The System that Failed.

Desiring to watch some college basketball, as I usually do on a Saturday afternoon, I came across a documentary I had yet seen. It was about Hank Gathers, a college basketball player from Loyala Maramount who died during a game in 1990. Hank Gathers grew up in the streets of Pennsylvania along side his friend and teammate Bo Kimble. Through basketball, Hank and Bo were able to attend the University of Southern California. However, after a dissapointing 11-17 season, the coach was fired, and they made the decision to transfer. They later found a home at Loyala Maramount, a small school known for its coach, Paul Westwood, and his notorious strategy dubbed "The System". The System, a fast-paced strategy that involved a constant full court press and quick shots/layups, was at first, not to successful. However, with the arrival of athletic 6'7 Gathers and quick 6'4 Bo Kimble, the system obtained immediate success. The system allowed Loyala to average over 120 points per game (the national average then was around 72 points per game) and allowed Gathers to lead the entire NCAA in rebounds (13.7) and in points (32.6). After two successful years, Gathers career was tragically cut short after a heart condition caused him to miss a game, and later, miss the rest of his life. 

Listening to his friends and family talk about Hank, I came to realize how unusual Hank's death really was. To everyone, Hank was a beast. Very strong, very tall, great athleticism, was able to run the floor, and, what people most about him: his relentless desire to work and improve. In fact, Hank had clapsed weeks before during a game, but, being Hank, he quickly got up to say he was okay. Even after being diagnosed with a large heart, he was determined to beat out this condition and not let it effect his play. To many, Hank was an unstopable force, but everyone soon discovered that like everyone else, Hank was human. Everyone that knew Hank Gathers, or college basketball for that matter, were completely surprised how rapidly everything happenned and how quickly Hank Gathers career ended. His suprising death, like that of the death of a King Hamlet, goes to show how quickly life can end. In Hamlet, Hamlet's father, who seemed to have much going for him, had his life aburptly ended by his brother. Both of these are examples of how life, like anything else, is a previlage that often times is fragile. That being said, we should not take it for granted. Too often we get caught up in our lives. There will be times where you will believe your life can't get anyworse or times where you believe you are invincible and forget the consequences of your decisions. The point is, we forget that we are blessed to be living in the first place. So as you read this blog post, though I know it isn't November, please take the time to appreciate your existence on earth and the presence of those around you.

Promise Cut Short

The Super Bowl is indeed a time of excitement and promise. The two best football teams in the nation square off against each other with the prize being a super bowl and a spot in history. Fans (About 91 million) eagerly wait for the anticipated showdown and, of course, the always entertaining and ridiculously priced super bowl advertisements. Players, coaches, and staff know that it is the most important day they will have for years to come and most likely, will not get another chance. It’s a special day for many, but a day of painful memory for one. Tiquan Underwood, a wide receiver on the New England Patriots (one of the teams playing in the super bowl), was released today, the day before the biggest game of his career, the super bowl. Imagine, working so hard and putting in so much time just to get to this stage, and then something out of your control undermines all of you hard work. Indeed, he wasn’t an integral player on the team, but unlike some players, he played in 6 games and had catches in 3 of those games. The point is, he did what he could to help the team and though it wasn’t much, it was more than most. Fortunately, Underwood has taken the news in stride recognizing in his tweets that his situation is still better than most and is grateful for what he has. What we realize by these unfortunate events is that Football, and life for that matter, is business. What it boils down to in the end is “What is going give you the best chance of success?” with this case success being a super bowl victory. In the end, players’ and coaches’ egos and emotions have to be ignored and the situation assessed for what it truly is, a cutthroat business. Life too, regrettably, can be examined in a similar light. Put simply, it’s a competition between many players. Everyone desiring to do well and better themselves and their families. Occasionally, this causes us to act without regards to morals or others’ emotions because we so badly desire our own success wealth. However, society excepts this as part of the game, or part of life. It is the necessary collateral that one will suffer in order for others to succeed, thus, you, like Tiquan has, must remember two things in life: 1: Always work hard and ask yourself what you can do to improve yourself/situation and 2: Be grateful for what you are given and what you have for the moment because like Tiquan, you might not have it for long.