Tigers Exemplify Character It Takes To Be A Champion
Posted
Jerad Shaw-
After an incredible win on Saturday night at Elkhart’s North Side Gym, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. It wasn’t because the Warsaw Tigers showed once again that they have the talent to make a deep tournament run. It wasn’t because the Tigers were hoisting another 4A sectional championship trophy. My smile came as a direct result of a group of young men bringing a community and a basketball program together. It’s very easy to lose sight of what’s important in a competitive arena. No matter the outcome, the easiest thing to do is often not what we are taught. Humility and grace can sometimes be very difficult to come by following a win or a loss. Even more so for a group of teenagers that find themselves in the spotlight. With more and more TV cameras in front of them, it’d be easy to forget what matters. Not this group of Warsaw Tigers. Those of us that have followed this group since the season opener at Tippecanoe Valley, we’ve known what was in store for us. A special season was upon us and it had nothing to do with the team’s record. This group of young men conduct themselves with greater success off the hardwood than their product on the floor. That’s saying a lot of a team that is 23-1, ranked fifth in the state and has given up more than 45 points just five times this season. When the buzzer sounded and the celebration began, I saw something that showed me a microcosm of this team. As the crowd filled the floor, senior Riley Rhodes started grabbing his teammates and ushered them toward Elkhart Central to shake hands. They didn’t need much of a push as they were trying to pull away from the pack themselves. No matter how small of an act that may seem, which it’s not, that’s the exact type of behavior you want to see as a coach, parent, or even as just a member of the community. Forty minutes before the the tipoff of Saturday’s sectional final, the Tigers came out and saluted the large Warsaw crowd that drove to Elkhart to support them. That’s the norm with this group. These kids just get it. They don’t settle for doing the easy or comfortable thing. They do what is best for everyone around them and that’s what makes them so special. There isn’t an ounce of selfishness amongst them. More than just tremendous character and leadership, it shows how well these young men were brought up. Whether we look at their parents, teachers or coaches, these guys have been led by some pretty incredible people along the way. We get to enjoy the culmination of all the hard work by those individuals. We get to enjoy a team that does things the right way and does it regardless of the success they’ve had. This team has been able to bring a community together in a way that I wasn’t sure we’d see again. That’s no small task when you think about what it takes to attract our attention away from our phone these days. This group has done just that. They haven’t had to do anything flashy or eccentric. They’ve been a group that has represented their school and the community extremely well. We can take pride in the fact that when they take the floor on Saturday, regardless of the outcome, this is a group we can be extremely proud of. As a parent, I hope that my son chooses the right people to follow and emulate as he grows up. Often times when I’m asked about someone on TV I have to explain to him that’s not the way we conduct ourselves in an athletic capacity or in our everyday lives. I don’t have those worries when he settles in his seat to watch the Tigers. The conversations on the way home eventually lead down a path that reminds me what this team means to me. We as adults see the product on the floor much differently than through the eyes of an unmolded 5-year-old. He understands the difference between winning and losing, but after this year, he understands more about the right way to handle the outcome. That’s because his heroes have shown him the way this season. That’s what it’s about. When the season comes to a close, how will this team be remembered? For me, it’s a team of extremely high-character guys with mental toughness that continue to represent this community in the best possible light. It’s a group that should be extremely proud of the accomplishments they’ve earned both on and off the court this year. I know I speak for quite a few people when I say thank you. Now, let’s go beat Riley Saturday morning!
