Eagles Basketball 2023

Last week we wrapped up another basketball season for Bren, so I thought I should post a recap of the season. 

People have often asked me what I think the best thing about homeschooling is. My answer? That my kids' dad and I get to make all the decisions about our kids' education, extra-curriculars, and upbringing. At the same time, if I'm ever asked what I feel the hardest thing about homeschooling is, my answer is the same. And I feel that very acutely when it comes to basketball. 

Last year, Bren played for OPA, but it wasn't a great experience. It was unorganized, and his coach was a volunteer parent who had ZERO basketball knowledge or experience. We were hopeful that OPA's program would be a good fit for us, but it was not. Bren, however, loves basketball and definitely wanted to play again this year. While there are several options for him, we had no idea what direction we wanted to go in. 

Claremore has a rec league that is a part of the Indian Nations Basketball Conference (INBC). Chris looked into that program and decided it would probably be a good fit for Bren for now. He has some growing to do as a player, and we didn't want to get overcommitted or too serious yet since he's only in 5th grade. As an added bonus, we assumed his practices would be in Claremore. 

Unfortunately, Bren was placed on the Sequoyah Eagles team that practices in Sequoyah. While the drive isn't too far for us, we were disappointed to not be on a Claremore team. In the end, it worked out just fine, though.

Eagles Number 2!

There were several really nice boys on Bren's team, although I'm not sure we'll keep in touch with any of them. One kid on his team is named Brantley, has the same birthday as Bren, has a mom named Michelle, is the oldest of four kids where the youngest two are twins! Pretty crazy!

While his practices were not in Claremore, many of his games were. We really appreciated that! Early on in the season, he got to play his friend, Zach. They were excited to see each other!

The one thing they said is that they did not want to guard each other in the game. Well, that's exactly what ended up happening! 

Thankfully, when the game was over, they were still friends!

I wasn't able to go to every game to see Bren play, but Chris did. It was amazing to watch his growth as a player during the three month season.

Bren's team played one game in Pryor. I wasn't able to go that day, and when Chris and Bren got to the gym they discovered Bren had only brought ONE basketball shoe with him! He had worn slides there, so there was no way he could play in those. Thankfully, a teammate had an extra pair of shoes, and Bren was able to play. Sigh.

Bren's coach's name is Justin, and he is a 5th grade teacher at Sequoyah Schools. That was nice because he wasn't at all rattled or intimidated by the boys on the team! Justin was a nice guy and handled the kids and the season well. 

Doesn't Bren look fierce in his official basketball photo?!? 😁

Sequoyah Eagles, 2022-23

Overall, this season of basketball was exactly what we were looking for. Bren was able to learn and grow, and experience winning and losing. He played hard, improved his game, and connected with some really nice people. We hope to stay with the INBC for one more year, then we'll see from there how serious Bren would like to get about basketball.