For a few years the dream was alive and well because at my height I was about a foot taller than most of my friends. But I was an early bloomer, you know, the guy who shoots up in height past his friends in grade school. I felt like a giant. Then I stopped growing and by high school even the shortest kids were taller than me.
Yes, the hoops dream died an early death but I still enjoyed the game and continued to play at my old high school, Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute. ECVI beware! Okay, Eastdale wasn't known for its powerhouse basketball teams back in the 1980s but we tried hard. And as I recall a lot of us still had hair, big 80s hair.
I wasn't a starter but third off the bench at least kept me in the game. Just being on the court, making plays and scoring the occasional basket was a rush. My coach, Dave Cutler, taught me a lot. He also yelled a lot and scared the hell out of me on occasion. But he commanded respect and knew the game.
I'm older now but I still enjoy the rush of hitting the hard court every Tuesday night at a local high school with a great group of guys. Tonight was our first night back after the summer break. It wasn't a pretty night but that's what pre-season is all about.
I still have hoops dreams but these days they're slightly different from when I was a teenager. I dream these days of being able to get out of bed the morning after basketball without being in agony!
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