On March 22, Oakland, a 14 seed in this year’s installment of March Madness, upset the storied Kentucky Wildcats, who were the third ranked team in the South region. Kentucky’s Coach Calipari has made a name for himself as one of the top coaches, probably all-time, in the NCAA. He regularly gets top recruits to play for his program, sending many of them onto the NBA and other professional leagues. But on that day, as is often the case for the favored teams during March Madness, it was not their day. On that day, it was Jack Gohlke’s day! A senior who played division 2 before transferring to Oakland, came off the bench to score 32 points on a staggering 10 three pointers. At the conclusion of such a difficult upset, many narratives surfaced. Coach Cal talked about the changing landscape of college basketball and how teams are recruiting through the transfer portal and the JUCO system to have more veteran players, saying the pure freshmen he recruits have a difficult time against them. It’s not a new concept, just ask Michigan and the Fab Five. No matter how talented they were, they lacked the experience and physicality to bring home the NCAA’s most sought-after hardware, despite reaching the finals two years in a row. Always a student of the game, as most greats are, Coach Cal humbly acknowledged that he may have to re-examine his approach in light of the changing landscape. Others were not as understanding. Some pundits went so far as to say that it may be time for Coach Cal to retire. That his time has passed. That he’s lost the narrative of success. Maybe they’re right. Or maybe it’s not Coach Cal that has lost the narrative, but those judging from the outside.
Basketball, they say, is a game of runs. The runs happen in game. Some people, not incorrectly, believe that it doesn’t matter what happens in the first 38 minutes of a March Madness game. It doesn’t matter who has the lead or what the difference in score is. That you only really need to watch the last 2 minutes because that’s when it will get close. That’s when it gets exciting. That’s when point differences get erased and it comes down to the last shot. That’s because, as much as my own philosophy opposes it, it IS a game of runs. But it’s also a game of runs over time. Teams rise and fall, and like a phoenix, come blazing back to rise once more! Coach Cal is in the midst of a downturn, and I’m sure he’s upset about it. He may make changes or he may not. Over the coming months, he’ll make that decision while considering a lot more variables than anyone outside his program. One thing is certain though, Coach Cal isn’t done. He will rise once more. It’s just part of the cycle of dominance that is part of the narrative of storied programs.
Two years ago, in our first full season following COVID, our school team dominated the regular season, securing home court throughout the playoffs. In our first playoff game we got upset, and watched our season end in our own gym. I’m sure there were those that thought our run was over. Something that we did wasn’t enough anymore. This was the end. The following season our school won the city title once more and represented our school, community and association at the provincial championships extremely well. This year, despite two tournament championships and a 24-4 record, we lost in the city semi-finals, and failed to qualify for the provincial championships. Are we sputtering? Is our run over? Have we lost the narrative of success as the game has changed. No. When you win, everyone feels good. When you win, people come out of the woodwork to latch onto your success. When you win everyone appreciates what you do – from players, to those on the outer rings of your program, to the community that surrounds you. And while it feels good to be appreciated, and loved by everyone, it should never be something to motivate you forward. Because just as quickly as the appreciation gets showered on you, it dries up just as fast when you don’t. That’s when you have to remember your why. That’s when you focus on what drives you from within, motivate you to continue putting one foot in front of the other.
Coach Cal, regardless of his success, is a developmental coach. He takes these young people and helps them find their identity as players, while helping them realize as much personal and team success as possible. Despite his astronomical salary, his why is apparent. He cares for those kids. That loss was upsetting for him. This year, he won’t get the accolades he so often has. He’ll hear quite the opposite. But it won’t change his approach. As difficult as being upset is, as hard as being in the midst of a downturn is, what motivates him forward hasn’t changed. Those kids, those players, need him. He’ll never get the recognition he deserves, but he doesn’t need it. If he did, he would have quit during one of his previous downtowns. Instead, he’ll march forward, following his inner compass until he rises once more.