In Between Games

All hands on deck...or in our case...on court!



6th grade potluck

This past weekend, 6/30, all teams played in tournaments.  Of course, the locations varied, but the UH spirit was shared.  The 4th grade played hard and lost first place by only 2 points, ending their tournament with a 2-1 record.  The 5th grade entered a D1 tournament which included travelling teams from Southern California.  The 6th grade had a slow start in their tournament, same location as the 4th grade, but ended strong with a 2-1 record.  The 7th grade, as usual, with courage in tow, faced the challenges of one of the better tournaments.  Every UH player stepped up and played hard, even when the energy seemed to run out or there was the inevitable loss in the last 2 minutes.  They play hard.  What do they do better than play basketball hard?  They just play.  They have fun.  These kids and the families know how to kill time between games.  In AAU, there is a lot of down time between games.  A tournament can have 3 games in one day or 4 games over 2 days.  It can involve travelling to places we have never been.  What do we do?  We organize!!

Words of inspiration to the 5th grade

In the past, the 4th grade has made spontaneous trips to our favorite food of choice...ice cream!!  We seem to always suggest places that have good ice cream.  We have a philosophy in our basketball world...ice cream solves everything.  The 5th grade has taken breaks and shared laughs and snacks.  They are composed of some returning players from last season, who know how to kill time and some newbies who just love hanging out.  The 6th grade is probably our best example of how to set up a successful potluck.  They come with coolers, food and furniture in tow appearing like a school cafeteria.  Just as the 6th knows their potluck etiquette, the 7th grade knows how to fill a restaurant or chill at a beach.  It seems there is never enough food to fill a 7th grade basketball playing boy.



7th grade taking over Stacks in UH style

Yes, these people know how to socialize and eat...and eat...and eat.  What else do they do in between games?  The coaches pump up their players.  They know all the right things to say to turn frowns upside down.  In between games, I witnessed the different coaching styles, but all end up with encouraging words.  They remind the kids that as long as you play hard and execute correctly, win or lose, you are already a winner.  As parents, we get very very competitive and sometimes forget the spirit of the game is to have our young ones learn basketball and many of life's lessons.  These coaches not only encourage our kids, they themselves can be overgrown boys.  They are young at heart.  They all have great sense of humors and I've seen them play on court against the smallest players, just having fun.  After a day of losses, these boys are reminded, once again what it's like to just be a boy.  I owe that in part to the coaches.  They never let even one player leave feeling sorry for them self.



Just another 4th grade pile up

The best way to use up time is just to be around family.  The UH Family is made up of a great group of families who support each other.  During the off season, most players play in the CYO league.  Families went from one CYO game to the other to watch and support UH players.  This upcoming season will be no different.  It's the way we are, what we believe in and what we want our kids to believe.  We support each other.  In between games, the families tell stories and create stronger bonds.  I remember at the beginning of the season telling some parents that these kids will get very close this summer and create life long friends.  What I failed to mention was the friendships which will last a lifetime between the families.  When we are killing time between games, it's not just to kill time, it's to re-enforce "family".  This includes all the families of UH, the extended families who travel to cheer us on and the fans who attend our fundraisers and follow our social media.  This IS family. 




The best way to kill time between games

In between games is one of the best times we have at UH.  It's a time to socialize and get to know each other.  It's down time and a time to eat.  For me, it's the time we create memories.  As a team, we complain about the previous game's officiating and talk about future plans to Vegas.  We cry together, we hug, we cheer and we laugh.  We even lose weight and get healthy together.  As a family, our number one priority is to protect our children, all our children.  And as a family, that's what we do now and in the future.  UH will only get bigger and better.  Every family member is a crucial part of this organization's success. It's nice to see it develop. 

I write this with a young beautiful lady in mind:  Zoe Inciong.  "Family" has taken on a much larger meaning as we've pulled together and travelled down a rough road with the Inciong family.  Zoe is battling cancer, but she doesn't fight alone.  This past weekend was full of tournaments, but the best downtime was seeing UH members pull together and celebrate her sweet 16.  We even participated in a flash mob and just to see her smile and laugh during the dance was priceless.   

Older UH players spinning the younger ones at Zoe's sweet 16.  Muscle power!!