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| (with Coach Kelly Combs) |
Friday night, my wife, kids, and I journeyed to Spalding University in Louisville, KY to watch them take on Asbury College in a men's basketball game. Athletes in Action head coach, Kelly Combs, who I went to Indonesia with this summer, texted me and told me about the game. His son, Kyle, also went on the tour with us and I wanted very much to visit with Coach. My daughter is not a bad little basketball player, but could care less to watch it right now, so my son sat and we watched the game while my daughter did other things, mostly bugging my wife. Such is life, I guess.
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| (at Loogootee) |
Saturday morning, however, it was boys' night (or day) out. We traveled to Loogootee, IN and historic Jack Butcher Arena to watch them take on Attica and to watch Rock Creek play Irvington Prep in Loogootee's annual Tip-Off tourney. If you have never been to Loogootee's gym, you have to watch a game there. The gym is set up for games, of course, but it is also a museum for Loogootee athletics. Many schools have done great jobs in recognizing the past, but Loogootee is the best, in my opinion.
After watching those two games, Brandon and I headed to Terre Haute. It was on the way to Riverton Parke where we watched a couple of friends coach for Cloverdale High School. In Terre Haute, after a nice long nap by my son, we ate at Pizza Hut because he "likes the breadsticks" and then we headed north.
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| (4 year old looking over the Rady coaches) |
My friends at Cloverdale are Pat Rady, Sr. and Pat Rady, Jr. Pat Jr. and I became friends when he was coaching boys' basketball at Southwestern (Hanover). His dad who is a very good coach and greater man coached at Terre Haute South for many years coaching guys like Steve Hart and Brian Evans. He is now the head coach at Cloverdale and his son is his junior varsity coach. It was nice to catch up with them and to have my son watch, with the victory Cloverdale got the other night, the 3rd all time winningest coach in Indiana high school basketball history. Pat Sr. has over 700 wins, do you realize how long it takes to get that many wins?
By the time we winded back through southwestern Indiana Saturday night, my son was fast asleep. He had been a great kid that day loving to watch all the basketball. The travel didn't bother him either and he didn't want to sleep because he wanted to play basketball when we got home. When we arrived home, as I carried him up the stairs to his room, he woke up and went into his mother's arms. I went to his room to cover him up and he hugged me thanking me for the day. As I prepared for bed, I reflected on how many more days I will have like this with him. As I have learned, this life can be taken away at any moment, but more than likely it will be because he grows up, out growing....me. (not if I can help it!)
