Why write 3000 posts? Maybe I was a pioneer, never playing with or against another Asian-American kid.
Basketball is timeless. Basketball informs highs, lows, and relationships. The journey matters, personal, vivid. This post examines more than half a century of basketball memories - fan, player, parent, coach, and writer.
As a Celtics fan, I remember April 15, 1965. I know Philly fans remember, too.
I shot hoops against a wooden backboard on a tree in the back yard. "3, 2, 1...Sam Jones makes the shot."
A sixth grade game left me with a split lip. Who won? I didn't. Basketball leaves scars.
Freshman basketball at Watertown...during winter vacation, 1969. The gym was so cold that Coach Kelley insisted we wear winter coats on the bench. You could see your breath as though playing hockey. I made three perimeter shots off the wooden backboard. Coach asked, "were you trying to do that?" C'mon, Sam Jones was my idol...
As a sophomore, I went to Winchester to watch two future NBA players from the Middlesex League collide as Lexington's Ron Lee faced off against Bob Bigelow. Lexington built its tradition upon Rollie Massimino's coaching from 1963-1969. The game seemed bigger than life. Lee won. The following season, I took a pair of charges from Lee, the bug to his windshield.
I won the free throw shooting championship at Sam Jones' basketball camp in 1972. My strategy? Go first. Knock down ten in a row outdoors and few kids can make ten straight under pressure.
Years later as a counselor at the camp, I picked up Doug Collins at Logan Airport as a guest. He said his hands weren't big, so he learned to cup the ball against his wrist. I later heard him say the last song he heard before the Olympic loss to the Russians was, "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?"
Improbably in the 1972-1973 season, my teammates voted me Captain. I preferred to be called Team Representative. In the "Tech Tournament" (what Massachusetts called States), we overcame a 26-12 second quarter deficit with a 23-0 run against St. John's Prep (22-0) whose star became a Celtics late-round choice. The next round, our Wakefield team beat Lexington (Lee had graduated to Oregon) in overtime at Boston Garden to win the Division I sectional title (below).
Yeah, the shorts...does anyone wear wristbands anymore?
My Harvard basketball highlight was a lonely one, sinking 144 consecutive free throws alone in the Indoor Athletic Building. That eclipsed my one inning of Division I baseball pitching.
Years later our intramural team at BU School of Medicine lost to undergraduate 'gym rats' in the University finals. We lost a 6 point lead in two minutes in the first half when I got in foul trouble. Whatever. My friend Bob Hansen had played for Brown and Pete Seymour was a former tight end from Stanford.
During my decade in the Navy (1981-1991) at Bethesda Naval Hospital, I didn't play or watch much basketball. I played enough to help the doctors' team win a Base championship and got an ACL repair for my trouble. Basketball leaves scars.
From 1999-2002 I coached my identical twin daughters in travel ball. Because they didn't 'make the cut' for the local "A" or "B" teams, I trained the "C" team, not sponsored by Chico's Bail Bonds but you get the picture. I trained Paula as a point guard (she ended up over 5'11") because everyone needs to learn passing. And be sure, there were a lot of bad beats along the way.
The Melrose 2006 team had their moments.
Melrose celebrates a sectional championship 68-54 win over Masconomet as a pair of 22-0 teams squared off at Tsongas Arena in March 2006.
Paula (above) and identical twin Karen each have a daughter of their own now. I hope I live to see those little girls on the hardwood someday.
After the twins graduated from high school, I resumed coaching Middle School girls with the goal of maintaining a winning tradition. The results proved especially challenging in the COVID era. Every coach has our list of mistakes, regrets, and opportunities to do better. As Brad Stevens said, "I'd be happy to share it, but we don't have time."
A former player earned a scholarship to Illinois for next fall. Another was tabbed North Shore Player of the Year and named to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic teams as a sophomore this season. Both ranked among the top players in New England by a ratings service. Player development pays for those with extreme commitment to excellence.
Now, I read, study the game, and write to give back for those memories given me. As Coach Stevens says, "Coaching gives us so much more than we give." There's no greater term of endearment for me than "Coach."
Lagniappe. "Learning how to write copy that moves the reader to act is essential if you want to ascend to higher levels in your career." - Sam Thomas Davies
Lagniappe 2. Shooting off the dribble.
Lagniappe 3. Xs and Os. A different Celtics Handback Backscreen Lob
Lagniappe 4. Dave Love discusses which finger leaves the basketball last.
Lagniappe 5. Players, do you know what coaches care about? Will you be an asset or a headache?
