WOW!!!  What a great game.  Both teams were pretty evenly matched, it was fast paced, and competitive.  It was hard to believe the kids were only 8 to 10 years old.  Some of them had obviously been playing basketball since a very early age.

The two that stood out the most were Javan and Jalen.  They were both very good ball handlers, had the ability to score a lot of points, solid defenders, and very fast.  It was a good thing they were on opposite teams or the game would not be so close.

Each time Javan and Jalen were on the court the coaches made sure they matched up with each other.  What a sight to see, two of the best kids in the league competing against each other.  For the first half of the game they really pushed each other, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

At half time the referee blew the whistle and signaled for player rotation.  As Javan was coming off of the court he slowly walked up to his coach with his shoulders slumped, head down low, and said “Coach when I go back in can I match up with someone else?”

“Why, is something wrong?”

Slowly shaking his head Javan said “He’s just too hard for me to guard.”

This caught the coach by surprise.  He would never have imagined those words coming from Javan.  Throughout the season he had always been matched up with the best players on every team they played against and always did so with a lot of confidence.

The difference was Jalen.  Javan had been better than every other kid he had played against so far this season.  However, Jalen appeared to be his equal.  He would have to give a 100% against him for the full game and that still may not be enough.  After the first half he knew that and it worried him enough to where he lost his confidence.  Instead of taking on that challenge he wanted to avoid it.

The coach knelt down so he could look Javan in the eye, put his hand on his shoulder, and said “I will consider your request.  But before I decide I want you to think about something for me.  Jalen is a really good ball player.  He is the best player on their team.  However, you are also a very good ball player.  You’re the best player on our team.  If you want to continue to grow and improve you are going to have to play against other players who are just as good as you are and sometimes even better.  I want you to think about that while you rest and when the break is over I will ask you if you really want to match up with a different player.”

When the referee blew the whistle for the next player rotation the coach turned toward the bench and waited for Javan to approach.  Javan slowly walked up to him, his shoulders still slumped, and his head down.

“Javan, have you thought about what I said?”

“Yes coach.”

“What have you decided then?  Do you want to continue matching up with Jalen or should I have you match up with a different player?”

Without lifting his head or appearing very confident Javan said “I will stay with Jalen.”

“Are you sure” said the coach.

“Yes.”

“Good, now get out there and play just as hard as you always do.”

The coach was happy that Javan chose to continue matching up with Jalen.  He felt he had made the right choice.  However, at the time he did not know if Javan believed it was the right choice or if he was just doing what he felt the coach wanted.  Luckily he would eventually find out.

The spring league ended a few weeks after this game and the summer league started up soon after.  On the day of player assessments when they were forming the teams the coach noticed Javan had returned and requested he be put on his team.  He enjoyed working with him and wanted to continue to help him grow and develop as a player and a person.

The first couple of games that season everything was going well.  The games were competitive, every kid gave their best, they consistently improved, and everyone was having fun.

Then one Saturday they had to play against a team they were not familiar with.  The majority of the players were new to the league so the initial match ups were not the greatest.  There was a player named Sam on the other team that was an amazing basketball player.  He was very quiet and humble but had a tremendous amount of basketball skills.  Every time he was on the court he dominated whoever chose to match up with him.

After a few player rotations the coach had seen Sam play enough to recognize just how good he was.  He knew if they didn’t do something soon the game would be a blow out.

During the next player rotation he got all of his players together.  He told them “We have a problem.  Sam is scoring way to easy on us.  If we want to have any hope of winning or just keeping the game close we need to find a way to slow him down.  Does anyone have any ideas?”

A young motivated player named Kyle immediately stepped up, raised his hand, and said “Coach, I can stop Sam from scoring.  I will guard him.”

The coach was impressed with Kyle’s courage but was a little worried he may not be a good match for Sam.  He was about to ask Kyle if he was sure, however before he could say a word Javan stepped up, patted Kyle on the chest, and with his head held high and his shoulders back said “No Kyle, he is too fast for you.  I will guard Sam.”

The coach did not have to ask Javan if he was sure.  He saw the confidence in his body language, his voice, and in his eyes.  Javan knew his role on the team and was completely confident in filling it.

The coach could not be prouder of Javan.  At that moment he knew Javan had taken to heart what he had told him the previous season.

Throughout our lives we are faced with many different challenges.  Some of them will be manageable, some will push us to our limits, and some will overwhelm us.  In order for us to grow and improve we must being willing to step out of our comfort zone and take on the challenges presented even when they scare us.  In basketball this means competing against players that are as good as you are or even better.

With the confidence, determination, and competitiveness that Javan showed that day the coach knew that he would continue to improve and be successful at anything he did.