UConn basketball and the grueling climb to glory

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

Allow me, if you will, to theologically reflect upon a subject that is admittedly not overtly theological, but is certainly a love of mine: UConn basketball. On Monday night, the UConn men defeated the University of Kentucky 60-54 in order to win their fourth NCAA championship. As wonderful as the other three championships were, there was something especially precious about this one, especially for the seniors, Shabazz Napier, Tyler Olander, and Niels Giffey. After their sophomore year, they endured three tremendous blows from a basketball perspective. Their coach, Jim Calhoun, the man who recruited and mentored them, retired. Their conference, the Big East, broke apart, and UConn ended up a year later in a lesser conference, the American Athletic Conference. And thirdly, the NCAA banned the team from postseason competition for one year because of the poor graduation rates of the basketball players who attended a few years before those three stepped on campus.

Faced with such high uncertainty and instability, they faced yet another serious of blows: two players on the team chose to declare for the professional league, the National Basketball Association, and three players decided to transfer to other teams. Despite these challenges, Napier, Olander, and Giffey, along with some of the freshmen, decided to stay put and weather the storm in the hopes of a brighter future. And on Monday night, two years later, their loyalty paid off in a manner that must have been beyond their wildest dreams.

Now, certainly choosing to endure difficult circumstances instead of heading for greener pastures is not always the wisest decision. Sometimes it is healthier to escape a dysfunctional or abusive situation or to leave a place in which there is no possibility of improvement. But there is something honorable about choosing to stay in a place, even at great personal risk, out of loyalty and a desire to be part of the solution and not contribute even more to the problem by bailing. That is why those three seniors – Napier, Olander, and Giffey – will be revered in UConn basketball lore for their sacrifice and dedication.

Life doesn’t always work out so beautifully. Those who stay and sacrifice don’t always experience championships and happy endings. Sometimes the marriage never improves, the church situation continues to be painful, and the job gets worse. But when it does work out, like it did for those seniors, it makes for a powerful life lesson: the view from the mountaintop is that much sweeter because of the grueling climb it took to get there. The investment of time and energy that you put into loving and training your children, into praying for and working on your marriage, into holding a church together through difficult times, or any number of challenging circumstances, can yield a reward so much more satisfying than that which comes from simply bailing on a difficult situation in search of greener pastures elsewhere.

The victory was sweet, but it was the struggle and sacrifice that made it that much sweeter. May God grant you the strength to persevere in your struggle, that the full glory of the mountaintop might one day be yours.