Breaking News: A Retirement With No Regrets

Now that we are approaching Labor Day and the Fall rec basketball season is upon us, it is starting to sink in that I have officially retired from my youth basketball head coaching career.

OMG! Here come the second thoughts!

Will I regret this momentous decision? Am I walking away too soon? Do I have another year left in me? What if I start attending coaching clinics and maybe volunteer at a camp or two? Would I then be able to squeeze out another couple of seasons?

The ramifications of this are imponderable!

Wait? What about Mike?

Uh oh! The designated starting point guard for the last five years, now 14, no longer has the ear of the team owner, general manager, coach, water boy, cell phone holder, apologist, sponsor, traveling secretary and communications/PR guy.

I'm not worried about whether he'll get his equal share of minutes, but who's going to:

• remind him to take the cell phone out of his pocket;
• get him a second water in the middle of the game because he inhaled the entire, original, oversized bottle in the first half;
• tell him to stop fooling around with his teammates and get properly warmed up before the opening tap.

But, now, I'll be able to:

• keep his mother under control if he DOESN'T get his fair share of minutes;
• offer some Ex-Dad Coach wisdom that he won't listen to while he's trapped against a fullcourt press on the side of the gym where I'm standing with the other Fathers;
• get him a second water during the game without having to abandon the bench seconds before the start of the second half;
• And remind him about his cell phone, proper warm up and every other little thing.

You didn't think I was going to stop going to the games, did you?

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