Here Back East

“Good for Your Soul”

Last Sunday Patti and I attended the Florida Atlantic University basketball game against the University of Alabama Birmingham team. Patti took me as a treat after we watched FAU make it to the final four during March Madness last year – a major achievement for our local team. It was a refreshing afternoon among enthusiastic students, alumni, cheerleaders, a marching band — and snow bunnies like ourselves.

Watching from the stands among friendly folks with their families, most of whom were there in support of the home team, FAU, I was taken back momentarily to my youth in western New York, cutting through the backyards of my neighbors to “throw hoops” at Ronnie’s garage basket.

Everyone had a basketball of their own in those 1950’s hoop days. As older youths we played pick-up games through our high school fraternity at the JY youth center downtown. I recall fellow bus riders looking at me strangely in my winter clothes with a basketball in my arms. It was a time before growth hormones kicked in and most of us were mid five feet. What we lacked in height was made up for in aggressive play and the hardwood floor left many scraped elbows and knees.

Basketball did not get serious until my friends started playing high school sports. Those of us who were backyard hoop throwers did not make the team, but we still played fraternity games on Sunday mornings. The competition in high school from some of the inner-city schools was tough and downright mean. Not that friendly touch. Our gang of friends was represented on the court by Freddie and Jerry, both of whom played varsity. In our senior year, it was Jerry’s last-minute mid-court swish that won the championship for old Ben Franklin High. Freddie went on to be a college basketball coach and Jerry a psychiatrist. All good times.

I studied the names of the FAU players to try to identify their backgrounds before playing for FAU. Whether they played ball to reach professional status or not, they each had benefited from access to a quality college with a sports program that gave each of them respect, discipline and the benefits of team play during and out of the game. These young men hugged, shook hands and clasped each other as brothers. FAU won by a decisive ten points, but it made me happy to see and be part of the game. As my friend Rich Sylvester said after I told him of my experience, “Good for your soul,” to watch these kids play their hearts out.