Thursday, March 19, 2015

Proud Mom, Did I Mention he’s NOT Even my Kid?



We watch him on the court. We see him in the paper and on the news. We read about him, his achievements, records, points and stories online. We follow the story, his success and we feel proud. We feel proud as a school district, as a community and proud that he’s a Tartan. The name is familiar in the Capital Region and beyond. If you follow High School Basketball you know him, well you think you know him. There is much more to this kid, more than what you can read in a paper or gather off a 60 second news segment. 

On the court we all know what he can do. Now, I am not writing this as a family member or a close family friend and I do not work for the school. I am just an acquaintance. I am in the stands at almost every game (for the last few years) as a fellow Basketball Mom and fan. I am a woman so I probably pay more attention to the small things that others may not notice or even care about, but as a mother I think these things are just as important and should be known too. I may not be able to recite his STATS or all his achievements but I can tell you what I have seen, noticed or witnessed over the last few years as a bystander in layman’s MOM terms. 

He never gives up. He plays hard all the time. He’s wants to win. He knows what to do every second of every game.  He’s tough. He’s a leader. He’s a good teammate. He’s not all about himself, he’s about the WIN. The first thing he does after a game is find a man who I believe is his Grandfather and then his parents to hug them. He then talks, hugs, shakes hands with anyone in the gym who approaches him. He says “Thank you” after every compliment. I see all the little kids running up to him because to them he’s a real life Super Star; they want to be like him. I see him smile. I’ve been witness to him making my son feel comfortable, feel more confident and make him feel like he’s part of something instead of just being the new guy on the team. I’ve watched him pick up my son in a car (him going in cars with teen drivers was new to me) yet somehow his reassuring friendly smile and wave to me as I stood there registered as “We will be fine”.  I’ve seen his feisty anger at times yet he always displays good sportsmanship.  I see him encourage and cheer on the second string when they get in the game. He has come up to my Husband and I just to offer his input, opinions or to compliment our son’s progress as a first year varsity player. I see how much the school and community rally around him yet he’s humble. He’s polite. I see his name on the High Honor Roll repeatedly. He’s a crowd pleaser.  He’s the kid that when you ask your own son “Are you upset that you aren’t going to get the playing time this year?” and his reply is “I knew this going into it and NO, it’s still all worth it to be able to work out , practice and learn everyday from the best player in the area”. He is the player I overhear people talking about. He’s a High School Basketball Star yet still just a kid; I take notice of that too, well because I’m a Mom and that’s what we do. He’s a kid that’s got more than game, he’s got heart, you can feel it, and you can see it without even really “knowing” him.  I see it every day because he’s the face hanging on my five year olds bedroom wall. 

You know who I'm talking about.......Right?
Joe Cremo #24 
Good Luck Kid! You make Mom's everywhere proud!

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