You Win Some, You Lose Some

During my time here in Chuuk, I don’t think that I had experienced a moment of speechlessness as I did yesterday afternoon. I was not prepared to do what I had to do. I think this might have been my feeling about the whole thing from the get go. I don’t think that I was prepared for what I was about to do. About 12 weeks ago me and thirteen other guys set off on a journey, to become one. I was unprepared, unskilled, and so very lost. Yet, the guys had faith in me. There has not been one moment that has not been difficult. And still it is very difficult to capture into words. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, or how I was going to be able to help, or do much at all. You see, I was probably the least likely candidate for the job. I knew very little about basketball, I hardly played any sports, and when I did I always rode the bench. How would I be able to lead a team? How could I help teach these players anything, when every single one of them could “school” me in the game? I must say now, that it would have been impossible if I would have done this alone. Lincoln was there by my side the entire time. Whether or not he was actually at practice, due to the fact that he had a lot of other things to run himself, he was a rock that I stood on. He gave me the encouragement that I needed, and he believed in me so much. I could not have made it through this season with out him. That is the beauty of our community. The many dinners that we spent talking about strategy and going over techniques, and things that we could do to help our players. Our team may not have seen much of him, but he truly embodied the idea of being a silent leader, behind the scenes. And so we set off on the journey, I dove into as many books as I could steal from Xavier High School. I pretty much had to learn the game from scratch. I owe so much of what ever I was able to accomplish this season to Basketball for Dummies, let me say that those books are awesome. I placed my faith in God, and let it all ride. Aside from Basketball for Dummies, I owe so much to my dad, who has always been my coach in life. Not for sports or for clubs or competition, but simply coaching me on how to be a better person. My dad taught me everything that I knew about coaching, and if I had any success this season as a coach I owe so much to him. My dad is an amazing man, and I am so blessed to have him in my life. And so the season began, and the boys were amazing. You see I lucked out being blessed with such amazing and talented players. Having time to work together and build a strong team was such a huge blessing. We set out building a family developing a relationship of trust and understanding. Becoming strength for one another when one another was down. I became so enthralled by the game and the joy and excitement that these boys brought me. It gave me such encouragement and strength to get through those difficult and challenging days of teaching, knowing that we had practice right after school. Time for fun. We had a lot of fun this season. Of course it was challenging when half the team didn’t show to practice, or everyone showed up half an hour late, but that’s life, and these guys are in high school. Oh there is so much joy and my heart is filled so much as I look back on the season. There are so many good memories that we shared and created that I will treasure with me for the rest of my life. And no win or loss can ever take that away.

Yesterday, we lost in the first round of play offs to Berea High School. It was a difficult loss, knowing that for some it would be there very last game at SCA. We finished off the season ranked 6th with 3 wins and 4 losses. We were a good team, a strong team, yet we made a few mistakes, and lost a few more games than we had hoped, but it wasn’t a bad season. We went into the play offs very hopeful. We had been working hard, and were ready to take on the world. Yet the world had different plans for us, which is okay. The game had been postponed and postponed again, until finally the day was set. We got ourselves ready, and all hyped up. A great friend from home, had her students make good luck cards for our team, and so at our meeting before the game, I gave them the cards, and we were set. We walked out the court heads hung high ready to play. New secrets and new tricks to beat the team that had beat us in the regular season. Our crowd was huge, there’s was small. We had the home court advantage; everything was looking our way, everything except for the fact that the referees had yet to show up. We waited and waited, and they never showed up. 45 minutes later, we had to postpone the game. We set the game for the next day, I prayed that I could find the referees in time. At 3:30 PM I got final confirmation that all was ago and we began the hyping up and getting ready. We walked on to the court, again, ready to take on the world. It started off good, they were unprepared to handle the new defense that we had been working on for the past three weeks. I was simply amazed that I was able to teach them anything let alone the fact that it was actually working to stop the other team. I was thrilled, calm on the outside, but thrilled on the inside. Yet we still had four quarters to get through. We lead the first quarter 8 to 4. By the 2nd quarter our boys started getting lazy and they began to catch up. We were tied at 16 in the half. It was anyone’s game. I told them like I always had, that “the team that wants it more is going to take home the win, you have to want it more than them”. And so we went out strong and hopeful. Still God had another plan. By the end of the third quarter we were down by 7. Still okay, we still had a chance. Within the first three minutes of the 4th quarter we had closed the gap to being down by 1 point. It was now time to step it up get the ball and take the lead. Yet the stepping up never happened. Our center was fouled out, sending us into bonus, and sending them to the free throw line. Our 1 point margin, grew to 3 points. Another foul made it grow to five. With nine seconds in the game, we did all the fighting that we could yet knew that it was time. Saram had played its last. As the last seconds ran out my mind went blank. I had not prepared for this moment. I don’t know if I had prepared for any moment, but I surely did not prepare for this one. I watched our captain to make sure he did not run out, he was the first one I thought of to hold and comfort. He would need to help me with the team. It was amazing and beautiful to seeing him rise up as the leader that day. Through out the season Jeremiah, our captain, struggled with loss, often times running away from the team after out of fear and frustration. Yesterday he stood strong and fast. Yesterday we lost, yet we lost with honor, we lost with dignity, and we lost with our pride held high. It may have been our last game, but for us it was a glorious moment of culmination, of God bringing together all that we had worked for, all that we had worked on for these past many weeks. And as I approached our boys all seated at the bench huddled together, with tears quelling in their eyes, I was left speechless. I was at such a loss for words as what to say to our team, who has given their heart for this game and for this team, for our family. But I let the team speak, I let the captain say his piece. He spoke with such heart, and such love for his team, for his brothers, and for the blessing that it has been to play with them. And although he spoke in Chuukese, I was reminded again, in the beautiful fact that things like love and heartfelt emotion are not limited to any language but can be felt so plainly, and that the face of God shines that love as he did in the faces of my players yesterday. I told my boys, that in no way did we lose this season. We walk away from this season so much richer, so much greater than when we started before. We were not walking away empty handed. We made history this season, beating Xavier High School for the first time in SCA history. We built friendships and bonds, and last memories that we will hold with us for as long as we allow ourselves to. We learned so much from the many mistakes that we made, and the many things that we shared with one another. We left with a family built strong on a foundation of love and trust, and no scoreboard or referee can ever take that win away. Because in the end its not about scores and points, and good calls and bad calls, as cliché as it may be, its not about who wins and who loses. Its about who allows themselves to be changed by the experiences that they have had and allow themselves to become better people for that. And in allowing ourselves to be changed comes the true grace of winning, bringing God the greater glory.

As we drove around to drop all the boys off at their homes, someone from the road asked if we won or lost. I think our captain answered it perfectly, “It happened just the way God wanted it”.