The title of this article is a question I ask my players and students on a semi-regular basis.For two reasons:
1. most people will say they want to be remembered in a positive manner, so I have them look at their behaviors. Does their behavior connect with their wishes?
"I want to be remembered as a good kid." Are you doing things on a consistent basis in class, on the court, in society that will render that memory?
"I want to be remembered as a hard worker." Are you turning in all your assignments, diving for loose balls, putting in the extra time to render that memory?
"I want to be remembered as......" It doesn't matter, if your actions don't equal your wishes, then one of two things needs to happen. You need to either change your actions, or change your wish. Hopefully, more often than not, we change our actions.
2. Not every basketball player is going to be remembered as one of the top 10 basketball players of all time at HHS, but you can be remembered as the consumate team player on a team that wins. The program was here before us, it is here while we are here, and when we graduate/retire, it will go on. Memories are formed whether we want them to or not.
People may not remember your name, but when you tell them you played on the 81 team, the 04 team, the 05 team....it helps for them to connect you with those winning teams.
You may score 20 points a game, but if you have a losing record and cannot get your teammates to bond as a team, then people forget you. They might say "yeah, I remember you could really shoot, but how well did your team do?"
I know as coaches we will remember all the players, but the ones who gave of themselves for the sake of the team are the ones who will stand out in the future. Basketball and life, are selfish endeavors. You play because you get something out of it, and if you give up something of yourself, something that helps you enjoy it to make the team better...those are the greatest players ever.
What is the cruel part of being remembered is that some of us no matter what or how we do things, no matter how successful you are, we will be judged by numbers. Each year when a team wins or loses, in our record book, it isn't the name of the players next to the record. It is the coach, the coach's name is next to the W-L column. It isn't just in coaching, it could be in accounting, any job where making a profit is the bottom line. If you are the greatest person in the world, if you the numbers are bad, you will be remembered for that, sometimes only for that.
So, what can we do? We work as hard as we can, try to be good people, continue to strive to be better in every way, and then at night be able to look at ourselves in the mirror.
