Some Things Can't Be Taught

As I mentioned, I attended my mentee's basketball game on Friday. I got there fairly late (those of you who know me - I actually tried to show up on time, but she didn't tell me it started a half hour earlier than the last game, which is a lot with 8 minute quarters) so I missed the first half and a few seconds of the 3rd quarter. When I saw the score, I assumed, or hoped, that her team was the one up by 30 points. Alas, it was not to be.

After watching the remainder of the 3rd quarter, I couldn't figure out how in the world they got down by so many points. Then I saw the other team get about 4 offensive rebounds in a row and put the ball back and I had a sense. My mentee's team had a few runs late in the game, but they could never really get close enough or get enough rebounds to make a dent in the lead.

The reason I've even decided to blog on this is because of the performance by my mentee. Now I know I may be biased, but the numbers don't lie. She was driving and shooting three's as if they were only down by 5 points, and she played that way all the way until the final buzzer.

That is why I love sports. You can teach someone the fundamentals, how to shoot, rebound, and box out, but you cannot teach heart. And heart is what will take her to the next level. She was fairly down, as one would expect, after the game, but she did crack a smile when I told her how impressed I was with her tenacity. Since she is only a sophomore, she has plenty of time to recover.

And believe me, there will be plenty of colleges waiting for her even if her team doesn't. I'm proud of you, kid!