Okay, so this week I got obsessed with local hoops after catching a wild triple-overtime game between Lincoln High and Ridgeview. Man, the energy was crazy! Started thinking folks need to know about these under-the-radar ballers in our Northern C division. Grabbed my notepad and went all-in on finding who’s gonna blow up next season.
My Scouting Setup
First thing Monday morning? Dug through my closet for last season’s crumpled stat sheets – coffee stains included. Setup looked janky as hell:
- Old tablet streaming league archives
- My buddy’s playoff notes (dude scribbles like a doctor)
- Cold pizza from Sunday night
Knew I needed live views too. Called up coaches begging for practice schedules. Two hung up on me. Classic.
Grinding Through Game Tape
Spent three nights glued to screen rewinding plays. Eyes started crossing when I spotted Javier Morales – this 6’5″ kid from Westfield. Dude moves like liquid. Not even listed in top scorers but watch his off-ball cuts? Chef’s kiss. Nearly choked on pizza screaming “YES!” when he swatted two shots back-to-back. Wrote “DEFENSIVE ANIMAL” in all caps.
The Stats Trap
Thought stats would save time. Big mistake. Official site hadn’t updated rebounds since March. Found Elijah Thompson averaging 4 steals… but his team’s footage showed him gambling too much. Threw my hands up – raw numbers lie worse than my ex. Had to drive 40 miles Wednesday just to watch him guard actual humans.
Putting Names to Paper
Last night I spread everything on my kitchen table. Highlighters died mid-sentence. Final picks:
- Morales: Tape doesn’t lie. Put him first
- Thompson: Stats say risk, my eyes see lockdown potential
- Katie Dunn: Coach said she’s grown 3 inches since spring – yes please
Deleted two “big names” after re-watching. Felt dirty but necessary.
The Upload Struggle
Finished writing at 2 AM. Went to post… WiFi died. Phone hotspot took 15 minutes to send one thumbnail. Felt like sending smoke signals. Finally saw “published” pop up? Collapsed on couch. Worth every pixel.