"Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team - no one more important that the other". - Coach Dale: Hoosiers

My first middle school basketball game was an epic, Hoosiers-esque, full of drama and crushed dreams. I have a wonderful group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders who had their first game last night against Hope International School, the mighty cross-town rival.

The game itself was a nail-biter, 4-4 at half and 12-12 with 60 second left. My boys were nervous to play in front of a crowd of their teachers and peers. Also, (a coaching mistake) we were unable to play against the 2-3 zone that the opposing coach threw at us. Zone defense, really? With 40 seconds left, we had the ball and I, in reverence to the late John Wooden, held the ball for the last shot. One of my 8th graders took the ball to the hole and drew a foul with 5 seconds left. Perfect. Clink, clunk, both rattled off the rim and we fouled the Hope gamer on the rebound who, with 2 second left drilled the winning free-throws. A searing loss 14-12, and a true classic. I am sure ESPN will be calling me for the rights to this footage to be shown to later generations.

I love coaching these boys and there are great lessons to be learned in winning and losing. Learning what their identity should be in, what they should see as important and unimportant and how to treat the player who missed the free throws and how to respect the opposing player who made them.

Just so you know, and for my own sake, my Logos Second Team boys took it to Hope 15-10 in the second game... I am just trying to preserve my own pride.