I think there's an energy, a vibe, that comes from spending so much time in and amongst college students. I've never been able to put my finger on it but it seems like there's an underlying sense of optimism and possibility that permeates a college campus and the surrounding neighborhood. The students are young, obviously, getting their first taste of life as adults, away from home. They're generally happy and that's contagious in a way.
Last Saturday night, J.P. and his basketball teammates got to serve on the "paint patrol" for the Belmont basketball team's home opener vs. Western Kentucky University. We met for dinner at Martin's BBQ on Belmont Boulevard beforehand. Then, several of us parked at our house, had a quick beer, and walked to the Curb Center for the game. I have 4 basketball season tickets and we had additional tickets through our group.
Before the game, I ran into my friend, Scott Corley, who was fairly recently named Belmont's athletic director. Some of the boys, including J.P., got their picture taken (by me) with Belmont's legendary coach, Rick Byrd. Most of the boys attended Coach Byrd's basketball camp last summer, so it was a special moment for them to see him.
The boys worked in shifts, with 4 working the first half and 4 working the second half. 2 of the boys were under each basketball goal, mopping and sweeping in the foul lane at each dead ball. The families, including siblings, were seated together in the stands to the left of Belmont's bench. It's such a special group of people, as I've said many times. It was such a great night and everyone was having such a great time, I hated for it to end.
On the walk home, I hid from J.P., Braden and Benton, leaping out to scare them at various places as their parents laughed. The perfect end to a perfect night of basketball and friendship.
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