~:[CH13 - Day 55]:~ More Than Just a Game

 
~:[CH13 - Day 55]:~ More Than Just a Game

Three months ago, the emotions were much different. It's never easy to lose someone that is close to you and even harder when it's so unexpected. When I think back to that day, I can only imagine the pain that each one of these athletes was going through. The struggles they faced and the ups and downs as they faced one of the darkest moments in their life. That's what made this championship different. Today was more than just a game and more than a championships. What easily could have been a season where they all walked away, this team focused in on their goal as they dedicated their accomplishments to their sixth man up in the sky. They worked harder, they sacrificed more, and they worked on all the intangibles that would help bring them to this moments. They played through this season with heavy hearts, but I also think that allowed them to play with the emotion they needed to carry them through the toughest moments of this stretch. To an outsider, sometimes their celebrations may seemed excessive, but in all my years of coaching, I've never felt so emotional after every game, thinking about the weight these athletes had to carry on their shoulders all year. Each time they got closer to what they hoped to accomplish, those emotions that they've carried with them all season take over. Why? Because each of these games is more than just that. These athletes had to face reality all too soon, but I think it also helped them realize how important each of these moments and opportunities are. For many this weekend, they were playing for a championship, but for this group, they were playing to fill a void they had in their hearts all season. I tear up as I wonder if yo_soriii is looking down upon us tonight smiling. I have no doubt that today, he was our sixth man on the court as I felt that emotion on the court coming out of each of these athletes every time they stepped on the floor. I am so proud of this group. To my brother and the coaching staff who became the foundation the team needed in these darkest hours to the athletes who dedicated their all for this moment, I am so proud. Three months ago, these athletes were playing a game, today, these athletes understood that this moment was something more.