He of little patience

I just got finished playing some pick-up basketball less than an hour ago, and while I didn't see anyone act like a certain kind of individual I'm about to describe, for some reason I started thinking about it after I was done playing.

Back in July, I wrote an article about pick-up basketball in general -- how great it sometimes can be, but also about how many different types of people I, and others, have experienced while playing. I named ten different personalities of those I've played against or witnessed. And when I named "Stephen A" as the most annoying, I thought my judgement was sound.

That's until I remembered "I got next." No, seriously... he's got next.

For those people who have never played basketball, usually when there's a game going on, the next group of five has next -- meaning they're playing when that game is done. Simple, right? Apparently not.

A while ago, I encountered someone who didn't really get the whole concept of actually waiting his turn. You know, something that's learned in elementary school. "I got next" decided that he was going to jump in front of the group of players who were already waiting so that he could get on the court and play. Obviously, the guys who had been waiting a long time to get on weren't happy, and they refused to let him in front of them.

Instead of backing down, "I got next" chose to do something even worse than sitting on the side and complaining -- he waited for the next game to start and started shooting on that same court. He never moved out of the way, and since there was only one court available, he ruined the rest of the games that day. Everyone left because no one wanted anything to do with him. Not only had he acted like a baby on his own, but he single-handedly spoiled the remaining games.

While I'd agree that "Stephen A," the guy who complains all the time during a game and dislikes everyone who disagrees with him at any point, is surely an extremely annoying individual to deal with on the court, I now have to bump "I got next" to the top of the list. Anyone who walks into the gym and immediately declares that he's on next, no matter who else has been waiting for how long, doesn't really understand the whole concept in the first place.

And really, would you want to play on his team anyway?

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I really enjoy writing about the kinds of people I play basketball with, good or bad. I may add to the list I've thought about and written about from time to time, so if you (if anyone reads this stuff) have any input or experiences of people you've played with, feel free to comment.

Everyone likes playing with other unselfish and good players, but usually the annoying and strange encounters on the court make for the best stories and descriptions.