It’s probably the best “don’t mess with the coach” story ever. The students of Olathe Northwest High School tried to pull a practical joke on their girls’ basketball coach, Joel Branstrom. At a pep assembly last Friday, Coach Branstrom agreed to attempt a half court shot while blind-folded. The supposed prize for making the shot was a pair of Final Four tickets. The joke was that when he missed the shot, the students would all cheer as if he had made the shot in order to get his hopes up, and then they would show him the disappointing video.
The problem was he actually made the shot. Shock and then wild applause raced through the student body, but it still took them a while to convince the coach that he had actually hit the shot (nothing but net).
It wasn’t his failure to miss the basket that foiled the joke, though. It was the coach’s attitude even before going out onto the court that beat the students at their own game. You see, the coach is no dummy. He assumed the whole thing was some kind of set up or prank, he just didn’t know the specifics. But he went out there anyway, ready to face whatever they had planned with a smile on his face.
That simple action of his reveals a strong character. Here is a man who loves and is dedicated to his students. He walked knowingly into certain embarrassment because he knew it would make them laugh together and enjoy school that much more. Even before he knew he had made the basket, when he still thought they were having fun at his expense, he was blowing kisses to the crowd and smiling.
It takes a mixture of great confidence and humility to laugh at oneself. The egotistical can’t find the humor in life, and the insecure can’t afford to let down their guard. Good for Coach Branstrom for setting such a healthy example for his students.
Oh, and even though the students didn’t have any Final Four tickets to give him, he has already received several offers from people around the country inspired by the story. He’s a winner all around.
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