Marcus Paige's Emotional Farewell Speech Leaves Roy Williams In Tears

Marcus Paige was a star for the legendary North Carolina basketball program from 2013 to 2017. North Carolina is one of the top college basketball programs currently and historically, and Marcus hit one of the biggest shots in North Carolina history against Villanova in the 2016 National Championship game.

North Carolina ended up losing on a last-second shot when Villanova leader, Ryan Arcidiacono, made a clutch pass to Kris Jenkins who hit a clutch shot from three, but Paige's shot elevated him into being in a position of being mentioned with the best of the best from North Carolina, including Roy Williams, Vince Carter, Dean Smith, and Michael Jordan.

The video below is a clip of Marcus Paige's speech on senior night:

Listen, Learn, and Pay Your Dues
When Marcus committed to North Carolina, they already had an All-American guard who played his position. Marcus could have gone to other schools where he would have been expected to start immediately, but he was willing to go to North Carolina to learn and play behind a more experienced player. He was willing to listen, learn, and pay his dues.

The point guard ended up leaving early for the NBA, and Marcus had to step in and lead the team immediately. He told Coach Williams, "You handed me the keys to the program and to the team and you probably had more confidence in me than I did at the time."

I Believe In You
Coaches, mentors, and leaders have the power and ability to see greatness in their athletes, and sometimes the athletes don't even see that same greatness in themselves. The great coaches know how to use this to impact, change and transform lives.

Research shows that when coaches say, "I believe in you," performance can improve. We all have to overcome doubt, fears, and anxiety. Having someone who believes in us can help us keep going, keep pushing, and overcome those doubts and fears.

Believe in your athletes, and let them know that you believe in them. At 0:31, Marcus said, "The one thing you did is you always believed in me. You always told me, 'I believe in you son. You are going to make shots, you are going to do fine, you are going to be a great player. That allowed me to be confident and grow as a person.'"

At the 1 minute mark, Marcus said, "I started taking note of the thought of the day at practice because it is a lot of words of wisdom. I have tried to be every bit the player that you wanted me to be, but you have made me a better man. I am ten times the better man than who I was when I got here, so thank you." Great coaches can use sports to help teach life lessons, but the athlete has to be willing to listen, learn, and grow too. Growth is a partnership. When I was playing in college, my coach started the first practice of each season with the same quote from Martin Luther King Jr. The quote was, "The time is always right to do what's right." I will never forget that quote. 

The words of a coach become the inner voice of their athletes for the rest of their lives. This is clear when listening to what impacted our athletes and what our athletes remember. Be the teacher, coach, mentor, and leader that your athletes need.