There is no escaping this March madness stuff. I am not a big basketball fan. I know very little to nothing about college ball. I hear talk of filling out your brackets. One company or something offered a billion dollar prize to whomever had a perfect bracket. It is my understanding that the brackets were all busted after the first day. I do know that there is a great deal of money associated with all of this. Anyway, hearing about this reminded me of my basketball playing days. I played one season for St. Lukes Episcopal church. I cannot say with certainty but I believe it was the season of '65 -'66. The home court was at the " neighborhood " house. Well the truth is that was the only court we played on. The court belonged to the town.
Back then all the churches in town had a basketball team. I only remember a little of it as I was only involved the one season. Both of my brothers played for the team at one time or another. I just remember having a yellow/gold colored shirt, what we would call a tank top, with a number on it for our uniform. The church provided that and you had to give it back. There were some memorable players and one, Asa Peckham, sticks in my mind. He lived up the road from me a little ways and so I knew him. He was a little older than myself. He wasn't very tall but was fast. He had an aggressive style of play and was a star. I think my older brother played on the team with him. Strange I don't remember how he played. I do remember the first game I played officially. I scored four points. I scored a basket in the first half. In the second half,right at the very beginning I got the ball, dribbling like a wizard I drove to the basket. The opposing players seemed to just melt out of the way.I could hear the yells of, Benny,Benny and was inspired. I executed the perfect layup ! Problem was it wasn't our basket, I forgot we change ends after the half. Two points for the other guys. Well for years I was teased about that and always said the same thing. It was a church league, seemed like the only Christian thing to do.
The home court, the " neighborhood " house is a community center. It was such before anyone had thought to call it a community center. It has been used for many purposes over the years. Kindergarten was taught there, it was the distribution center for welfare recipients when they still handed out boxes of food, and many other functions and events were held there. I am told it is still in use to this day. The basketball court just fit inside the room. On one end was a stage, the basket hung almost directly in the front of that stage, and the other end was a wall with the entrance to the " locker room. " When driving to the basket you had to pull up quick on either end, there was little space. If I recall correctly spectators either watched from the stage or stood along the sidelines. There may have been some folding chairs but that memory is foggy.
It wasn't long after I played for the team that this all cane to an end. I have heard various reasons for the demise of the church league. I really do not know the correct answer. I do know that there was quite a brawl after a particularly heated contest. I was told that that is what spelled the end. Could very well be but expect the true reason are lost to time.
That season was my first and last. I don't think we made it to the final four. Not sure how many teams there where, but probably no more than six. It was a rudimentary organization at best. The church provided us with the shirt to use and refs were just older kids. A far cry from the organized leagues of today. We were just kids playing a game and that was good enough. The venue was the neighborhood house. I don't recall any pictures being taken or fundraising of any kind. Simple times and simple solutions.
Back then all the churches in town had a basketball team. I only remember a little of it as I was only involved the one season. Both of my brothers played for the team at one time or another. I just remember having a yellow/gold colored shirt, what we would call a tank top, with a number on it for our uniform. The church provided that and you had to give it back. There were some memorable players and one, Asa Peckham, sticks in my mind. He lived up the road from me a little ways and so I knew him. He was a little older than myself. He wasn't very tall but was fast. He had an aggressive style of play and was a star. I think my older brother played on the team with him. Strange I don't remember how he played. I do remember the first game I played officially. I scored four points. I scored a basket in the first half. In the second half,right at the very beginning I got the ball, dribbling like a wizard I drove to the basket. The opposing players seemed to just melt out of the way.I could hear the yells of, Benny,Benny and was inspired. I executed the perfect layup ! Problem was it wasn't our basket, I forgot we change ends after the half. Two points for the other guys. Well for years I was teased about that and always said the same thing. It was a church league, seemed like the only Christian thing to do.
The home court, the " neighborhood " house is a community center. It was such before anyone had thought to call it a community center. It has been used for many purposes over the years. Kindergarten was taught there, it was the distribution center for welfare recipients when they still handed out boxes of food, and many other functions and events were held there. I am told it is still in use to this day. The basketball court just fit inside the room. On one end was a stage, the basket hung almost directly in the front of that stage, and the other end was a wall with the entrance to the " locker room. " When driving to the basket you had to pull up quick on either end, there was little space. If I recall correctly spectators either watched from the stage or stood along the sidelines. There may have been some folding chairs but that memory is foggy.
It wasn't long after I played for the team that this all cane to an end. I have heard various reasons for the demise of the church league. I really do not know the correct answer. I do know that there was quite a brawl after a particularly heated contest. I was told that that is what spelled the end. Could very well be but expect the true reason are lost to time.
That season was my first and last. I don't think we made it to the final four. Not sure how many teams there where, but probably no more than six. It was a rudimentary organization at best. The church provided us with the shirt to use and refs were just older kids. A far cry from the organized leagues of today. We were just kids playing a game and that was good enough. The venue was the neighborhood house. I don't recall any pictures being taken or fundraising of any kind. Simple times and simple solutions.
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