It's time to set a better example

It's time to set a better example.  That was the title of an article my former marathon training partner and friend sent me this week after we exchanged horror stories about incidents on a basketball court.  Or appropriately, in a basketball gym.  The article is a good, honest look at our behavior at youth basketball games.  You can read it at the link below.  

I was thinking about the passing of Mike Winklemann, the veteran St. Louis official for basketball, la crosse and field hockey, who passed away this past week.  I had observed him refereeing LHBA 2021 games at C4 and he had a knack for keeping the game in hand with his quiet and friendly demeanor.  We could all learn from his approach in today's in your face world of attack Tweets and political dysfunction and we could surely use more of it at our kids and grandkids basketball games.

I had been at a game several weeks ago where the opposing team spent most of the game calling the guest team's star player ugly, unspeakable names and then, late in the game, after an exchange with the home bench, the player was attacked by an assistant coach.  I emailed the story to my buddy in Maryland, who is a professor at University of Maryland and a high school and D3 basketball referee on the side.  He told me that had NEVER happened on his court in 25 years and then last week, he had his own incident.  I won't go into all the details except that the head coach received three technical, refused to leave the gym, forfeited the game, and then charged into the referee's dressing room dropping F bombs while his apologetic AD was trying to get them to restart the game because the coach was really a "nice" guy.  I guess every official has some kind of story.

So, next time you go to watch your team, your kid, your grandkids or your old school, remember that these guys and gals that put on the striped shirt love kids and want them to get better through learning the rules.  Maybe we should read up on them before we start screaming at them?

Think about it.....

Here's the link:

"It's time to set a better example. "

https://www.tribdem.com/sports/joe-skura-it-s-time-to-set-a-better-example/article_8bb22b34-2dae-11e9-9728-831345022935.html?fbclid=IwAR3VdlmMK8NK4pFW6_i196dDM_ZQ1-USXlR5a_4srGTq7pdTLiLPkQhs6T0

2024 St. Louis Area Boys Basketball Rankings

There are some new sheriffs in town or, more appropriately around town, in the 2024 boys basketball rankings.  I picked up the Reebok results from Cape Giraradeau over the weekend and the Granite City tournament.  Both tournaments had some great teams including the Trojan Still Elite and Jets Orange (both top teams from previous rankings) and the Blue Chips Flight 24 (Granite City Champs) and the Silver Bullets (Cape Champs).  The SEMO Blazers have also resurfaced in the rankings.  The Trojan Still elite continue to wreck havoc on the NCYA Winter League with the Knights Montandon hanging in second place.  And, of course, the CNR league continues to produce good basketball teams in their winter league.

