Three Factors to Success 6/4/21

There are millions (if not billions) of photos of school sports teams similar to the one below, each with one or more stories. This one is of the 1974-75 7th grade girls basketball team at Bachelor Middle School in Bloomington, IN. That 1974-75 team and season almost did not happen. My wife, who was the coach of the team, gives credit for the very successful season (only one loss) to two serendipitous events from the same family.

The first was Lisa Denewett, #32. Lisa dribbled like a Globe Trotter, drove the the lane like LeBron, shoot from the outside like Allie Quigley, and passed to an open teammates unselfishly. The other unanticipated event was Lisa’s older brother, Gary. When Sue called for volunteers from the players’ parents, he stepped forward. Gary was instrumental in helping the girls developing basketball skills and understanding court presence. But I think there was a third factor. The team and season may not have happened that year without Sue agreeing to coach. Actually, she volunteered to coach the 7th grade girl's volleyball team, but agreed to basketball because no other staff member had volunteered.