ver the past years, I’ve made numerous visits to residential and group care centers in North America. When arriving at most centers, usually the first thing that comes into view is a playing area with a basketball hoop. In some centers, the hoop may be rusty and bent. There may be a few fragments of frayed rope, indicating the former presence of a net, or no net at all. The ground below may be lumpy and pitted.

With my fantasies that soon I’ll be out on a court shooting a few with the kids and admiring their best moves, the condition of the courts is more than a bit of casual informality. Rather it is a message to all concerning the importance of activities and the properly repaired and maintained equipment to support them.

It’s hard to imagine that such conditions would invite much play — who wants to try to perfect one’s reverse layup on a hoop that will not properly guide the ball in and through? And how can one drive to the basket when the ball might hit a rock and bound away ? If the kids do come on the court, then the disappointing conditions may be mirrored in their play — sloppy and perhaps rough. Why submit to the discipline of the rules of the game when the court does not encourage disciplined play?

A few examples may help me to make the point of this Soapbox. On a visit to one residential facility I was agog with admiration at its activity program. There were archery, canoeing, swimming and riflery — among others. The area for each activity was meticulously maintained. Equipment was carefully stored. It was used with very specific guidance and support from the staff. To watch the youth fall into the structure, expectations and practice of the activities with interest, skill, and concentration, one would never have guessed the severity of their behavior problems.

On a visit to another program I was enthralled by the "basketball richness" of the campus. There were six hoops — with complete nets — on tarmac surfaces here and there. I was so eager to get on them that I could barely attend to the business I was there for! I was delighted to hear that several staff had organized a successful basketball league for the resident youth with nearby schools and community programs. Had the basketball courts been indifferently kept, I wonder if the impetus for starting the league would have occurred.

What is the 'Soapbox' point of this ? It’s not really about basketball. Just a reminder of the significance of the message given not only to kids — but to everyone — of the importance of well maintained and repaired equipment and supplies to encourage productive activities and ultimately positive growth. When they are inviting and invite proper use, everything gets better — the level of performance and learning in the activity, the degree of self-regulation and harmonious play of the youth, and ultimately, the relationships among all.

So — take a look outside. Does your basketball hoop have a net on it?

From the Soapbox