An Underdog Story

I have been helping a friend of mine coach a 5^th grade boy’s basketball team this year. One of the fathers told us at the beginning of the year, we would be doing a good job if this team had a winning record. Although our boys improved throughout the year, we finished the season with a very modest record of 11-9 and only a six seed in an eleven team tournament. The boys could have been very satisfied with their winning record.

Although we were the last team to get a bye, we played our first game against the number three seed, a much quicker team, and possibly the best team in the league at putting pressure on the ball. By the beginning of the second quarter, we were losing 17-2. Most eleven and twelve year olds would have lost all hope at this point. But by the end of the half the game was 24-12, still an enormous mountain to climb. Our team didn’t give up and kept playing with all their heart and with eleven seconds left in the game found themselves down by one point. Our star player dribbled the ball down the court and put up a shot from about twelve feet out. He missed! And out of nowhere, one of our players who had been struggling all season to rebound, until the second half of this game, grabbed a monster rebound and kicked it out to our point guard who threw up a prayer. The shot landed on the rim and the buzzer sounded. The ball continued to bounce around the rim before falling right through the net. The team rushed the court to tackle the shooter. The parents rushed the court. The crowd went nuts. The Grace St. Luke’s Saints had upset the three seed and won a playoff game.

Now, the boys could have been content. They had exceeded everyone’s expectations. The next game was against the two seed, and the parents and coaches were so proud of the boys. But when the game started against St. Dominic, our six seed, 12-9 team, played tough and competitive against the well-coached opponent. And every time they scored, our team found a way to get a basket. And when the game went into double overtime, our team finally began to take the game away and we walked out with a four point victory. Now, the Saints could have been content with making it to the championship game.

The championship game was against St. Francis who scored almost fifty points in a game the day before. St. Francis had beaten us twice early in the season, each time by about twenty points. They had only lost one time all season. In the back of my head, I had given up most hope and was already so proud of the team. All I was wishing for was for the team to play good basketball and I was excited that we would at least get a second place trophy. Yet at the end of the half we trailed 6-5 in an awesome defensive battle. Our boys were playing great and they kept playing tough. When we went up by four with about three minutes left, I felt we really might become the champions. They went with a box and one defense on our star player to keep him from getting the ball, but other people stepped up and we walked away with a huge 21-11 upset. What an underdog story!

There is an old Haitian proverb: “Beyond mountains there are mountains.” Although this proverb is about patience and the recognition of how difficult life can be, it also describes this past weekend’s basketball tournament. After each challenge, another challenge appears. The GSL Saints had to climb many mountains this season, especially this tournament. The ability to continue to climb after being down by 15 points at the beginning of the first playoff game will inspire me forever.

Life, and especially for me, being a Christian, is about climbing these mountains. We generally consider most people good because they follow the general rules of life or the Ten Commandments such as not killing people or stealing. But to me, being a Christian is about being that underdog. It is about climbing that mountain, only to find a mountain on the other side and continuing forward. We are called to be radical, to change the world, to struggle, to get our hands dirty. We are called to serve the poor, feed the hungry, to forgive our friends and, even harder, our enemies. We are called to do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us. I struggle to do any of these. Life is about climbing that mountain. And that one time I find it in my heart to forgive someone who wrongs me, there is someone else right there asking the same thing, and it becomes even more difficult.

The story of the Grace St. Luke’s basketball team is important because it gives us hope as an underdog. We can do what is right, even if it is an uphill battle. And just like in the playoffs, a little momentum can go a long way. If we start to be radical, serving the poor, forgiving our enemies and climbing those mountains, we can gain momentum, mountain by mountain, and change the world one person at a time.