Tweeners

Some of life's most difficult shots

As the madness of March approaches, many sports enthusiasts will be heading to local gymnasiums, arenas, or turning on their televisions to take in the excitement of “win or go home” basketball. There will be clutch free throws, vicious dunks, and game-winning three point shots. But for this aging cager, I will be more interested in seeing who can master those uniquely difficult, awkward shots that I have always referred to as “tweeners.”

For those unfamiliar with this tricky shot, a tweener is an offensive attempt that is neither a lay-up nor a jump shot. It’s one that falls somewhere in between, hence the name. They are taken anywhere from three to six feet from the basket and are usually shot over the outstretched hands of a defender—much like the younger version of me is attempting to do in the picture above—oh, to be able to jump like that again!

There are a few different situations where a player finds him or herself attempting this unexpected and very uncomfortable shot, which more times than not is missed. As a post player I often found myself shooting them after grabbing an offensive rebound or whenever I unexpectedly received a shovel pass from a penetrating guard.

Back in my playing days, Vinny—my longtime trainer and coach—would have me practice tweener shots on the heavy-duty, two-layered, steel basketball hoops at Reese Park, where we trained every summer. That court has sadly fallen victim to the pickle ball craze that’s sweeping the nation. If the ball wasn’t a perfect swish on those unforgiving rims you could forget about it going in. It was the ideal place to work on the touch needed to master this most difficult of shots, which, as it turns out, provides a perfect metaphor for life.

Just as there are numerous times in a basketball game that require the deft touch of a tweener, life also requires us shoot similar “shots.” These tough to handle, unpredictable moments require us to adeptly navigate through the unexpected. Often we are expected to finesse our way through these challenges whenever they come up and there is no shortage of times our prowess is put to the test. Here are a few common examples.

The financial tweener. We face these often throughout our lives. They usually come in the form of an unexpected bill that causes us to shuffle bills or dip into savings—if there’s anything in there—when we least expect it. If you have kids these costs seem to be commonplace.

The “keeping the peace” tweener. This often occurs at family gatherings when you realize there are two people suddenly in close proximity to each other who don’t particularly care for one another. This makes things awkward for those who recognize this.

The yellow light tweener. My colleague Eric reminded me of this unexpected decision, one that often faces those of us behind the wheel, sometimes on a daily basis.

The “There’s a bat in the cave, something in your teeth, or your fly is open” tweener. Of course this depends on who you are informing. The shock portrayed on one’s face sometimes alerts the individual as well.

The holiday tweener. The most common of these occurs when someone we were not planning to buy a present for unexpectedly gets us a gift, causing us to scramble as to how to reciprocate. Another example of the holiday tweener—brought to my attention by my colleague, Dane—is when a couple must decide how to split time between their extended families when both live in the same town.

The “I don’t know this person but they know me” tweener. Sometimes it’s in-person, other times it comes in the form of a text message from a person we forgot to put in our contacts. Regardless it’s a tough one to navigate.

The “I wasn’t listening” tweener. This is way more common in men than in women as everybody knows guys are terrible at listening. Using general terminology like “sure” or “ok” to make it seem as though we heard what was said usually results in a dreadful miss.

While most tweener shots we take relate to quick, temporary situations, sometimes they are needed for longer scenarios. Fans of St. Francis University athletic teams unfortunately know this all too well.

In college athletics today there may be no school in the country going through a tougher, more unexpected situation right now than the athletes and coaches of St. Francis University after the school’s leadership made the gut punch decision to move the longtime Division I program to Division III, blindsiding an entire community in the process, particularly the men’s basketball team. After head Coach Rob Krimmel retired from coaching, his assistant, Luke McConnell, was selected to coach the Red Flash starting with this strange transition year. Needless to say it was something that was not on Luke’s bingo card.

What Luke has done this year is nothing short of miraculous. Last summer he was somehow able to patch together a roster by focusing on finding 5th year guys in the transfer portal who wanted one last season of college basketball at the highest level. He’s done this while becoming a father for the first time after he and his wife Sara welcomed their daughter, Emma, last April.

This season, despite their lack of time playing together, his team has been very competitive and has provided SFU fans with some great last-second wins as the sun sets on Division I athletics in Loretto. He’s done all of this with grace, humility, empathy, and the utmost class, which is not surprising.

The picture above was taken by my friend Sam last Saturday after I had the pleasure of being the color commentator for the Red Flash’s game against Mercyhurst. It’s a full circle moment for both Luke and me. He’s come a long way from that six-year-old kid I met back in 1995! It was the second time this year I got to call one of his games, and as with the first, I couldn’t help but beam with pride the entire time I wore that headset. In a season that could best be described as one, non-stop tweener, Luke has thrived, leaving no doubt that when this awkward, unexpected year is over, the program has the right man leading it forward.

Whether we like it or not, life is full of moments where we are forced to shoot some tweeners. And, unlike how Vinny tried to prepare me all those years ago at the intersection of Clague and Wolf Roads, there is really no way to get ready for the tweeners we have to shoot in life. It’s only through the example of others that we learn to make these unique, uncomfortable “shots.” Thanks for showing us how it’s done, Luke!

-Tommy O’Sionnach

*Special shout-out to these ladies on capturing another District Championship! It’s been a fun year! Now lets go on a little run this March!