I came within inches of quitting my college basketball team (if there is such a measurement).
I was fed up with my lack of playing time and I believe the coaches were fed up with me as I had a bad attitude.
I made a decision over Christmas break that I was going to transfer to a school who wanted me. Â I was a sophomore so I would have a couple of years of eligibility left.
As I was leaving home to head back north to tell the coaches I was done, my brother stopped by the house.
He asked me how I was doing and I told him I wasn’t doing good and I was heading north to tell the coaches at ONU I was done. Â He told me to think it through and make sure I understood what quitting meant.
On my drive back to Ohio Northern my brother’s words kept going through my mind; “Did I understand what quitting meant?” Â Actually I didn’t. Â I wasn’t a quitter. Â I had never quit before.
Somewhere on the drive back to ONU, I decided to stick it out and by the end of the year I was in the starting lineup. Â I changed my attitude and my altitude changed…go figure.
During my basketball career at ONU-I was a member two conference championship teams. Â The first and second in ONU history.
I was also a part of a team who was involved in one of the biggest college basketball upsets of all time as little old Ohio Northern University beat the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma back on December 23, 1980.
In my last year we were ranked #1 in the nation during the season, beat two Division I teams, made the NCAA Sweet 16, and ended up ranked in the top ten in the nation.
Because of the team’s accomplishments I received some neat individual awards also.
I also met the love of my life (my wife Lori) the year after I decided not to quit.
I received a pharmacy degree that created so many blessings in our lives…blessings that would not have happened if I quit.
I have dozens of great friends from ONU and two of the best friends I have from there are my former coaches…I’m glad I didn’t quit.
“Do you know what quitting means?” Â Prophetic words from my big brother.
Romans 5:3-5, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Â (ESV)
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
