Can I Get A Pick?

For the bulk of this basketball season I have had the privilege of opening the church gym for the 30 & over crowd on Tuesday nights though it's a bit depressing to realize that I finally fit that demographic. Last night, however, I had to fill in for another volunteer and opened the gym on Monday night. The average age for our Monday night crowd is about 18 years of age. I have to say that I enjoyed playing with some guys that I hadn't seen in some time; guys that I'd played with in seasons past and had developed relationships with.

I walked away last night having made some disturbing observations:

• The majority of young players are not being taught [or not embracing] the concept of team basketball; a ton of one-on-one play is what I saw Monday:(
• The fundamentals of the game seem to have been lost. Last night I was never boxed out on a rebound. I never had a screen set for me. I never saw a pick and roll. It was a sad state of affairs.
• The cursing was out of control. In the first hour that I was in the gym I know I heard 20-30 curse words. I've never expected the lost to talk like they're saved but I have to say that it broke my heart to know that these young men were so "disconnected" with God that they would walk into a church gym and drop the f bomb like they were at the park.

As I've had time to reflect on the contrast between the "new school" versus "old school" I have to say that the game seems to be changing. And though it's not all for the bad I sure do miss a good pick and roll:)