Thursday, March 25, 2010

Why The Sweet 16 Is So Sweet To Me

I went to Baylor 1999-2002. I was a die hard basketball fan the whole time. I can remember Brent and I going with his parents to every game. I ticked off many a Sing chair for missing rehearsals to go to games. I watched Wendall Greenleaf get fouled so hard he lay limp and was carried off of the court with the offender ejected. I remember that vividly. I remember yelling to Logan Kosmalski after every game, "I LOVE YOU LOGAN!" and being starstruck when I saw him on campus. Yup. Terry Black. DeMarcus Minor. Those were my Baylor college basketball days. The year after I graduated, a horrible, unspeakable thing happened. A player was murdered. By another player. MURDERED. It seemed so awful for our little town to have such a horrible thing happen in such a public way. And moreover, my basketball crazed husband explained to me that this was very. very. very. bad for Baylor basketball.

Fast forward a few months, it is September 30, 2003. Married 8 months. We had bought our first house and lived there 2 weeks. I had started my dream job only to be violently ill 2 days into it. As I was on the floor puking my brains out, Brent came in and said, "Hey, I went with Byron {Weathersbee} and met Coach Drew {at that point coach had been in Waco for about a week or so}. He is going to let me be his grad assistant." I say, "But {barf}...you aren't in grad school." He replies, " 'I will be as of now. Gonna teach at Baylor, coach with the team.' I take my GRE Friday." I was too tired physically to even fathom what that meant or put up a fight. I had no idea what I was in for.

In January of 2004, our lives were forever changed. I wrote my husband a "go get 'em tiger!" sort of card, kissed him on the cheek, and waved him good-bye. For a year and a half. I did not know what all being a basketball coach meant. I had no idea it was literally a 24/7 job. And bless his heart. He was at the very. bottom. of that long totem pole.

And to top it all off, Baylor was terrible. We had a star in Aaron Bruce, but for the most part, going to games was brutal. The seats were empty. They hardly had enough people to make a team. Fans were grumpy. And we were being punished for a horrible crime we {the rest of the coaching staff, players and fans} didn't commit. We were on a no-post play ban, but it didn't matter. We were certainly not going to make any post play at this point. I watched my husband on the sidelines at the game. Chewing his nails. Writing coaching stats down. Breaking down film night after night after night. Beaten almost every single game. Going home to defeat after defeat.

Though the time for the school was rough. Brent was learning a lot about the crazy world of college coaching. It is crazy for sure. He met a wonderful mentor, Coach Matthew Driscoll, who became such an encouragement to not only Brent, but to me too. I was weary with all the time Brent poured into the Baylor program. And for what? Bless their hearts. Oh to just win one game. And recruiting seemed impossible! I remember one night me, Brent and a couple of friends of ours stayed up super late decorating a hotel room for Juan Diego Palacios, thinking it was a for sure thing...only to lose him to a powerhouse Louisville. Another blow.

Although everything seemed so bleak, the positive coaching staff trudged on. Later to recruit Henry Dugat, Kevin Rogers, and a 7 footer, Mamadou Diene. Brent was Mamadou's "Keeper" when he first arrived off of a plane from Senegal. His first instructions..."take him to get something to eat." A Wendy's drive thru and several burgers later...we are still blessed to have Mamadou as part of our family. He has spent every Easter with us since he has been in Waco. He is just the sweetest man. I have made friends with some of the coaches wives, and let me just say, coaches wives get extra crowns in Heaven.

When Brent graduated, Baylor was on the up and up. Not great. Not really even that good. But recovering. The beauty of it all is the way in which we all healed. I believe it was 1. by the grace of God. 2. A truly positive coaching staff who BELIEVED they could do it {cheesy as it sounds...I saw it first hand}. So, we proudly purchased season tickets. Waiting on the good days to come. And a couple of years later, the good days were here. NCAA in 2008. NIT championship game 2009. We were there with them the entire time. I know at this point most of them have no idea who I am, but I feel like a big sister to the team in my heart. I am proud of them. We are all proud of them. Never ever would have thought something so tragic would be so quickly changed.

Needless to say, we will be long, long time supporters, ticket holders and friends to the coaching staff and players. I love the family vibe Baylor has going on. And if we win tomorrow...great! If we lose...it's all ok. We have come a long way. Congratulations to all of you, Coaches, their families, and players and their families. Hope your journey in the coming years was as special as mine {I am certain that it already is}.

11 comments:

Edison said...

gave me chills! you know we love it like y'all do. I'll never forget that summer. And look at us now... Makes me just so proud!

The Gist Fam said...

Great post! We are huge Baylor Basketball lovers too, and can't wait for tomorrow's game!

I've totally been a blog stalker for a while, and we apparently know a lot of the same people. Your in-laws were our legacy leaders about 3 years ago too, so I feel like I kind of know you guys even though you don't know us :) Anyways, it's exciting to see so many people excited about the Bears!

Swartz's Scribbles said...

Great story. I enjoyed reading it. Safe travels to Houston.

Kyle and Marci said...

The perfect words Nicki!! We WERE season ticket holders through those tough years so I can totally relate to your thoughts. SO excited for this team and these coaches. It's gonna be a great game no matter the outcome!

The Johnstons said...

Loved reading your story! Y'all have a fun time and we'll be cheering from home!!

Lauren Madison said...

Sic 'em :) You guys win fans of a lifetime!

kinsey said...

loved this background! so fun that brent helped coach! scott would be so jealous ;-) GO BEARS!!

Sally said...

ahhh, what a great recap!!! SO TRUE...they deserve this and it's just so fun!!! Even more fun after last night's amazing win - they could have beaten ANYONE they were so on fire!! Let's beat Duke now!!

Shelly said...

Great post! Baylor Basketball has always been a big part of our family as well. I remember going to games at the HOT Coliseum back in the day with no heat or AC and then "moving up" to the Ferrell Center. I hope Molly enjoys going to the games as much as I have over the last 31 years :)
Sic 'Em Bears!!

Jana said...

Love knowing you & Brent's connection to the team! This weekend was so great even with the end result. Glad to see you in your gangsta seats! And I know what you mean about feeling so close to this team and program. while I don't have the same relationship with them, we bought our season tickets during Drew's first season, determined to support him and the team. It has been absolutely amazing to see what the Lord has done with the program through the open hearts of both the coaches and the players. All I can say is that I can't wait for next year!

Brittany said...

i have a blog now! yay!