La Liga de Barrio Begins Its Inaugural Season

Posted by Avi Richman on 09/01/2009

Get a rebound. Get back on defense. Hands up. You can't run with the ball. Pass it, pass it, pass it...pleeease. For those of you who have ever coached or played basketball before, these commands should sound very familiar. In the past few weeks, I have been able to learn all of these expressions in Spanish and have had the pleasure to repeat them all more than ten times while coaching my neighborhood basketball team, Los Halcones, The Falcons.

In the past month, a small group of locals, a Dutch woman, and yours truly have organized a youth basketball league for Granada (called La Liga de Barrio in Spanish) from almost scratch and this past week we had our first official games. The league was designed in order to teach kids between the ages of 9-13 about basketball, the rules, how to play, and to let them have the experience of being involved on a real team. The league also provides an extracurricular activity to keep kids out of trouble and keep them in good physical and mental health. Not to mention, the more important lessons that sports can teach us all such as discipline, listening skills, teamwork, self-confidence.

What started out as a disorganized group of 3-4 neighborhood basketball teams a month ago has transformed into a seven team league of organized teams, with a schedule, uniforms, coaches, referees, the whole nine yards. Three weeks back, we had an open court day where all the kids and teams were invited to come and register. Two weeks back, we had our first unofficial games. Last week, we played three official games with the results being, 20-1, 17-12, and 5-2. Yeah baby!

I personally have been involved in basketball all of my life, as a player, a coach, and a referee, and having the opportunity to watch a whole bunch of kids learning the game brings warmth to my heart and many smiles to my face. Have you ever seen kids play basketball who have little to no experience? If not, let me describe it to you using a metaphor. It is like watching a colony of ants swarm to a piece of sugary cake; only that the ants are the kids and the sugary cake is the ball. The kids run without dribbling, attack the ball even when their own teammates have it, and shoot the ball without even looking at the basket. It is truly fantastic. You cannot help but smile and laugh along with the kids who are having a great time.

As the season goes along, we will definitely improve as a team and surely every single kid will improve as well. In the meantime, we are all enjoying the experience and trying not to laugh too hard while a kid just straight up runs with the ball. By the way, this week my team, The Falcons, plays Las Águilas, The Eagles. May the best bird win.

• Back to Entry List
• Previous EntryNext Entry

This webpage expresses the views of Avi Richman. It does not express the views of the United States Peace Corps.

Last updated Jul 09 2009