I’m watching the opening game of the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship (SoCon Tourney). The atmosphere is electric – bands playing, cheers, squeaking shoes, and young men giving it their all.
It all starts here. Wofford vs. Georgia Southern. The only way either of these teams has a chance to reach the NCAA tourney is to win four games in four days – clinching their conference tournament.
The Warren Wilson College Owls – who play in the much smaller USCAA – set their sights on a post-season tournament too. A big bump in the road appeared, however, when their coach took another job right before the school year began. One of the team’s leaders, point guard Anthony Barringer, was especially shaken. He had been training hard over the summer working towards the goal of a national championship. Now, Barringer worried that his senior season was going to be a loss. He and I talked about strategies for staying upbeat and focused – how to be resilient. Barringer committed to maintaining a positive attitude as a new coach was hired.
Coach Greg Neeley moved to Asheville and immediately went to work meeting and forming (re-forming) the team. Neeley emphasized a team-first system. The players quickly connected with Neeley, but the chemistry among themselves was slower to develop. As might be expected when roles are not clear, there was too much in-fighting and not enough team play. By late January, the team was 7-10 and not feeling confident.
The guys could have given up at 7-10. They had a ready-made excuse. “Hey, we didn’t even have a coach until September.” But they didn’t. At that point, the coaches made some changes to the rotation, allowing each player to play to his strengths and understand his role better. As the season progressed, the Owls began to win – playing better team defense, showing mental toughness and more heart. They closed the regular season with eight straight wins, and received a bid to the USCAA National tournament. Four straight wins would be needed for a championship.
Resilience is usually seen as a quality. But it’s more of a behavior. “Our guys have been willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,” Neeley said. The next four games revealed the Owls’ commitment to resilience – team defense, a never-give-up attitude, and unselfish play. On the fourth night, March 2nd, having beaten three higher seeded teams in a row,the Owls got off to a rough start against host team Penn State Fayette. Down 36-33 at the half, the Owls got on a roll, out rebounded their opponents, and made their final fourteen free throws. In a tight game. To win the National Championship, 76-68. That’s resilience and that’s the heart of a team.