Best Game Ever

We just returned from Ian's last basketball game and it was such a great game. Not because they won but because we have one of the best coaches ever! After our game yesterday (we lost our third game of a 4 game tournament) I was walking out and coach Jim said that he was going try to get Ian the ball so he could try to get a basket (it would be his first of the season). We have no 'star' player in Ian but he is a scrappy kind of guy, trying his hardest and content with the fact that although he never got a basket this season he did steal the ball from the other team several times and blocked a few shots. We were winning this game {which was exciting} and before Ian's second time in the game I watched the coach tell Ian what he needed to do to get the ball and where to be to have a chance to shoot it. Ian went in the game and tried his hardest but had the ball stolen from him and I watched Ian run down the court visibly distressed and trying hard to hold it in as he played. A few moments later he was rotated out and standing next to the coach and he started to cry and I watched the coach give him a big hug, pull away and talk to him and then hug him again. I had to step into the bathroom {my eyes had tears in them and I had a big lump in my throat}. Ian went into the game again with some more instruction on where to be and all the boys made an effort to get the ball to him {if it was feasible} and before you knew it, Ian was passed the ball, he dribbled toward the basket, planted his feet, and took the shot, and it went in! There was such a huge smile on Ian's face and all the boys celebrated with him. I have never been more proud of a group of boys {coaches included}. They all made an effort to make sure that all of the boy's got a basket before the end of the season. It was amazing to watch how proud of himself Ian was and how the other boys were happy for him too.