I love working with this year’s young men on the basketball team. We have 16 young men who come to practice each and every day and really work hard at getting better. They are one of the hardest working groups of young people that I have ever coached.
With that being said, I will be the first to tell them how much we need to learn and how much better we can get. The goal is to get as close to reaching our potential as possible. To meet that goal, we have to work together and we have to give our best effort each and every day.
This might be why I was so mad this past weekend. On Friday night, I (our team) experienced the worst officiating of my coaching career in any sport at any level. Fortyseven fouls were called and numerous violations such as traveling, etc. This means that on average, the officials blew the whistle every 30 seconds of the game. It just wasn’t much fun.
As a team, we take great pride in being accountable for our actions. We never blame the officials and I have really tried to keep my composure as a coach. I have had technical fouls in the past and I was even thrown out of a game once when I was younger. I am not proud of those experiences as I did not model the type of behavior that I want our players to exhibit. Friday night we lost to a hard-working and well-coached Carlton team when the Bulldogs made a shot at the buzzer. The officials clearly changed the outcome of the game by the way they officiated, and while our guys knew it, they kept their composure. Not once did a Cook County player talk back to an official or throw a tantrum. I was proud of our guys and how they handled the injustice they were experiencing.
That night on the way home, however, I was just angry at the unfairness of the game. This anger stayed with me all night as I couldn’t sleep. It stuck with me most of the day Saturday and into Sunday. It wasn’t until I attended church on Sunday morning that I got over my anger. Why was I so mad? Why did I have this built up anger within me for so long? Isn’t it just a game?
No, it isn’t just a game. Part of my role as a coach is to lead a group of young men throughout a season in which we learn life lessons through working together as we play the great game of basketball. After the game in Carlton, I had to talk about how sometimes life just isn’t fair. Complaining about injustice isn’t going to solve anything. As a team, we just have to move on and stay together. That’s all that was said after the game.
A couple of hours ago, this same team beat a very talented Silver Bay team, 59-40. Our young men played with passion and really showed a lot of intensity. It was easily our best performance of the season.
What was the life lesson learned? Hard work pays off. Keeping your focus on the goals in front of you is much more productive than complaining about the experiences behind you. Living a life where one expects others to give you things is largely unfulfilling. Our guys had a great practice the day before and their hard work throughout the game paid off. The young men on our team earned a great victory against a worthy opponent.
I was especially proud of senior Will Petty, who came in the game off the bench and gave our team a huge lift. Will has bought into his role and is a total team player. Tonight he played nearly the entire game, played great defense, grabbed numerous rebounds, and hit a huge three-point shot for us in the second half.
While many players may have given up on basketball their senior year if they were not a “starter,” Will has embraced the team. He is a servant leader and tonight his example of perseverance and commitment paid off.
In good times, and even in bad times, the great game of basketball offers a lot of life lessons.
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 reflect the opinion of the ISD 166 school board or administration.
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