Hero

5, 4, 3, 2, 1,..... Every kid that has ever played basketball has dreamed of this moment. The clock is running out, your team is behind, and you take the shot that potentially could win the game.  Everyone dreams, but not everyone has the chance to see that dream come true.  Last night, on his Senior Night at BBC, the last regular season home game of his career, my son Bobby had the chance to be the hero.  It's not like he hasn't had the chance to carry his team to victory on his shoulders before, he is a 6'9" All-American who averages 19 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, but last night was something special.  This has been a difficult season.  His team, which won 20 games last season, has not lived up to its potential this season and the frustration level has mounted as the end of this, his senior year has approached.  Their opponent last night, Ecclesia, is an NCCAA Div I school that had beaten BBC by 23 in Springdale less than a month ago.  This game was nip and tuck all the way.  BBC got out to an early lead, but by halftime, they had let it slip away.  The second half proved to be even tougher as Ecclesia seemed to be pulling away, stretching their  lead to eight at one point.  With 23 seconds to go, a BBC layup rolled around the rim and dropped out leaving the Patriots 5 points down without the ball.  It seemed that BBC was destined to another frustrating loss.  It was then that lightning struck.  The Patriots stole the ball in the front court, passed to Bobby at the top of the key and he launched a three pointer, just as he was being fouled by Ecclesia's post.  When the ball fell through the hoop, the clock said 16.8 seconds, and hope flooded back into the Patriot team.  Bobby sank his free throw, making the score 83-82, Ecclesia.  BBC then applied the pressure, almost getting a five second call and then coming agonizingly close to a steal on the sideline before having to foul the Ecclesia guard with 10.3 seconds left.  Under the pressure of the moment, the guard missed the front end of the 1&1 and Bobby secured the rebound and called timeout.  The last ten seconds were agonizing, as BBC brought the ball into the frontcourt and Johnny Golden made a handoff to Bobby at the top of the key.  During a moment of confusion between the two defenders, Bobby was left open so he rose up and launched a three-pointer that rattled in with 1.3 seconds remaining to give BBC an 85-83 lead. The W.E. Dowell fieldhouse erupted, but the game wasn't over yet.  After a long pass that was almost intercepted, Ecclesia had an inbound play infront of their own bench with one second left.  Their player raced into the corner and put up a hook shot three pointer that bounced twice on the rim and then fell off giving BBC the victory.  It was one of the most exciting Senior Nights for any BBC player in recent memory.  Bobby ended up with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists and a memory that he will be able to keep forever.
As a father, it is rewarding to see your son living out his dreams.  The kind words of the coach during the ceremony before the game meant a lot.  He said, "Bobby is an All-American.  He has won all kinds of awards for his play on the court.  But he is also the kind of young man that people want to be around.  He is a great young man that God is going to use."  Bobby has at least three games left in his career, two road games at the end of this week, then the first round of regionals.  If the Patriots are able to pull off two wins at regionals, then they will make it to Nationals in early March.  I am excited to see what God is going to do in Bobby's life after basketball is over.  I have no doubt that he will be a hero in whatever God calls him to.

