Buzzer Beater

 And the crowd stormed the court

And lifted him into the air:

Henry Deaton,

Buzzer Beater,

My nephew,

In whom I am so proud.

 

On Monday night, I bore witness to one of the proudest moments in my nephew’s life.

 

Henry has played basketball for as long as I can remember. I have been to countless games to watch him play, so I’ve seen him grow from a child-child to a man-child on the basketball court.

 

For the past four years, Henry has played ball on his school team. While not usually a starter, Henry has been #6 man. I’ve been to games where I’ve seen Henry play a lot. I’ve been to games where I’ve seen Henry play none.

 

Monday night was a game when he played a lot…and it was against his school’s #1 rival.

 

The game was intense. It was fast moving and physical and it saw a lot of fouls.

 

Henry’s team managed to keep the lead for most of the game, but toward the end of the 4^th quarter, it looked like the other team was going to win.

 

Henry had played a good game. He had scored a few points and stolen the ball at a crucial moment when momentum needed to switch to his team’s favor.

 

But when it looked like his team was going to lose, I began preparing what I was going to Henry after the game. “I enjoyed watching you play. I am so proud of you.”

 

Then something amazing happened. Henry’s team had gotten the score within 3 points. Right at the buzzer, one of his teammates, known for his shooting ability, shot a 3-pointer and tied the game!

 

So the game went into overtime, and overtime was just as close as regulation play.

 

Going into the last possession, Henry’s team had the ball. The score was tied. His team needed only to score.

 

The coach had called a time out. The team had decided on their play. But the play went wrong and the person who was supposed to shoot didn’t have the shot. He couldn’t get the ball to the other leading scorer…

 

Yet Henry Deaton was wide open.

 

While Henry is an excellent basketball player, he is not known for his shooting. He offers more rebounds and assists than anything else, so the rival team didn’t think to guard him in the end.

 

But standing on the 3-point line, Henry jumped into the air, shot the ball, and made it!

 

It was the shot of his lifetime!

 

It was what all his years of basketball had been pointing toward.

 

And the crowd stormed the court

And lifted him into the air.

And his parents cried.

And his brothers cried.

And his grandparents cried.

And his aunt cried.

All of us were shaking from adrenaline, and we were each crying tears of joy.

 

Moments like that don’t happen very often.

 

It’s what dreams are made of.

 

And I was able to bear witness to the moment and add it to the canon of my family’s memory.

 

I am so very grateful.

 

And so very proud.