Perhaps it was sometime in early November when I reached out to many of my former players through Facebook. This message has been developing in my head for some time and I knew it was only a matter of time before thoughts would organize…and perhaps we are there now. I see many of you everyday when I enter my office.
I have team pictures from several seasons hanging on my wall. They are the only pictures I have on my wall for several reasons. One is that in the work I do, pictures of family do not get put out, but a second reason is that I’m still a coach…I’m just on the sidelines of a different court now.
As a background for others, I was a middle school basketball coach for 3 years from 2005-2007, and then the head high school basketball coach from the 2007-08 season through the 2009-2010 seasons at Resurrection Christian School (RCS).
I gave my resignation in June 2010 because I clearly felt the young men still in the program were ready to take the next step, and needed a real coach to get them there. The right coach came along and the boys got to the state tourney and placed 3rd two years later.
However, this isn’t about basketball…and my commitment to coaching was never about basketball anyway…although, if you were to ask my wife, she would say that on more than a few occasions, she would remind me this wasn’t Muncie Central and we weren’t in Indiana. I’m intense…I get that. I think most coaches are.
Let’s get to the point here:
I’m going to talk about some things from our time together, but it all has a present-day and a future point to it. Otherwise, I would only be reminiscing, and this would be a waste of your time.
I remember when I first took over the high school program…it was January 12, 2008. The head coach had been fired mid-season and some of you were about to quit the team. Others played for me in middle school but weren’t even playing at this point and I had to go find you in the school hallways and recruit you.
To the seniors from that first season…Micah and Trent, it was tough. You guys had 4 coaches in 4 years, and for me to come in mid-season…it just wasn’t the way you envisioned your senior year. However, every glamorous high-rise building requires a solid foundation that no one sees and that was who you guys were.
I don’t believe I will ever forget that first season, when we went to Lutheran-Parker in early February. They were a ranked team and at the end of the 3rd quarter, we were only down 4 points. One of the younger players, I know which one but I won’t embarrass you, came running into the huddle at the end of the quarter and yelled out with excitement, “we aren’t going to get blown out!” I was shocked because we were in the middle of a winnable game, and he was excited just to be in a close game…yet, It showed me how damaged your mind sets had become after many seasons of mediocrity.
So, Micah and Trent, your attitude and commitment to making a difference instead of giving up as seniors set a tone and made the game fun again for so many others. The results: more players coming out the next year…and a higher expectation level. You graduated and moved on, writing the next chapters in your own life, but you set a direction for the future for those to come after you.
The following year saw more improvements and more players coming out. We won a holiday tournament for the first time and I could see a transition taking place in your mindset. You were beginning to see yourselves as winners. A program that was only a little more than a year removed from posting back-to-back 1-16 records (I believe) was now respected by other teams in the league. I remember from the days of coaching middle school I use to say I wanted our opponents to look at their schedule every year and circle the date when they played us. Through conversations with other coaches, it appeared this was beginning to take place.
Hang in there…this is not even about basketball…just laying a foundation.
The full court press was our undoing initially. Fear and panic would hit and we would unravel. But the seniors set a tone for being fighters, and you supported the younger guys entering into the program. Encouragement and support was present…criticism was absent…fear began to fade and a vision started developing.
We preached a message of attacking the pressure rather than wilting under it and you guys had the courage to trust us. I remember the satisfaction of watching teams call off the full-court press because you were no longer those same players paralyzed by fear when the pressure hit…but instead, you saw the opportunity to hit hard and fast.
The bible is a book of warfare…and if you will recall, there were verses posted all over the locker room reminding you as followers of Christ that we are to walk in faith and courage…not fear and intimidation.
Which brings me to some present-day thoughts. It was always a dream for me to be a basketball coach years ago. But some time in the mid-80’s I took a different turn in my life and thought the dream of coaching was a distant memory. In fact, I cannot recall ever really looking back once I made that change. So to stumble into the opportunity to coach 20 years later is evidence to me that this was always a part of who I was created to be…my original design…and God was going to allow me to taste and experience it.
In the summer of 2010, I knew it was time to exit this door of coaching. I fully believed God was calling me to coach…but the game was going to be different…the stakes were going to be higher.
So, if I can, for a few more minutes, I’d like the privilege of gathering you guys along the sideline for a time out “chat”. I would like to remind you of who you are, and who’s you are. Your opponent has a full court press that can be relentless at times…but that’s okay…you know how to beat it…you attack the pressure…and when you take back the momentum, you never relax. As we said so many times…you go for the jugular…you don’t back off.
We experienced first hand in our “alone time” how to transform from players paralyzed by fear and intimidation into players of courage and confidence. That “alone time” was practice…all those hours when no one was watching…the early mornings and the later evenings…we practiced and we practiced and we got the fundamentals right. When the fundamentals are right, you win. It’s no different in our walk with Christ. We absolutely need the “alone time” to prepare for our opponent.
We have entered into a time in the game where the pressure to maintain the game plan as followers of Christ is being challenged. In our country, the pressure is subtle…but its intentions are to create distraction and steal our focus. The result is fundamentals become sloppy. As this happens, we are less prepared for the pressure applied by our opponent…and this leads to turnovers…this leads to being ineffective on the offensive end.
As Coach Haidle and I would ask during practices, who signs up to play basketball because you want to play defense? It’s the offense that we all love….but it’s the defense that wins games.
Your generation is preparing to take its position of leadership, and I am asking you men to not neglect the skill development that can only take place in the gym when no one is around watching (quiet time). This is where your commitment to defense wins championships. Defend your quiet time. Do not allow the opponent to interrupt or steal it.
God has placed a vision deep inside each of you…it’s the reason you were created. These gifts, talents, and passions, when developed, will lead you into places you would never have imagined possible…but he gives us the choice. We can practice…or we can …I don’t know…do whatever else a guy does when his commitment level is questionable.
I’m 53 years old, and I’m facing so many questions regarding how far I want to go in following Christ. To put it in a basketball analogy, I’m trying to decide if I’m satisfied with just making the team, or do I want playing time? Then, the question is, “am I satisfied with playing time, or do I want to start?” Oh…it does not end here either. Then, the question is, “am I a player who wants the ball as time is running down on the clock, or am I satisfied with just being on the floor?” Do you think the questions end there? They don’t. Because, then the questions will be, “do I want to be all-conference, or am I satisfied with just being a good player on the team?”
By the way, do you see the common word in all those questions…it’s “satisfied”. When we become satisfied by the things of this world, it takes away our hunger…our focus….our edge. Be careful that this never happens.
Let me return to the questions from a different angle for a moment before I wrap this up. All those questions above were individually-centered. Let me ask you this: will you be satisfied with being a good player on a bad team? Are you okay with your teammates around you having a mediocre commitment level and being unprepared at game time? Are you satisfied with getting your 20 points even if the team loses? I certainly hope not. We need to be leaders in casting the vision, pumping our teammates up, and pushing each other toward the unified goal. You men are called to be leaders in this game of life and the stakes are incredibly high for all of us.
Wherever you have allowed the fundamentals to get sloppy, it’s time to tighten things up. Renew your commitment to the “gym”…the “weight room”… You will find vision and passion there for the next chapters in this fight.
I encourage you to take the fight to your opponent. Don’t play back on your heals. Embrace the pressure and attack it. Why does our opponent get to be the only one with a reputation for being relentless? And one final thought, make those around you better…challenge them, lead by example, push yourself and others because this is a team game…we are all a part of the same body.
Okay, the timeout is over. The referees are blowing the whistle. “Cougars on three!”
Sincerely,
Coach