Basketball Nets for Shandong Normal University

One of the first things we noticed in China was that the Chinese love to play basketball.  The boys seem to know more about the NBA than most Americans do.  There are numerous large outdoor basketball courts on campus that we often walk by.  We've seen the students (boys and girls) playing basketball all year round and at any time night or day that we pass by.  We have seen them many times wearing their heavy coats playing ball in the winter. We've noticed, however, that none of the baskets had nets!  Just an open rim.  We thought this was sad and it occurred to us that this was something that we could donate to the school.  
We've had such a great experience here and we have enjoyed the students so much that we thought it would be a nice gesture to put up nets on their baskets.  After checking around town, we found a place to purchase nice, high quality nets for only about $2 apiece.  Dave spent this morning putting the nets (about 20 of them) up with the help of one of the other BYU China Teachers (Morgan Jones) and some students from an English class he taught last semester.  Below are a few pictures of this morning's activity.  Everyone who saw us putting up the nets were excited.  They were surprised that we were doing this on our own and at our own expense.

A few days after putting up the 20 nets on the old campus, Don Gold (another BYU teacher) and I put up 36 nets on the new campus west of Jinan.  We had lots of student help and had a great time with them while they did most of the work.

 This is Don Gold and I with a couple of the boys who were helping us.

 This is me with Vita (left) and Alice (right) who are not my students but who often visit my classes.  They have become good friends.

 This is Alice putting up a net with Joseph (left) and David (right) steadying the ladder.

 Rita on the ladder with Vita, David, Alice and Joseph

 Boys trying out the new nets.

 Alice, Jackie, Rita, David (on the ladder) Vita and Joseph

 In front, Joseph, and Rita.  Middle row, Mickie, David, Jackie who is the English Club president, Alice and Vita.  In back are me and Don Gold.

Alice, Vita and Rita with their BYU hats I gave them!