Learning from mistakes on the court

James Naismith invented the game of basketball in the winter of 1891, according to the website for the Basketball Hall of Fame. It was created as a sport to play between football in the fall and baseball in the spring. Naismith was a graduate students and gym instructor at Springfield College in Massachusetts at the time. More than one hundred years later, basketball has become a bigger sport worldwide and right here in Emerson, New Jersey.

“What motivates me to play basketball is that it is very fun to play,” Nicholas Benvenuto, a fifth-grader from Patrick M. Villano School, said. “What I like about basketball is if something doesn’t work you have a million plan B’s. You can just restart.”

Benvenuto is part of an Emerson boys’ team called the Eagles. He practices and plays most nights from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.. Benvenuto pause to reflect on his seasons.

“My worst game was when we lost 32 to 14,” Benvenuto said. “During the game we had a play that we never practice before. My best game was in a summer league game, and I scored four points. Two of them were rebounds to assist, and I also played good defense.”

Fellow fifth-grader Lexi Perez plays girls’ basketball for the Eagles. She practices most nights right before Benventuno, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the same gym at Memorial School.

“The thing that I like about basketball is it’s competitive and gives me a chance to win,” Perez said. “My best game was against Hillsdale, 42 to 38. I did really well with passing the ball to my teammates. My worst game was 30 to 12, and I learned to be less aggressive and to pass the ball.”

The Emerson Eagles play games on the weekends. The teams are coached by parent volunteers.

According to one ESPN poll from 2014, most people named football as their favorite sport. Basketball ranked near the bottom with only 6 percent of people saying it was their favorite sport. Fifth-grader Stefan Dibs disagrees, and names two reasons why basketball is his favorite.

“That’s it’s a team game and you get to see your friends,” Dib explained. “My best game was 24 to 6. My worst game was 2 to 13. We learned we should look before we pass the ball.”