Do/Did you play?

Dime Dropper

Dime Dropper

All-Star
Someone on the main boards unintentionally gave me an idea for an interesting thread. How far have you got in your basketball career, or do/did you ever play at all?

I'm pretty young as some of you will know, so I have alot of basketball ahead of me. The standard isn't particularly high in Ireland, so honestly I've yet to come across someone who can guard me. I'm pretty confident I'm one of the best players in the country at my age (I guess it's not very hard). Was in the US over the summer for two weeks (time of my life), played against six highschools. Had a couple 20 point games, played sub-par by my standards for the rest. Wasn't happy with how I played, but it definitely improved me and I think we'll be making the trip in November so hopefully I'll do better then.

My "highschool" has won out the country twice, and I've been captain and top scorer in both of those.

Got interest from American coaches about going to America to both prep school and college (most likely division 2 or possibly 3, unlikely to be 1). Unfortunately, couldn't do it due to financial reasons.

Just tonight I got the news that I may have cartiledge damage, strained cruciates (thankfully not torn), tendonitis and a multitude of others. Have to see a specialist so it could turn out to be alot better than it looks right now!

So, that's basically my "career" so far. Anyone got any interesting stories to share?

I'd love to hear about your playing careers, I'm sure it would be a great read if you get the time!
 
I was known as "The Amputator" at after-work pick up games when I lived in Santa Barbara. Let's just leave it at that.

When I was younger I mostly stuck to baseball and hockey. Tried football, all it did was make me get fat.
 
I wrestled in high school, so no. I have been known to enjoy a pickup game or two, though; put the fear of God in anyone trying to drive the lane.
 
I lived in the country and never played youth ball, although in retrospect I think I would have loved it. Hence the reason I was not good enough to play beyond Freshman HS team only. And even then I didn't play all that much. And we lost every game that season......
 
I played football, basketball, and soccer in highschool. Played in a semi - pro football league this past summer for the Gretna Storm, which is pretty fun, but its not cool when you find out after a game you got your ankles broken by a 45 year old version on Mike Vick. Still play basketball in church leagues and stuff but nothing serious
 
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kings4lyfe32 said:
I played football, basketball, and soccer in highschool. Played in a semi - pro football league this past summer for the Gretna Storm, which is pretty fun, but its not cool when you find out after a game you got your ankles broken by a 45 year old version on Mike Vick. Still play basketball in church leagues and stuff but nothing serious
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You played football and soccer? In Virginia, football and soccer take place at the same time... :confused:
 
I wasn't even thinking of sports other than basketball when making the thread, but all the better!

I also played "soccer" as you guys call it, and I'm still pretty good, but I gave it up last year. Couldn't train enough 'cause of basketball committments. I still follow it in a big way, though. Brilliant sport, but alot wrong with the modern game.

Also played another sport which none of you probably have ever heard of (Glynn, who doesn't post often lately, has actually seen some of these games!), called Gaelic football. Don't really like it too much, gave that up a few years ago.

It's a shame I never got the chance to play American Football. I really would have loved to give it a try. There just aren't any teams around here.
 
Giving up soccer for American football is my biggest regret.

That and doing wrestling instead of freshman ice hockey at boarding school, that was like signing up for winter hazing.
 
Mr. S£im Citrus said:
You played football and soccer? In Virginia, football and soccer take place at the same time... :confused:
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They might in some places, but not where i went to school. They did at the middle school level, but not in highschool. Football is in fall in highschool and soccer is in spring, the same time as track

http://www.henry.k12.va.us/344240929184616/site/default.asp

^ the highschools athletic calender, see football - fall, basketball - winter, soccer - spring
 
