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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
An idea that’s
out of this gymWHAT was that great line from "White Men Can't Jump"?
(No, not the one that "You are shooting for the Sudan.")
It was something about allowing for wind resistance when sizing up 3-pointers ...
This came to mind when I saw there was something wonderful going on this week, a small college women's tournament with small college names. Names like Florida Gulf Coast and West Virginia Wesleyan and Wingate and Holy Family. And then I saw the best part, the site:
Kilauea District Park.
These tiny tournaments happen every winter, when small schools decide to take a trip to Hawaii as a bonding exercise, a once-every-four-years treat. They round up some competition, maybe a four-team field of other small schools looking for similar experiences, and put together a couple of real games.
Often, they'll rent a place like Klum Gym and play in front of about 15 people; parents who have come along, stragglers who have wandered in.
It's a nice thing for everyone involved. Nobody notices, but they have a great time. They see some sights, they play some games. It's something they'll never forget.
That's why I thought this latest idea was utterly genius. What a cool thing. Kilauea District Park. I could already see it happening, and it was wonderful, with uniforms and whistles, all here under our blue winter skies, with -- despite the occasional threat of rain -- the best weather in the world.
Think of how much fun that would be, playing outside in the park, but with a real team. It was brilliant.
Nobody's watching anyway, why not bounce the ball on the pavement in the shadow of Diamond Head? Why travel 4,000 miles to play in some sweaty, empty, dark bandbox of a gym when you could have all this?
It was the best idea I had ever heard. This would be the new trend. I could envision it, timeout huddles in the fresh air, smiles, a leather ball bouncing off an outdoor hoop. A tournament in the sun.
I went yesterday, to write this great column, to see this feel-good story, talk to these people, capture their happiness.
You know what happens next. Kilauea District Park has a gym.
SO, WRONG AGAIN. And yet I still write about it. Why? Because it should have happened. This is still the best idea I have ever heard of, even if it turns out no one has thought it up yet.
It's perfect. It would be a great "theme" tournament for some of these visiting small schools. Not a pickup game, not a summer amateur "hoop it up." But uniforms, timeouts, officials, the works. Think of it.
The NHL already has. The NHL just played a "legends" all-star game outdoors, to some of the best reviews the league has received in years. Michigan and Michigan State played each other in hockey outdoors a couple of years ago. It can happen. Someone needs to do it.
There has to be a school that doesn't get any gate, or a Division III tournament willing to take this step. It has to happen. This idea is too good not to happen. What a gimmick.
Somebody has to step forward on this. Make it happen. You are shooting for the Sudan.
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Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com