Basketball At Brisbane

Article published Feb. 7,  2001 in The Erin Advocate, Vol. 123, No. 6, page 14.

Can you imagine “teaching” basketball every afternoon, five days a week for over a month to over 125 pupils in grades five and six.

Sounds like a bit much, doesn’t it?

Well it easily could be…but it isn’t.  It is a joy to do with the pupils, your kids, at Brisbane Public School.  The kids smile all the time.  Well, almost all the time.  They want to learn.  They are incredible.

I’ve asked and they’ve agreed to (A) never quit trying (when they might get discouraged due to lack of basketball skills).  As a result of this they never give up in learning to play ball.  (B) They’ve agreed to “Believe In Themselves”, understanding that if they think they can do it (whatever it is at the moment in basketball) they have a real chance of learning/being able to do it.  (C)  I’ve also asked them always to give of their best.  (This one eludes them at times, but they quickly are back on track when reminded that giving their best will help them succeed.) …and…(D)  to have fun.  They had no trouble agree to this last (D) parameter.  I do though, because if I miss in my plans and my working/teaching with them the fun can easily be lost.

The results at Brisbane have been quite incredible.  That sentence probably needs some tempering as I am somewhat biased by what I think I am accomplishing…like…

It is not uncommon now to walk into the gym on any given afternoon and see a line of kids shooting lay-ups one kid after the other…and to hear the line sing out “twenty-one” as another basket goes in.  Then an excited “twenty-two”.  “23” and the whole line is vibrating with proud kids jumping up and down as their achievement mounts and mounts.  It is incredible.  Any adult seeing, hearing and understanding that short days ago most of these kids couldn’t sink a lay-up (even if their life depended on it), will smile and feel great too.  One random group of grade sixers stopped everyone with their excitement as they took the number of lay-ups made in a row to a record 38.  Everyone present shared in their achievement.  (Oh!  What about the kid who misses breaking the string of made baskets.  They aren’t smiling, but no head is held in shame as each and every person present knows the person can score, does believe in her/himself, has done their best, and is quickly back in line as the group goes at trying to break their personal best.)

A variation of the group lay-up activity is the personal challenge issues to the class, “Everyone, go score at least four in a row.”, or “Everyone, go score as many as you can in a row.”  The kids roar off to achieve.  Effort everywhere.  "I got 9 in a row is hear", so to is hear, "I got 6.", with just as much pride.  It is not how many you made compared to someone else.  It is how many you made compare against yourself...so there is as much pride in 4 as there is in 12.

We’re into playing basketball games now.  Modified to allow every kid be they a good basketball player or a learning player the chance to score.  A chance to be more than they were an hour ago.  Instant heroes occur all and every afternoon.

It is beautiful to behold.  There is more to tell but I’ve got to get this article in for you to read as I’m due shortly at Brisbane.

P.S.  You can guess who is having the most fun.

Patrick Suessmuth

A week latter this further Brisbane bit appeared on Feb. 14, (Valentines Day) 2001 in The Erin Advocate, Vol. 123, No. 7, page 10.

To write an article for publication of Feb. 14^th you have to have heart, but where oh where in basketball is there heart?  Answer: everywhere.

Like in this follow-up story on the Grade 5 and 6 kids at Brisbane Public School.  It is my last of eight 50 min sessions with each class.  There is just enough time for one last activity before closing off with these super kid.

I call them in.

They sit.

They look at me expectantly.  I say, “Can you do me a favour.”

Heads node.

“Let’s see how good we are as a class.  I’m going to ask you to give of you BEST and to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – will you?”

Heads node.

“Let’s see how perfect you are.  Each of you has just one shot.  I want everyone of you to make it.  Go do your shot.”

Off they go.  Baskets were sunk everywhere.

Kids run back and sit smiling up at me.  “You scored.”

“Yep.”

Activity is over.

Now for the results.

This isn’t a fairy tale, not one of the classes of between 24 and 26 kids made all their baskets…but, every kid did her/his best.  I explained, “If you did your best and missed that’s OK.  Anyone can miss once in a while.”

Then I asked how many missed?  One class had seven misses, another five, another four, and the record class had three.  They all felt a great achievement had been made as we all knew we could all score, and that was in less than 15 hours of class time.

The heart of this true tale is in the kids.  They gave their best.  They believed in themselves.  They were all heart.

Patrick Suessmuth