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Almost every where I've lived or gone to school soccer has been a fall sport, however there have always been winter and spring youth rec leagues available and the good players played year round.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Almost every where I've lived or gone to school soccer has been a fall sport, however there have always been winter and spring youth rec leagues available and the good players played year round.
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Yeah, but you have to realize where I went to school soccer was not a big sport at all, in fact one of the rival highschools on year only had enough players try out to put 9 people on the team. I never even touched a soccer ball untill 10th grade, and made the team starting on defense. I don't think the school has ever had anyone even get a scholarship through soccer
 
I played a lot of pick up ball and was on an elementary team. People around here not used to seeing someone with pure point guard skills play a pick up game. Alot of guys are all flash. I Used to surprise the hell out of a lot of people. I'm only 5'6", could reach a 9 foot rim, and pass and dribble like my name was Jason Kidd (Lite). My problem was I could never shoot the ball within 14 feet of the rim.

Alas, I don't play anymore because my knees and shoulder are shot. My baby takes all my time anyway.
 
Cool thread.

Played Soccer in high school 1 year ( senior year, they didnt have enough kids so I said what the hell.. played defense and scored 1 goal .. mostly did it to get/keep me in shape for bball.

also played baseball for 4 years of highschool, started catcher junior / senior year.

basketball - played basketball 3 years of high school ( soph/junior/senior ) .. played D3 college basketball for half of this year ( transfered after first semester .. long story ... no more basketball this year ) and I plan on playing ball next year.

Of course theres plenty of pickup ball..
 
I played volleyball and basketball for 2 years in high school. On my freshman bball team we had a girl that was our 6 foot center. Needless to say, she never lost a jump ball. We were undefeated that year.

I prefer to play volleyball and prefer to watch basketball. I haven't played either in a while.
 
I played softball and basketball in junior high. My dad convinced me to go out for the basketball team because it would be a good way to keep in shape for softball season. I didn't play basketball in high school because I didn't like it enough to want to and I blew my rotator cuff out during softball tryouts and that was the end of that.

I played on some office leagues for softball and volleyball for a while, until I nearly ripped my thumb off in a rather weird play and ended up in a cast for the rest of the season. And um...that was the end of that...;)


I coached softball for an ASA team for a while but now I just obsessively armchair over sports to compensate for my failed/injury riddled participatory career. ;)
 
Warhawk said:
I lived in the country and never played youth ball, although in retrospect I think I would have loved it. Hence the reason I was not good enough to play beyond Freshman HS team only. And even then I didn't play all that much. And we lost every game that season......
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If we are talking other sports, I played soccer for 11 years (up through senior year in HS), did the shot and disk in HS track for a couple years as well. Played some tennis on the side for a number of years and into college, too. I think I always liked basketball the best, but never practiced enough or started early enough to be any good at all....
 
Been playing basketball since I was 5 or so, and been on a team every year from grade 5 up until 2 years ago. I started out as a guard, had a growth spurt then started playing in the post. My teams have done fairly well, winning the championship several years.

That's where my talents end though. I play some other sports occasionally but I'm not very good at anything besides basketball
 
Played basketball thru highschool. Definitely not good enough in college, though I apparantely had DII skill according to some. My claim to fame is starting a team for bookstore basketball at ND called "Kareem, Worthy, and Three Others who play with a Magic Johnson."

I've been coaching ever since.



Nice thread, BTW.
 
Dime Dropper said:
Someone on the main boards unintentionally gave me an idea for an interesting thread. How far have you got in your basketball career, or do/did you ever play at all?

I'm pretty young as some of you will know, so I have alot of basketball ahead of me. The standard isn't particularly high in Ireland, so honestly I've yet to come across someone who can guard me. I'm pretty confident I'm one of the best players in the country at my age (I guess it's not very hard). Was in the US over the summer for two weeks (time of my life), played against six highschools. Had a couple 20 point games, played sub-par by my standards for the rest. Wasn't happy with how I played, but it definitely improved me and I think we'll be making the trip in November so hopefully I'll do better then.

My "highschool" has won out the country twice, and I've been captain and top scorer in both of those.

