ASD Junior Falcons - Closing out the Season

Once we were back in the swing of things with school in January, Connor's basketball season with his middle school team was quickly coming to a close. I was subbing at the school one day and happened upon his locker. I couldn't resist taking a photo; so cool to see his locker decorated with his name plaque.

When it was time for the Junior Falcons' final tournament, Connor's teammates voted to elect a captain for their team. The coaches emphasized the qualities of a leader - dependability, respect, sportsmanship, among others. Connor was excited and honored to be elected the 7th grade captain of his team. We felt so proud of him!

For their last tournament, the ASD Junior Falcons competed against 3 other American schools from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The tournament was hosted by Dunecrest American School here in Dubai. Connor's team managed to pull off a win in the first game against their "rivals" - the Dubai American Academy Leopards (incidentally, Connor's former school!), which is the only team that ever beat our Falcons the entire season.

The ASD Junior Falcons played a total of 3 games before going undefeated into the championship game. Their opponent was a team from Abu Dhabi, and the boys on that team looked so much older and taller than Connor's team. Jeff and Connor joked about 2 of the tallest kids, calling them the Twin Towers, ha! Connor was one of the starters for all of the games and played hard the entire time. He felt defeated a time or two when one of the Towers would so easily block a shot or make a steal, but Connor persevered throughout every game.

The championship game was a close one, with the yellow team keeping the lead for much of the game. Connor's team came back towards the end, and then one of the strong opponent players fouled out of the game. That sealed the deal, as our Falcons took the lead and never lost it again. It was a nail-biting finish, super nerve-wracking, but such an amazing way to end the season for the ASD Junior Falcons. 1st place champs!!

ASD honors its student athletes with a ceremony and dinner for each season. We were happy to watch Connor grace the stage and congratulate their team for a great season. It was such a great experience for Connor, who was almost completely new to the sport. He learned a ton, had a blast with his teammates, and definitely caught the basketball fever!