Last night I was at the Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trailblazers game with my friend Flo. It was a stressful game – we were behind to being, then tied it up and then kept losing our lead to tie it up again… At the end of the game during overtime there was a wild 3-point shot from Eric Bledsoe that won it at the buzzer… I literally jumped up and down in excitement.

At that moment when the ball left his hands I thought for sure he wasn’t going to make it – he wasn’t standing straight and he had a tall (relative I know) defender in his face… but then “swoosh” it was in.

It was at that moment that Flo’s phone let him know that the Chicago Cubs had won the world series. Perfect timing for a great night. 

I join Flo to watch his granddaughter play high school basketball. The Mesquite Wildcats Girl’s Basketball team is a great team to watch – they’re electric on the court. From the moment the game starts to the very end they’re all over the place, making shots, stealing balls and working together.

So last night at the game I was trash talking the Suns and saying how much better the Mesquite Wildcat girls play. I really was. Flo just nods, he’s a fan of his granddaughter’s team too – but I’m not just blowing smoke.

When possession changes the Suns usually just headed to the other side of the court – the Wildcats have a player or two still there, trying to make a play. The Suns had a couple of plays where that happened but not enough for me to be happy.

Also with just shooting hoops. When you watch the girls play they make their shots (not every shot but enough to be amazed) and the Phoenix Suns last night missed easy shots with no guards.

When the girls shoot the ball they could be anywhere on the court – they’ll be watching their opponents and it’s like “oh, I could make this shot” and boom they take it and swoosh… Seriously when you watch them there’s little doubt in there minds that the ball will make it, they just take the shot. I can’t describe this well enough – you’d have to see it in person or in their highlights from last year. Here is Shaylee’s highlight reel from last year. It doesn’t just show her doing shots or dribbling, but her working with her amazing teammates to get the job done.

Maybe this is a coaching thing. Coach Gonzales of the Wildcats was a star player in high school and college herself (she is also Flo’s daughter-in-law)  so she know’s a thing or two bout enjoying and winning a game. Maybe NBA coaches tell their players to just move on and get to the other side of the court or to not believe in their shots… I don’t know. Thankfully the Wildcats have a good coaching team to show them a fun, exciting way to play the game.

The Wildcats are just all over the ball when they play whether its offense or defense they just know what to do and how to get the job done. I’m looking forward to watching their games again this year.