Matthew Monday: Basketball Final

This was Matthew’s second year in basketball skills clinic, a one day a week class over the winter on Saturdays to learn how to play basketball.  It’s for kids from five years old to about ten, and they have it in the school gymnasium.  Like last year, the clinic ended with a game.  I forgot to bring a camera last year, but I remembered this year.

Last year for some strange reason they divided the squads between the big kids verses the little kids for the game.  I don’t know if it was intentional or it just fell that way, but as you can imagine it was a rout.  This year it was fairer.  I think they divided the kids by under eight in one game and over in another. 

Here’s Matthew before the game, first a photo and then a little video of him warming up.

Notice he can dribble, and not badly for a six year old.  But as you will see in the game, he forgets to dribble and just runs with the ball.  He wasn’t the only one, however.  Just about all the kids in the heat of the moment ran with the ball, no matter how many times people were screaming to dribble.  Matthew was put on the team with the yellow tanks, while the opposition got the blue.  You can pick out Matthew from the red long sleeve shirt he has underneath.

It was really hilarious watching the kids run around.  Unfortunately for the yellow team, none of their kids could reach the basket on a shot.  The blue team had a few kids that could really shoot, and they scored eight baskets to yellow’s zip.  So Matthew’s team lost again this year.  He was disappointed, but he still had a blast.

Here’s one more clip. 

I think the parents had more fun watching the game than the kids playing it.

Here’s the Yellow Team group picture.

They are so cute.  And here Matthew displaying his medal.  All the kids got a medal.

My handsome athlete.