When it comes to writing, I’m rarely short on words. In fact, I tend to be long winded at times. But I will try to keep this brief. I started a piece on these past 9 months of Menard basketball and realized I wasn’t saying what I wanted to say. When it comes down to it, all I needed to say is, “Thank you.”
Thank you to the upperclassmen leaders of this team. You are the definition of men with integrity and character. Thank you for taking in all the freshmen (and there are a lot of freshman!) on day one and treating them no different than anyone else. Thank you for graciously sharing court time with several much younger players. Thank you for spending as much time off the court with every member of the team as you did on. Thank you for being true leaders in everything you do. And Thank you for showing what hard work and dedication can do from one season to the next. You are all setting great examples for those following in your footsteps. To those of you that are graduating, you will be truly missed.
Thank you to all the parents. Before we started the season, I only knew a handful of you, but now feel I’ve known you all my life. Thank you all for your support and dedication to making this team successful. Thank you showing up game after game and cheering on every player on the court. To those of you that have been at Menard for some time now, thank you for being so welcoming to us new guys. Thank for always traveling, no matter how far. Whether they like to admit it or not, those boys love looking up and seeing all the familiar faces. And thank you for raising these boys to be so respectful and considerate of others. We are blessed to have such a good group of boys to cheer on every week. I’m not sure how I’m going to make it through the off season without hearing, “Don’t foul!!”
Thank you to the team, to every player out there. You guys have put many smiles on our faces (and given us some ulcers as well!). Thank you for your dedication, for your enthusiasm, and for your drive to be the best team that you can possibly be. Thank you for giving everyone something to look forward to several times a week. I think it’s safe to say that you all had a fantastic time playing ball this year, and I can say with certainty, that all of us parents and fans had a fantastic time watching you. Thank you for that.
And last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Twig, Dave and all the coaching staff. You guys have done a phenomenal job this year. The minute that I heard that Twig had taken the coaching job at Menard, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would have a team fighting for the top each year. It took two years. To be able to take a team that only won a handful of games one year – to winning 22 the next, to going 11-3 at home, to having a 63% winning percentage, to making it to the state quarter-finals, ….. all of that shows that we have many bright seasons ahead of us. Thank you for being a coach on and off the court to these guys. There’s so much more to coaching than 32 minutes of basketball twice a week – and it’s clear that you understand that completely. That’s one of the main reason’s these guys have been so successful – They’re a team all the time, not just when they’re playing the game. No one here could have asked for a better season and all of that starts with you and your coaches. Thank you all for everything you’ve done for our boys and for this team.
It’s been a great year. I’m sad that it’s over, but know that it won’t be long and we’ll be back on the court and in the gym doing it all again. Until then…..Geaux Eagles!
PS – See what I mean about being long winded??
