His eyes were fixated on the basket as the clock ticked away precious seconds. With the opposition surrounding him in the middle of the key, Garen Harper fired up the shot. No one blocked the attempt; no one interfered with the flight of the basketball.
Two seconds, one second, at the buzzer….GOOD!
It might have only marked the end of the third quarter, but for Harper this was his “ESPN Top-10” moment. Harper’s basket elicited an eruption of screams from the fans and many high-fives from his teammates as he walked off the court and his Warriors’ team leading, 25-9.
“That was one of the best moments I’ve had in basketball,” Harper said after the game. “It was really exciting.”
The Warriors ultimately defeated the Lakers in a City of Malibu Park and Recreation youth basketball game. But that one instant signifiedwhat the fourth-graders and youth of all ages wish for: their moment in the sun.
Every Friday night and Saturday afternoon, boys and girls from kindergarten to eighth grade take the court to play coed basketball. With flag football and AYSO soccer in hibernation and little league baseball yet to start, basketball plays center stage at Malibu High School during December, January and February.
Practices are held one day a week and the kids get the opportunity to play between eight and 10 games during the course of the season. For the middle school kids consisting of grades six, seven and eight, playoffs will occur on February 8 with the championship game set for Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
On this particular day, fourth grade was represented by the Warriors, Lakers, the red team and the green team. While the green team was playing its way to a 21-8 win against the red team, members of the Warriors and Lakers were stretching in anticipation of their second matchup of the season.
Warriors coach Steve Prudholme, assistant coach Royce Clayton and Lakers coach Indy Moore entered the gym moments before tip-off after conducting Little League tryouts at the Bluffs Park for the upcoming season.
Their dedication to youth sports in Malibu is evident year-round with the trio coaching football, basketball and baseball. Coaching takes up a large part of their lives, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Basketball is going great. The kids are really enjoying playing and it’s been very competitive this year,” Prudholme said. “I want them to have fun, play hard and be aggressive. This year we’ve been teaching the team plays, pick-and-rolls, and screens.
“We’ve taught how to play defense with your feet and not just hacking and fouling. The kids have been receptive to it. It’s been good to see a lot of the kids who we started with at five years old and now they are nine and 10, just how much they’ve learned the game and how much they are enjoying it.”
Prudholme’s son, Stevie, and Clayton’s two sons, Royce Jr. and Elijah, are on the team. Stevie has enjoyed learning new plays while teammate Stefan Colburn has gained a better understanding of basketball by listening to his coaches.
“We are having a lot of fun and doing good,” Stevie, nine, said. “We’ve learned new plays like ‘jelly bean,’ ‘skittles’ and ‘gummy bear.’ I like ‘skittles’ because we set a lot of screens and you could get open shots.”
Colburn sets the screens for Stevie to get open.
“I like how you are always moving and doing something else,” he said. “I’ve learned how to set a lot of screens, how to pass the ball and to not be afraid to shoot.”
As for the game plan against the Lakers?
“Coach said we have to move the ball a lot and set picks because they are a physical team,” Colburn said before the game.
The Warriors executed their game plan and made plenty of open shots as they defeated the Lakers, 28-15.
“They come into the program, put in the work and are having fun with it,” Clayton said. “Just seeing the teamwork come together and the camaraderie that they are developing is special.”
Each game is a teaching opportunity for the coaches. Each day is a day of growth for the boys and girls who walk on to the court in search of that one shining moment.
Just ask Harper. Three, two, one…
