So I am sitting on the bus on the way back to Belmont.  We just lost to Mercer.  We could have just lost the regular season championship today.  We played hard and fairly well, just not well enough at the end.  Coach was pretty upset and thought Mercer played with more heart and 'want to.'  I finally had a decent shooting game, and so did Shane.  Dotson and Keaton couldn't buy one though, and Alex pitched in another great game.  But we seniors made some bad plays at the end that didn't help our comeback efforts.  I made a stupid foul 45 feet away from the basket trying to get a steal, and put them on the line.  Alex had done the same thing a couple of possessions earlier and one of Henry's passes got deflected and picked off a couple of plays later.  I though I played well offensively, but failed to do my job on the defensive end.  James Florence is a great offensive player, but I let him have his birthday on us.  I told myself coming into the game that if I out-played him, than we would win.  Well I didn't, and we lost.  But regardless of how today turned out, we still have two games left. 

            We are at home for our last two conference games and need two solid performances to give us some momentum going into the tournament.  I am really excited about this week and the opportunities that we have ahead of us.  I have been thinking lately about all the years that I have been playing basketball.  All the church league games I played on Saturday mornings in church gyms with carpet flooring, the Saturday morning city league games in elementary schools with linoleum tile flooring and dust about a quarter of an inch thick on top.  The hours I spent in the backyard schooling my brother and pops in horse... at least that one time.  Or the times when my parents would go out with their friends and my brother and I would do dribbling drills in the garage around our trash cans.  All the weeknights spent in high school gyms on the other side of town for AAU practice.  Not to mention the weekends sacrificed for the AAU tournaments.  Middle school practices and games, high school practices and games, and all the pick-up games can't be forgotten either.  My point is that all of the time I haven't spent in my life practice basketball really comes down to these last three or so weeks.  All the time that I told myself my hard work would pay off, now has a chance to.   But it's more than just me; it's just as much my parent's sacrifice as anyone's.  I greatly appreciate all they did for me, and probably won't truly appreciate it until I am doing it for my children one day.  Regardless, I am grateful enough to have the insight to understand the magnitude of time and effort that has been focused on basketball in my behalf.  I only have about three or four weeks of basketball left.  I have practiced all my life to be successful in these last three or four weeks.  After this season, my skills are useless except for my own enjoyment in the local YMCA leagues.  Thinking about it like that really gives me some confidence.  I have spent so much time at it, I shouldn't worry about whether or not I can or can't make shots or passes or play defense.  I know I can, I just have to go out there and do it.   So I am excited about the few games I have left to showcase all the hard work that has been accumulated.

             I have the privilege to speak at Ellis Middle School's athletic banquet on Thursday morning.  Ellis Middle School is where the boys and I posted the only undefeated season of my life and school history, a solid 15-0 in Sumner County play.  We beat Cory Brewer and the Portland Panthers in the semis and then beat Maurice Staten and the Rucker Stewart Rams in overtime in the championship.  All the kids would meet at the Burger King after the games.  Life didn't get much better than that.  But now I have a chance to go and hopefully give back to my alma mater with some advice and words of encouragement.  I have been thinking about what I am going to say, and there is a lot.  Those of you who know me, know that I don't have a problem saying what's on my mind or just talking in general.  But I think I am going to talk about the significance of team, character, and sportsmanship.  I took a sociology class at Belmont a couple of semesters ago, and my teacher told us that there are two things that every human yearns for.  The first is to be loved.  The second is to be apart of something bigger than one's self.  I believe the greatest thing we can learn from Jesus is to treat each other the way we would want to be treated.  Ultimately, this is loving others.  Sportsmanship and character both fall under this great advice given to us.  Being apart of something bigger than yourself is the definition of team to me.  It is making an individual sacrifice and with the help of others, to accomplish a greater goal.  It may not be that interesting, but I believe it is good for these young kids to hear.  I know this advice has helped me in my life.  Maybe I'll think of a good story to tell about when I was there to add a little spice to my talk.  Stay with us Bruin fans; we need you now more than ever.  Let's get things going this week with two good home wins and then take care of the Atlantic Sun Tournament for a fourth year in a row!      May God bless you and as always Go Bruins!