Shooting Hoops

I’m not sure there are many more therapeutic pastimes for me. I grew up with a basketball goal in my driveway but have since moved from that home and haven’t had a basketball goal for quite some time now. I was reminded of how much I love shooting hoops this past weekend when I visited my aunt. My cousins weren’t there but they are both pretty into basketball so they have a hoop and lots of basketballs. I put them to use.

Here are five reasons why I love shooting hoops:

1. Nuthin’ but Net. The satisfaction when you get Nuthin’ nut Net is priceless, especially the sound of the ball sliding through the net…with no other sound…mmmm.

2. Bread n’ Butter Shot. When I was younger, my Bread n’ Butter shot was just to the right and a few steps behind the free throw line. I’m pretty confident that if I shot hoops more often, this would still be my money shot.

3. Solitude. Well this is just my preference but shooting hoops is one of a few things I really prefer doing alone (at least I think I do). You get the hoop to yourself. You get the ball to yourself. No one’s trying to block you and mess you up. You get to spend time in your thoughts or in prayer or thinking about nothing at all. And you get to compete with yourself. That being said I do enjoy a good game of HORSE. Surprisingly…I really dislike playing the actual game of basketball.

4. Creativity. When I had my own hoop and was out shooting at it every other day, I got really creative. I’d try shots from on my stairs, from behind the hoop, from the road in front of my house, my sister and I have even been known to play a good game of roller basketball – shooting hoops while on rollerblades. Unfortunately for me, roller basketball left me injured more often than not, so eventually I shied away from that pastime…

5. Ease. No matter how tired you are, or how sick you’ve been, or how full of food you are…its likely that you can still go out and shoot at least three baskets. I tended to feel better once I’d shot some hoop even if I was tired, sick, full or all of the above.

Does this make me a Hoosier to the core?