Every season is special. There is always something that makes a team feel different than any other. It isn't always a positive difference, but there is always a difference from team to team. I was fortunate enough to be the head coach of THE team one season. We had it all. Great players, great attitudes, great parents, and yes - even a great record. Everyone felt good about coming to practice. They were good students. They won games with sportsmanship and teamwork. They honored their parents and their school. Their parents honored the game and each other. It was the perfect season. And I almost failed as their coach.

It had been a long standing rule on my teams that every eligible player would get into every game. Eligibility was determined by a few different factors, but essentially any player that had practiced would play in the game. My teams were usually successful. Players knew, so long as they practiced and behaved at school, they were going to get a chance to play in every game. Having an all-inclusive rule such as this helped remind myself (and the team) of the importance of teamwork and the significance of hard work in gaining opportunities in life. It is a rule I consider essential to making every team and every season...special.

Halfway through the season with this "perfect" team we had experienced only 1 loss. It was against a team that had always beaten us. I mean always. Never in our history had our team at this level beaten this opponent. As our second game approached I imagined the "what if..." scenarios. What if we were the ones to finally beat these guys? And on their home court!

Game day came and I was more energetic than ever. We had usually been down by 20 or more by halftime. This game, it was half-time and we were down by 10. My boys were playing well, not great. They were trying hard, but not killing themselves. But our opponent was still taking us lightly. That really burned me. My halftime speech was geared towards the lack of respect we were being shown by our opponent. I'm not a firebrand coach with a lot of yelling in me. But this day was different. This game was different. I let my team know how important it was that we earn our opponents respect. They responded in a big way. We came out to start the 2nd half on fire. Within the first 3 minutes we had tied the game. Our opponent was mad. Their coach was now pacing the sidelines. From that point on, they knew they had a game on their hands. Back and forth we went. Up 5, then down 5. Up 3, then down 4. It was a battle. Everyone in the gym could feel this was going down to the wire. And it did, down to the last minute.

The gym had gotten loud. The varsity crowd was filing in and noticed that my JV boys were actually in this game. We were clinging to a 3 point lead. You could feel the buzz in the gym. I looked down my bench for some type of guidance or inspiration to finish out the game. Halfway down the bench, I saw Kevin, and I gasped out loud. Kevin had not yet been in the game. Kevin was usually one of the last players in the game. He knew that and accepted it. Never complained once, and still always gave his best effort. He sat on that bench the whole game not saying a word. Just cheering his team on. I couldn't help but just stare at him. I can't put him in now, can I? It was far too critical a point in the game. I should have gotten him in earlier. But I didn't. I messed up and I'll just have to live with it. Kevin will understand. They will all understand. We have a chance to beat this team. So I stood there saying nothing, just staring. Kevin looked up at me with a forgiving grin and said, "You don't have to put me in coach. I want to win." All that time I stood there thinking the very same thing that Kevin just said. There was a team rule about playing in the game, and it had always been followed. But this was different, wasn't it? I mean, Kevin even said it was ok.

I was just about to walk away and accept the permission granted by Kevin, when my conscience woke up. I hadn't said anything to him, and yet he knew what I was thinking. My fear of losing must have been obvious to everyone. But losing the game would not be my real mistake. My real failure would be to allow myself to violate an established principle and in doing so, sacrifice someone else's opportunity. So I exhaled and nodded to him. "Go get TJ", I said. TJ was my starting point guard who had just scored his career high 28th point. And here I was subbing him out with 2 minutes left in the most important situation of the most important game of the season. Most kids in that situation would at least raise an eyebrow, if not erupt in total disagreement, at being removed from the game. Not TJ. Instead, he gave Kevin an enthusiastic high-five and jogged to the bench. The opposing coach looked at me like I was crazy. The clock couldn't go fast enough. Now under a minute remaining, and we still had that 3 point lead. Kevin was competing with the best. Our defense stymied them yet again. As we brought the ball down you could see the defense ignoring the newest player on the floor. They knew Kevin was not a threat and they sensed weakness. After all, Kevin averaged more minutes than points, and he didn't average but 2-5 minutes per game. But this day was different. This game was different. The ball was passed to him and without even hesitating, Kevin launched a 3 pointer. There was still 40 seconds on the game clock. What was he thinking?! He was thinking it was his opportunity to help his team. The crowd silenced as the ball floated through the air. Kevin's shooting hand still in the air, as if posing for the photo that everyone should be taking. The ball swished through the net and the crowd went crazy! The bench went crazier. The only calm people in the building were myself and Kevin. As he ran back on defense, he again gave me that same forgiving grin. His shot had finally broken our opponents spirit, and we won the game. Kevin was carried off the court by his teammates. The crowd gave us a standing ovation.

I am reminded constantly of how close I came to failing that day. Not failing to win, but failing to be the coach I had promised to be. Kevin, TJ, and rest of my boys saved me from making a horrible mistake. One I have never come close to making since. Every leader must realize that they too have at least one Kevin-like member on their team, whether it be a business, an athletic team, or a family. There are those that will follow you off the cliff if you tell them it's worth it. It is the leaders of these groups, the coaches that must ultimately set the standard for behavior and principles, being careful not to take advantage of our loyal following. "Kevin's" are everywhere, and we are all their coaches. This particular individual turned out to be a great teammate, an even better person, and not a bad little 3 point shooter. Kevin never did get to play varsity basketball. But he will remember that day forever, telling his kids about how he made the shot that beat the unbeaten. I'll remember that day because I almost didn't let him take it...almost.