Same Team

Sports as a Conduit for Care

Growing up, I hated sitting on the bench. I played basketball, football, and ran track. No matter the sport, I was hungry to compete. My least favorite place to be was on the sideline.

Now, I laugh about this while I throw on my forest green, moisture-wicking tee that says “COACH” on the back and hope I don’t forget money for the ref and the scorekeeper. I’m through most of my first season coaching basketball in my community’s rec league, and the sideline is my home.

Coming into this season, I didn’t know any of my players. It doesn’t help that the high school-aged players don’t practice, so I spent the first few weeks of the season trying to learn their names and pointing at them if I needed to sub them in or out.

From what I could tell, some players knew each other, but most didn’t seem close. They’d smirk if they recognized one of their teammates, but they usually shot around alone before games instead of with each other.

I quickly realized we had a good team, but none of us really knew what to do with each other. I fumbled so many high-fives during our first game — that split second when you have to decide whether to dap or pound. Every other timeout, we might even halfheartedly break it down on three. But only if I was feeling spicy.