If You Want To Bawl Your Eyes Out Watch This Clip Of St. John's HS Basketball Coach Patrick Behan
Scott Van Pelt has done a terrific job of showing human emotion in a job where people seem to be robots. Sports personalities seem real buttoned up, regimented with answers or take themselves way to seriously. SVP has always tried to give a mix of being excellent at covering sports while being super informative, but also gives the vibe he would be an excellent hang at the bar. He brings laughs with one liners, but isn't afraid to tell stories about people within sports that we can all relate to. He did an excellent job during covid highlighting senior night type moments for teams who didn't get them. He's talked about Tom Izzo's tough moments with his players. He's not afraid to give a take on an opinion , and the best part is they are all genuine. He doesn't decide to be controversial or go with the opinion that will make him look good etc. He processes situations, gives his opinion in a way you know he means in his heart. Sometimes he even talks about his own life, and isn't afraid to be vulnerable. His One Big Thing on his dog Otis left everyone teary eyed, and he barely made it through it.
Van Pelt did another terrific story last night about Patrick Behan , a local HS basketball coach who's team won the super competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title 65-63.
Behan, 34, a former player at Bucknell, was diagnosed with ALS in May but committed to coaching his team and swore to never let it affect him on the sidelines, vowing to his team "I'm still your coach." In the video, SVP talks about the fact that 10 members of the Behan family have been affected by ALS. He also goes on to explain a terrific piece of advice shared by Nancy Frates , mother of Pete Frates, to "Open up your heart, and open up your arms for all the love that is going to come to you."
The most beautiful quote of the entire thing, and the one that teared me up comes from St.John's best player and top 50 player in the country, Donovan "Donnie" Freeman who said "I can't describe how much he means to me. This will always be the year that coach was fighting , but we fought with him.He never fought alone." It's a beautiful testament to how much a coach, a teacher, or a mentor can affect you and how you never forget them. It's what makes sports the most beautiful thing in the world. After all the years, the scores of game may be blurry, and the trophies may collect dust, and the plays run together, but the people you experienced them with. The guys you sacrificed with, the guys you sweat with, and bled with, and bonded with towards a common goal will never fade. The faces, the names, the personalities .. .you'll always remember those. And you will never forget the guy on the sidelines who kept it all together.
Advertisement
Beautiful story, and beautiful quote from his player. Wishing the best to the Behan family, and the St.John's community every day on and off the court.
Some Things Are Bigger Than Sports.