Having just finished up about a 3-month stint as an assistant coach in the hugely successful Upward Basketball League, run jointly by Faith United Methodist and Northway Community Church, a big thank you to the Pastors of both Churches for allowing me the opportunity to dip my toes back into the coaching arena after an almost eight-year absence, and helping me to realize how much I enjoy it when someone still calls me Coach. It’s a salutation that never gets old and one that is always welcome for all Coaches, past and present, regardless of how many games won or lost. When former players seek you out and still call you Coach, it’s a wonderful feeling, and you think maybe, just maybe, I helped make a positive difference in that person’s life.
Although a bit rusty in my Xs and Os and definitely challenged by teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th graders the fundamentals, it was a wonderful experience. The kids were so innocent, funny, lively, and sometimes a bit distracted, but overall a wonderful tonic for a lawyer like me who deals daily in many difficult and traumatic situations. The comical words uttered by a number of the young players hearkened me back to the years of my coaching past when I can still recall a player saying things like, “You know, coach, I’d make more baskets if I didn’t shoot so many air balls.” Or more currently, “Coach I’d play better defense if he didn’t keep going past me.” All you can do is nod your head in agreement and laugh!
It makes one realize that Coaching memories are special memories for a lifetime, I suspect both for Coaches and players alike. While those memories may sometimes fade due to the other trappings of life, an experience like a new coaching gig, even with the challenges of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, can bring them flooding back into clarity and makes you remember why you got involved in coaching in the first place.
Shortly after my last Article, “You Had Me At Coached,” we lost Coach Ed Wilson, which stirred many memories of my day’s under his Coaching guidance at Mansfield. They had a wonderful memorial service at Decker Gym. In addition to getting to renew old acquaintances with players, I played with and against while there, we all took turns stepping to the mic to share, you guessed it, our memories of Coach Wilson, and we all laughed and cried about the special times we all shared together.
When it’s time to put away the sneakers and go on to tackle life, it is often the words and the guidance of the Coaches that will often stick with a player and with those who decide to become a Coach themselves, as they have with me over the years. Special memories, and thankful to hopefully always be called Coach!
