By Guy Smith
I was recently looking for something in the boxes on the top shelf of our bedroom closet. As usual, I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I did find some old sports photos. One of them was from Saturday morning basketball, 1992. Eleven boys in yellow t-shirts smiling for the camera along with a much younger me. I was coaching, our twin sons were playing, and the league was at the old Northside gym in West Columbia. Boy, it brought back memories. I could almost feel the pebbly grip of the ball, smell the gym socks, and hear the ref ’s whistle and the squeak of shoes on the old hardwood court.
My basketball career was unremarkable as I was never skilled enough to make it past junior varsity, but I always loved the game. I remember regularly playing against my friend Nate in my back yard—and regularly losing to him. (There was a reason we nicknamed him “Frazier” after the Knicks’ great Walt Frazier.) We also had some pretty intense pick-up games on concrete courts, and there was that unfortunate incident when I was called to the principal’s office on a Monday morning after he caught a crowd of us playing in the school gym on Sunday afternoon. In my defense, it was not our fault that the custodial crew failed to lock up properly. Being good gym rats, we also always made sure the balls were put away, the floor cleaned up, and the doors locked tight.
Despite my lack of talent, I stayed involved with basketball by cheering on and keeping stats for our high school team. I also had the good fortune to coach junior varsity ball for a few years at Pelion High, coach our boys in the recreation league, and help one of our sons coach a grandson in Upward basketball. As a school administrator, I had the opportunity to attend hundreds of games pulling for the Panthers, War Hawks, and Timberwolves. It was a joy, building relationships all along the way.
As I reminisced about my basketball past, I thought about all the great memories being created around our town. Hundreds of girls and boys and young men and women are participating in our high school and middle school teams and in recreation and Upward leagues. All around town players are lacing on their A Ones, Kobe 6s, or the ever-popular Air Jordans. They are working on teamwork, running plays, boxing out, taking it to the rim, and, hopefully, sinking those freebies. Whether they are skilled high school athletes, JV and middle school players honing their skills, or recreation and Upward league players just learning the rules, everyone is hoping to hit the winning shot and dreaming of suiting up in a college or NBA jersey. Alongside them, scores of coaches give their time, knowledge, and talents to provide opportunities and direction; hundreds of parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends are cheering for their team.
So, get into the action. Head out for the Colonial Life Arena, Littlejohn Coliseum, or HRC Arena. Score a ticket and join 18,000 others supporting the three-time national champion Gamecock Women’s team. Stay in Lexington and cheer for the 2024 Wildcat State Champion boys team, or cross the lake and support the 2023 State Champion Yellow Jackets. If you have a child who loves the game, look for an opportunity to get them involved in a league. If you have the time and talent, check on opportunities to give back to the game by coaching. If you attend a game, cheer for your team, give the coach some credit, and bite your tongue when the ref makes a bad call. At the very least, pull your goal back onto the driveway, pump up the round ball, and shoot a few hoops and enjoy the free play!
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Please refer to your specific school district for current informa-
tion and schedules.
Lexington School District One
Lex10 Conference/Middle School
Lexington1.net/about-lex1/athletics
Lexington Richland School District 5
Lexrich5.org/lexrich5athletics/home
Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission
Boys and girls ages 4-15 years old
lcrac.com
Local Upward Basketball Leagues
Mt. Horeb Church, Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church, Lexing-
ton Baptist Church play.upward.org