2024 St. Louis Area 7th Grade Boys Basketball Ratings                                      as of February 11th, 2019
Rank	Team		Rating
1	Blue Chips Flight 24		135
2	Trojans Still Elite		134
3	Midwest Elite		129
4	Jets Orange		128
5	Hooper's		127
6	Silver Bullets (Cape Girardeau)		124
7	Arch Elite		124
8	3-D Nation 2024 Select 7th Boys		121
9	Knights 2024 Black Montandon 7th Boys		119
10	SEMO Blazers		117
11	Flight Academy JG / Elite		117
12	St Louis Bulls 2024		117
13	Arch Elite Gray		116
14	Jets Blue 7th Boys		116
15	Seminoles		115
16	Flight Academy (Blue)		115
17	Ladue Blue 7th Boys		114
18	Lightning Levine		112
19	No County St. Louis Eagles (McGhee)		111
20	StL. Storm		111
21	Marquette  Blue 7th Boys		111
22	GoLive		111
23	Supreme Elite Basketball		110
24	Fort Zumwalt South Black Bass 7th Boys		109
25	Program Select 7th Boys		108
26	Fire Elite 2024 7th Boys		106
27	John Burroughs Woodfork		106
28	Mavericks Black 7th Boys		106
29	ERG Ballers		106
30	Pioneer Elite Red 7th Boys		105
31	Western Kentucky Mustangs		105
32	Kipp Triump 7th Boys		104
33	Lutheran Cougars		103
34	St. Louis Warriors Blue		103
35	Coolidge Elite 7th boys		102
36	LHBA Select 7th Boys		102
37	St. Charles West Kilker 7th Boys		102
38	Whitfield Green 7th Boys		102
39	Pioneer Elite White 7th Boys		102
40	Liberty Jr. Eagles Red		101
41	Knights Choate		101
42	St. Charles Blue 7th Boys		101
43	Knights Ramthun 7th Boys		101
44	St. Charles Leach 7th Boys		100
45	Illinois (Illside) Tar Heels		100
46	Webster Groves Orange 7th Boys		99
47	Westminster White 7th Boys		99
48	Flyers Elite Gold 7th Boys		99
49	3-D Nation 2025 6th Boys		99
50	St. Charles Blue Devils 7th Boys		99
51	Francis Howell White 7th Boys		98
52	Parkway West Blue 7th Boys		97
53	Liberty Jr. Eagles White		97
54	The Dogs		97
55	3-D Select 2024 7th Boys		96
56	Ladue Blue 6th Boys		96
57	Seckman Blue		96
58	Self Built Hybrids		95
59	Hoop Squad (Mt. Vernon, ILL)		94
60	3:16 (Jonesboro AR)		94
61	3-D Select 2025 6th Boys		94
62	STL Home School Winfield 7th Boys		94
63	Kirkwood Clippers		94
64	Eastside Blazers		94
65	Lighting Forbes 7th Boys		94
66	Parkway West White 7th Boys		94
67	St. Louis Warriors		93
68	Clayton Greyhounds Orange Espe		93
69	Parkway Central Red 7th Boys		92
70	Fort Zumwalt North Black 7th Boys		92
71	Thunder Hall 7th Boys		92
72	Crusaders Blue 7th Boys		92
73	PB Ballers		92
74	Park Rock  Halter (see 112)		92
75	Marquette  White 7th Boys		92
76	Palmyra		91
77	Pioneer Elite Black 7th Boys		91
78	3-D Vision Basketball Black 7th Boys		91
79	Summit Jr. Falcons Maroon 7th Boys		91
80	Seckman Warriors  Debold Blue 7th Boys		91
81	Lutheran St. Charles		90
82	Avalanche 7th Boys		90
83	Eureka Jr. Wildcats 7th Boys Purple		90
84	Bowling Green 7th Boys		90
85	Wentzville Tribe Blue 7th Boys		90
86	W.O.W Nation		90
87	Eureka Jr. Wildcats 7th Boys White		90
88	Parkway South Blue Saxon 7th Boys		90
89	St. Louis Jays		90
90	Fort Zumwalt South Farrell 7th Boys		90
91	Fort Zumwalt West White 7th Boys		90
92	Knights 2024 Reinsch Team 1 7th Boys		90
93	Seckman White Warriors DeBold 7th Boys		89
94	Mavericks (Park Rock) Sitton		89
95	Mavericks White 7th Boys		89
96	Seckman Warriors  Debold White 7th Boys		88
97	St. Dominic Engelage		88
98	Clayton Greyhounds White Anderson		88
99	West County Basketball Blue 7th Boys		88
100	South City Jets White 7th Boys		88
101	Brentwood 7th Boys		87
102	Warriors White 7th Boys		87
103	Knights Chalmers 2024		87
104	Globogym Purple Cobras 7th Boys		87
105	STP Elite		87
106	Millstadt Vikings 7th Boys		86
107	Aces 7th Boys		86
108	Francis Howell Gold 7th Boys		86
109	Glen Ed 7th Boys		86
110	3-D Vision Basketball Orange 7th Boys		86
111	Sharpshooters (Union?)		86
112	3-D Vision Basketball Academy 7th Boys		85
113	GFS Ballers		85
114	Fort Zumwalt West Silver 7th Boys		85
115	Clayton Greyhounds Espe 7th Boys		85
116	3D Metro		85
117	9 Round Washington 7th Boys		85
118	Bi-State 6th  boys		83
119	St. Charles Thunder Orange 7th Boys STC		83
120	Seckman Williams 7th Boys		83
121	Oakville Black 7th Boys		83
122	St. Louis Gunners 7th Boys		83
123	Machine Elite Team 1 7th Boys David		82
124	Westminster Blue 7th Boys		82
125	Crusaders White 7th Boys		82
126	Webster Groves White 7th Boys		82
127	Webster 7th Boys		81
128	Knights 2024 Reinsch Team 2 7th Boys		81
129	LHBA United 7th Boys		81
130	StL. Home School Blue Knights Duncan 8th		80
131	Fox Reese 7th Boys		80
132	Park Rock Sommer		80
133	M&B Elite Ballers 7th Boys		80
134	Eureka Sauer 7th Boys		80
135	Wright City 7th Boys		80
136	Webster Groves Black 7th Boys		80
137	Parkway Central Black 7th Boys		79
138	St. Louis Blazers 7th		79
139	South City Jets Red 7th Boys		79
140	Wentzville Wolves Blue 7th Boys		78
141	Loberg's Hawks		78
142	Parkway South Red 7th Boys		78
143	Mavericks Blue 7th Boys		77
144	MICDS Benford		76
145	West County Basketball Gold 7th Boys		76
146	StL Lakers 7th boys		75
147	Mehlville White 7th Boys		75
148	Liberty Jr. Eagles Blue 7th Boys		75
149	Christian Middle 7th Boys		75
150	Francis Howell North Black 7th Boys		74
151	Tigers 7th Boys (Flaherty)		74
152	Francis Howell Grey Heggemann 7th		74
153	Fort Zumwalt North White 7th Boys		74
154	Flyers Elite Green 7th Boys		74
155	Ballers Sullivan 7th Boys		74
156	Marquette Green 7th Boys		73
157	Troy Titans 7th		73
158	SCL 7th Boys		73
159	St. Charles Thunder Blue 7th Boys STC		72
160	Mercury Lawing 7th Boys		71
161	Ladue White 7th Boys		71
162	Francis Howell North Gold 7th Boys		70
163	Wentzville Tribe Gold Davis 7th Boys		69
164	Francis Howell Blue 7th Boys		69
165	Tigers 7th Boys (Steiger?)		68
166	Rookies Stoddard 7th Boys		68
167	Fort Zumwalt West Black 7th Boys		68
168	Northwest Blue 7th Boys		67
169	Park Rock Warner		66
170	Mehlville Green 7th Boys		66
171	Fort Zumwalt North Green 7th Boys		65
172	Park Rock Ryle		65
173	Columbia Tigers		60
174	Francis Howell Black 7th Boys		57
175	Team Sacrifice 7th Boys		54
176	MICDS Muhammad  7th Boys		53
177	Oakville Gold 7th Boys		51
178	Sparrows		48
179	Jr. Viking 7th grade Feeder team		42