“Watch!” he said, as I walked by
I turned my head as he lifted his arms high
He shot the ball but it came up short
The green grass in his front yard was the basketball court
The hoop was short like him
“Watch!” he said once more
He ran up with the ball, tried to dunk
But he couldn’t touch the rim
“Don’t give up,” I told the kid
I walked home and thought about when I used to play
Basketball was the funnest game
I shot hundreds of free throws a day during the summer break
I dribbled in the streets
The team – I wanted to make
Got blisters on my feet
Made it in high school
Division III at university
But I quit
The rigor was too much for me
I snuck away before burnout could set in
Now during March Madness I love to tune in
The Big Dance, they call it
Where even the little man has a chance
The next day I walked by again
That kid was out there practicin
He’d grown half an inch since the day before
I jogged up, ran toward the hoop and said, “Back door!”
He passed me the ball and I made a lay up
At my age maybe it was luck
Or maybe some muscle memory
I took the ball and shot some jump shots
Nothing but net
That flawless sound I’ll never forget
From my high school days
When the court took me away
The kid asked me how I got to shoot so good
I told him, “Come here,”
He held that big round basketball
I moved one of his hands underneath it, one to the side
Told him, “Bend your elbow and knees, hold it up, jump high
Focus on the net, guide the ball, follow through”
Next thing I knew he was shooting so well
“Practice, practice, practice,” I said
I shared with him what Coach Thatcher taught me at 13
The kid didn’t know I was once the 3-point queen
I also told him, “And bounce passes for back door cuts,”
Practice a lot, don’t give up
A little part of me came back to life
That kid smiled
A few years later I was watching March Madness
I saw this player with a flawless jump shot
“The leading NCAA scorer, from Virginia,” said the announcer
Next thing I saw he was the bounce passer to his teammate cutting back door

“Watch!” the announcer said
Three pointers, lay-ups, foul shots, slam dunks galore

Thrilling madness
I watched that kid shine and my heart filled with gladness