Home Court Advantage Brings Luck to Elementary Jets

The SKAC (Southern Korean Activities Conference) elementary basketball teams gathered at DIS to wrap up the season on May 16th. Despite the hot weather, players showed great teamwork and participation. Even old familiar faces – Poe and Mckenna – visited to cheer, help referee, and keep score. The home-court advantage and the encouragement from the Mini Jets and Glider inspired the ballers through the finals. 

All the home support made 3rd grader Arthur proud but also anxious. He said, “I was nervous because I thought I was gonna lose and we did, but [still]  we went to the finals.” As his dad watched his game and cheered for him, Arthur pressed on, enjoyed the game, and showed off his great skills. 

He added, “I liked my fadeaway move against BFS and my dad was watching that, so that’s exactly why I liked it.” Despite how amazing he was at the game, he wanted to improve on finishing his passing and shooting skills. 

Poe, class of 2021, returned to DIS to help assist with the organization of the games. He enjoyed catching up with old pals and he helped serve refreshments. He said, “I was able to reminisce about high school memories.” 

As he refereed, he not only showed amazement at the rookies’ moves but also took pride in the accomplishments of new high school referees that filled his shoes. “They were very clear on their calls yet polite to coaches when there were disagreements on the calls.”

On the other hand, some voiced mixed opinions about the quality of the high school refs. Even Mr. Bergan pointed out that they could improve. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that it’s a tough gig, and mentioned a big thanks to everyone who helped make this event go as smoothly as possible. He said, “I think a lot of people when you look at a referee, think it’s an easier job than it is, and once you have to do it yourself, you realize ‘Oh there’s lots of action going on.’ But again, that’s nothing against anything that our kids did. Our kids did a very good job, but we have to make sure that everything is as official as possible.”

Even though this tourney served as Mr. Bergan’s first event as the athletic director, his previous experience back in Iowa helped him organize a successful event. He shouted out some thanks, “Mrs. Jolly was able to give me some words of advice, and Mr. and Mrs. Rouse were very helpful.” 

With strong support on his side, he confidently said, “I think pretty much everything went as smoothly as possible, at least from my perspective. So there’s not really anything that I can do to improve on.”

At the end of the day, Boys A and Girls B teams finished in the finals, while Girls A finished in the semis. All players gave their best efforts to the championship and were heartbroken to face defeat. Nevertheless, the divisions gave unforgettable memories and priceless opportunities for youngsters. With the conclusion of this basketball season, our mini athletes look further forward to next year.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Braiden, Jacob, and Gio show off their Jets tattoo. Photo by Jane Nam.