Everyday She's Hustlin'

After much prodding and cajoling by the Captain and yours truly, we talked Marissa into going out for basketball this year.  Yes, she is only in 6th grade, but thanks to IBL (Instructional Basketball League) they get 'em started young 'round these parts. Some of the girls she plays with have been doing this since 4th grade.  She was a bit behind on the learning curve and quite honestly, in the first couple of games, it looked as though she had been gifted with her father's coordination and her mother's raw speed.  Poor thing. In fact when one of the coaches told her she needed to hustle down the court to play defense, Marissa honestly replied that she did not like to hustle.  She was not sold on this whole basketball thing.

Now, in defense of the Captain, give him a skateboard, bike or snowboard and he is golden.  Ball and stick, as he likes to say, not so much.  As for me, I played Iowa style half court 6-on-6 for my basketball years, so my contributions to this whole full court thing is worth,well, only two dribbles.

One of the things that made the Captain and I so persistent in getting Marissa to try basketball is the fact that the girl is tall, and she just keeps getting taller.  I am 5'9" and she is looking me in the eyeballs.  We share ginormous size 10 (sometimes 11) shoes.  The Captain's dad and brother are well into the 6'4 range and my younger brother is 6'3" or so. So there is some height to be had.  And she is only 11. As in eleven, people.

Anyhow, her team played in a tournament this weekend, and something seemed to click for Marissa.  After a good few weeks of consistent practices, Marissa became a rebounding machine.  Of course, it helps that she is a good half foot taller than most of her teammates. Granted, her shooting needs help, her game sense needs lots of work, her ball handling skills leave much to be desired, but the girl likes to REBOUND.

Coach Tony let her know she was doing a good job.

To which she responded with typical Marissa - like enthusiasm.

So, we are proud of her for sticking it out and hope she continues to learn and improve. She was more than ready to head to practice tonight and just a teeny bit excited about it.  That's our girl!