A fellow commented to me that he thought my weekly reports were amusing but they were a bit verbose......I can only respond that I feel as the Book of Mormon writers who said they were "constrained by the spirit" and could only include 100th of the things that happened. Actually it's not the spirit that constrains me, it's my wife, Kim who reads my missives before I send them out who says, "You're not really going to say that, are you? Sometimes I listen and am constrained. Other times......BUT I still can only include the 100th part of the stuff that happens each week.
Here's my Report-
It's good that we pray before each game as most of those shots I see being thrown up don't have a prayer of going in.
Remember, we play defense with out feet- NOT our hips, knees, elbows, & hands. In verbally warning player not to stick his knee out he replied, "Vic, you see too much!" Yep he was guilty as warned!! So please demonstrate your defensive prowess by getting into proper positions and beating the Offensive player to the spot.
The Offensive Player with the ball cannot push off or jump into/onto the Defensive Player to create space to fire off a haphazard shot. You fellows that love to streak off on a Fast Break or drive to the lane remember that principle when you are bouncing off Defenders, who have legal guarding positions and are maintaining the Principle of Verticality, like a pinball. YOU initiated the contact, so there's NO foul on the Defense. Youse take youse chances when you blast into the pack like that and the chances of my calling a foul on the Defense are not good unless they whack you really hard!
The Principle of Verticality DOES allow a player to jump STRAIGHT up in the air. He is not required to keep one or Both feet on the floor.
I was pleased that many teams DID arrive with WHITE and DARK shirts. Now if we can define "Dark" as really dark (blue, black, ect)- not Gray & Pastel yellows) it would help. You think it doesn't matter, but when the Referee is looking in swarm of players and seeing multiple colored shirts it's hard to tell if a player is being bumped by a team mate or a opponent. Wearing distinctive shirts makes Referee calls easier. (Yes, I'll consider "Doger Blue" or BYU sissy blue as sufficiently distinct to be a Dark Color. Texas Longhorn puke orange is still banned.)
I notice the supposed "best" Referees are still eschewing actually Refereeing during games and seem content to try to Referee as they play. I'm not play attention to any of their "helpful" suggestions during games. If you want to Referee, put the shirt on.
A big THANK YOU to those who have been volunteering to Referee. You're making good calls!
The hapless Nauvoo Station boys had a sizable cheering section at their game. Or was it a jeering section? Hard to tell with all the hilarity that goes along with watching Nauvoo Station antics. One of the Garlock boys scored a basket in front of the Sistern that the opposing team felt should have been called as a traveling. As Nauvoo Station was on the short end of an in process 70 - 32 drubbing by Cortina 3rd ward, I figured it was better to let the Travel go so he could "look good" for the ladies. Poor boy must be at least 26 years old by now and fully qualified as what J. Golden Kimball described as "Any man 26 year or older and not married is a menace to society." We've got to do something about enhancing his appeal to the marriage eligible sistern of the Stake so he can get married before they ordain him a High Priest to be with Brethren of similar age......so I let the Travel Violation go.....
"Holding a basketball" by Your Best Digs via Flickr
Matt (No last name listed) of the Cortina 2rd ward was the "High Scorer" of the night based on 2 criteria.
- Someone from Cortina 3rd Ward kept individual scores and showed Matt as pouring in 24 points
- No other team kept individual scores
Not only did Matt put on an impressive display of Offensive skills I'm guessing he also did not have time to do any Refereeing in his game or help keep score......then again, maybe he DID help keep score which explains his 24 points?
Jeff pumped in 15 points while Todd & Ned each netted 10 points in Cortina 3rd Ward's victory.
Cortina 1st Ward slipped by Desert Mountain 46 - 44 in a spirited game.
Ranch & Vineyard quit keeping score @ 28 - 14, or was that the FINAL score??!!
Ironwood Crossing smacked their arch rival Ironwood 55- 38. Jon Mott proved he can at least hit the back board on a 3 point attempt......can't say much else, but it does create rebounding opportunities for his teammates who all turn & race to the basket for the rebounding positions as soon as they see the gleam in his eye as he starts hin unorthodox shooting motion....
Remington heights 44 points fell just short of Rittenhouse which scored 47 points even tho Jeff Monson has yet to make an appearance for Rittenhouse Ward yet this season.
And the GAME OF THE NIGHT was Dark 60- White 56. That's all the team identification there was on the Score Sheet.
Bro Mortensen from one of the Cortina Wards managed to get his wife, Pres Smith's daughter, back to watch his game. She came the first night & hadn't been back since. Said something about the games being "mildly good entertainment" but not better then watching "What Not To Wear"......as she left the first nite!
And have you noticed Ladd Smith shows up in a different pair of shoes every week? ALL are blinding florescent/ neon colors. Ladd's wife says she is NOT responsible for his wardrobe or shoe selections......
We will take a 2 week break while the Stake YW play a Volleyball Tournament.
Our Tournament will commence Thursday September 29th. That should allow time for aches & pains to be soothed and a few player to return from Injured Reserve.
HOUSEKEEPING-
Teams playing the 6:00 PM game can help speed up the game start by pushing the chair racks off the Cultural Hall floor into the Overflow area as they arrive. Please push them way to the back so there is plenty of room for spectators, rowdy kids & NBA scouts to view games from the Overflow area.
Teams playing the 9:20 PM games could please push the chair racks back into the Cultural Hall near the stage after their game.
Proposed 2012 Schedule-
The Queen Creek Stake, which hosts the Softball Field HAS APPROVED our use of the field THURSDAY NITES August 16th- November 15 in 2012. We'll try to run B-Ball from Feb 28-June 12 in 2012. I'll be submitting that to the Stake this week.
Lost & Found-
A pair of Black, White & Red Nike shoes have not yet been claimed. IF they're yours please pick them up.
Each week B-Balls are being left at the gym. If you lost yours on the court, check the equipment room by the stage.
