Basketball: Seperating the Men from the Boys

The following is an excerpt from my journal I have been keeping as part of my Service Learning and Community Development program, my main course of study at Stellenbosch University. The goal of the course is to give the collegiate student a vast understanding of social theory in relation to community development and community organizing. This is done through classroom work, on-site experience, and reflecttion. What you find below is one of my reflections based upon one of latest practices as the coach for basketball in Kayamandi, a local township right outside of Stellenbosch.
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As head coach for the Kayamandi Basketball Team (simple, but they all like the name) it is my job to be a leader of the team, to encourage each and every one of the players to give it their best everyday at practice. Yet today, my job was made very easy for me. One of the newer players, I am still having trouble with his name, came into practice today with 4 young girls and three young boys, all around 12-15 years of age, a big difference from the 16-20 year olds on the team. He had brought them there because he felt the need to begin establishing a foundation for a younger Kayamandi basketball team. This was the first sign of the leadership that was to come for the rest of the practice. This young man did not even realize it is my duty, and a goal of the team’s, to recruit young players in hopes of establishing a future for the Kayamandi Basketball Team. Many of the players have graduated high school and their schedules are becoming too crowded to make a long-term commitment to the team, so thus it is critical for the continuity of the program to develop skills and dedication in younger players. The fact that this young man, whom I had once perceived as having a bad attitude, took this initiative upon himself really gave me hope for the future of this team and this organization. I knew at that moment that the task of recruiting a new generation of basketball-ers was underway. I embraced this new opportunity, doing my best to make the new players feel comfortable and at home. As soon as practice began, the guys on the team helped the younger guys lead the stretches, cheering them on all the way. It was an awesome feeling to see the present and the future of the organization working together in a cohesive group. Next, the volunteer coaches really stepped up and worked with the younger kids on one side of the court while I worked with the older guys. At the end of the practice we ended with a head-to-head competition, a shooting competition. Aside from all the stepping up the guys had done to that point, which to a degree I may have expected, I had no inkling of what happened next. As soon as the competition began, the older guys began missing very simple shots. At first I was disappointed and got on their case, until I realized that they were doing it on purpose. Every time they missed a shot, the guys would clap, and every time they made it they would “Boo”. They were allowing the younger players to win the competition, and absolutely loving it all the way. I had never seen them come together so well, and enjoy themselves to such a genuine extent since the beginning of my coaching. It was a truly beautiful moment. I was so happy that I just sat back and observed, taking in the moment, appreciating the natural way in which the guys actions symbolized an acceptance and welcoming of the new kids into our group. I felt that this occurrence was beyond my influence and action, which gave me a new confidence in the team and their ability to be leaders for each other and for this organization.
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These kids are incredible and I am absolutely blessed for this opportunity.