Got interest from American coaches about going to America to both prep school and college (most likely division 2 or possibly 3, unlikely to be 1). Unfortunately, couldn't do it due to financial reasons.

Just tonight I got the news that I may have cartiledge damage, strained cruciates (thankfully not torn), tendonitis and a multitude of others. Have to see a specialist so it could turn out to be alot better than it looks right now!

So, that's basically my "career" so far. Anyone got any interesting stories to share?

I'd love to hear about your playing careers, I'm sure it would be a great read if you get the time!
Click to expand...

There was a thread like this a few years ago.
 
I've been playing basketball and softball since I was 10 years old. I played both sports in elementary school, jr high and was on the JV and Varsity basketball and softball in high school. Didn't play in college.

I used to play on 6 softball teams in one week, however, those were the days when I was young.

Now, that I'm older, my main sport is golf. Yes, I am a golf-a-holic.
 
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Despite being nearly 6', I've never played. My only athletic/team endeavors were swim team, drill team, and I was a pretty serious dancer for about 15-16 years.
 
Dime Dropper said:
Nice responses. I'm curious as to what some of the other big posters have to share (Brick, get your a** in here)! :D
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We had a thread like this a year or two ago. If I remember correctly Brick still plays rec league basketball.

Since you live in Ireland, you might be more familiar with European "grassroots" model in all team sports? Pro teams (soccer/bball/volleyball/etc.) running free academies and leagues for local kids and then registering them as their players when they're 15? So, no drafts, and school and college leagues are weak or non-existent. I played bball at "all levels" in former Yugoslavia (from age 8 as "pioneer" to senior level at19 in divisions 1a and 1b). I had two things going against me - I was 6' in 8th grade and then grew just 4 more inches so I went from SF to OG to PG in span of few years and from a starter to 11/12th man. Second thing was injuries, so I quit while I was ahead. My aquad number was 13 and that's exactly how many times I was cut or sent down (to practice squad).

I still play in local gym and park (summer). Every now and then, I'll be the last guy picked to play (as old geezers with heavily wrapped knees tend to be) only to light it up from 3 point line on offense and mix it up down low on defense (slow and dirty is my new game). Getting high-fives from bevildered 19 year olds is quite rewarding at this stage. ;)

You said you might get a spot on DivII college in US but finances would be a problem? Have you tried applying for funds from Education Council (or whatever it's called in Ireland)? How are your grades? There are great small schools in US who might be able to help you get good education and a spot on the team, you need to be able to play a little and be really strong academically. Worked a wander or one of my former teammates who got free education and Ivy League school (same school Brick went to). He was OK forward, busted his ankles but still got free education.
 
I lettered in high school basketball, football and baseball - but basketball was always my best sport and favorite. I got really crazy interested at about age 12-13 when I started growing lots taller. By my senior year in H.S. at age 17 I was 6'4" with large hands to confidently hold the basketball like it was a grapefruit. My sophomore and junior years (age 15-16) I was playing against "men" in an overseas league of USAF and USN personnel (at least 18 to 24 or so) as a military dependent. Our small school was in an isolated part of the world where there were no other high schools to compete against. Going up against these military men us boys were surprisingly competitive and had a winning record both years. My senior year was back in the states and our school was co-section champs - but it was before California state tournament so that was our only trophy except for a tourney we won to start off season. I played just about every position, but usually F/C. Our coach was tough, defensive minded and demanded we run his structured offensive system or sit the bench. I was very athletic, agile, swift up court, could defend solidly, rebound and block shots - which is the main reason I started three straight years in H.S. and had a big senior year. Because I was fairly skinny I recall biggest problems I had were up against beefy, tallish opponents who could work on me inside sometimes. Still, as a very good leaper, usually quicker, I was able to hold my own against a good number of those power dudes.

