Coming Soon: Below the 8-Foot Rim

Hoops, Dreams, and a Season Inside U8 Rec Basketball

The morning snow is falling. I pull my purple team shirt over my head, throw a sweatshirt over it, and walk outside where the wind smacks my cheeks. I exhale. My breath floats out like fog. The sun pokes through grey skies, then fades away.

The gym is just down the road. My brain runs the lineups and plays out the scenarios. I remember being young and nervous and small walking into big gyms. Butterflies from those yesterday’s flap their wings with the ones I feel for today.

Inside the gym, a heater rumbles and coughs. Lights flicker. Shoes squeak and basketballs bounce. Lines of layups run. So, too, do mouths. Parents, grandparents, bored folks from the neighborhood file in. The gym is loud. Hopes are high. Dreams are ready to play out live.

I look around and smile a big smile inside a deep breath.

I’m a U8 Recreation League Basketball coach.

Is there anything better in the world?

🏀 This winter, prepare yourself for a reading experience unlike any other with the only book you'll ever read with stories about the joy of sports, rec basketball, celebrating life's precious moments, and how Whitney Houston helped me fall in love with basketball and believe in myself.

Prepare yourself for Below the 8-Foot Rim: Hoops, Dreams, and a Season Inside U8 Rec Basketball."

Coming February 2025.