It Takes Heart

It Takes Heart

We knew he had a good heart when he came here. We could tell from the way he treated his nine year old brother. It was obvious he had been the primary babysitter/caretaker for his sister and two younger brothers ­while his single father worked all day trying to make ends meet.

A lot of responsibility for a fifteen year old. He really didn’t have much of a chance to be a kid. Heart he had-- but he was lacking in so many other ways. His eyesight was terrible and he had no glasses. He had a mouthful of cavities and his breath would make a train take a dirt road. His teeth were crooked and his clothing was shabby. He was twenty pounds overweight and out of shape. Everything he owned came in a battered suitcase, except for his prized possession, an outdated “X-Box” video game console he proudly tucked under his arm. His school performance was spotty, standardized testing scores low. He was a grade level behind his peers.

His self-confidence was so poor he could barely look you in the eye. When I took him to school to introduce him to the staff and teachers, he looked away when they greeted him. “I don’t like meeting people,” he told me. Nonetheless, he was very pleasant and friendly once he warmed up to you.

His hobbies? Video games and basketball. “Have you ever played on a team?” I asked him. “No,” he replied. His father and siblings had moved around too much, they had changed schools frequently and his basketball experience consisted primarily of shooting baskets at the “Boys and Girls Club” after-school program. He had a pretty good three point shot. It was really his only skill when it came to basketball. He could shoot from the outside corner (when unguarded) and swish the net some of the time. He couldn’t dribble very well, had no inside game and was pretty slow. Defense? What’s that? He was one of the last picks in the pickup games around the ranch.

He tried out for the school basketball team shortly after he got here last August. It was a late tryout for newcomers who missed the Spring tryouts. He didn’t do too well and was promptly cut from the team. We tried to console him, “You just got here; pretty tough to make it when the coaches don’t know you and have already put their teams together.” He took it pretty well. He’s actually a pretty upbeat fellow. “I’ll work on getting better and try out again next year,” he said.

And work he did. Every day, before school, at school, after school and late into the evenings, he shot basketball. It became his passion. His three point shot became more consistent but he was still lacking in so many ways. As he developed self-confidence and was able to express his genuine friendliness to others, the coach took notice and asked him to serve as manager on the Junior High team. He watched the other boys play and cheered them on. He got excited for them and encouraged them. The other boys appreciated it and reciprocated by working with him on his dribble, on his inside game and on fundamentals of defense. He got better. He started getting picked a little earlier in the local pickup games.
Almost a year passed and ­tryouts approached. He thought he had a decent chance of making the Junior High team. Bad news came. Because of his age (16), he can only be considered for the high school varsity or JV teams. New coach, tough competition. Things looked pretty grim. The tryouts would be loaded with returning players. He worried about whether he could make the team. He worried-- a lot. But, he kept working.
Tryouts dragged out over three days. Then, the roster was posted. A fellow ranch resident looked at the list in the gym and told him that he didn’t make the team. He said he was disappointed but determined to try again next year. A minute later, one of his housebrothers came out and told him he made the team. He knew he was being teased. “Shut up, I already know I didn’t make it,” he retorted. “No, I’m not kidding,” his housebrother insisted. So, he mustered up the courage to go in and look for himself. He scrutinized the 11 names on the list. Sure enough, his name was right in the middle. The other kid had been looking for his nickname, not his given name. He was mistaken! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! He could hardly contain himself. He made the team! His housebrothers and teammates were as excited for him as they were for themselves.
At the first summer workout, he wore a smile so big he almost tripped over it. He had set a goal and accomplished it. He was part of the team. “I don’t care if I get to play much,” he said, “just as long as I am on the team.” He still works out every day. He’ll continue to get better. He’ll get to play.
His teeth are straight and clean now. He just got contact lens for basketball—“Now, I can see passes.” He’s twenty pounds lighter and much quicker. His grades are decent and getting better. He’s become very popular with the other students and teachers at school. Not because of basketball but because of his heart, his genuine friendliness and his enthusiasm about most things in life. He is grateful for having been given a chance. And he is taking advantage of every opportunity he is given. This one is going to be just fine…
August ’08 Postscript: A couple of weeks ago, he took his driver’s test and passed it on the first try. Last week, he attended a basketball camp (THANKS COACH DON HOGAN!) at University of West Florida and was selected as “Most Improved Player.” He exclaimed, “This is my best summer ever—I made the basketball team, I had my first birthday party (16th), got my drivers’ license and got to go to basketball camp at a college!
December ’08 Postscript: He asked one of the prettiest girls in his church youth group to attend the school Christmas dance with him. He blushed with pride as he put the corsage bracelet on her arm. Afterwards, he said it was the “best night of my life.” We just got his semester grades in and he made the “A-B Honor Roll” for the first time. He was selected by John Croyle to represent the older boys and tell his story at meetings with some of the ranch’s principal financial supporters. In January, he will purchase his first car with monies he earned over the summer and as manager for the football team. Not bad, eh?” Not bad, buddy. Not bad at all.