not always so sure.