Thursday, February 11, 2010

He's Got Game

I watched my son's basketball game last night.

This is a frequent activity for me in the winter and I must admit, I love it. I really get into the games, cheering on the boys and moaning about the refs. Plus, my son, Josh, is a good player. Awesome really. He can jump so high he looks like he's flying and his hands are quick so he's good for some steals every game. My husband and I are already mourning the day he puts on that uniform for the last time. Sometimes I watch Josh in awe and think, "How does he do that?"

Last night was an important game. We wanted a win. I was so nervous that my hands were cold and shaking, my pits were sweaty, and my stomach was churning....and I wasn't even playing. I found that sitting on my hands helped.

The first part of the game wasn't going well for us. The other team could shoot three's. I hate that. Josh is his team's leading scorer, but the other team had assigned him his own personal player to dog him up and down the court, so he wasn't scoring much. I hate that, too.

Halfway through the second quarter, Josh went up for a loose ball and dislocated the little finger on his right hand. I'm talking a 90 degree bend at the middle joint. Being the clever lad that he is, he popped it back into place, signaled the coach for a sub, and went into shock. His face was the color of a cloudy sky and he was about to pass out. He laid down on the bench and I thought, "He's out." But after a minute, he looked at the scoreboard, saw that the other team was working us over, and said, "Tape it up. I need to go back in."

I watched then as my son played the entire rest of the game with this injury, scoring 13 points, 2 steals, numerous rebounds, and a couple assists. His team needed him to lead, so he led. Once again, I watched him in awe and thought, "How does he do that?"

So, here's to my son, the young man who, when I mentioned that he probably wouldn't be going to practice today, asked sincerely, "Why not?"

"Well, your finger," I said. "It's got to be huge."

"Ahh, I'll just tape it up. It'll be fine."

Josh, you've got game.

The finger this morning

2 comments:

Heather said...

Oh Josh, that is just what I did with my finger. You are a brave strong man to be playing. You have to play though. We are watching on Friday. I love you Josh.

nate and marne said...

wow, that is amazing!! and for the record, i did that too. just not playing basketball or anything that people depended on me for. it was in the pool with my dad when i was younger, and we were throwing around a nerf ball. it got filled with water though, so was heavy!! and no, i did not wrap it and play through. i went home and cried for a week i think. you are an awesome kid!! and i wonder how you do it all the time too!!