I have a dream that one day, we'll have at least 10 players in each age group — 13U, 15U and 17U — who will be at practice (almost) every day. They'll take their 200 shots and 50 free throws during shooting practice. When regular practice starts, they'll go through all our progressions and drills smoothly. Then because we have numbers, a lot of former Thunder players, as well as regular ballers who are out of high school and playing at the next level (like Bulla Viena at today's practice) will meet up at our practice to scrimmage us in the final 30 minutes.
Right now, as summer winds down, our Thunder have combined for 76 games this year. We've had almost as many games as we've had practices. But the truth is, only a handful of players have made it to most practices. Most have attended just a fraction. I know practicing on an old blacktop asphalt court ain't sexy. And sweating under the summer sun ain't easy.
The reality is, no gym is willing to let us have practice time, even if we were willing to pay rent — which we can't afford anyway. So we make the best of it. God provides everything we need, not necessarily everything we want. And every day, I see the guys who understand this. They love the game and their teammates so much, it doesn't matter to them what the circumstances are. They just want to play this game. Practice it. Get better every day.
That's what keeps me going. It's tough to obey and follow through on a mission and passion. But seeing the results from the guys who appreciate the opportunity to play this game every single day is what keeps me fresh. I'm thankful. And I'm grateful.
Today, we started at 5:30 (I worked in the afternoon) and had 10 players working on basics (fullcourt layups, on-ball defense, low-post offense, box outs, man offense, zone offense) before we scrimmaged. Finished up at 7:00. MAHALOS to Coach Dean. It's awesome to see Chris and our other bigs (including Mike) get a chance to really play physical against older, stronger players.
Chris, Tanielu, Kyle, Mike, Kodee, Sierra (new player for 13U), Malosi, Cody. It was a solid practice. I'm hoping for our 17U to turn out for Friday's workout. Pa'a League 17U opener is on Saturday.
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