High School Winter Sports
As temperatures have dropped and snow has made it’s way across the state, the changes point towards the beginning of the 2018 high school winter sports season.
There is a lot to be excited about here locally when it comes to several teams and programs. Two new head coaches take over for Rock Springs boys swimming and basketball, Green River’s wrestling team returns a solid core and both schools have young boys swim teams to develop.
Even though it is cold outside, make sure that you get out to some of these games throughout the winter to support and cheer on our local youth. There was nothing more satisfying than seeing the support from the community when I was a high school athlete. I hope to see you there.
You can check out SweetwaterNOW’s more detailed 2018 winter sports previews here: RSHS and GRHS.
The G.O.A.T.
Earlier in the season the Cleveland Browns traded their troubled star wide receiver, Josh Gordon, to the New England Patriots.
Gordon struggled with off the field issues throughout his career in Cleveland. Since being with the Patriots, Gordon has had no issues on or off the field and while his time has been short in New England there is a different vibe around Gordon.
That vibe is Tom Brady.
Gordon came out recently and said that Tom Brady is someone he looks up to. This statement by Gordon and his seemingly repentant attitude as a Patriot once again proves why Brady is the greatest of all time. He makes players around him better on and off the field.
Putting this into a real life lesson, we can learn a lot about influences in our own lives. Finding someone that can make you a better person no matter what your past looks like is worth any price paying. Even greater is being that person for someone to look up to.
The Useless Triple Double
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder made history this week as he recorded his 108th triple-double. The only two players that have more triple-doubles are Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. Westbrook has established his reputation on the triple-double, however, his amazing accomplishment has zero meaning to me.
Let me elaborate.
There’s nothing I despise more than one-on-one basketball which has been a plague in the NBA for years. I sincerely appreciate team basketball which you can find in places like Utah and San Antonio to name a few examples.
While the 108 career triple-doubles are impressive, they carry no meaning. Westbrook has been and continues to be a one-on-one type of player. The Thunder live and die by Westbrook’s performance every night.
In my mind a triple-double speaks to your ability of being an overall team player. Westbrook has miraculously done the opposite of what the triple-double stands for.
Throughout his career Westbrook has played in 93 playoff games with zero championships. But don’t forget about those 108 triple-doubles.
Brayden a sports and community reporter for SweetwaterNOW. His column, Flack Friday, will be posted every Friday. You can submit comments, questions or ideas regarding the column to brayden@sweetwaternow.com.
