Pothole Prairie by Tim Engstrom

There are sports of all sorts: football, baseball, hockey, golf, skiing, snowboarding, tennis, swimming, diving, track and field, cycling, racquetball, squash, kickball, soccer, waterskiing, skateboarding, sailing, volleyball, rodeo, fishing, shooting, boxing, archery, wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, polo, water polo, pickleball, rowing, kayaking, pool, darts, dance, running, fencing, martial arts, table tennis, badminton, broomball, handball, windsurfing, equestrian, sledding, curling, ice skating, inline skating, automobile racing, boat racing, horse racing, snowmobile racing, geocaching, orienteering, mountaineering, yoga, yachting, hiking, poker, paintball, laser tag, airsoft, ultimate, guts and, of course my favorite, disc golf.

OK, inhale after that long paragraph. Big breath.

But there is one sport that seems to be the purest sport in the world, about as definitive of the term “sport” as there is. The game is called basketball, and it is a thing of beauty. Forget James Naismith. God himself must have created basketball on the eighth day.

It is inexpensive. Once you have a basketball and a pair of shoes, you most likely can play if you can find an available court at a local park or get access to an open gymnasium.

If you only enjoy it as a spectator, major games are shown on TV regularly but schools and colleges at all sizes and levels all across the country host fans watching the game November to March throughout the season. The pros play into June.

By the way, I am more of a fan of amateur basketball. It’s seems more pure than the pros because the opponents tend to play defense and every bucket matters. In the pros, it seems they just trade baskets like a simple shooting contest until the the last part of the fourth quarter, when sometimes they begin to play the game the way it was meant to be played.

It doesn’t take many people to play the game. It can be played solo, just shooting baskets or pretending to play opponents. (And the crowd goes wild!) It can be played one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, four-on-four and, ideally, five-on-five. Substitutes come in and out really easily but without a ridiculous legion of backups like in football.

The rules of basketball are wonderfully simple. Players can call their own fouls if there aren’t referees, and when there are refs and fans watching, thanks to the game’s simplicity, the fans do a fairly decent job of letting officials know they missed a call. Everyone knows what they think should be a foul and what shouldn’t be a foul.

I love the grace that the players display when they jump around the other players, but I also appreciate the contact and courage they show when they collide. I love that the game is so close to the spectators. People at all levels sit a few feet from the sidelines. The players don’t wear helmets or pads, and we can see their faces, their humanity and their athleticism.

I like teams that win with good shooting skills, but I love teams that win with great defense. A solid D at the high school level will garner victories because the more amateur the players, the more effective defense is at screwing up the opposing shots. Smart varsity coaches direct their players to prevent passes. All passes. Even in-bounds passes. Make the other team struggle for the ball because that rock is golden.

I like players who can slash and dash through the opponents, but all that flash means nothing if they cannot learn to finish the shot. Getting the ball in the bucket matters more than a fancy drive. Pure, quick-release shooters are an asset on any team. Every player works at shooting more accurately, while the good ones work at shooting accurately and quickly. Pop. Catch. Release. Swoosh.

I wish I could do that. At my age, I’d probably be a better coach than player. I think I see the strategy and fundamentals of the game more than anything. I am always rooting for teams to take smart shots, have selfless fast breaks, get hands in opponents’ faces, roll off the screens, things like that.

What’s more, I just really like the mentality of people in the sport of basketball. Coaches and players are good people. After being in sports in high school and covering sports on occasion for years, it’s easy to say basketball people don’t seem to have ego problems. They just love a good competition.

I’m glad it is basketball season. I wish the best this season to the Albert Lea Tigers, Pocahontas Area Indians, Iowa State Cyclones, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

Tribune Editor Tim Engstrom’s column appears every Tuesday.