Week 4 Recap

Good morning everyone,

The last games of the regular season are this weekend, then we’re off to playoffs!

Weekly Thought:

The legendary coach John Wooden once said, “sports don’t build character, they reveal it”. I see the point of what he is saying here and would not dare disagree with such a legend. At the same time, my own experience is that sports have not only revealed my character but have helped me to build it as well.

I then decided to ask AI if sports build or reveal character and here’s the answer I got:

“Sports can both build and reveal character, depending on the context and the type of character being developed:

Reveal character: Sports can reveal a person’s true character under pressure. The competitive nature of sports can bring out qualities like resilience, perseverance, leadership, and teamwork. For example, a player might crumble under pressure or blame others when things get tough.

Build character: Sports can help develop positive character traits, such as grit, resilience, and self-discipline. Sports can also help children develop life skills like goal setting, time management, and work ethic.”

I don’t know about you but I am very grateful for this league. The Bible says to give honor where honor is due and I think that we should all honor Kevin for all the work he has and continues to put in to making this league what it is. So I’d encourage everyone to thank Kevin whenever you have the chance for all he does for this league.

But back to the subject of character. I feel like every season, something new is revealed about my character, and then I have the opportunity to work on that issue both on and off the court. For example, I was reflecting on my performance in our last game as well as our 0-4 record as a team (it’s okay, though, we’re saving all our wins for playoffs!). One thing that I would say that last game reminded me of is my tendency toward selfishness when things get tough.

I’ve been pretty consistently challenged by this throughout my time in the league to be honest. Some games and some seasons I am more selfless whereas others I am more of the opposite. I have noticed that, with me, it is easy to put my teammates first when things are going well. When the team is winning and I am playing well it’s not a challenge to share the ball and include my teammates. However, it becomes much more difficult for me when we are losing or when I’m frustrated with how I am playing. That’s when I find myself playing more selfishly, being more argumentative with the officials, etc.

This translates to off-the-court as well. It’s easy to put others first when life is going well and when everyone is getting along. It gets hard to not be selfish when life gets more challenging. When my wife and I are arguing it’s a lot harder to treat her with love and respect. When money is tight, it’s difficult to give to others. When the world is divided, it’s a challenge to treat those I disagree with kindness and love.

In summary, I love this league and sports in general for two reasons. They are fun and bring people together in a shared experience. We might not agree about everything but we can all agree that we love basketball. I also believe they provide a great opportunity to both reveal and build character. So how about you? What parts of your character are being revealed or built through this league?

Week 5 Schedule:

5:30 PM Boats and Bros vs. Prodigal Suns and Luna
Alekz and the HomesCOOLers: Alekz, Brent, Tobias

6:30 PM Bricklayers vs. Alekz and the HomesCOOLers
Boats and Bros: Marquis, Anthony, Jack

7:30 PM Couch Potatoes vs. The Holmies
Bricklayers Union: Collin, Zack, Jeff

Weekly Stat Leaders:

Brandon Cunningham continues to maintain the lead for the scoring title, putting up 31 points this week to propel his team to another victory.
Michael Van Egmond dominated the boards this week, pulling down an impressive 15 rebounds along with 9 points.
Josh LePenske lit it up from behind the arc this week, making 5 out of his 8 three-point attempts.
Ryno Moore also earned a shout-out for another impressive stat line of 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, continuing to demonstrate his value as a do-it-all player.

Weekly Recap:

Ryno Moore and Brandon Cunningham continue to be a lethal duo resulting in another victory for the Couch Potatoes to maintain their undefeated record. Tyler Bernth and Brandon Porras put up impressive numbers but were unable to overcome the skill and athleticism of the Couch Potatoes duo. Couch Potatoes seem to be the clear favorite to win the championship this year. Final score 78-65.
Boats and Bros were able to get the win over Alekz and the HomesCOOLers in the closest game of the week. Captain Aaron Slack led his team with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Final score 47-44.
The Holmies dominated Prodigal Suns and Luna behind Timothy Johnson’s 22 points, Josh LePenske’s impressive 3-point shooting, and Michael Van Egmond’s dominant rebounding. Craig Olson’s near double-double (21 points, 9 rebounds) proved not enough to keep his team in the game.