The basketball season got off to a rough start for Samantha's team, and for her head coach/father. Although a lack of effort wasn't to blame, a lack of experience certainly didn't help our cause any. Only one player, out of nine on our team, has played organized basketball. We are also the only team with three girls on it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because they can do more than hold their own against the boys. Sam, for example, started the game playing forward, but quickly moved into the role of point guard thanks to her dribbling ability. Needless to say, the game started out ugly and stayed that way. We were able to get some decent looks at the basket, but we just couldn't get any shots to go through the hoop. I don't think that we would have won the game if we had scored, but it would have felt a lot better than being shut out. The kids, to their credit, didn't seem to be as bothered by the loss or the lack of scoring. Having fun and learning is what it is all about at this stage of the game, and hopefully they are doing that. Even with such a big loss, the improvement that we have seen in practice is encouraging. Hopefully we will have better luck next time.

    One reminder when looking at the pictures - Samantha's number this season is 1, so keep an eye out for that if you can't figure out which one she is when looking at them.

Samantha's Basketball - Game #1
	Rodney, directing the team in his first game as head coach.
	Samantha surprised everyone by become the team's primary ball handler. Here she is bringing the basketball up the court.
	Sam driving down the left side of the lane.
	Sam bringing the ball up the court once again.