Their games were played, not in Madison Square Garden or the Los Angeles Forum or wherever a big-name-and-money corporate sponsor is willing to foot the bill, but rather in such notable gyms as the Norwin Middle School East and the Sewickley gym in Herminie.
This is, in local parlance, the NBA, but in reality it is the Norwin Basketball Association, made up of Norwin-community players from the third grade through the senior (high school) division.
In the recently completed season, the fourth-grade division entry sponsored by the Norwin Counseling Center, Inc., ran through the season with an unblemished 12-0 record, defeating the six other fourth-grade teams twice each. Take that, Lakers! Take that, Shaq!
Comprised of an eight-player roster, which included Zeki Alikaya, Alex Dennison, Trae Deri, Aaron Kubas, Thomas Morocco, Josh Royal, Ryan Smrekar, and Daniel Sherbondy, the NCC (Norwin Counseling Center, Inc.) averaged 25 points per game, while surrendering 20.
Twice the team was forced into overtime to keep its record intact.
In each game, a different NCC player made a buzzer-beating basket to force an extra period. In the team's closest game, NCC was trailing 27-24 with only three seconds remaining in regulation when one of the players canned a three-pointer. NCC won that contest, 31-29, in double OT.
En route to the undefeated season, NCC easily outdistanced the second-place team, which finished its season 9-3. That second-place squad, incidentally, was the foe which forced NCC into the double-overtime mini-marathon.
Led by head coach Steve Deri and assistants Walt Dennison and Pat Smrekar, NCC practiced one night each week at the Hartford Heights Elementary School gym.
'We had all good kids on the team,' said Deri, a 1983 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, W.Va., where he played basketball. 'They enjoyed practices and the opportunity to play. Our kids faithfully came to each practice and everyone appeared to enjoy our practice sessions. They learned the game and had fun and at the same time.'
There were some 60 players in the league's fourth-grade division. To ensure an opportunity for all players to see action on the court, a league rule stipulated that each player play one full quarter in each half; and no player was allowed to play an entire game. Quarters were six minutes long.
'We stressed defense,' added Deri, who played basketball at Wheeling College. 'There is always a place on this or any other team for good defensive players. Our entire team played well defensively.'
At the beginning of the season, a draft was held to determine team rosters. Among its eight players, the NCC roster included one first-year player. 'Our league was very competitive,' Deri said, 'and our team played well together. 'Our kids came through even in the tough games.'
At practice, Deri and his assistants focused on the fundamentals of skills development and defense. Practices were well-structured, and NCC did not run set plays but made sure that everyone had an opportunity to play and contribute. Practices lasted 1 &*#189; hours and included a routine where each player knew what to expect.
NCC finished each practice with a game of CRASH!, designed to foster additional skills development and emphasize the fun aspect of the league and age group.
In CRASH!, the drill begins with one player standing with a basketball at the foul line, with the other players in single file behind that player. The second player also is holding a ball. The first player sets the drill in motion by shooting a free throw. If he makes the shot, he passes the ball to the third player in line. If the first player misses the shot, he must get his rebound and make a layup (or his next shot, depending on where the ball landed) before the second player, now at the free-throw line, makes his free throw. If the first player does not make that shot before the next player makes the free throw, the player is out of the game.
'We play until one player is left,' Deri said. 'We emphasize proper techniques in shooting free throws, getting rebounds, and making that next shot. Our players looked forward to this end-of-practice drill.'
Deri began coaching in the Beckley YMCA league while he was in high school, and later coached a girls AAU team. 'I enjoyed coaching this fourth-grade team,' he said. 'These kids were enthusiastic about not just playing, but also in learning about the game. That's what made it so much fun.'
