casey's Blog
One of the Hardest Parts of My Job
*An entry I wrote back in March, in the midst of basketball season*This weekend, our men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker of a game. It was the last game of the season, senior night, and a huge crowd showed up to support our guys. It was a close game right from the start, and stayed that way throughout. With a win, they would have been 8-6, one of the best league finishes for the team in a long time. And considering all these guys had battled through this year, they deserved this win.
With three seconds left, the other team fouled a freshman. He made one, and missed one, and we were up two, with 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Defense is a strong point for this team, so we all waited and watched, hoping we would shut them down.
A senior on the opposing team made a 35-foot jumper to end it, and take the 51-50 win.
Saying the air was sucked out of the gym was an understatement. The winning bench stormed the court, and celebrated, as our team lined up to shake hands and get out of there.
So that was tough, yes. But I'm not a coach, so those losses don't hit quite as close to home as it would for the guys on the bench. So why was it the hardest day I've had in a long time? Because it was my job to help round up the seniors, and bring them to a press conference.
Yeah.
Imagine four years of dedication to a team and a program that's changed drastically while you've been there. Imagine battling injuries all season, beating teams who thought they would walk all over you, and shocking the league by holding on to second place for a large part of the season. It was one of those seasons. And it ended. It all comes down to 1.9 seconds, and a dagger to the heart of each one of those four guys.
There were a lot of tears. It was all we could do not to cry with them. These guys don't show that kind of emotion easily. They put up a tough front. But that all crumbled in the face of a devastating end to their basketball career. And yet, we had to usher them into the conference, and sat and watched as they struggled to regain control, and verbalize what they think went wrong with the game. We ended it as fast as we could, and got them out of there so they could be with their teammates. But it still hurt. It's our job to make sure that the media get the quotes they need, and that they have the full access they deserve. But we get to know these kids, seeing them play all season, and spend time in the gym. These aren't just random kids to us; we care about them. So to see them in pain, and then have to ask them to deal with reporters is tough. Of course, it's a part of the job, and it's a part of what comes with playing DI basketball, so there isn't much wiggle room there.
But that doesn't mean that it wasn't one of the toughest nights I've had at work for a long time.
Posted: Jun 4, 2009