Offense was never a problem at all as I consistently had one of the highest FG/FT percentages on our team. I could take people off the dribble, deadly in transition scoring with either hand at the rim, and very good mid-range and deep shooter - playing before 3pt shot. Also, I could dunk fairly easily at age 16 and by 17 could stand under the hoop to rise up for a slam. It was not allowed in games back then or even pre-game warm up. What a shame as I always wanted to impress some pretty girls (my parents in the stands, my cheerleader sister on sideline too) but they'd all have to see me out on the playground to witness my street ball jams.

I was asked before who in NBA was maybe most like me - of course always flattering. That would be hard to say, but maybe a young Brent Barry. I did not play football my senior year as my two previous years were on a flag-football team since tackle football was not allowed on the military base. In junior college before on to university, I played one year starting as a "swing man," but seemingly lost interest as the team and coach were rather unorganized. I was just starting to really get into "girls" for the first time in my life - hard to concentrate on basketball, studies, and girls all at once!

For years after college I played rec league basketball including numerous Hoop It Up tournaments. A bad back finally prohibited that play after age 45, but I'll gladly challenge anyone to a friendly game of Horse or light one-on-one play anytime, anywhere. The pure, sweet shot from way outside never seems to fade.
 
bozzwell said:
We had a thread like this a year or two ago. If I remember correctly Brick still plays rec league basketball.

Since you live in Ireland, you might be more familiar with European "grassroots" model in all team sports? Pro teams (soccer/bball/volleyball/etc.) running free academies and leagues for local kids and then registering them as their players when they're 15? So, no drafts, and school and college leagues are weak or non-existent.
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Yes, I'm familiar, but it's not completely the same in Ireland. Firstly, basketball is not very popular here. The highest league is only semi-professional, with only about 3 players getting paid from each team. School and college teams are sometimes as strong as club teams. I don't even really follow the pro (semi) league here, although I'll probably play in it in a few years.


You said you might get a spot on DivII college in US but finances would be a problem? Have you tried applying for funds from Education Council (or whatever it's called in Ireland)? How are your grades? There are great small schools in US who might be able to help you get good education and a spot on the team, you need to be able to play a little and be really strong academically. Worked a wander or one of my former teammates who got free education and Ivy League school (same school Brick went to). He was OK forward, busted his ankles but still got free education.
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If I was going to a div II school I would most likely be going on a full scholarship. Unfortunately, that's still not enough. I have some friends who've played ball in the US on scholarship (both college and prep school), and believe it or not, it will still cost the guts of 20K to spend a year over there. Between dry cleaning, clothes, food and living expenses, as well as flights back and fourth on holidays, it costs alot of money. I also have the disadvantage of being one of the few Irish people who doesn't have Irish relatives in America! If I had someone I could live with I might be able to manage it, but I don't.

Irregardless, I'm pretty sure the time has passed for me to apply for college or prep school in the US. I'm in my last year of highschool and will be off to college next year. In fact, some of my exams started today :(

On the bright side, I may be travelling to America in November of this year again. That would be awesome.

Sorry for the delay BTW.

And PurpleHaze, nice response. Seems like you had some game. :D
 
I have never really played on a team, but i have always loved playing pickup games and stuff. im about 5'11 and kinda chunky, but i can move. I can't shoot worth a damn but when im near the hope im a beast. Imagine 06' glen davis in march madness. Not saying i was as good as him, but thats how i moved.
 
Lets see. Running back in football, Center field in Baseball, Pole Vault and 100 in track. Wasn't interested in basketball until after highschool. Quit playing anything at all as a junior in highschool. Reason Girls, Cars, etc.........
 
Wrestling, volleyball, soccer, for school teams in HS. Basketball was and always will be my love, but never tried out for team. 6'4" and 250 LBS for wrestling, never was really fast so non position on HS BBall team. Not that bad in pick up games. Got a sweet jump shot, and much like Slim, a freight train when i drive the lane.
 
I played basketball and football for 4 years in high school and continue to play in city rec leagues to this day. I was also on the waterski team at UCSB...but I think we spent more time drinking than at actual tournaments...
 
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