If I Were a Young Christian or 7 Things I Wish I Had Known Earlier

I want to write about 7 things that I have come to understand as a Christian, and 7 things I wish I had heard when younger. Maybe it would have changed my ideas on faith earlier...probably not. I believe that most people only want to hear what they want to hear and will not change their hearts or minds until they are ready to hear. Many people think they are open minded, but few are, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. You are convicted in your beliefs, but at least listen. But anyway, here you go:

1. It's not about you: No matter if you believe in God or not (I do and believe it is about Him), this life isn't about you. I guess if you believe in social evolution, it should be, but it should be about helping others.

2. Judge, but don't condemn: Most Christians are assailed because we are judgmental...um...everybody is judgmental. I think Christians condemn a little too quickly because if you condemn any sinner, you had better start in the mirror first.

3. Forgiveness...see #1.

4. Go to church and ask questions: When you don't want to, go to church. When there is something you don't understand, ask questions. Research, use the Internet...but be faithful.

5. Self-control: As a Christian, you will be judged and condemned (funny how that works, huh?) quicker than anyone else. Show self control and constraint or get beat up for not. Really, it doesn't matter what you do, you will be condemned, but you can try.

6. Don't worry: There is very little we can control, I believe it is in God's hands, but beyond that can we control other people? Rarely. So worry less, I guess would be better.

7. Thank you and I'm sorry: Say thank you more than you ever mean it, but say it every time as though you mean it. Many people do many things for us, often when they don't want to and without much fanfare. A simple "thank you" can go a long way. And "I'm sorry". Listen. Say it. Mean it.
I could get into more detail and probably have more things pointed out about my faith and what I believe, but to me these are big cornerstones of my faith and life.

WBIS-TV

Last season when I decided I was finished coaching basketball for the next season, I approached Myra Powell about doing some play by play or color for her games.  She and her husband were  recording and placing games online for another way to get business for Wright Brothers Implement Sales.  They had covered games with no one working them and doing a great job with the technical stuff, I know many coaches who use them for scouting purposes. I knew that I would need something to do this winter, so I volunteered to help.  If you want to check out the games and what southern Indiana basketball is all about you can go to their website http://www.wrightbrosimpl.com/ and see how good, or bad, of a job we are doing. 

I have been able to cover some games and have had a great time.  It has allowed me to attend some practices, it has allowed me to use my relationships, and it has allowed me to stay involved with high school basketball.  I don't know if anyone is listening or even caring about what is being said, but, I guess, I enjoy listening to myself talk.  A couple of things have happened through this opportunity, I have gotten to spend more time with my good friend Nick Ray and a former HHS player in Cody Munk and I got to interview a legend the other night at Orleans in Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Orleans boys' basketball coach Charlie Denbo; as well as the Henryville Principal, Troy Albert at the Austin vs. Henryville game.

Coach Denbo was a head basketball coach for 35 years, the last 27 at Orleans High School with a total of 402 wins where he began coaching at Vallonia 1960-62 (28-15), Brownstown Central 1962-66 (53-37), Crothersville 1966-68 (29-15) winning 3 sectional championships and 9 conference titles in his career with an HBCA Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and a Governor's Distinguished Hoosier Award in 2003. (from Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame website).  To sit down with him and hear him speak about his experiences, even if for a short time, was quite an experience.  The reverance I have for him and for Indiana high school basketball is at a high level.  He spoke fondly of his four year run in the early 1970's with Curt Gilstrap and a guard named Johnny Bradley (former SC and HHS basketball coach).  He briefly covered their rivalry with another big man in the area during that time from Springs Valley, you may have heard of him, Larry Bird.

What Myra and Greg Powell have done is allow for the conversations that I might have with a Nick Ray or a Cody Munk be televised.  I think that there are many good conversations going on around any gym on any given game night.  Towns and schools have alumni and intelligent people talking about the game or the history of that particular school.  In Indiana, that is usually at a higher level than you might find in another state (I am biased).  Not everyone is complaining about the coach or the players at the local high school game (of course that doesn't happen, does it?). 

I look forward to calling more games and getting the opportunity to listen to people like Coach Denbo and Troy Albert as they share their story.  I will call a few more games this season doing my best for Myra Powell and her husband Greg because of the time and effort they are putting into this thing.  They deserve my best effort and Indiana high school basketball does, too.  Despite some people's dismay with class basketball at the high school level, Indiana is still THE basketball state.

We're Talkin Bout Practice

In not coaching this season, one thing I wanted to do was attend high school practices.  I have attended college practices at UK, IU, Xavier and other colleges, but I wanted to see what my competitors were doing in practice.  You can watch a college practice (I like them better than coaching clinics), but you still have to adjust to your players.  You don't coach in college with players who you recruited, so I wanted to see if what I have always done was way off, on spot, or just wrong.  I want to thank those coaches who have allowed me access so far and there have been quite a few, so many that if I mentioned them all, it would take up most of the column.  But they have been open to me, a former coach, in coming in and watching what they do and I truly appreciate that.

Some things that I have noticed with these coaches and their importance has been reinforced by my attendance are as follows:  Teams will do what you allow.  Meaning, if you allow them to take bad shots, talk back, have bad attitudes, they will.  Coaches have to control what they will allow or let slide and every single one I have seen has done a great job with the discipline of their team.

