I hope it wasn’t anything I said

Some of you, gentle readers, might remember that in this space back in December, I remarked about how well the Hazen High School basketball teams were doing, undefeated at that time, and how glad I was to be able to write about victories instead of having to try to find positive things to say about losing teams.
Since then, things have gone down the tubes for the Hornet hoopsters. I hope it wasn’t anything I said. Now, seriously, I don’t believe I possess any kind of supernatural ability to put a jinx on anybody. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t aim it at my local high school’s students. They’ve got enough to contend with, without having to deal with some kind of voo-doo whammy from a perambulating sports writer.
That being said, I would like to state for the record that my heart goes out to the kids on the teams, particularly the members of the senior girls team, who haven’t won a game since the consolation round of the Hazen Invitational Tournament. I know how it feels and I wish there was something I could do to help, but aside from offering to shoot their opponents’ better players before the games got started, I don’t know what I could do. Frankly, the way they’ve been going lately, I don’t think even that would help.
I have heard a variety of explanations for this regrettable phenomenon, mostly from the parents of the players, but from other observers as well.. One of these, who shall remain nameless despite his spoken willingness for me to use his name, said, “If I were you, Bill, I wouldn’t write anything about these games. Just put in the paper, ‘Senior girls lose again. Enough said.’”
He also suggested adding, “we suck” to this terse commentary, and this guy has a daughter on the team.
Well, excuse me for disagreeing, but I don’t happen to think they suck. I agree that there is something wrong. Teams that can play the way these girls were playing back before Christmas don’t fall apart this badly for no reason, and I have my own suspicions about what that reason is.
But I’m no basketball authority. I know enough about the game to be able to write about it as a journalist and convey the story of what happened to people who were not there, but I would never presume to try and teach anybody else how to play.
If you want to talk about baseball, or any of the various incarnations of our National Pastime, that’s another matter, but basketball, no. My own attempts at playing, many years ago I’m happy to say, were so pathetic as to be laughable. Even in pick-up games at the neighborhood gym, nobody wanted to pick the short, fat guy who couldn’t jump, and I’d like to add right here that I don’t blame them one little bit. Of course, participation on my high school team was utterly out of the question.
I remember that team well. The boys team at Watkins Overton High School in Memphis, in my senior year of 1967-68, featured two guys who went on to play major college ball. One of them went on to have a brief but noteworthy career as a professional in the old A.B.A. before his knee came apart.
His name was Johnny Newman and he could shoot with the best of them. Unfortunately, his personality gave him lot in common with the north end of a southbound horse, but he sure could shoot a basketball.
Like many other folks who see things they wish they could do, but can’t, I took the time to learn all I could about basketball from an academic point of view. After all, it’s part of my job. Most of this information came from keeping my eyes and ears open when I got the chance to see and hear knowledgeable people who had earned the respect of their peers, explain the game.
Just between you and me and the lamp post, there are a lot of folks who claim to be able to teach, basketball and other things, who could stand to refresh their skills. Usually, this requires a willingness to listen and learn when the opportunity presents itself.
In my experience, great teachers, including great coaches, are always eager to expand their knowledge and abilities in their chosen field. People like John Wooden of UCLA and Pat Summit of Tennessee, for example. But there are those in every field of endeavor, who fail themselves and their players (students) by sitting back on their laurels, whatever those may be, and not taking every opportunity to make themselves better with the aim of making their students better.