“A good coach can change a game, but a great coach can change a life.” – John Wooden
Last month, I had privilege of attending an event honoring and recognizing a local coaching legend in my hometown of Sumter, SC — Coach Bobby Baker. The local YMCA where I started playing basketball modernized and dedicated the basketball court in his name.
At the young age of about 9 or 10, I was introduced to Coach Baker through the YMCA Youth Basketball program. My mom signed me up for basketball and since our church didn’t have a team, I got cast as a “wildcard” as they called it and was lucky enough to be put on Coach Bobby Baker’s team. Little did I know the impact he would have on my life. At that time, I was a shy, not so good, basketball superstar “wanna-be”. I was tall and lanky for my age, and my coordination and body had not caught up with my growth. I was also rather skinny. I couldn’t even shoot a free throw and hit the rim, but I was tall. Coach Baker spent a lot of time with me, teaching me the fundamentals of shooting, and how to use my legs as levers to help with free throws. I got better over time and by the time I was in high school I was shooting over 80% from the free throw line. And he taught us a lot more about basketball, including how to set a proper screen or how to “box out” for rebounds and “get big” as he would say under the basket. He taught us about moving our feet (lane slides), how to protect the basketball when dribbling and so much more. We learned about the “pick and roll” and how to set a firm correct screen. He taught me basketball for a number of years all the way up to high school varsity basketball. I wasn’t the only one he taught. He started coaching in 1976 and coached many young basketball players in my hometown, some who were amazing athletes. But his impact went FAR BEYOND the court. As another player shared at the event, he always asked about four areas of our life and never wavered in their priority. 1) Faith (were we attending church? did we have a relationship with Jesus?) 2) Family (how were things at home? were you respecting your parents, siblings, etc.?) 3) Academics (how were our grades? were you struggling and need help?0 and 4) Basketball – it was always last of the four. He knew that if the other three areas were not working, then basketball didn’t matter. He had the priorities in order for sure and if one of the first three were out of line, he was more interested in that one than the fourth one.
And he taught us discipline (i.e. sticking with something), how to compete hard and fairly, how to win and LOSE with grace and dignity, how to hustle, how to present ourselves as young men (and women), even how to shake a hand and look someone in the eye. He instilled life lessons in us that carry on to this day. He is now passing on those skills to kids at the local orphanage, Crosswell Children’s Home, where he spends a few days a week teaching what he calls “the game of life” to those kids – just as he taught me and many others about the game of life. You see, what we were taught, went much further than the hard court! He was teaching us how to be solid, God-fearing, committed, competitive people in the world. He was teaching us about self-esteem and discipline and hard work. He was teaching us how to be good teammates.
I learned a lot from Coach Baker, and he played a pivotal role in my life at that time when I needed a strong male role model in my life. Just like the quote above by John Wooden illustrates, a GREAT coach like Coach Baker can (and did) change a life. Through Coach Baker, I gained Wisdom, Wealth and Worth because I definitely gained wisdom, built wealth (an abundance of meaningful relationships), and understood my worth (through improved confidence). And he has lived a life of significant WORTH. His impact on countless young men and women is priceless! As we honored him a few weekends ago, I was moved to tears by his generosity and selflessness to me and SO MANY others. It is hard to put into words the gratitude many of us feel, and a court dedication with his name on it and a plaque on the wall somehow seems insufficient to fully know the impact and yet it will ensure his legacy is not lost.
It got me thinking about Worth in a sense of leaving an impact. I will likely never reach the number of people he did through coaching, but it got me to thinking about how I can impact maybe one person this week or today with grace, love, compassion, wisdom, discernment, and positive feedback. And what can you do to make a lifelong impact in someone’s life today or this week? It doesn’t have to be a monetary donation or to necessarily go be a coach. Maybe it’s in an encouraging text or cup of coffee with someone who simply needs a friend or a listening ear. Our Worth and Wealth are not simply determined by our bank accounts or brokerage statements….not even close actually. The impact we have to change a life or change the trajectory of someone’s life is far more valuable. As I grow older and I know the number of days behind me are far greater than the number of days in front of me, I think more about IMPACT. My challenge to myself and to everyone reading this is what IMPACT are you having today or can you have today, or this week. I imagine Coach Baker didn’t set out to impact thousands of kids but to simply impact the “roster” he had each season, one by one. But along the way, his impact grew greater and wider and now in his 80’s he built a life of impact – day by day, moment by moment, athlete by athlete! So, go make an impact today! It’s never too late.
