It's All In The Jockstrap

Gone like the art of knocking down the mid-range jumpshot, there is an icon of the game that has slowly but surely dissolved from the sport of basketball. I speak of none other than the jockstrap.

However, just as surely as JT brought "SexyBack", I have taken it upon myself to revive this humble accessory by donning jock for both our games this past week,...and hasn't it been a revelation for my game.

Now the first twelve games of the season, I tried to run with the pack and wear these compression shorts that are all the rage in "support" with athletes round the globe nowadays. It took me awhile to come around, but I finally came to realise that sometimes you have to stop pretending and go back to who you really are.

I am "old school". I am stuck in my ways and now that I can say it out loud, life is beginning to pick up again. And just quietly I think the chics will be digging me now that they know I'm strapped.

You may ask yourself how an Aussie comes to have this type of relationship with the humble jockstrap, as it never came into fashion in AUS.

It all started back in the day, the very first time I set foot into the locker room at Gonzaga University. There in my locker sat six pair of gleaming, lily white jockstraps calling out to me, "Are you ready for the best support of your life?".

I had a tough decision to make. Did I ditch my "Seven Days in Rio" briefs that had taken me this far in life or was it time to embrace a new culture and try out what felt to me like the male version of a G-String for the rest of my days on the court?

After a few moments of soul searching and a few more deep breaths I took the plunge. What a liberating experience it was. I can distinctly remember the day, October 15, 1992.

So from that day forward, I had never swayed from my devotion. That was until this season.

What, you may ask yourself, caused this sudden change of heart after rocking the jock for 16 years? It all boiled down to the intersection of two of my life mantras, the second being, "If it's free, it's me,".

You see, I get free stuff given to me here and there and, for the most part, I'll give it a crack. Thus when a pair of these new fangled compression undergarments made their way to my locker, I though it may just be time for this ol' dog to learn some new tricks. And you know how that saying goes,...

Yes, over the years many a teammate has done a double take at my friend the jockstrap as he comes out for another game. I'm not going to lie, one even had to ask what it was I was putting on.

So relax fans, readers, and hoop dreamers, all is right in JR's world (and game) again.