CAL Feb schedule out

Some news today (Thursday) for the Thunder.

• CAL League has released the February schedule. I used to run leagues with a friend in Kona, sometimes 16 teams (summer). Scheduling is never easy, especially with limited facilities and gym time. Well, that 16-team schedule I used to coordinate is nothing compared to what CAL League does with dozens of teams and short time frames at only 1.5 gyms.

If you ever see the Commissioner, Greydon Espinda, please give him your thanks and appreciation. He goes out on a limb to help us and every team more than anyone I've ever seen involved with basketball leagues and kids. And I've been involved as a coach or ref for more than 30 years now. (He even gave Chris a new pair of shoes last year.) Also, he makes sure that the game clock always stops on free throws. There is no other league that does this. This is why I keep telling you guys, CAL League is the best.

The schedule (February):
Sunday, Feb. 10
3:00 pm Thunder vs Crush 1

Sunday, Feb. 17
12:30 pm Thunder vs. Boom

Sunday, Feb. 24
2:10 pm Thunder vs. Tar Heels

This is a blessing for us. We tried to make it happen when we were scheduled for a Saturday game last weekend, but we lost seven players to other commitments and we struggled to be competitive with our very young lineup. I asked Greydon if we could somehow avoid Saturdays altogether from now on. He did what was best for our opposing teams and for our team. So we've got Sunday games, which is awesome!

• Aiea 17U League has pushed its starting date back to March 27 from March 19. The league currently has six teams and might be looking for more. Games will be played on Wednesdays and Fridays.

• Finally, uniforms. The gray uniforms numbers are being printed (Soccer Locker). They weren't ready today, but the guy said they'll be ready by Friday afternoon. The orange uniforms just came in (blank) and I'll be taking those to James Davis (Chocolate Factory) for the logo/team name printing first. That will take roughly a week to get done.

• Cost - None of this is free, not anymore. I've spent a whole lot more money than I like to admit on entry fees and uniforms and food and Gatorade over the years. So work on selling shirts to your relatives, friends, parents' friends and co-workers.

Sell four T-shirts ($20 each) and that covers your cost for the league entry fee. If everyone does this, we cover the fee for CAL ($400). Sell four more and that covers the whole cost for Aiea 12U ($375). Another four shirts and it covers PAA 13U ($440). It all adds up.

Sell four shirts and that covers one set of uniforms. I would rather see everybody keep their jerseys and shorts. Buying them is fine, but selling shirts means you won't have to pay anything if you just hustle a little. You'll be able to buy your uniforms AFTER the current leagues are done. I don't want any missing jerseys if some players can't make games later in the season. (Learned my lesson from the past with our other Thunder teams.)

HUSTLE ON THE COURT. HUSTLE OFF THE COURT. Anything is possible if you hustle.

WE LUB THIS GAME!