2 completely opposite and memorable seasons

When I was younger from about third grade on everybody I knew was involved in park district basketball in Buffalo Grove. Illinois. It was something no matter what you would have plenty of friends on your team and even more friends playing on the opposing teams. But in 6th grade both myself and my friend Kerry had very different teams with very different regular season results and very different playoff results as well. But we both remembered that season better than any other one.

I was on Syracuse and Kerry was on Georgetown. My team was one of the most balanced teams in the league that year. Everybody was capable of scoring in double digits and everybody had a significant role on the team. For Kerry's team it didn't start out that way. Georgetown had two players that were maybe not exactly the stars but they were the ones taking all the shots. And because of this they got off to a bad start. My team on the other hand could not be stopped. We weren't just beating teams, we were crushing them. One of the teams we crushed happened to be Georgetown. When we played them we beat them by 22. I remember after the game Kerry said to me, there's no way you guys aren't winning it all. That's what I thought as well.

But after that game the attitude of Georgetown changed. After our team constantly harrassed and double teamed their best players, they changed their attitude. Everybody on that team ended up getting involved. And that turned around their season in a way I didn't imagine. After that Kerry became one of their leading scorers. A lot of his contribution was a big part of why Georgetown ended up at 4-4 after starting the season 1-3. Kerry told me that their loss to us was a huge wakeup call for them. It changed the whole dynamic of the team. They got into the playoffs on a roll.

My team, Syracuse, finished the regular season 7-1. I was the leading scorer in a couple of the games but we pretty much had a different player that stepped up every game and led the team in scoring. We had so many weapons on the team and heading into the playoffs, we were clearly the favorites.

There were 3 rounds in the playoffs and our 1st playoff game was no different. Absolute domination. We thought we would cruise for the whole playoffs. But that thought was derailed. By Georgetown.

Georgetown had upset Depaul the one team we had lost to during the season. And our team was very cocky once that happened. We were glad not to face the one team that beat us and when we saw we were gonna play Georgetown again, we thought we were a shoein. It was that attitude that led to our downfall.

Georgetown played that game like we had been playing all season. They were the ones balanced playing together. My team, anyone who had the ball was just putting up jumpers or taking it to the basket. No one was setting screens for each other or looking for the open man. And that's why it was close. Despite that though, it was anyone's game. Our talent was the reason we weren't getting beat down. We were tied heading into the last minute due to my free throws. But then I made a huge mistake, and Kerry benefited from it. I helped out on a double team leaving Kerry wide open. By the time I realized it, it was too late to recover. And Kerry hit the jumper. The bigger mistake that was made was me thinking I had a chance to defend it. So I fouled him. He hit the jumper and the free throw and put them up 3. After that it was over. We turned the ball over, giving them another bucket. And that was the game. Neither me or Kerry thought in a million years this would be the result. My team, easily the best all year going down in the semifinals to Georgetown, a team that seemed like they would never have a shot to win a playoff game, let alone beat us in the semifinals. It's something that both me and Kerry still talk about today.

Georgetown would go on to lose in the championship game. But Kerry remembered after their loss to us during the season just how much it ended up benefitting the team. It enabled him to be a key contributor for that team and it enabled the team to improve as a whole and not just rely on two players. He said it was one of the best feelings to have that big of a turnaround and end up in the championship game.

As for me, I will always remember it as the game that got away. As being the best team, the whole season but for that one game against Georgetown maybe not taking the game seriously enough. But one thing is for sure, for both myself and Kerry it was our most memorable season of basketball that we had.