Hug Hawks vs Wooster Colts Boys Varsity Hoops

January 31, 2012

Last Tuesday I was debating on which game to go to shoot.  So I thought to myself, "self, you live 2 city blocks from Wooster...take your ass over there and see what they're about".  So I agreed with myself and went to Wooster.  As with any game I go to, I'm not really concerned with the final score, I'm looking for kids that Have Enough Attitude Resilience & Toughness (www.heartathleticsllc.com).  So basically, when I shoot a game, match or whatever, I'm looking for players that speak to my values and not so much who wins or loses.  Just because you won the game doesn't mean you gave your all and just because you lost the game doesn't necessarily mean you didn't (see what I did there?).

Long story short, Hug wound up beating Wooster by a sizable margin, but this doesn't mean that there wasn't a ton of H.E.A.R.T being poured out on the court.  You would think that a victory of such a large margin would have players on Wooster "giving up" and players for Hug just going through the motions...This was NOT the case.  There was a kid on Wooster who played the entire game (a starter at that) even though it was a blowout, #23 and a sub this year (but next year he'll most definitely start) for Hug, Rian Narra who played their respective asses off this game.

#23 Wooster

This #23 kid is a starter for Wooster.  Anyone who has played team sports knows that when the game is out of hand, the coach usually pulls his starters to get the backups more minutes.  If the coach doesn't do this, he's leaving some starters in so the game doesn't get out of control.  Most kids who are left in have a problem with this.  They feel as if they should be sitting too because it's embarrassing or the coach doesn't "respect" them enough to pull them out.  As I watched #23, I realized that this kid just wanted to play.  He played just as hard in the last minute as he did in the first quarter.  He didn't gunout (shoot without thinking of passing) his teammates, he continued to play hard D and most of all he hustled.  At no point in the game did I see this kid pout, throw a fit or act like a bitch.  This kid played his H.E.A.R.T out and it was dope watching him do so.

#1 Rian Narra

When people generally think about sports, they tend to think that if you don't start...you're not good.  Well this isn't always the case.  What if you play Varsity sports and you're a Sophomore?  This is the case when it comes to my young bol Rian Narra.  Yeah, Rian could play JV, get a ton of minutes, playing against competition his own age and dominate...or he can learn from a Senior PG, play against the best in the area, and get ready to crush next year.  He (as I would would) chose the latter.  As a Sophomore, Rian doesn't get that many minutes (because he's playing behind Andrew Johnson) but that doesn't mean he doesn't have skill or a big ol' H.E.A.R.T.  Rian came into the game for good in the middle of the 3rd quarter and did his thing.  Narra came into the game and played with the intensity of a starter (which he will be next year) and kept it up for the rest of the game.  He attacked the bucket, played his ass off on D (so much so that he was huffing and puffing, I even told him so on Twitter during the game).  By the end of the game, regardless of stats (which I figured to be 11 points, 3 boards, 4 assists...in less than 2 quarters), Rian played his ass off.

As I sat watching both of the players (#23 for Wooster and #1 for Hug, Rian Narra) and thought about how hard BOTH were playing at that time, I took this picture....

And this is what put my entire Hug vs. Wooster game in perspective, regardless of the score.

Brain vs. H.E.A.R.T

In the human body there are two vital organs that you need in which to survive (well, really there are a couple more than that, but for argument sake, we're just going with these two).  You have the brain which controls basically EVERY function and action in the body and you have the H.E.A.R.T which pumps blood (if we were a car this would be the oil) throughout said body.  Both are very important to survival, but only one is essential for truly living.

The Brain

The human brain controls everything that is found in the body.  This is a fact that we all know.  But we also know that the brain can die while the human body is kept alive with machines.  Although we know this, many people still put an emphasis on how important it is (it really is, I'm NOT downplaying this fact) without acknowledging that people "survive" everyday without it.  The human brain can also play tricks on you.  It can make you see, hear and feel things that don't exist...like fear.  Fear is an emotion that cripples people daily from achieving goals that they want to pursue.  Maybe you want to start a business, or ask specific person out on a date.  You probably want to try out for a sports team, write a book or run in a marathon.  Fear will seep in and tell you that, "you can't do that, that's stupid, you'll fail".  This all stems from your brain.  You have to constantly fight against this negativity to keep moving forward (or START moving forward). 

The H.E.A.R.T

The human heart pumps life throughout the body every time it contracts.  Think of yourself as a machine or a car.  If you don't change the oil, you are going to have SERIOUS problems.  The machine/car breaks down and it either dies or it costs a ton of money to get it fixed.  With a little maintenance, your H.E.A.R.T (machine/car) will run smoothly.  If the brain dies, the body can still be kept alive with machines.  If the H.E.A.R.T dies, it has to be replaced or the entire body dies...period.  This is where motivation fits in.  Motivation is the ignition that gets you motor going to get the machine/car started.  Without motivation, you truly are dead.  You do not accomplish anything and you are stuck in the same position you were yesterday, last month and the year before.  Your H.E.A.R.T will not play "tricks" on you, but it does need a tuneup every now and then so you can keep striving for your goals.

Conclusion

Don't EVER let your brain override your H.E.A.R.T...ever!  Your H.E.A.R.T runs the show and that's real.  When your brain wants to talk that crazy ish, that's when you need to dig deep and let it (the brain) know that your H.E.A.R.T is bigger and badder (someone always is) and you won't be stopped until they put you in the dirt.  You may not achieve everything you want to do in your lifetime, but you NEVER will if you give up and allow your H.E.A.R.T to give and die.  Please believe that.  I hope this finds you in time and that you continue to play the game of life with H.E.A.R.T!