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 Youth league basketball players get a pep talk from their coach.

Some people want to experience a professional basketball game during their life time. There’s nothing like seeing the best of the best at their profession compete on the same stage. I have personally been lucky enough to attend a NBA game myself, and there is nothing quiet like the experience. There is also something about seeing basketball in its purest form, though, that a true fan of the game can appreciate.

Luckily for basketball fans, Sevier County offers us many opportunities to see the game in a way that all fans of the game can enjoy it.

The kids playing in our county in programs like the First Baptist Chuch of Sevierville Upward Basketball Program are not getting paid when they go out and play the game. They are not celebrities or aspiring rappers, like the athletes we see in professional basketball today; they all just enjoy the opportunity to go out and compete with their friends. Even the college game now-a-days is more about an individual trying to get into the NBA than it is about building team camaraderie.

The kids in our local high school programs and in the First Baptist Church of Sevierville Upward Basketball Program have more of a desire to play the game than some professionals because their only motive to play is the love of the game and not the money or fame that may come with the professional game.

This past Saturday I attended an Upward Basketball game that involved 2nd graders. There were no fireworks during the pregame introductions and there was no one who ran to the scorers table to throw chalk in the air (see LeBron James) but they were giving their all just for the fun of playing the game. The environment may be a little different from that of what you would find at an NBA game but, you still have your screaming parents, entertaining coaches, and your questionable calls. That’s just one of many aspects of the game that is offered in our county.

If you don’t have time on your weekends to fit an upward game into your schedule then maybe you can catch a local high school game during the week. The in-county rivalries can be very intense, and the talent level of some players may come as a surprise if you have not been out lately to enjoy one of these games.

As you can see there is a variety of options that is offered for the basketball fan in our county. You don’t always have to drive to Knoxville, Memphis or Atlanta to enjoy good quality basketball game; it’s right in our on back yard.