Athletics
Spartans News

SG Basketball: Gut Check Time @ Triolet

By Erik Van Dyke
“Look at me. Stop slumping your shoulders. You need to decide right now what kind of athlete you are.
"Because real athletes try their hardest no matter what the score is, no matter how badly the game has gone, or the refs, or how good the other team is. If you want to be the wimpy kind of player whose effort depends on whether things are going well or not, well, that’s your choice. You’re allowed to be that type of player.

“To be clear, I am NOT asking you to all of a sudden become fantastic basketball players. You can’t control that. But I AM asking you to forget the score, forget how fast Triolet is, forget that they’re draining threes all over the place and that we can’t keep up. I AM asking you to try your hardest, with heads held high, and no fear, for the rest of this game. Because that’s what real athletes do. They leave their egos and moods out of it. They don’t care what the scoreboard says or how good the opponent is or how loud the other fans are or what little chance they have to win, they just give it 100% all the time. Are you a real athlete?

“Show me.”

- paraphrased from the coach’s spiel before the start of the 2nd quarter, Triolet @ SC, Mon Nov 18, 2019

Well, they showed me. Your Spartans got up off the mat, doubled their intensity, and fought for every scrap against one of the top teams in the Eastern Townships.

They not only matched them, they scored the next 6 points in a row. Then 2 more.
For the rest of the game, we actually fought them to a draw, outscoring the mighty Triolet 25-23, even tying the game at one point.

For such a young, inexperienced team, this 32-38 loss was eye-opening. We now know what we are capable of. The bar has been raised. What a gutsy performance. What character.

I could not be prouder.

 
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