Welcome back to Story Time With Terry.
We'll take you guys back to the good season. The best season. 2010-11. So many great game stories that year and we'll get to plenty of them during the series.
But I figured I keep the spotlight on me and my dad's basketball relationship. See, I might have made it sound like it was horrible when in fact he just wanted the best for me and when I finally understood that everything was kosher.
And we can sit and talk or watch basketball for hours. In fact, he stayed up the entire UConn-Syracuse 6OT Big East Championship game in 2009. I'll forever remember that game not only because it was awesome, but because I was watching and just talking basketball with my dad.
And Dad always knew what was wrong with my game, specifically my shot. He could dissect it better than anyone and would always tell me exactly what is wrong.
So this story comes from our Wisconsin Lutheran matchup my senior year that started the second half of our season. I was in one of the worst shooting slumps of my entire life. Like, I just couldn't figure it out.
I had three such slumps in my life. First, was my sophomore year of high school. Second, was my freshman year of college.
This was the third. And it probably cost me a starting spot after five games my senior season. I just couldn't find my shot no matter what I did.
And it really affected my whole game. Just wasn't the same player I was my junior year to this point.
Part of it was because I probably put too much pressure on myself to perform at a high level instead of just letting the game come to me.
But part of it was because I didn't have my dad at games on a consistent basis. My parents were unbelievable in that they traveled five hours from Cadott to Lisle and to most of the away games during the weekends my junior and senior seasons. And Dad and I would always talk about my game and what was wrong with it before, during and after those games.
But for a good portion of the 2010 part of our season, my parents couldn't make the games because Dad broke his ankle while climbing a tree for deer hunting season, thus rendering him unable to drive the five hours.
My game suffered because of it. I had no one to truly dissect my shot, talk about it and fix what was wrong.
So needless to say when January 8, 2011 hit, I couldn't have been more excited. My parents as well as some of my extended family on my mom's side was going to be there watching. Obviously, I was most excited for my dad because he could finally figure out what was wrong.
So we chatted while the girls game before us was finishing up. The conversation finally turned to my shot.
He already knew what was wrong with it. He told me to make sure to finish the shot up, not out and not to be too quick at the top.
So during our warmups I was shooting some 3-pointers and such and making more than I was missing. I was always looking up to my dad in the stands as we made last minute adjustments to my shot through hand gestures when I would return to the end of the warm up line.
Finally it was game time and I got in around the 14 minute mark. Just the second time down the court I got in position to shoot. It just came off the back of the rim. I looked at him and he said everything looked just fine.
A few minutes later the same type of shot came up for me. This time, nothing but the bottom of the cup.
The real fun was just beginning, though. After our normal subbing rotations, I was back in for the last three minutes of the half. Came down on the offensive side of the court. BANG. I tossed in near-flawless 3.
Next time down the court, I trailed Nate to right on the right wing. He kicked it back. BANG! Nothing but the bottom of the twine.
Next time down, just to see how hot I was, we ran my favorite play in the Benedictine playbook -- Fist Double Fade (let's just say this play will be coming up a lot in my senior year stories). I think the BU coaches would have my hide if I divulged exactly what the play is, even though they don't have anyone on their team who could run it like I could (humble brag).
Let's just say, I came off a great screen and from about five feet beyond the line cashed in my fourth 3 of the half.
21 points and five 3-pointers later (I hit one more in the second half) I was back in my groove. I never shot terrible from the arc the rest of the season and shot 50 percent from deep during conference play.
And I can attribute most of that to that day and having my dad back in my corner again.
***
Thanks for joining me for another Story Time With Terry. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @turkdigg40 and we'll see you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment