Ron Pacley

With less than 30 seconds left in Double Overtime of the 2015 WCAC Conference Championship... and the game out of reach... Coach Mike Jones called a time-out. Our team dejectedly huddled up... and you could tell from their facial expressions and body language that we knew we were going to lose. Why would Coach Jones call a time out in a game we couldn’t win? To make sure he taught our team a lesson they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. “Please pick your heads up and look at me. We are obviously not going to win tonight. We let this one get away. It’s OK to be disappointed and upset, I know I am. But it is not OK to show poor sportsmanship. We will lose with class, we will lose with our heads high, and we will lose graciously. They outplayed us tonight. No excuses. This program is about much more than you and much more than how you are feeling in this moment. We will learn from this and choose to use it as fuel moving forward.” Then the team took the court and played hard until the final buzzer. There was nothing fun about watching their fans storm the court, seeing their players and coaches celebrate with unparalleled elation, and hoisting the championship trophy overhead for the cameras. But there was a quiet inner peace in knowing that we lost with class. Life is full of ups and downs. And handling the downs with poise and grace speaks volumes of your character. While losing is never fun… losing with class is what champions do. This mindset and approach isn’t confined to basketball. It’s true in every area of life.