I have to admit that there is one thing that I absolutely hate about basketball. Each and every year it happens…. and always in the same way. It may happen early in the playoffs, or it may follow a lengthy playoff run, but inevitably it always happens. The season ends abruptly.
Basketball can be a grueling season. It starts in November and ends in March. It is the longest of any sports season, covering nearly five months of the calendar year. In addition, any basketball player will tell you that most games are won and lost in the off-season. While successful players and teams realize that basketball is a year-round commitment, the end of the post-season is always such a sudden ending.
The journey of a season is filled with many experiences that shape and mold a team and its character. There is laughter, disappointment, tears, and intensity in each season that gives a team its own identity.
I look back on this season and remember that we started off strong with a 4-1 record after the month of December. A long Christmas break without practice hurt us and we returned in 2011 with two straight losses, one on the road against Carlton that was bitterly tough to accept. Our guys experienced injustice that night but in many ways learned some valuable life lessons from the experience.
In our next six games we went 4-2 with our two losses being decided by a total of seven points. We were playing with the best teams in the area, but narrowly missing out on the big win. As a team, however, and as young men, we were growing stronger and becoming closer as a group.
After two tough losses to Silver Bay and Mesabi East, we finished the season strong and ended up with an 11-9 overall record, which was good enough for the second seed in our half of the Section. We were blessed enough as a team to not have a varsity player miss a single game due to injury or illness. At the end of the season, our team had the number one ranked defense in all of Class A basketball, allowing only 42.1 points per game.
We faced some adversity before our first playoff game when senior captain Ryan Martinson was out with a severe ankle sprain. Our young men responded, however, as the team worked together to win their first playoff game, 54-40.
In our final game of the season versus Fond du Lac, we played a very good game against a very talented and worthy opponent. We executed a game plan to the best of our ability and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end. Despite our best effort, Fond du Lac came away with the victory as we ended our season with a 12-10 record.
What do you say to a team after such an abrupt ending? Are there words that communicate how much you appreciate all of their hard work, dedication, and commitment? How do you tell your seniors how much you respect their character and resolve? As a coaching staff we do the best we can, but somehow the tears shared in the locker room seemed to carry further than any words that were said. We were all a part of something greater than ourselves, and it hurt to see it come to an end.
It was a great year filled with many great memories. I will always remember this year’s team for its tireless work ethic and dedication to improving each and every day. It was a great year….the pit in my stomach reminds me how much I loved to coach this group of guys.
Mitch Dorr, a Cook County High School Class of 1993 graduate, is now a social studies teacher and coach at his former alma mater. Mitch coaches Vikings football and boys’ basketball. Coach Dorr’s comments do not necessarily reflectTh Mi the sotaopinion of the ISD 166 school board or administration.
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