One swish at a time

It all started when our neighbor, Mr. Apicella, offered to put up a basketball hoop in our driveway, not all that long ago. A mere fifty-five years of time travel when I was ten years old.

Three aspiring hoopster brothers’ eyes became the size of silver dollars watching this man of brawn, flex his muscles lifting up the dirt within this odd contraption called a post shovel. Deeper and deeper into the earth, my future godfather dug. Then came the moment we all had been waiting for. He inserted a thick galvanized pipe into the hole, mixed the concrete with water and poured it in. Taking care to straighten the pole, he left it to dry a couple days.

Upon his return, he carried a second galvanized pipe under one arm and a thick marine ply fan shaped backboard under the other. He joined the two pipes with a threaded coupling and tightened accordingly. Next, with rim attached, he slid the backboard up the pole using mounting brackets to the desired ten feet height exactly. All that remained was to put a final coat of weather resistant white paint on the pole and backboard, nicely complimenting the orange rim with pristine white net. We had ourselves a basketball goal that was as sturdy as anything in a commercial gymnasium. Sort of.

Funny thing, during the first couple games the backboard would turn. No matter how much we tried to tighten the seam. Mr. A returned to work a little more of his magic and drilled two holes straight through the steel, attached the bolts and nuts securely and that pole wasn’t ever turning again!

You probably are familiar with the phrase, “If you build it, they will come.” Well, they did, pretty much every kid in the neighborhood, including Mr. Apicella’s two sons, Matt and the legendary, “Soft touch” Al Apicella. What a shot he had and that’s no exaggeration as he would affirm verbally after each release when the ball swished beautifully through the net.

Inspiration and dedication come in many disguises. For Jim, his was Pistol Pete Maravich. Tommy favored number 44 Jerry West. And me, the youngest on the court, and five-foot wonder weighing all of under ninety pounds, it was Lew Alcindor, number 33 of the Milwaukee Bucks! A minor detail that he was seven feet two and would later go by the name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with that patented sky hook.

All the kids of the neighborhood had their game, Dave, Ice, Johnny, Gary, Bobby (he saw himself as Earl the Pearl). What camaraderie and fun we had every night. Never wanted the sun to set. Good thing for that night light by the garage.

Isn’t that how life is supposed to be? One swish at a time.

It’s the beginning of 2024 as I write these words. It’s been a while since I had the inspiration to write another article. This one came because of a feeling. “More than a feeling” as the song by the group Boston goes. A dream that could no longer be suppressed. Ever feel that way about something yourself?

“Helen, I want a home so we can have a basketball hoop. Like the one Mr. Apicella put up for us when we were kids.” She knew the tale as I told it often.

“You would enjoy that,” she simply said.

Let the hunt begin. Not for the home mind you but for the basketball hoop. Click after click. Pound after pound. I love the sound of a basketball bouncing from the ground. Community. Competition. Exercise. Preciseness. Purity of heart. What more can anyone ask for during such turbulent times. Then as if by magic I found what I was searching for at a company called, First Team. Clever name. And if one happens to be on the second team, or even third, who knows what might can happen with a little practice? Enter their Slam In Ground Adjustable Basketball Goal, BP with a vintage 36”x60” white backboard, reminiscent to the one which once graced the driveway of 336 Pleasant Avenue. Would you believe the pole is still there?

Thank you, Mr. Apicella. You brought joy and laughter to a great many kids in the neighborhood who grew up and went on to live lives pursuing their paths of choice. Reading between the lines, this article isn’t really just about a basketball hoop but has far more reaching ramifications in 2024 and well into the future. Think “Kick the Can” from that classic episode of The Twilight Zone.

Joe and Helen Drakeley are authors of INSIDE THE TOP HAT, MAGICALLY FIT, Journey to the Living Room Gym and SECOND CHANCES: A Headhunter's Call. Available on Amazon. They have been entertaining audiences since 1987.

Click here to visit Drakeley Magic website.