For the better part of the last six months, I was wondering what moment would be the one that stuck with me the most from my first year of coaching. My wish was for it to be lifting a banner after our final game, knowing our girls had accomplished all their goals and put together everything we had to teach over the long stretch.

Now, I know it’s going to be remembering the moment our coaching staff had to face those 12 wonderful young athletes after they did everything we asked and tell them they couldn’t win. I’ll remember that moment, and their faces, forever. Some were soaked with tears and others, like mine, that were frozen in utter disbelief. 

Weirdly, as we all tried to cope with the decision by NACA organizers that kept our team (which finished the week 3-0) out of title contention, I realized I wanted to coach for as long as I could. In that moment, I found a group of athletes, coaches and parents that meant everything to me. They’re a group I’d fight for, a group that loves each other and loves to compete and a group that wants to win as much as I’ve wanted to my whole life.

I still have the notes in my truck from a meeting our team had back in November, just three days after we opened the season with a loss in Murfreesboro. While the coaching staff knew there were some growing pains we were going to experience with a rebuilt rotation, we weren’t quite sure if our goals were aligning with our team’s goals.

So, we did something novel – we just asked the girls what they wanted out of their season. Their responses said it all. They wanted to work together. They wanted to be positive and support each other. And, most of all, they wanted to add a banner to the rafters of JK Stanley Gymnasium.

We spent every day after that meeting practicing to achieve that goal. There were hard days, fun days, big wins, tough losses, frustrating arguments and memorable team bonding along the way, but those Lady Broncos found their groove at the perfect moment.

I said to them before we left last Monday that we just needed to win three games in three days to bring back the banner. Apparently, we needed to do more than that, but that’s another argument for another day. I’d rather focus on the positives – that the girls went out winning, just like they said they would do.

As a parting message to our group, I would like to tell Audrey, our lone senior, that she deserved better than the NACA ruling and that we’re all going to enjoy seeing you go on to do great things. And for Paige, Laney, Miranda, Emma, Krista, Regin, Kealey, Anslee, Shelby, Zoe and Cydney – I’ll see you back in the gym before you know it.

We have unfinished business. And I want to be there when you all finish the job next March.