FLOOR SHOW

Last week we had some special cultural programming preceding our sports event, and we were all enriched. Notice Steve's almost drunken pleasure as the dancers rehearse:

It was the first pre-game basketball discussion at St. Steven's almost completely dominated by dance interpretation. Particularly confusing for some, touching for others, was this scene:

And then, we got down to business with 5 quick games and, perhaps influenced by the artistry of dance, some very similar poses and formations: 

The line between the art of dance and the art of basketball at St. Steven's has always been blurry. We hope you will join us. 

FOUL

Upon further review, maybe there was contact. Of the final four teams, the St. Stephen's league most definitely resemble Michigan State. Lots of half court offense and nothing easy inside. Last week we once again had 4 on 4 with subs, and the living was easy. This week's stat will be: TPG (turnovers per game). Watch for results in the next blog. In the meantime, watch out for Calvin if you're near the free throw line. Thursday nights, 7:00. Divine madness. 

DEFENSE

Eleven is an awkward number at St. Stephen's,but last week we dealt with it gracefully. Check out Joe - the big man coming out of the paint to challenge the three. In the last month we've seen a new shot, the hip-hook, been reintroduced to the finger roll via Big Reggie, seen the proliferation of the headband and felt the spur of March Madness in our running game. Progress continues at St. Stephen's. Like the movie of the week, we have everything - sports, fashion, drama, violence, mystery and history - in one two-hour time slot. 

SKY HIGH

Last week we jumped. We gracefully left our feet and for a moment felt the youthful power of defying gravity. There is unabashed joy in these moments. On the left panel of our tryptych, Jonathan's unstoppable jump hook. In the middle panel, Scott's intimidating defense in the paint, and on the right, Eric's gliding left handed layup. We jumped. We played four on four basketball and didn't get hurt. It was the old team (youngest player, 37 - I think that's older than Shaq) vs. the young team. As expected, experience won early and youth came back late with the extra stamina. 

Will this pass get through Ben's legs and find the streaking cutter for the easy bank? The only way to find out is to show up. Note Eric drawing the double team and Jonathan spotting up.

And here's the full shot of Eric's layup. Everyone stands transfixed at the sheer beauty of it. We don't want to interrupt this delicate moment. It may never come again. Forget about defense. Forget about boxing out for a rebound. This is something to behold. 

February 26 - SNOW EMERGENCY

LAST WEEK, despite the blizzard of '09, we managed to get 3 on 3. Welcome to our newest player, Bryant (as in Kobe), pictured below. That shot went in, by the way. Teams were Mike Dust, John C and Bryant against Tait, Joe and John R. Highlight of the week: Tait declaring, a la Joe Namath, that he would not miss a shot in the final game, then hitting his first six before the clampdown came. Take a good hard look at that St. Stephen's logo. Doesn't it make you want to play? We've not only got game, but the strength to push our cars out of the snow afterward.

Feet well behind the arc. Good wrist action. Squared up. Both feet off the ground. Not falling away. It's a clinic out here, gentlemen. A clinic. 

FEBRUARY 19, 2009 - ACTION SHOT

We finally managed a blurry photo of some hard driving action. 

Last week saw the return of Mike Dust, who still has his game-winning half-court shot intact. We don't know what league he's been practicing in, but apparently it's big time. The team of Mike D, Jon D, Calvin and Steve fought it out with Tait, Scott, Darius and John for a 3 games to 3 stalemate in the crumbling splendor of WPA-era glory at St. Stephen's. It was a strange night - Steve played point guard and Tait played center. The evening's tight defense was dedicated to former Timberwolf Rashad McCants, whose community involvement will be greatly missed in the Twin Cities nightclub community. We are working on our series of trading cards and a survey of current shoe contracts in the NCBL (Northern Church Basketball League) and a home and home series challenge between the Tuesday night and Thursday night crews. Stay tuned. 

FEBRUARY 12 - UNSTOPPABLE

BEYOND THE ARC

Actually, it's more like shooting from Uptown than Downtown at St. Stephen's. Note the perfect form of Darius' jumper. You may want to forward this photo to your kids if they are learning to play. We know a lot of you are following at home, so next week we will start keeping stats. We currently have an opening for a league statistician. Please note that banned substance policies do not apply to this position. Last week's evening ended with a 4 games to 2 series victory for the home team. It will be remembered by Steve's new "argyle" look, some controversial officiating and the infamous "We don't need Dobby" quote. 

DANCE OFF

We have officially replaced the "jump ball" with the "dance off" as an attempt to fill the stands. Other highlights from last week include

• Red-hot shooting from Calvin
  
• A 23 all, next-basket-wins championship game, tied 2 games to 2
• Some witty, gazelle-based humor following the game
• Rumors of "Broomball Paul" making a triumphant return
• Even more three-point bank shots
• Experience (cheating) once again beating youth (playing clean)
• A passing clinic from Darius

Next week, look for the first installment in our series of "you print 'em" trading cards...

STYLE POINTS

January 29 - The Longest Yard

GLOBETROTTERS STYLE

Our camera caught Dobby midway through a high-stepping Steve impersonation. Some say there's nothing like the original. It was a week of grind it out basketball featuring one of the longest games in recorded history (+12:47 over league average) and a heated championship game to break a 2-2 tie. Some dissension was noted between two ball-hungry shooting guards this week, but that's what a coach loves to see. Next week I'm hoping for an action shot that's actually blurry. 

January 22nd - Obama Ball

BALL IN BROOM CORNER!

First evening of basketball under the Obama administration and I have to admit, things felt different. Tait played defense. John R. nailed the three. Calvin yelled "brick" at himself instead of me. We had a total of nine players, played six games (the series fell 5 games to 1 in favor of Team Steve) and no one was (significantly) injured. Still, I've looked through the "action" photos from last week, and didn't find a single photo of a player with both feet off the ground. Maybe next week. 

Welcome to Thursday Night Basketball

Welcome to the official website of St. Steven's Thursday night basketball league - the only place for reliable statistics, photos and interviews from this legendary Minneapolis basketball night. For over ten years, St. Steven's has hosted the drama, the heartbreak, the genius and the triumph that is Thursday night pickup basketball. 

PS For you veterans, note with nostalgia the hard-charging Ukrainian at the free throw  line.