Mohigan Journal- 3-22-02
Feeling of Failure, Evidence of Success.
To feel like a failure, yet to have had so much success is a weird
feeling to say the least. The boys of the Mohigan basketball program,
feel like failures right now, but when they back away from their
current feelings and look at things objectively, they will feel the
sense of pride that we all have for their effort. A 22-4 record,
finishing number one in the state, defeating the highly ranked Polar
Bears not one time but two times, late in the season, making it to
the state semifinals, all four seniors having opportunities to play
in college, etc... What more could we ask, other than a state championship?
One team gets the championship, and the rest would like to have accomplished
as much as WE did.
No one really knows what we really accomplished because it doesn&Mac226;t
show from the record, or the honors, or the state tournament win.
It doesn&Mac226;t show from all of the press coverage, or the twenty point
win over West Fairmont. It can&Mac226;t be seen with the naked eye. It manifests
itself deep within the souls of all the players and coaches. Its
a spirit that will always be there for us to pull on when times get
tough or when tremendous effort is needed to accomplish a task or
a feat. When we know that it sometimes takes years to accomplish
our goals, we have an experience that will help us achieve even the
impossible.
This group of seniors didn&Mac226;t start out as a group that would be
one play or one referee&Mac226;s whistle away from winning the state championship.
They didn&Mac226;t catch anyone&Mac226;s eye when they were little. No one said,
"Hey this group will turn out to be one of the top five teams in
the history of Morgantown High." When these seniors were in 7th grade,
and I saw the commitment of the boys and their parents, I knew we
had something special. I didn&Mac226;t say much, because it would be easy
to jinks them. I saw heart and determination. I saw them beat hand
picked AAU teams when the odds were stacked against them; I saw them
overcome huge deficits to win games. I saw that they could shoot
the ball. I saw them defend better each year, taking what their coaches
taught them and translating it into effort on the floor. They drove
back from basketball camp to play a summer league game and returned
to camp in the middle of the night. They spent countless hours in
the weight room. They overcame former teammates with bad attitudes,
hung in there, and never gave up on their dream. They didn&Mac226;t fall
to the temptations of the youth of today. They held firm and now
these young men have a legacy that they and others will look to with
pride, forever.
The success that these players had on the court may seem a huge success
but could pale in comparison with what I believe they will accomplish
in the future. Their success will play out as they make their marks
in the world. Until then we can marvel at the their accomplishments
here at MHS.
Good luck Nick, Bobby, Ronnie and Justin; you will not only be remembered,
but will be missed!