The 2004-2005 Lawrenceville Heat
(L to R) Coach Mullen, Bryan, Brad, Brandon, D'Andre, David, Daniel, Alex, Joey, Tim*, Portrait of the Author as a Coach.
This year, when I haven't been at Jadwin, in the shower or sleeping, I have been coaching 11 and 12 year olds in rec. league basketball. It is my first time coaching on any level, save for trying to tell people in pickup games back in Chicago that they need to cut when they're standing still. On this past Saturday afternoon my team (the appropriately orange-clad Heat) defeated the previously unbeaten Cavs 27-24. There's no feeling like nine kids of various sizes finally buying into every little thing you've been talking about in practice each week, if only for thirty-two minutes with a running clock.
Seeing and hearing the kids on the other team start to fight with each other as we stuck with our stuff and confused them on defense for the entire game was easily my greatest personal sports highlight (since winning the obstacle course in third grade).
We're 7-2 on the season with one game to play.
*Who told me when I was handed this picture "I look like a zombie." His Dad is the only Heat parent to wear a Misfits sweatshirt on gameday, which is sort of awesome.