Teams will take serious what the coach takes serious.  I can remember my first year as boys' basketball coach at Henryville, I asked my former Coach Dennis Holt how I could get my team to be better on defense.  We did all the drills, but couldn't get better.  He asked how long we worked on defense per practice and then said that teams listen to you talking about defense, but unless you work on it a lot the players won't really believe you.  I have watched recent practices and noticed that teams don't do 50 things per practice, they do 5-10 and make sure their teams are doing what they want done correctly. 

Fundamentals must be worked on until boredom, and then you can't let them go through the motions.  When it comes to footwork, hand positioning, defensive stance, shooting, hitting shots around the basket, ball handling, passing, etc, the fundamentals have to be burned into their brains.  The best way to do that is constantly correct and ask the players what they have done wrong or right. 

The more intense the coach, the more disciplined the team.  So far in the 8 or 9 teams I have watched practice, I notice that the coaches energy level definitely has an influence on the energy level of the players.  One thing I have spoken about in clinics around the world is that as a coach, I could never have a day off.  If I did, you could watch the intensity/energy level of the team go down proportionately.  Plus, I always felt that if you were passionate about basketball practice, it would carry over to the players in their passion and commitment.

Some times I allowed people to come in and watch our practices at Henryville, and often they would leave with a different perspective on our team than from just watching games.  So many people have no idea what actually goes on at practice because they are closed to the general public to accomplish anything in your limited time.  I think it is important that when you are at a game and you want to critisize a coach, we need to understand that we aren't at practice, we don't know what is trying to be done many times, we don't know who has missed practice, and we don't often realize how much time a coach spends with your child at practice.  That time at practice is shaping and forming your child in a positive way while their own children are at home waiting for them to come home.

Just a Dad

Hopefully, a rather informed Dad, but I am thoroughly enjoying watching my children play basketball and attending games for fun without all of the stress. I am sure I am not finished coaching, but it is nice to be able to spend time with the family and be "Dad". Pretty funny, though, I feel like I am home too much now which can never be, I don't think.

There are certain things that are frustrating about not coaching, but for the most part, I am glad I did what I did.  I look forward to being someone who can come and go as I please at 2:50 and attending high school practices visiting friends which I have done a lot already.

Maybe we will have a Miss Basketball in 2023 or a Mr. Basketball in 2027, but it will be up to them. It will be up to them to be really good, to their potential, or if they decide to do something else.
Who knows where the future will take me and my family, but I know that they are on my side and the most important team that I coach is the one that lives in my home.

Coach Crean, feel free to start recruting the now 4 year old, the same kid at 2 years of age could dribble two basketballs at once.

Father/Son Time

(with Coach Kelly Combs)

Friday night, my wife, kids, and I journeyed to Spalding University in Louisville, KY to watch them take on Asbury College in a men's basketball game.  Athletes in Action head coach, Kelly Combs, who I went to Indonesia with this summer, texted me and told me about the game.  His son, Kyle, also went on the tour with us and I wanted very much to visit with Coach.  My daughter is not a bad little basketball player, but could care less to watch it right now, so my son sat and we watched the game while my daughter did other things, mostly bugging my wife.  Such is life, I guess.

(at Loogootee)

Saturday morning, however, it was boys' night (or day) out.  We traveled to Loogootee, IN and historic Jack Butcher Arena to watch them take on Attica and to watch Rock Creek play Irvington Prep in Loogootee's annual Tip-Off tourney.  If you have never been to Loogootee's gym, you have to watch a game there.  The gym is set up for games, of course, but it is also a museum for Loogootee athletics.  Many schools have done great jobs in recognizing the past, but Loogootee is the best, in my opinion.

After watching those two games, Brandon and I headed to Terre Haute.  It was on the way to Riverton Parke where we watched a couple of friends coach for Cloverdale High School.  In Terre Haute, after a nice long nap by my son, we ate at Pizza Hut because he "likes the breadsticks" and then we headed north.
 

(4 year old looking over the Rady coaches)

My friends at Cloverdale are Pat Rady, Sr. and Pat Rady, Jr. Pat Jr. and I became friends when he was coaching boys' basketball at Southwestern (Hanover).  His dad who is a very good coach and greater man coached at Terre Haute South for many years coaching guys like Steve Hart and Brian Evans.  He is now the head coach at Cloverdale and his son is his junior varsity coach.  It was nice to catch up with them and to have my son watch, with the victory Cloverdale got the other night, the 3rd all time winningest coach in Indiana high school basketball history.  Pat Sr. has over 700 wins, do you realize how long it takes to get that many wins? 

By the time we winded back through southwestern Indiana Saturday night, my son was fast asleep.  He had been a great kid that day loving to watch all the basketball.  The travel didn't bother him either and he didn't want to sleep because he wanted to play basketball when we got home.  When we arrived home, as I carried him up the stairs to his room, he woke up and went into his mother's arms.  I went to his room to cover him up and he hugged me thanking me for the day.  As I prepared for bed, I reflected on how many more days I will have like this with him.  As I have learned, this life can be taken away at any moment, but more than likely it will be because he grows up, out growing....me. (not if I can help it!) 

FCA for November 27, 2012

Today we spoke about many of the same things that we talk about that as Christians, we are called to love God and love people.  Senior athlete Tyler gave his testimony and used Psalm 139.

1You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

Tyler shared his feelings about what drew him, finally, to Christ and then sang David Crowder's song Oh, How He Loves Us.