 |
 |
 |
 |
Its the beginning, and it feels like the end. Yesterday we held our first tournament game on the island between all the local schools and even some from other islands. Its a lot of fun to watch all the young talent from these young men. Boys who love to play the game, who sprint up and down the court, who play as a team and strive for every point, rebound, and assist… unfortunately none of those boys go to Windermere.
Perhaps its a cultural distinctive, perhaps its a generational mentality, perhaps its an unholy coincidence, but the boys on our team are defeated before they ever touch a basketball. They would rather quit and not try at all than play and lose.
Now in their defense, we do have the weakest team. All the other schools have dozens of eligible boys on their teams, so much so that many schools have to have an “A” team and a “B” team. Here at Windermere… if you go to the school, you are on the team. It hasn’t always been this way at Windermere, but its the state of reality for what we have presently. And you can only work with what you have.
Additionally, we didn’t have much time to prepare and practice for this tournament (an issue that I hope to remedy next year). Despite their small size, poor attitudes, and lack of ability, they really didn’t do that bad. They bested their high score from last year’s bout. And they make the other team work for their points. A few players rose to the top; most from last year’s team.
As the coach its exhausting, and working with these boys takes the full extent of my patience and endurance. I sincerely question if all the draining stress is worth it. Initially, I decided to resurrect the basketball program in order to make a public statement that Windermere has new programs going on and we’re headed in a positive direction. I believed that it could help bolster our public perception of the school. Subsequently, team sports are inherently against the individualism and laziness that is so prevalent in our world. It teaches the boys how to encourage each other, respect themselves, work hard, engage the mind and body, wrestle with anger and disappointment in constructive manners, and encourage them believe in something larger than their own motivations.
These goals are presently a question in my mind. We lost all our games. The boys seemed to have fun eventually, but dragging these young men against their will to aspire to greatness is costing me more than I can give. If we’re just playing basketball for playing basketball then I am wasting my efforts. Pray that our work with these young men can amount to something more. The season may have just began, but I’m already wishing it was ending.