Notes from the Ky Pro Am

On Saturday I went to watch Brandon play basketball in the Ky Pro Am. I wish y'all would come with me to one of these tournaments some time. It's not that I think you'd be blown away by all the basketball action. It's just that these are different experiences than our usual Saturday afternoons. I don't really fit in at the games. I'm a decade too old to be anyone's girlfriend and a decade too young to be anyone's mother. Also, I'm the only one who cheers. I don't know why people don't cheer. Why go to a game and be silent? At Brandon's high school AAU games, I was like a unicorn sighting. I would walk in, yell "Go Brandon," and all heads would turn. You could hear a pin drop. I know people were thinking, "Who is the blonde girl in the sundress? Why is she screaming? Is she lost on her way to Cotillion?"

My notes:

1) Team Brandon and Ravi beat Team Mario Moore of Vanderbilt by one on a last second shot. Brandon handled Mario very well. Too bad he never got the chance to do that in college (sorry...) We lost the second game to a team named "Rated R." They wore matching Jordan jerseys except for one guy who apparently played for Team Walmart. Weird.

2) It was good to see Ravi. He brought his girlfriend who is absolutely adorable, although no match for his true love, Hunter. Ravi seems to have lost weight since I last saw him. Now that I think about it, everyone has lost weight since Tubby left: Joe, Ramel, Brandon, Preston, Ravi, even me. It seems Billy Clyde Boot Camp is touching lives near and far :) But I miss Tubby.

3) I liked these games better when Brandon was in high school. There just seemed to be more to play for when college was on the line. I might look up to see Tubby Smith, Denny Crum, or Billy Donovan walking in the gym. It was exciting!! Brandon disagrees, but I got more of a thrill about the prospect of his playing for UK than for the East Kentucky Miners or the Bowling Green Mavericks. Also, I liked to sit with the younger, less intimidating college coaches or the high school coaches. Now I can't tell the coaches or scouts from the players, and there is no one to sit with.

4) Where is Mr. Meatball? Before the games moved to the new Hoops facility on Blankenbaker and were played in South or West Louisville, the most delightful man, Mr. Meatball, used to always attend. He wore: jeans way below his belly, a wife-beater will a "super-M" for meatball air-brushed on it, a Mr. Meatball tattoo (that's how I know his name), and another tat to match his shirt. I saw his car once. It had a matching license plate. I never talked to Mr. Meatball. I wasn't sure it would be a good idea to engage him. However, I took many pictures of his license plate on my cell phone. I hope nothing has happened to him. It's possible that Hoops on Blankenbaker is a little outside his comfort zone.

5) That brings me to a serious point. Why is a basketball facility dedicated to improving the skills of the youth of Louisville on Blankenbaker? I know why, to make money, but I want to stay on my soapbox. I'll bet it would have been difficult for young Rajon Rondo, Darrell Griffith, or Derek Anderson to get out to Hoops every day. There isn't even a TARC stop close to Blankenbaker Parkway and Saratoga Springs. TARC goes to Sam's on Blankenbaker, but Hoops is way on back, too far to walk. For the most egalitarian of sports, basketball, why build a facility in an area unobtainable to those who are likely to succeed? I hope Rajon uses some of his World Champion bonus check to build a Hoops II on Broadway. I'll even help him run it.