Seeing Sportsmanship

NOTE: After yesterday’s post, I got a special email from my dear friend Todd Clippard. Todd preaches for the Burleson church of Christ near Hamilton, Alabama. He read the post and sent me an article he recently penned for the local newspaper. It will also appear in a newspaper in Mississippi. I asked for his permission to post it here, and he graciously agreed. Enjoy Todd’s article.

———————

I have witnessed many great individual and team feats in my short lifetime. I’ve been privileged to see the careers of greats like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Dale Earnhardt. I remember the 1980 Lake Placid “Miracle on Ice,” “The Catch,” Christian Laettner’s dagger in the heart of Kentucky, and the greatness that was the voice of Jack Buck. But on January 20, 2009, I saw the real greatness of sports. I was in Sulligent, Alabama and Rashad Johnson was nowhere to be found.

Those of us who watch a lot local high school basketball have seen Corey Marchbanks before. He is a tall, timid young man who plays varsity basketball for the Sulligent Blue Devils. We’ve seen Corey play only after a talented Sulligent team builds a big lead. Towards the end of the game Corey enters the contest. We’ve seen this scene with many young men and women before, but this is different. Corey is mentally handicapped. Specifically, he is autistic. When he enters the game, the outcome has been decided and everyone knows Corey wants to score. He’s gonna shoot every time he touches the ball. That’s his job and that’s what everyone on both teams expects. I tell Corey’s story to my best friend from Texas who is attending with me on this night. Little did we know the great story that was about to unfold before us.

January 20 was Senior Night for Blue Devils’ basketball. Corey Marchbanks is a senior and is introduced like every other senior cheerleader and player. I felt a lump in my throat as he was introduced and made his way to center court – hand held high, waving to an adoring home crowd and applauded by everyone in the gymnasium.

The time comes to introduce the starting lineups for each team. I look at the five young men on Sulligent’s bench and, lo and behold, Corey there, waiting to be introduced! The coaches restrain him as he prematurely leaves the bench to shake hands with Hamilton coach Barry Peoples. Waiting until his name is called, Corey is the last of the five starters introduced. With an extra dose of excitement and in a voice that would’ve made Michael Buffer proud, the announcer calls, “And finally, a senior, number ten, Corey “THE BIG TICKET” Maaaaarch-baaaaaaanks!” Both sides of the gym erupt and I begin to wonder, “How is this going to work?” I mean, this is a big game between two of the best teams in the area. What are they gonna do with Corey?

It doesn’t take long for me to get my answer. The referee tosses the ball into the air and Hamilton center Jeffrey Nunn doesn’t even jump. The Aggie defenders fall back into a 2-3 zone and the ball is brought into Sulligent’s front court. Corey is on the right wing calling for the ball. The pass is made and he shoots an uncontested shot. Miss. A Blue Devil teammate retrieves the ball and Corey shoots again. Miss. Another rebound and pass to Corey, this time a lot closer to the basket. YES! The shot goes in and the gym goes wild! Corey races to the defensive end of the floor pumping his left arm at every step. Corey has scored but the Aggies now have the ball. What happens now?

Senior point guard Ethan Lawler calmly takes the inbounds pass and brings it up the floor. With no one defending him he takes it to the hoop and calmly lays it in. This is great! Corey has scored and my good friend and Sulligent head coach Tommy Chism has returned the basket. Now Tommy will call time out, substitute for Corey, get him a big ovation and we can get on with the game. But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend!” It isn’t over. Sulligent brings the ball up the floor and the Aggies again fall back into the lane. The pass is made to Corey on the right wing. He shoots and misses. The rebound is given back to him and he scores from close range. The fans go crazy again and Corey fist-pumps his way back to the other end of the floor. Hamilton inbounds the ball and Ethan Lawler brings it up the floor. He passes to an unguarded Jeffrey Nunn who lays it in.

But we still aren’t finished. Three more times down the floor and Corey Marchbanks has ten points! At one point Hamilton’s Jeffrey Nunn gets the defensive rebound and hands the ball back to Corey who lays it in. Five possessions. Five baskets for Corey Marchbanks. As Hamilton scores their fifth uncontested bucket to tie the game at ten, Tommy Chism finally calls timeout. I look at the clock. 5:42. Less than two and a half minutes have elapsed. Everyone in the gymnasium rises to their collective feet cheering for the marvelous feat they’ve just witnessed. That lump in my throat has returned bigger than ever as my friend turns and says, “I am really glad I was here tonight to see this. That was absolute greatness.” Greatness indeed!

Corey leaves the game and sits at the end of the bench. He will not play again on this night as the outcome of the game is not determined until Ethan Lawler drives the lane in heavy traffic and makes an incredible lay up with one second remaining to give the Aggies a one point lead. Victory is sealed as Jeffrey Nunn blocks a final Blue Devil shot attempt.

I know a lot of folks on both sides talked about the last few seconds of the game, but I know one thing for certain, they will remember the first two minutes for the rest of their lives. As we drove home that night, I told my son Jeffrey, “I’m glad you were at the game tonight to see what happened at the start of the game.”

“Why’s that?” he asks?

I replied, “Because you just witnessed what is great about sports. Of all the games you will play in high school, you will remember just a very few moments. But you will never forget what you witnessed tonight at this ball game. It’s something you’ll one day share with your kids and grandkids. (Fifteen year old boys sometimes have difficulty seeing the big picture!)

The following day I spoke with coach Barry Peoples about the game. He told me that as he left the locker room the previous night, he was startled as an unknown man approached him. This is generally not good for a coach who just won a close contest on the road, but the man said, “Coach, I’m Corey’s father, and I appreciate what you did for my son tonight.”

Aren’t we all! A gentleman’s agreement between two excellent coaches who also proved themselves as outstanding men. Two minutes in a small gymnasium in Sulligent, Alabama. Numerous lives changed forever. Thank you Tommy Chism and Barry Peoples for showing us the real greatness that is high school athletics.

Todd Clippard
January 24, 2009

————————–

Thanks, Todd, for this moving article. We may have hit a “niche” here. I would like more stories like these to post. If you ever witness or read of great acts of sportsmanship, please pass them along to me for inclusion in the blog. As one who loves sports, I tire of all the bad news, and I relish generosity and sportsmanship. Email me your stories to post.