Alright, so I went down to the courts today. Had this idea in my head, gonna do some “Ibrahim Sacko basketball.” Don’t really know why that name stuck, probably saw a clip somewhere, or maybe I just made it up to give my usual routine a bit of a shake-up. You know how it gets, doing the same old drills. Gets stale.
The court, as usual, was a bit of a circus. So many people. Took me a good ten minutes just to find a hoop that wasn’t completely overrun. Seems like everyone and their dog decided today was basketball day. Finally, snagged a spot on the side court. Old faithful, that one. Rim’s a bit crooked, but it’s got character.
So, I started off slow. Some light jogging, stretching out these old bones. My left knee was already making some noise. The usual complaints. I told it to quiet down, we had work to do. This “Ibrahim Sacko” thing, I figured, wasn’t about flashy nonsense. It was about solid, hard-nosed play. That was the vibe I was going for, anyway.
First thing, I really focused on my dribbling. Not just casual bouncing, but power dribbles, trying to keep the ball low and protected. Right hand, left hand. Crossovers. Behind the back, just to see if I still could without tripping over my own feet. My shoulder started to burn pretty quick. Felt like I was actually working, which was the point, I guess.
Then, it was all about getting to the basket. Drives, drives, and more drives. From the wing, from the top. Tried to finish strong, even though it was just me out there. Practiced a few different layups. Some went in smooth, others, well, they clanked off the rim something awful. It’s always a battle, that consistency. Some days you feel like you can’t miss, other days you wonder if you’ve ever made a shot in your life. Frustrating, man.
I also made myself do a bunch of defensive slides. Back and forth, baseline to baseline. My thighs were screaming. Probably looked ridiculous, shuffling around like that. But I pictured myself guarding some quick young guy, trying to stay in front. That’s the kind of grind I was thinking of for this ‘Sacko’ session. The stuff nobody likes to do but everyone needs.
Took a breather, chugged some water. Watched some of the other folks playing. Lots of fancy dribble moves, long threes that mostly hit the backboard. And when they miss? Oh, it’s always the ball’s fault, or the rim’s, or the wind. Never their own shot selection. Makes you shake your head. Seemed like a lot of them could use a bit more of that fundamental, tough-nosed approach. Or maybe I’m just turning into that old guy who complains about how kids play these days.
Finished up with free throws. About fifty of them. Just trying to get into a rhythm. Dribble, set, shoot. Nothing complicated. Actually, felt pretty good about those. Most of them dropped. A small victory, but I’ll take it.
So, that was it. My “Ibrahim Sacko basketball” day. Not sure if I really captured whatever his style is, or if I just pushed myself a bit harder on the basics. My body’s definitely letting me know I did something. Gonna feel this tomorrow, for sure. But, you know, that’s part of it. You go out, you put in the work, you hope it makes a tiny bit of difference. And then you come back and do it again.
