Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Basketball -Jr High Style - RA's

While playing in the school league, we also played in the Tarrant Baptist Association Royal Ambassador league during my Junior High years. One strange thing is that I don't remember any RA games between my very first season as an 8-9 year old and my 7th grade RA team. I really don't remember much about the 7th & 8th grade RA seasons, but here goes.

We had graduated from the garage painted cotton undershirts and cotton short to real basketball uniforms. We had white tops with green numbers and green satin-looking shorts. Our uniforms were very much like Arlington High's. As a 7th grader I didn't get to play much, certainly not near as much as I thought I deserved to play. I was very small but very quick and a good ball handler. My defense was outstanding. I thought I should play more but the bigger, older guys got the time. Our players included Tommy Pope (from the first team), Mitchell Kolinovsky (he's a preacher now in Grand Saline or somewhere), Tommy Wier (he wasn't very good), Bobby Greenwood (he was horrible but in later life he was an animal trainer who trained birds and other animals for TV shows, events, and the like), Cary Don Risinger, Gary, Verne Hargrave, and me. We probably lost as many games as we won.

On some of the other teams I met some guys that I would play against later in high school. I became good friends witha kid from Haltom but I can't remember his name. He was my same age but a grade younger. He had a big brother a couple of years older who was the star of their team.

We played the games at the South Side Recreation Center on Rosedale in Fort Worth. All the games were played on Saturday except, for some reason, the very last game was played one week night. The games would be played cross court so that 2 games could be played at the same time. The team we were supposed to play didn't show up. Haltom was supposed to play another team in a game that would decide the championship. Both teams were undefeated. Since we weren't going to have a game, they played full court for the championship. Haltom was in gold and the other team in red. I really don't remember who won, but I think Haltom did. I do remember that both teams were very good.

There was an age limit so by the time I reached 9th grade, most 9th graders were ineligible. Verne and I were still on the team and a friend of Verne's named Ronnie Lindley came to RA's so he could play. I only remember one other player on that team, Danny North. He was HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, everybody had to play. I always wished he wouldn't show up. He was the oldest of 10 or 11 kids. His family lived in two houses, I think on Connally Terrace at Park Row. His mom was a great big fat woman. She didn't even know she was pregnant with her last child until about the time it was delivered. Her name was Mary Cherry North. Their whole family sat on the front pew at church.

Ninth grade and I was still very short. I was 5-foot or so. I started my 10th grade year at 5-2, so that should give you an idea. I was the best player on our team, then Verne and Ronnie. We had a good team despite the fact that I was the only player to be on the school team. We had won every game going into what would be the championship game against Diamond Hill. Joe Myers was our coach and RA Counselor.

In addition to the Diamond Hill game, one other stands out. We were playing First Baptist Mansfield. They had a big guy about 6' 2". He was a football player type, slow, broad, and tall. He and the rest of their team play very rough. To start the game and for almost the entire first half we only had one referee. I was always good at banging around even though I was small. I could block out, hit guys, and make it all look like their fault if there was a foul situation. Well, a second referee shows up and as I'm dribbling down the court it is kind of quiet and my mother shouts out, "There is a second referee here now Charles, so you can't be playing as rough as you have been." She is calling out attention to me for the referees to watch. I was flabbergasted! I turned around, still dribbling, and said, "Would you shut up!" Big mistake. She shut up but I heard about it when I got home.

The big guy was hurting us with a semi-jump shot from just inside the free throw line. Ronnie couldn't guard him even though he was our tallest player. Although he was a foot taller than me I said, "Let me guard him." I thought I could block his shot because he'd pull the ball behind his head on his shot and had a rather slow release. I was quick enough that I could jump around to his side, block the ball behind his head, and steal it. After doing that 2 or 3 times and taking the ball each time on a fast break score, he was toast. He lost all confidence and we won the game. I don't remember exactly what hapened to me when I got home, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant. At least we won.

The week of the championship game was also the week we played for the city championship at school. We had a Wednesday practice for the school team that kept me from going to RA's that week. Since I wasn't at RA's that week Joe benched me for the entire first quarter. Big mistake. The Diamond Hill Baptist team was the 8th Grade Diamond Hill Junnior High team. We were behind 8-10 points after the first quarter. Late in the game we'd gotten the lead down to a couple of points. I stole the ball on our defensive end. I heard somebody call down under our basket, saw one of our players, and threw it down for what should have been an easy tying score. Too late I realized that the player was Danny North. He didn't catch the ball. He fumbled it and batted it around until until he kicked it out of bounds. Their ball. They came back down and scored and time ran out. We lost the championship game.

Joe Myers, Verne, and I were talking the other day. Joe brought up how he remembered that we almost won the championship. I reminded him that we would have if he hadn't benched me for the first quarter. He didn't remember that part. Verne just remembered how cold and clammy Joes's hands were. When he would call a time out we'd come over and Joe would grab you by the shoulders. I can remember even then that Verne would wrench his shoulders around trying to get Joe's hands off him.

We played RA ball our 10th grade year as well. We weren't very good. We had no height. Since I was playing varsity as a junior and senior I was ineligible for RA ball, so that chapter of my life was over.

2 comments:

Ben said...

Dad didnt lack confidence did he

Charlie Goodyear said...

That is true. I was oblivious to what anyone else thought. I thought I was good and if they didn't, they were just wrong. In 7th grade when Gary & I weren't initially selected I just thought the basketball coach would fix it, and he did. As a Sophomore I had no idea how close I came to being cut but that's another story.