The young player committed his 5th foul, with applause from the opposing team, as the kid who kept hitting everyone would finally be fouled out of the game.
Looking over at the opposite bench, it was obvious there would be a discrepancy as the final few minutes of the game was played.
The other team only had 5 players in the first place, and the newly fouled out player meant their team would only field 4 kids, versus the 5 on our team.
Our Coach called a timeout to discuss his thoughts with the refs.
“I don’t think we should play 5 on 4, as that wouldn’t be helpful to these kids’ development. This is 6th Grade basketball, not the NBA. I’m going to sit one of our kids so it is fair and balanced with 4 on 4 to end the game”, he said.
Turning back to our players the Coach said, “The rules are that we can play 5 on 4 if we want, but I know you guys can do this with 4 on 4. We are in the lead, so let’s make sure to win it, but more importantly, let’s make this fair and fun for everyone.”
Parents kept quiet, but it was apparent some were upset, and others were impressed.
He went from being just the Coach of our team, to being the Leader of the game.
I decided to take a photo of the moment and thought – welp, this will be a blog post!
Leaders take a stand, great leaders do what’s morally right, the best leaders teach leadership through actions, not just words.
This is a man who teaches sportsmanship, accountability, and respect to the boys in every practice.
Now he teaches it in what he says and what he does, in the midst of battle, in the heat of the game.
He taught it to perfection this night by living it.
As I watched our team go on to beat the shorthanded team, all while we played a balanced and fair 4 on 4, I had to tip my hat to the Coach.
That’s my kind of leader, that’s a guy who lives The Promise, and understands what it means to do what is right.
When have you seen a leader do something you weren’t expecting that raised your level of respect for their decisions?
How do you lead and give everyone the opportunity to succeed?
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~ Jason Hewlett
Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
- Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Mentor
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- Author of “The Promise To The One”
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4 Responses
Love this post, Jason, what a great example of true leadership and understanding the purpose of that youth basketball league!
That’s great of you to comment, Seth. Thank you!
Thank you writing about true leadership which is doing the right thing and teaching it to young people by example rather than winning at all costs. It’s heartening to read about people like this coach when we see so many news stories about politicians and corporate executives who don’t lead with these values and look to win at all costs and, therefore, are not good leaders. We need more leaders like this coach!
Thank you very much Joyce for this great comment. It is good news and fun to share this type of moment. My best to you.