A Coach's Diary

I walked into the coach's office, and one of the football coaches was sitting at his desk with his head down. I ask him what was wrong, and he said that the 'Big Game Flu' was running through his team. I asked him what the 'Big Game Flu' was, and he said that some seasons, when his team was having an average or below-average season without a lot of leadership and lacking in grit, many of his players would end up hurt when they would play the top teams in their district, only to be healthy the next week against a weaker opponent. Their coaching staff, noticing this trend happening the week of the big game, started calling this phenomenon the 'Big Game Flu.' He said that the 'Big Game Flu' doesn't run through their team every year. The years where they have strong leadership, when their athletes are mentally tough and have grit, and when he has athletes who truly love to play the game and play with and for each other, the big game weeks are the bes...

When I was growing up, there was a school down the street from my house, and I used to spend a lot of time on their basketball court. I was there on nights before big games. I was there during the summer mornings getting work in before most people woke up. I was there most summer nights. I was there when life just got hard, times were tough, and I need to get away. Now, I am there on Friday nights with my daughters and their teammates, pushing them a little harder than they probably want to be pushed, but trying to help them get ahead and stay ahead. Little reminders like this help me remember what these Friday nights are really about - falling in love with the game. The court has always been my safe space. Winning is fun. The games are great. But nothing is better than the sport itself. Nothing is better than having a ball and a hoop.