I would wager that most of us have heard of sibling rivalry. The competitive nature of siblings can result in intense, and stressful events throughout childhood as they each try to best each other in extracurriculars. Perhaps one of the biggest arenas that this is experienced is in the world of sports. As entertaining as it can be to watch siblings on opposite teams, imagine the energy of a game that pits son against father.
Josh Simmons has been a long-time friend. I have enjoyed watching his career as the head coach of the varsity boys’ basketball team at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School in Austin, TX. Over the years, I have been able to watch several of his games from behind my lens. Once Josh let me know that his next game would be against his father, I packed my camera bag and hit the road to Austin. Joey, Josh’s dad, is the Dallas Thunder head coach, a homeschool basketball organization. Needless to say, I was pumped to be able to get in on such a unique game. The excitement was palpable from the sidelines, and the athletes played with the energy expected in a matchup like this. Defensively and offensively, each team played brilliantly, with the final score of 61-60, Savio.
Coaching against my son was just an extremely fun and proud moment for me. Not many father/sons get the opportunity that we got.
-Joey Simmons (Father)
After the game ended, I was able to get some shots of Joey and Josh together. It was clear that both enjoyed the game as much as the players. To enhance this related affair, was the fact that a few of the players were a part of the family. Caleb, varsity player for Savio, and Kyle, JV player for Savio, are Josh’s sons. Caleb and Kyle’s cousin, Logan, is a JV player for the Dallas Thunder.
“It was a ton of fun! It was a little surreal to see him on the other bench after always playing for or coaching with him. It was a bit of a chess match and felt a little like I was coaching against myself because we know each other so well. I definitely wanted to win, but it was also tough to see him lose. The best part of all of it was to have 3 generations on the court at the same time with my sons playing. It’s a memory that none of us will ever forget.”
– Josh Simmons (Son)