Bobby

The other day, I introduced you to my daughter, Chelsea.  Tonight, I want to introduce you to her best friend and my favorite son, Bobby.  Two children could not be more different than my two.  Chelsea was assertive, strong-willed, and demanding as a child.  Bobby was calm, compliant, and easy-going.  Chelsea would fight with all of her strength to avoid taking a nap.  Bobby would sometimes disappear and we would find him laying down on his bed snoozing without even being asked.  Chelsea was the teacher. Bobby was the student.  When Bobby was in first or second grade, his teacher called us and asked us to tell Chelsea to stop teaching Bobby about negative numbers because his class wouldn't get there for at least two more years. 
One of my favorite stories about Bobby took place when he was about four.  We were on a ski trip in Colorado and for some reason, Shelley had entrusted Bobby to my care. (Probably not a smart decision)  I took Bobby up to the top of the bunny hill and began to show him how to ski across the hill, make a snow-plow turn and then ski back across the hill in the other direction, slowly mking your way to the bottom.  Bobby made it about half-way through the first snow-plow turn and headed straight down the mountain.  By the time I realized what was happening, he was going Mach 3.  He was crouched down and headed straight at the lift mechanism at the bottom of the hill.  I immediately began to think about ways that I could tell Shelley that I had killed her only son, or better yet, escape routes off the back side of the mountain and out into the wilderness where she couldn't find me.  As I headed for the bottom of the hill to pick up Bobby's remains, he just kept picking up speed.  The lift mechanism was surrounded by an orange rubberized fence, which Bobby hit at an approximate speed of 318 mph and to my amazement the fence caught him, stretched to its limits and them catapuled him back at my feet.  When I reached him, he looked up at me and said, "AGAIN!!!!!!!"
Bobby's first word was 'ball' and you rarely saw him without one in his hand.  He started playing T-ball at four and played until he reached kid pitch and got plunked a few times.  Then he decided that baseball wasn't for him.  He started playing basketball in kindergarten and played almost year-round the entire time we lived in Oklahoma City.  When he was in 4th and 5th grades, Chelsea worked in the aftercare program at Moore Christian, so Bobby would stay with her and shoot baskets and play 21 with the high school guys for three hours every day.  In 7th and 8th grade, he played football for Grace Christian and was an outstanding quarterback, but we convinced him that basketball was where his real talent was and that he needed to concentrate on one thing, so from that point on, basketball was his focus.  When we went to Kingspark, Bobby was in seventh grade, and already had developed a pretty good outside shot and could handle the ball with the best of them.  Because it was a Class A Christian school, the Jr. High kids could play up to varsity if they were good enough.  Bobby was allowed to suit up with the varsity and even played from time to time when he was needed.
By his freshman year, I was the coach and he was a starter and he led his team to the State Championship game.  Bobby had the flu the day of the game and only scored 11 points.  We lost by one point on a day when our girls won their second State Title.  It was very disappointing, but I was proud of the resolve that Bobby showed that he was going to get better and that next year would be different.
Bobby's sophomore year at Kingspark, he set a school record in points and assists in leading his team to the State Championship.  That year, Bobby was listed in our program as 5'11".  Over the next two and a half years, he grew 9 inches.  The amazing growth spurt caused him constant pain and when we moved to Grove, he had trouble at first making the adjustment to OSSAA 5A ball.  Fortunately, the transition from unaccredited Christian school to public school allowed him to transition as a sophomore, giving him an extra year of high school ball to make the adjustment.  By his Junior year at Grove High School, he was 6'5" and the starting point guard on a team that was packed with outstanding athletes.  The expectations were high and early on, he was leading the team in rebounding and second in scoring.  But during the sixth game of his Jr. season, he tore his ACL, losing the rest of the season and dashing Grove's hopes of a deep run into the playoffs.  After Bobby went down, Grove lost 7 games by three points or less. 
Bobby had surgery in January and began the long and painful rehab process.  In August, he was playing in the summer program and tweaked the same knee again.  Then in October, he tore the ACL again, threatening his Senior season.  He decided to play the season with a torn ACL and just wear a brace to protect it.  In spite of this handicap, he made all-Conference his Sr. Year. 
His second surgery effectively ended the recruiting process, but during this time, Coach Jason Adams from BBC was actively working to get him to come there.  Within a matter of weeks, both he and Chelsea had decided that Patriot Basketball was about to become a Family Thing!

Bobby's freshman year was marred by a bout with Mononeucleosis that sidelined him for nine games.  By his sophomore year, his knee was strong and he began to show his stuff, making 2nd Team All-Region. 
This past year, he injured his knee again, early in the year, so the first half of the season was pretty slow going.  But in the last ten games or so, he really came on, leading his team to two victories over CBC, their arch-rival and to a berth in the National Tournament.  He was named Regional MVP and First Team All-American and led the Patriots to a 20-13 record, their first 20-win season in over a decade.
Bobby has been to the Philippines with me three times.  He developed some wonderful friendships there and used his basketball skills to influence the Filipinos for Christ.
Bobby is a free-lance photographer and creates stock photos that are used in business publications and a myriad of other uses.  I think it is hilarious that the photo he has made the most money from is one of my messy desk.  I am very proud of Bobby's creativity.
At the moment, Bobby believes that it is God's will for him to finish his basketball career and business degree at BBC and then to possibly pursue a career in the medical field.  Bobby is highly intelligent and very creative, so I can't wait to see what God is going to do with his life.
For all the hilarity and craziness of his sister, Bobby is a perfect match, but his humor is drier and a little more cerebral.  I love it when the two of them get together.  The random nature of their interactions make me laugh so hard that I find it hard to breathe. 
I am proud of my son.  He is a kind, loving, intelligent person, who loves the Lord and knows his Bible.  I believe that he is going to do great things once he finds his niche.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.  I love you, Bud!