Games that "matter"

When I was in school, every day that I walked into the weight room or pulled on my jersey mattered – at least to me. I believed that how I competed mattered to the fans, my coaches, teammates, and family. No one sat in the bleachers and watched my teammates and me lift those weights or run those gassers, so it was many years before we had the chance to experience a moment of greatness in that way that someone could see – that mattered to the fans in the stands.  

Fans want to buy a ticket and see greatness displayed before them in a 60-minute masterpiece. That’s what makes sports so much fun. For the student-athlete or coach it is an all-the-time thing. For the student-athlete or coach, excellence comes from every drop of sweat shed or hour of film watched in the pursuit of attaining the ultimate goal – giving oneself the opportunity to step into that moment – the moment that matters to everyone.

I was, however, very fortunate to have been around great moments early in my ISU career -- those moments that beg the question of where one was when they happened. I’ll never forget standing at a concession stand outside a high school gym (Johnston, I think) during an AAU tournament in which my brother-in-law was playing, watching ISU beat heavily-favored Cincinnati in the NCAA tournament – a game that mattered. In 2000 and 2001, I watched our men’s and women’s basketball teams stomp their way through the Big 12 conference and into NCAA tournaments. I watched our men’s basketball team go into Kansas year after year and win on their floor. They pounded an outstanding Oklahoma squad to win the Big 12 tournament going away. I watched our run in the NCAA tournament end with a “double-foul” call – what the hell is that again? I saw the women’s basketball team’s heart and determination – not to mention incredible ability to shoot the three – lead to two conference championships and nine NCAA appearances. I remember when my team stopped Iowa cold in ’98 and when we won on the road at Oklahoma State and again at Colorado in 2000. The 2000 Insight Bowl…check, check, check, and check – they were moments that mattered to the Cyclone faithful. 

All the work that it takes building programs matters every day to student-athletes and coaches; all in athletics strive to put themselves in positions that will define them and their achievements. That said, those efforts don’t always pay off – you don’t always have the chance to be in that big game, that big moment.

Today I saw a moment of greatness at Hilton Coliseum – one that showed me that, while there is a long road to travel, the ISU women’s basketball team could be in a position to make fans’ hearts skip a beat once again come March. I am excited to have been there today, screaming my head off with the rest of the Hilton Magic-makers, and am looking forward to simply having a chance to cheer for greatness in the coming months.