I wear my practice jersey backwards.
Somebody has to do it. Before me, someone did. Before him, someone else. After me? I'm sure someone will.
This Smiley kid is just another crazy superstitious athlete.
False. Let me tell you how it all began.
I came into Buffalo a skinny, 155 lb freshman who needed food like a fish needs water. For a little extra "encouragement," my coaches ordered me practice gear a size too big. I would "fill out" and "grow into it," they said.
To my defense I have gained between 15 and 20 lbs since then...but I digress.
My practice jersey sagged like those hand-me-downs from your older, bigger brother. Our jerseys are fashioned like most other jerseys in the world in that they have a V-neck. Well, my XXL-Tall V-neck slung lower than the plunging neckline of a supermodel, leaving all kinds of extra jersey flailing around my scrawny little arms while I played.
Needless to say, this became a bit bothersome.
So to counteract what I like to call the "floating jersey effect," I simply flipped it around. Now, the V-neck was in the back and what was supposed to be the back of the jersey fit snugly up to my neck. All the extra jersey found itself comfortably behind me, out of the way of my arms, the ball and my shot.
Four years later, I still wear my practice jersey backwards. Now it's not so much protection from the "floating jersey effect" - it's more of a silent tribute to those who came before me as well as to the reality that a skinny little guy with a painfully high metabolism can in fact fill out over time.
So to all you little guys out there, keep eating...and be patient, for patience is a virtue, young grasshopper.
