Spoken there, sir, like a gentleman. Oh, but don't misread...we didn't win that game last night, Wando won 3-0...can't claim credit for beating them just yet--although we're still working on it! We still have a lot of work to do. Even so, I couldn't be prouder of my team and their progress.

The "miracle," as you call it, is theirs, not mine. I have seldom seen a group of young people with so much heart, character, and desire to become better. They bring out the best in me. The first request I got from them when I agreed to take the team was, "Push us." I have players who come to me individually after every game to ask, "What can I do better?" When we play well, they are proud of themselves but still recognize they need to get better; when we are inconsistent, they kick themselves much worse than I ever would because they are not willing to settle for low expectations.

I guess that's why I am so quick to their defense...they have earned my respect, and they are only a little confidence and hard work away from winning the respect of many more. Sure, we'd be better if we HAD a rec or club team feeding us (or even a JV team for that matter), but there's a lot to be said for coming up through the school of hard knocks. I still see the looks on their faces every time they accomplish something they didn't know they could...and I wouldn't have that taken away from them for anything.