6th Grade Hoop Skills

(Click for bigger version of funny haircut and long socks)

We have a new scanner so I thought I might shoot a couple of the old pics from my old person box into the digital age.

This gem comes from Columbian Grade School in Mattoon, Illinois. Basketball picture day. I had been working on my ball spinning since the 5th grade and thought I should probably display my skills for Ernie the photographer. Note the socks coming almost up to my knees. It's because they aren't mine, they belong to a kid named Guy Taylor. He had an extra pair with the Converse emblem that seemed to match our red uniforms and asked me if I wanted to wear them for the picture. Of course!

Just for the record, that floor was one of the deadest gym floors ever. At least three or four of the elementary schools in Mattoon had the gymnasium/cafeteria on the second floor of the building. I am assuming this is what caused the floor to be so soft in places. As a team, we used this to our advantage. You could defend a player to a certain spot knowing that the bottom would soon drop out of his dribble. You could go for the ball at that exact moment and be gone for a fastbreak layup.

Anyway, this brought back some good memories. We were undefeated for the season and all the way through the playoffs up to the championship game. There, we were beaten by Hawthorne featuring the freakishly tall 6th grader, Scott Vinovich. We were overconfident and they played a great game. Good times.