Raising greatness: Arm Around the Shoulder lI

During my high school basketball career, I played under an infamous old-school, hard-nosed, no-nonsense coach. A look from him could peel paint off the floor. Surviving practice each day was a feat. The only accolades from him came in an almost imperceptible slight nod of approval. Because we lived in fear, we seldom looked in his direction, thus most likely missing that golden moment if it were to ever happen.

Tenacious defense was his love language. We pressed other teams relentlessly. I played point guard, so my job was to press the inbound pass to my counterpart. In one particular game, I discovered another gear. Coach knew it was in there; it just took a while for me to believe. I tenaciously pressed the inbound play and stole the ball from their point guard on three consecutive plays. I took it to the basket for three layups in under 10 seconds.

A whistle blew as my coach, not theirs, was off the bench calling for a timeout. My mind was racing, wondering what I had done wrong. Both teams left the floor, and as I was jogging down from the far end to join my team, the coach met me at mid-court. It was just me and him standing all alone. Instead of a nod, he put his massive arm around my shoulder and said, "Good job, Cook." I can honestly say that hug and those words cemented the most memorable experience of my athletic career—more meaningful than any victory, trophy, or award. His arm never left my shoulder as we slowly walked to the huddle. During the timeout, he told the team to stop pressing and instead pick them up at mid-court for the remainder of the game. He also took me out of the game.

I understood. He realized at that moment that we would do anything to receive affirmation from him, even if it meant unknowingly embarrassing another player, team, coach, or player's parent.

That day, I received two things that changed my life: an arm around my shoulder at mid-court from a most unsuspecting source and a lesson in sportsmanship. In the end, I believe my coach didn't want the player from the other team to miss the chance for a genuine hug from his parents later that day. Sitting on the bench next to my coach gave me time to understand the meaning of both.