I haven't blogged in a while. What better time than now. After the end of the season based on COVID19 it was deflating to see both of my sons seasons end. I was actually leaving the following morning to see Brendan and the Huskies in the AAC tournament slated to start that day. My gut just didn't feel right and was telling me they are going to cancel that flight the night before.
Jaylen was leading the G-league in many categories coming off of a G-league player of the week and month.
Brendan was certainly coming into his own as well. Playing more confident than ever and more importantly playing DEFENSE on a level that I have never seen before. Coming from a defensive juggernaut and yelling at him for years for "Not SITTING DOWN" ON D.
Couldn't bring myself to watch old sports....So what have I been doing to pass the time? SCRAPBOOKING
I have attempted to start Jaylen's college scrapbook numerous times over the last 2 years. Each time I tried I was inundated with the MOUNDS of articles and pictures in front of me. The gift of him being a Bonaventure LEGEND and the curse of having to organize the multitude of accomplishments. WHAT A BLESSING.
Doing this was a huge reminder of what legacy he has left for himself and more importantly, how PROUD I am of him. I was able to organize all 4 years, reading every article, and reliving the journey that was so exciting to LIVE. Some tears welled as Jaylen solidified the 1st NCAA tournament win against UCLA since 1970. Me reading - "SHE IS MY BIGGEST SUPPORTER!"
After experiencing the ups and downs of his journey, injuries, snubs, big time finishes and moments of despair, it was fun to read both the negatives and positives of what the writers and critics thought about him. Most gratifying that 99% of the critics had to rewrite their narratives and re-track their doubts by the time he graduated.
As a sports mom when you reread the articles it's like WOW...you did that BOY! I could replay almost every game in my head (from the clutch buzzer beaters to the technical foul with .5 seconds that cost them a win over VCU in 2017.) And despite all the accolades, it still leaves you to wonder if he hadn't missed 18 games over his career due to injury what those numbers would really look like today.
Neither of them will appreciate all the time and what these memories will mean until I'm probably long gone. After all, they are the internet generation. They can just google their names and see their college and professional careers unfold right in front of them on their phone, smart TV, or computer. But one day they will age too and they will have grandchildren that will be able to flip through page after page of their stories. One day they will look at it too and see just what their MOM was thinking and what was important when she was reading the articles and highlighting the "Important" parts.
2020 will go down as a LIFE-DEFINING moment for us all.
I'm hoping although their careers were cut short by the world PANDEMIC they will have a chance to pick up right were their basketball careers left off.
PS...Having them home as adults because of the PANDEMIC has been a blessing in itself. It's been fun. Without this we probably would have never all been in the house ever again at the same time. I'm THANKFUL....WHAT I LEARNED?...I still LOVE them like I did when they were lil' boys in the basement, punching holes in the walls while slam dunking on the nerf hoop. At that time NONE of us had a CLUE what their lives would become...
Signing off
Yalonda
BONAFIED Basketball MOM
LIFEOUTSIDETHE94.COM