Through My Eyes

Where am I?

I hear a ball, bounce, bounce, bounce, the sound doesn’t stop until the girl who handles it takes a fifteen foot jumper. Splash, the sound of the net when the ball passes by. The ball is inbounded by the other team, then the sound starts again. I turn to look at the game but by the time I find where the ball is on the court, the ball is gone. Trapped by the other team's diamond press. Now it is a two on one situation, the other team has two players pushing the ball towards the hoop with only one player from our team left to stop her. The crowd is quiet, lingering in suspense. Then there is a cry. A baby in the back row cries out, for what, who knows it's a baby. The crowd's attention is averted for a split second and when no one is looking a girl hits the floor. The crowd turns back. It's our player, laying on the ground. The referee stands above her, with one of his arms behind his head and the other pointing in the direction of the other team's basket. She drew the offensive foul. The crowd goes wild. I get up from the bleachers and scream at the top of my lungs in an almost childish taunting tone, “you can’t do that.” Other people join the court it becomes intense. The opposing team pushes back but they don’t stand down. They set up in their two-three zone defense that has worked well at other times in the game. We push the ball, bounce, bounce, bounce. When our point guard reaches the top of the key, she turns and pass fakes left, she turns back to quickly throw to the other wing. Just then a girl for the other team jumps the passing lane. With no one behind her she takes the easy layup and the game is now tied. With the clock now winding down, there are sixteen seconds left in the match. We have the ball. All we have to do is inbound the ball, break the press, and score. I know this is easier said than done. We inbound the ball to our small forward left. She then passes to the big man standing in the middle. She gets the ball and swings weak side to a guard making a run. She gets the ball in what seems to be a sure fire way to score. Takes two dribbles, bounce, bounce, and goes up. Out of nowhere comes a girl from the other team. She comes in jumping and arms whaling. Smack. Everyone hears it and mouths drop wide open. The girl misses the layup. But the older male referee makes the call. Shooting foul, two shots. He then sends a bounce pass to our guard now waiting patiently at the foul line. She gathers the ball with a spin and dribbles the ball once, bouncing. She spins it again and then dribbles the ball once, bouncing. She shoots. The crowd is in suspense, some holding up magical fingers trying to cast the ball into the net and some people in the crowd are using imaginary fishing rods to pull the ball out from the rim. After her ritual she takes the shot, in and out. Now, with the game still tied, she has one shot to win the game for her team. The referee takes the ball and sends it back, the same as before. She goes through the ritual once again. Now, with everyone on the edge of their seats, she shoots the ball. It goes in. Now with victory within their grasp our team and corresponding cheering section erupts in cheer. When I look around I see people cheering joyfully for a game they love. I see compassion and school spirit. I see a man no younger than sixty-five getting up from his seat to applaud people he has no connection with. I see people coming out to support their community. The most important part of a community is not where the people are but who the people are and how they come together. Community as defined in the Oxford dictionary is “A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” However communities are brought together by a common meeting place. The characteristic that makes a community whole is the bond and almost family-like connection between the people within it. I see a community brought together by a Basketball game. That is what I see when I look around.