CamelaalemaC

• Have you ever had a moment in time where you should know that answer but, suddenly, you don't? A moment where everyone counts on you to know exactly what to do and you don't? Usually I am a pretty creative soul and I can at least lie and look the part, but there has been a few times in the last two weeks that I had no idea what to do. I am a basketball coach and it requires you to think ahead about three possessions for both offense and defense. There is constantly the "what if" factor. It was the oddest thing. We were losing the game and then after some key "what if" moments we were winning. Now comes the mental battle of should we risk it and keep scoring or should we hold off and protect the lead. I didn't know what to do!! Everytime we were up by one or two points at the most. Like an idiot, I call time-out, what for?!? I didn't have an answer to my own question! At that point, I kind of figured that I could at least give the kids a small water break to calm their nerves and recollect their thoughts while I tried to sort mine out. Man, that was a stupid thing to do. At least when the other team calls time out, you can at least figure some of the things you are going to encounter: they are either going to foul, go to a man to man defense or even press depending on where the ball is. Now, those things I have the answers for. Nope, I call time out when we've got the lead. I don't know what I look like to my kids. Can they see the fear in my eyes? Can they hear the fear in my voice? Hahaha one thing was for sure...we had the ball. At the 10 second buzzer, we stand - hands are in, the kids look at me with some fear, nerves and excitement and all I could do was smile - :) I had the answer - do both! With confidence, I look them all dead in the eye and say "Protect the ball, pass and cut and if the Red Sea parts, go for it! Make it count! There is only one way to win this game and that is together" The kids shout with a resurgent wave of confidence "Together!" Man, sometimes that coach's box is not big enough. It seems smaller and smaller the closer the points are. Hahaha. Well needless to say I've been lucky those few times and we've won the game. I would hate to be wrong next time.
• In moments of crunch time, I always compare my luck to a bag of Blue Bird flour bag. If you get it just right, with one pull of the right string, the whole bag opens. If you don't, then you have to keep pulling at the strings until finally you get it or you just cut the damn thing. LoL!