If my memory serves me right, I was a decent basketball player back in high school. I had a fairly good medium range jumper. I could jump. I was fast on my feet and I had good basketball IQ. I am about 5 foot 8 inches tall. So I would usually play either shooting guard or the small forward position in my high school team.
After high school, I seldom played basketball on a competitive basis. College was pretty much a hectic affair with girls being my first priority. My studies were a far second. And basketball. Well, let's just say that aside from the once in a while pick-up game in the gym. It was pretty much forgotten and put aside.
After college. I don't think I ever played basketball again. It was kind of hard getting a group together to play 5 on 5. But I engaged in other sports like badminton when it suddenly became popular and badminton courts sprouted like weeds in every corner of the city. Also, I did keep up with what's happening in the basketball scene and watched NBA games on a fairly regular basis aside from playing fantasy basketball on the PC.
A couple of weeks ago, the company I worked for had its yearly basketball tournament among the different departments. I don't normally join this tournament. But this year, a new team was formed and being short handed, I was coerced to join. I thought it was going to be one of those events where severely unfit guys from each department huffed and puffed their way down the court with their beer bellies sticking out and people taking a break every 5 minutes.
I was dead wrong. It turns out that its a highly competitive affair complete with referees and wooden courts, where people dive for loose balls and gave elbows to your gut when the referees were not looking. I also found out that I couldn't run fast anymore and my vertical jump was pathetic. Heheheh. There was a 50+ year old guy from the sales department who outhustled me every time there was a loose ball. I still had my outside shot but it was woefully inadequate and our team lost by an embarassing margin during our first game.
Obviously, I wasn't going to take this kind of humiliation every week. So being your average normal guy, I came up with the brilliant conclusion that my failure to run fast or jump high was caused by my ratty, old cross trainers which were not fit for basketball. I remembered wearing these really cool Converse Hi Cut Shoes back in high school and doing pretty well. (If I remember correctly, they were similar to what Magic Johnson wore) So I decided then and there that I was going to buy a new pair of Basketball shoes before our next game to bring my game to the next level.
After high school, I seldom played basketball on a competitive basis. College was pretty much a hectic affair with girls being my first priority. My studies were a far second. And basketball. Well, let's just say that aside from the once in a while pick-up game in the gym. It was pretty much forgotten and put aside.
After college. I don't think I ever played basketball again. It was kind of hard getting a group together to play 5 on 5. But I engaged in other sports like badminton when it suddenly became popular and badminton courts sprouted like weeds in every corner of the city. Also, I did keep up with what's happening in the basketball scene and watched NBA games on a fairly regular basis aside from playing fantasy basketball on the PC.
A couple of weeks ago, the company I worked for had its yearly basketball tournament among the different departments. I don't normally join this tournament. But this year, a new team was formed and being short handed, I was coerced to join. I thought it was going to be one of those events where severely unfit guys from each department huffed and puffed their way down the court with their beer bellies sticking out and people taking a break every 5 minutes.
I was dead wrong. It turns out that its a highly competitive affair complete with referees and wooden courts, where people dive for loose balls and gave elbows to your gut when the referees were not looking. I also found out that I couldn't run fast anymore and my vertical jump was pathetic. Heheheh. There was a 50+ year old guy from the sales department who outhustled me every time there was a loose ball. I still had my outside shot but it was woefully inadequate and our team lost by an embarassing margin during our first game.
Obviously, I wasn't going to take this kind of humiliation every week. So being your average normal guy, I came up with the brilliant conclusion that my failure to run fast or jump high was caused by my ratty, old cross trainers which were not fit for basketball. I remembered wearing these really cool Converse Hi Cut Shoes back in high school and doing pretty well. (If I remember correctly, they were similar to what Magic Johnson wore) So I decided then and there that I was going to buy a new pair of Basketball shoes before our next game to bring my game to the next level.
(to be continued)
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