What Trained Eyes See

In November of 2007 my son Andy's prep school team, Northfield Mount Hermon, played in the National Prep Showcase in Lowell, Massachusetts. Some of the top recruits in the country performed in the tournament before dozens of college recruiters. John Caliperi made the trip to get face time with his future star Tyreke Evans who played for American Christian, a school that ceased to exist after he "graduated."

Andy played particularly well in one of the tournament games. I was excited when a certain college coach called me to express interest in him. I had my "dad hat" on so I was expecting to hear him comment on the 3's that Andy had made. Instead he said: " I like the way that he advances the ball and feeds the post. He makes good decisions." I was dazed by recruiting hype. This coach was looking for talented players who understood the game and could play within the team concept.

This story came back to me as I watched one of our Trinity boys perform recently. His game was not flashy, but the way he played made his teammates better. In the space of one 6 minute quarter I saw him pitch the ball ahead to a teammate for an easy lay up, thread a bounce pass to a teammate in the short corner, loft a pass into the post from the top of the key, replace the wing so that he could enter the post from the wing position, and dribble penetrate into a gap in the defense before kicking a pass back out to a teammate. His head was always up, his eyes scanning the court looking for open teammates. Sometimes he made a pass that led to the pass to an open teammate. It was a treat to witness!

Sometimes we get so caught up oogling at athletic plays that we miss elements of the game which are absolutely crucial to the success of the team. This was just one example of outstanding team play that all 10 of our basketball teams have exhibited this season. And it's not over yet! We're in the middle of tournament week. Go Tornado!