From the Sidelines
If I only knew then what I know now!
A year has passed since my youngest son had senior night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University. For me personally, as a father, the long basketball journey was coming to an end. Having coached and mentored my son Tyler Lewis since 2002, it was a bittersweet moment. Yes, he had a chance to further his playing career by playing in Europe and even had a few teams in the G League reach out to him. In addition, he had some golden opportunities to be a grad assistant at some Power 5 schools. However, that all changed when we received a phone call from Furman University about a possible staff position. That call took place over Easter weekend and it just happened that he was home visiting and getting ready for a summer marriage to his high school and college sweetheart from his hometown of Statesville, North Carolina. He made the trip down to Greenville, South Carolina and the rest is history. His goal is to get into college coaching and this was a good opportunity to get his feet wet. For Tyler, he enjoyed a great high school career. He was named to the McDonald All American team, played for legendary coach Steve Smith of Oak Hill Academy where they went 44-0 and won the National High School Championship which happened to be a storybook senior season. He played two years at NC State and then transferred to Butler University.
My oldest Colby is currently on staff at the UNC-Charlotte. He went to Charlotte as an invited walk on. He worked his tail off and his goal was to receive a scholarship. After one and half years, he was awarded a full scholarship on the men’s basketball team. Always known for his intense work ethic, Colby was named the recipient of the prestigious Charles Hayward Award winner not once, but twice. This award usually went to the student-athlete that displayed the hardest work ethic and demonstrated high integrity. He too wanted to become a college coach. He spent two seasons at his alma mater and did his graduate assistant. After that, he was hired as Assistant Director of Basketball Operations and then promoted to video coordinator.
If you go to my social media account on Twitter, my pinned tweet is, “No matter how good you are, the ball will stop bouncing one day. Make sure you get an education that lasts a lifetime” Since 2002, I’ve been heavily involved in the growth and development of my two sons on and off the court. Our goal like any other parent was to see our children receive a college scholarship. Get that college education and have it fully paid for! Isn’t that what we all say' Well, to put it mildly, yes, it is. However, that all begins to change. Like most parents, we forget about the education part. We all get consumed and intoxicated with the process and playing time becomes more important than the college education. We begin to live our lives through the lenses of our children. Naturally, we want the very best and playing time and success on the court slowly becomes our new drug. We simply get consumed by the attention that is supplied by playing college basketball at the highest level.
Like others before us, the time playing collegiate basketball quickly comes to an end for the majority of players. Some players extend their playing time overseas and some get the G League ample opportunities for that one chance to play in the NBA. Unfortunately, only a microscopic number of players that play high school or college basketball are ever able to obtain their dreams. Each passing year, we forget the year before and look to the next season. Like the changing of a new year, there is always hope, excitement and anticipation going into the new season. Quickly, another season passes by and before we know it, their playing careers are over. It has all come to an end. Like many parents before me, we never quite appreciate the opportunity as it is taking place. We worry about things beyond our control, we stress over playing time and the success of our children. Games are featured on TV and the national media attention of getting and playing in the NCAA is the ultimate goal. Naturally, we want our kids to “show well” and make a name for themselves.
Another March Madness comes and goes. A new NCAA national champion is crowned and the playing days come to an end. It’s over and the playing careers like most things in life end before we want it too. The intoxication to the process can be detrimental, but we soon realize that we stressed over the journey rather than just sitting back and enjoying the ride. Looking back, if I only knew then what I knew now. Guess what, I would have enjoyed it more, been more relaxed and been more concerned about providing fatherly advice than playing sideline coach. It’s natural, parents want the very best for their children. They want the basketball success to continue and never end. Yes, if I only knew then what I know now, I would have just been more thankful for that opportunity. The days have passed. I no longer get a chance to watch my boys play basketball. Those days are gone, but one thing is for certain, they got their education paid for. We are college debt free. That was what we wanted in the very beginning, right'
Be sure to read the blog, “Players, parents, enjoy, embrace, and embellish the journey.”
https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/players-and-parents-enjoy-embrace-and-embellish-the-journey/
Tyler Lewis is now the video coordinator at ECU
Colby Lewis is now the Director of basketball operations at UMBC