Kellen and his cousin Landon played in the same basketball league this winter, but their teams were in different divisions.  Kellen’s team was exactly where it should be ….. they won about half their games.  The majority of the games they won, they won by a fairly close margin.  Same for the games they lost.  No one got discouraged, no one got over confident.  It was a good season, overall, a fair balance of winning and losing, against teams of the same skill level.

Landon’s team, well, bless their little hearts.  Last year they were ranked in a division that was too easy for them and they won all their games handily.  Like, by 20 or 30 points a game.  And while it’s always more fun to win ………. well ………. even winning can get old when its handed to you on a platter.  Plus, do you really learn anything when you rout every team you play?  So this year his team got bumped up, but perhaps a division too high.  They were on the opposite end of the routing spectrum, and got soundly thumped, pretty much all season.  Equally not as fun.

For the end of the season tournament, Kellen’s team got bumped up one division, and Landon’s team got placed down one division, and guess what?  As was probably inevitable, the boys wound up playing one another.  And if I might say so, having a jolly good time doing it.  Several of the boys on Kellen’s team, and all the boys on Landon’s team, go to school together.  It was a hoot to watch them smack-talking one another across the court, with grins on their faces the whole time.  Don’t get me wrong, both teams played to win, and it was one heck of a good game, but it was played in good spirits.  Hands extended to help up players on the other team, slaps on the back for the opposing team, and parents in the stands rooting for both sides.  Really, if every game, in every sport in the land could be played like that one, there would be a lot more kids, happy to play youth sports, and a lot less reports of parents going after one another with fisticuffs in the parking lot.

“Get out of my way, cuz …..”

“Oh, yeah?  You’re going down …..”

Except that clearly, Landon understands the concept of the block-out better than Kellen does.

“So you really think you’re man enough to guard me?”

“Oh, I KNOW I’m man enough ….”

Except notice they are both smiling the entire time …..

“I’m taller.”

“So?  I’m tougher.”

“I told you, I’m going to guard you.  Get used to it.”

“Really?  ‘Cause where I’m from, we call this dancing.”

“Well if you insist on dancing, then I’m going to lead.”

“No, *I* get to lead, I’m taller.”

“Who cares?  I’m older!”

“By a measly six weeks!!”

“Fine, then I’ll just grab your shirt and hang on and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I will slap you like the girly-girl I am, you just watch.”

“You know, this is an awful lot like how we play basketball in your driveway.”

And they still smiled, the entire time.

And the dance starts again.

For the record, Landon’s team was ahead.  And then Kellen’s team was ahead.  And then Landon’s team was ahead.  And wound up winning by three points.  Although I should probably never be glad that my son’s team lost, I must confess, I was.  Because now my nephew’s team advances forward in the tournament, and must play again on Friday a team they played last week.  A team that played so rough, and so ugly, that one of the boys on the other team not only fouled out, but was EJECTED from the game.  What kind of eleven year old gets EJECTED from a basketball game … and not only that, but with the encouragement of his parents in the stands???  As punishment, he was forced to sit out the first game of this tournament, and will be coming back for the first time, to face my nephew’s team again.   Honestly, Kellen’s team has had such a great time, that is NOT how I’d want to end the season.

I am perfectly happy to move on in the lower bracket.  Because guess what?  The team we are playing later this week, also has boys from our school on it.  Boys who stayed to watch part of our game last night, and were cheering and razzing both sides equally, in good humor.  Something tells me that game will be almost as fun as this one was.

And I’m reminded, once again, of the reason we moved home.

Not the best picture, but happy to be cousins, nonetheless.