Top Shots

 In the spring, Jaden and Cody joined a basketball team with their cousin Ryan and some boys from last summer's Farm League team. Their coach signed the team up for various tournaments throughout April and May and a few in the summer as well. Their team, TopShots, played against many very tough teams but learned and grew so much from the experience. It was so fun to watch this scrappy, hard-working team of boys!

Jaden often did the tip-off for his team. He faced off against some very tall opponents!

Jaden also served as one of his team's two primary point guards. He had great ball control and played very unselfishly-- passing the ball off regularly to his teammates. Jaden was a consistent rebounder and a top scorer for the team. His highest scoring game was 19 points! Jaden wasn't afraid to drive the ball into the lane and try shots against bigger players. He always worked hard and played a smart game. It was so fun watching our #15!

Cody was such a hustler for the TopShots! Aunt Kim even developed a nickname for him-- Turbo-- since he was so fast. He was fast dribbling the ball, fast jumping in for a steal, and (my personal favorite), fast in taking the ball away from an opponent who was attempting a fast break. Cody's signature move was turning on his high speed and knocking the ball out of a player's hands before they could go up for a layup. He effectively stole the ball like this so many times without even causing a foul. It was the best play ever to watch! Cody played amazing defense-- getting many steals and rebounds. At one game, Cody got 7 steals! While his strength was definitely defense, Cody also played confident offense and scored regularly for his team. He wasn't afraid to take tough shots and made some great assists too. We were proud of our #24!

The TopShots team didn't have a deep bench, so Jaden and Cody got a lot of playing time. They were often on the court together. It was so fun seeing their twin-minds work and watching them make plays together. Jason enjoyed keeping stats at the game and proudly determined that the boys' best game was when they had a combined total of 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 steals. Wow! 

Because they faced a lot of tough teams, many with much taller and much more experienced players, the TopShots didn't get a ton of wins under their belt. Out of the three weekend games they played, they usually won one game, though! And most importantly, they always fought hard and never gave up. At one weekend tournament, the team was thrilled to win 2nd place medals!

Kao, Ryan, Jaden, Cody, Creed, Jude, Quentin, Teddy

I didn't get very many photos of the boys' fan club, but the two sets of grandparents regularly attended their tournaments. These fans always agreed that all three Schleicher boys were tough, hard-working, talented players. What a great group of athletes!