Basketball Season 2020

Even though some people say our basketball season is too long, as a coach you always feel like it's not long enough and wish for more time with your players. Once again this year, our coaches poured so much energy, knowledge, passion, and patience into our teams. Basketball is a complex game with a lot of moving parts and requires attention to detail and organization from the coach, and, most importantly, the necessity of encouragement and guidance. Thank you to all our coaches who committed themselves to our basketball program this season. The strength of our coaching staff does not only come from the knowledge they offer, but also the fact our entire school community is represented. We have parents, teachers, alumni, and Trinity community members that make up our coaching roster.

Like all great stories, the journey is often more crucial than the actual destination. Vince Lombardi (legendary football coach and namesake of the Superbowl trophy) said, "The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there." This summarizes each of our teams success this year. Even though none of our teams reached the "top" of the mountain this season, there were some major summits that were conquered after battling a variety of challenges on the way up.

Our Grade 7 girls team had an incredible journey of dedication, hard work, and confidence building. They were faced with some injury trouble throughout the season, as well as missing out on one of their important tournaments due to cancellation. Despite this, they lost their gold medal game (winning Silver) by 2 points to a team that beat them by 30 in the first game of the season! What a vivid example of their growth throughout the season!

The Grade 7 boys team was a very athletic group and had a variety of basketball weapons. Their biggest growth over the season was developing as a team and demonstrating teamwork. It was great to see boys find their strengths and use them to support their team. Their playoffs were very competitive and came out of battle with a bronze medal!

Our Grade 8 girls team was small in number, but were extremely dedicated to the team and extremely hard working. They really came together as a team and developed strong team work and found success throughout the season and in tournaments. The coaches worked hard to teach the girls how to "flex" and build confidence in their game. Their playoffs did not go as planned but still had a strong finish to their bracket!

The Grade 8 boys came together this season after being on two different teams last year. They were faced with great competition all season long. They often went back and forth with teams within their league and finding themselves on the winning side of some tournaments. Just like their season, they faced off against stiff competition in playoffs. When the smoke settled they came out with a well earned bronze!

The Grade 9 girls were riddled with injuries and illnesses early on in the season. They didn't have a full squad until a couple weeks into January. Despite these setbacks, they still moved forwards with positivity and joy. They faced very good competition in their Tier 1 league and learned a lot. This growth allowed them to have great success in some of their tournaments, to the point of winning the Taber tournament in a close, hard fought game against the home team.

Like many of our other team, the Grade 9 boys found themselves in a rubberband league where the competition was tough but not out of grasp. Most games were won or lost within a 10 point difference. They also had some medal success in some tournaments where they dominated in Taber and a nail-biter at the JCS Southeast Slam. During our long hiatus in February, they had a great opportunity to work with basketball trainer and coach Dave Singleton! Just like league play, playoffs were hard fought and the boys walked away with a bronze medal!

As always, we finished off the season with two meaningful events. Our coaches breakfast allowed us to reflect and celebrate our coaches' contributions to our athletic program and to hear all the great "behind the scenes" stories that occurred in games, huddles, and practices. No matter how the season goes or ends, coaches always look back on the season with fondness and love for their athletes. The event that turned out to be one of the most impactful, was our annual Staff vs Students basketball game. A few days before our school doors were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to come together as (almost) a whole school community and celebrate with each other and share an awesome community building event. Students and staff playing together, students leading and using their strengths, and Eagles of all ages cheering with one another. With no students currently in the classrooms, halls, or gym this is the image I hold on to as I reflect on just how much I miss our students.

Thank you to our amazing coaches, managers, parents/fans, staff members, and, of course, athletes for an awesome basketball season! Stay safe, healthy, and rooted in God's love!

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Andrew Dykshoorn, Athletic Director