Last night, the Brigham Young University men's basketball team traveled to Glens Falls, NY for a game against the Vermont Catamounts. The reason for their Wednesday trip more than 2,000 miles from Provo, Utah? A homecoming game for senior guard Jimmer Fredette. One of the best basketball players in Section II history returned home for a game in front of thousands who had watched him grow from a "pudgy" middle schooler to a preseason All-American bound for the NBA.
I recently came across a great article by Ken Tingley, Editor of The Post-Star, the Glens Falls newspaper. Tingley writes about how the evening was about more than just a basketball game. It was "part church social, part Fourth of July picnic, part high school reunion."
I remember play against Jimmer in 7th grade modified basketball, which is why I am so glad to read of his successes beyond the gyms of the Foothills Council. I met Jimmer once in high school through a close friend who had played AAU with him. He seemed like a genuinely nice kid then, and from interviews, it appears he has not changed, despite his stardom.
But I guess the point of my latest blog post is to reiterate just why I love sports. It's their incredible power to bring people together, which I discussed in my Social Foundations of Coaching blog post about the Red Sox.
Last night's Hometown Classic in Glens Falls, NY was another example of what makes sports special. To read Tingley's article and for more on Jimmer Fredette's homecoming to the Capital District, click here.
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