You don't have to be THE Champion to be a winner!

It was a week ago (AND A YEAR AGO) that I watched the Butler Bulldogs come agonizingly close to winning  the NCAA men's national basketball championship, only to have traditional powers Duke and UConn prevail.  UConn is a deserving champion as they were the only team in the NCAA tournament this spring to figure out a way to shut down Butler's patient and ever deliberate offense in that decisive second half.

My colleague Gwen Banta, a Butler grad and longtime Hoosier resident, wrote a great post explaining the meaning of Hoosier Hysteria and its impact upon people beyond the basketball court.  You should read it and the comments as well.

Growing up in Indiana our state basketball championship was unlike any other state.  Tiny schools of under 120 students competed against schools over 2,000 students for the Indiana High School basketball championship.  When your school was eliminated thousands  of Hoosiers would focus on the remaining small schools and cheer them on through the state basketball championship.  It was like Butler(around 4,000 students) taking on the larger national powers through the NCAA tournament. 

I root for Butler because they remind me of the girls basketball teams I helped coach for eight years at two different schools long ago.  Qualities such as:  team over individual, tough defense, patient and deliberate offense, academic excellence, and most of all serving others in the community in a positive way. 

        A REVELATION FROM FACEBOOK

I haven't been on FACEBOOK very long so I am still learning all I can how it operates, but I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with some of my former students who I  coached as a varsity assistant at Harrison and McCutcheon High Schools both in the Lafayette area.

I can relate to Butler being the runner up in the last two episodes of March Madness as our McCutcheon girls basketball team in 1992-93 lost in the state championship game to the #1 ranked team in the state(#5 in the NATION by USA Today)

IT HURTS!!! 

Yet, only hours after the championship game loss I remember feeling a sense of satisfaction that the girls had achieved so much and that they had left everything on the floor!  How can you feel bad about that?  Part of you still agonizes over the loss because of the tremendous competitive nature in you!  The week before in the semi-state(Elite 8) championship we decisively defeated  the unbeaten and #3 ranked team in the state, Gary West, by 15 points and they were ranked #7 in the Nation by the USA Today national poll! 

 RELATIONSHIPS OVER GAME SCORES

Getting back to FACEBOOK, when one of my players found me on FB we immediately started talking about our 1983-84 basketball team at Harrison High School, and what a special team we had and how close every one was to each other! 

It wasn't ten minutes and we talked about potentially listing their income units if the market turned around, and they were over a 1,000 miles away out West.  Talk about a humbling moment!  Carla trusted me enough from our basketball days without even knowing my proficiency as a REALTOR(R)!

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER!!!

One other team member is now coaching girls basketball at the high school level in the state, and she told me that she tells her teams what an ideal coach should be like and she patterned that description after me!  I about lost it! 

Thanks for those wonderful words, Tonja!!!  I know you are a success in coaching and life because of how hard you worked outside and on that basketball court!!!

I finally came to realize through Facebook in posting memories from the achievements of our girls basketball teams that even the players and head coach didn't remember most of the big games.  What matters most is the relationships that were formed in the struggles and accomplishments known as Hoosier Hysteria in our state basketball tournament and that is what matters most!  Pieces of paper fade, medals and rings tarnish, but the  people and the great memories of hard work, teamwork, sacrifice, placing others above your own interests, and giving your very best every single day are the things that matter in time.

I salute my former girls basketball players  from Harrison and McCutcheon High School and all that you achieved and more so what you are doing now!  

I will continue to back the Butler Bulldogs because they remind me so much of our special  teams we had at Harrison and McCutcheon High School and how smaller schools can beat the larger and more talented schools through preparation, team work, tough defense, patient offense, and out hustling the opponent!

         1983-84 HARRISON  Lady Raiders

****  21-3 record;  SECTIONAL and REGIONAL CHAMPS; Lafayette Semi-State "Sweet 16"

*** * only losses were to  #1 Crown Point in Thanksgiving Tournament( by 5 points)  

**** lost to unbeaten Benton Central in the regular season and BEAT Benton Central in the Regional!!!   

**** lost to #1 and unbeaten Crown Point in the Lafayette Semi-State by 7 points .  Crown Point won the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP and their coach said we were one of the two toughest opponets they faced!!!!

PAT BAKER was the head coach and it was my honor to be her varsity assistant coach!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

        1992-93 McCutcheon Mavericks IHSAA State Runner Up

****  SECTIONAL, REGIONAL, SEMI-STATE CHAMPS and STATE RUNNER UP

****  1991-92  Indiana Hall of Fame Champions; played in New Castle Fieldhouse the largest high school gym in the world with seating for over 9,300!

****  Defeated the #3 ranked team in the state, Gary West,(ranked #7 in the nation by USA Today Poll) in the Lafayette Semi-State Elite 8 Championship Game)

****  Lost to defending state champ and #1 ranked team in the state, Kokomo,(ranked #5 in the nation by USA Today poll) in the State Championship game in Market Square Arena in front of over 16,000 screaming fans!

DON BURTON was the head coach and it was a privilege being his varsity assistant!