The Unsung Heroes

There are many roles and responsibilities on a team. Some of them appear to be more important than the others because they gain the attention of the media or the fans. How many points a player scores is highly visible. Even the most uninformed fan can tally up baskets. Players who can make flashy passes are high on the list of the notable. Rebounders also can catch the eye of the newspaper guy.

All of these categories are essential to winning. I don't wish to downplay how critical they are to success. I am one of the best in the pulpit about the role rebounders play in victories. I do, however, want to discuss the players who never receive the limelight, who never get to slam high fives, and whose rare slap on the back comes at the end of a game after the victory is already assured. These are the players, the unsung heroes, who silently go about their jobs with the rare acknowledgement of others.

They are the ones who sit the bench yet have to come to practice with enthusiasm and determination. They have to suffer the same consequences the starters and the main substitutes do if they fail to do the drill correctly. They are never excused from the sprinting, the weight training, the video sessions, or the walk-throughs. They are expected to perform each of their duties the best they possibly can, and yet their reward is a few muttered thanks from the coaching staff and teammates.

This is a dirty, thankless job. Imagine being the player who loved so much to play that she spent her junior high and high school days neglecting social activities to practice, then achieving a college scholarship to discover herself on the bench. Nobody wants to do this job. It takes a player with tremendous character and love of her teammates and the game to watch from the sideline game after game after game, to be the one who is responsible for cheering from the bench, counting down from ten when the shot clock is winding down, calling "wolf" when a teammate is about to get the ball stolen from behind, and yelling "black" when the opponent's shot clock is about to expire.

I know how hard it is to sit the bench. I did it once and I was a terrible failure at it. All I cared about was myself, not the team, not our success. I wanted everybody else to be as miserable as I was. I was selfish and a horrible teammate. So when I say I understand the challenges of being the players on the bench, I mean it.

Today, I want to thank those players who rarely get in the game but who are always there for their teammates. Julianne Smith is a senior who is always in the game, watching from the sidelines and offering advice to the starters when they come to the bench. Shannon Zasloff is central to the laughter of the team. She keeps tight moments light and offers continual support. Lisanne Comeau never gives less than 100% in practice and always offers encouragement to her teammates. These women are the backbone of the team and have accepted their roles as critical to the team's success.

I applaud them now. Their roles on the team are the most challenging and they have accepted them with grace and honor. They have fulfilled them with integrity and have used them to better the team.

Thank you for being great teammates and for doing your best at your roles. You are appreciated.

ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.