Justin Riley, whose Chapman Panthers have risen to No. 12 in the latest rankings, is blogging about his experience this season. Here is his latest entry.
From the first time I picked up a basketball at age five to my college days, I could never escape the word “teamwork.”
“Why does it always have to be about the team, coach”?
“Why does he get to shoot the ball more than I do?”
“I am better than he is!”
These quotes bring back memories of me in my high school days of basketball when I struggled with the concept of teamwork and being a team player. During those days, I was known as the kid with talent who would make or break practices. If it was a good day, practices would go really well; if it was a bad day, let’s just say there were several arguments between me, coaches and teammates.
As I entered college, that poor attitude still haunted me.
“Why isn’t coach playing me as much?”
“Coach is biased. I’m going to quit!”
When would the light switch on and I’d finally figure out that maybe, it is not about me? When was I going to finally grow up and realize that the only way to be successful was to put my ego aside and see that “I” don’t win championships, “we” do.
15 years later… the light finally turned on.
For the first time, I can honestly express how it feels to be a part of a selfless team that is willing to do whatever it takes to win. With this attitude and commitment to each other, we are off to a 7-0 start. We just recaptured the Lee Fulmer Tournament championship this past weekend after a four year hiatus from the top.
In the three games of the tournament, we held our opponents (UC Santa Cruz, Cal Lutheran, and George Fox) to a 30% shooting average and out rebounded each team by 14.6. These games were the first defining point of the season because every member of the team had the same attitude: team defense first, scoring second.
It feels great to be connected with a group of guys who want nothing more than to get a chance to play in the postseason and prove to the doubters that we have the talent and can compete with the best teams. On December 9, we begin a three-game home stand against the very talented and well-disciplined Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Redlands and La Verne.
I can’t say enough how much I respect the guys I play with and am very excited to continue down this road of success. As Mia Hamm stated, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team. I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.”