Losing Was NOT an Option
Ashdown boys basketball team wins Arkansas State 3AAA Championship
“There were huge expectations from the school, community, family, and the players themselves,” said head coach James Smith. “Winning the title was the only option. The pressure mounted on these young men was more than anyone would ever understand.”
Years of training, strategizing, growing, and planning led up to the boys’ historic success. “Over the course of the last few years, each player set the goal of being better than the year before, growing in all areas,” Smith said. “To accomplish the goal of being the best, these young men understood sacrifices in their individual games would have to happen and along the journey accepted those sacrifices. The outcome was exactly what they had worked so hard to obtain.”
As is true with any team sport, working as a cohesive unit was a key factor in the team’s success. This teamwork came naturally from sheer hours spent together. “Knowing the time these young men spent together in both the gym and the film room to achieve a common goal, when they could have easily been out enjoying time with others—and never complaining about the time commitment—makes a coach thankful,” Smith said.
“Trusting each other was key to our success,” continued senior Kaiden Hunter. “Trust was huge.”
This reliance on one another was never more critical than during the championship game, when Coach Smith wasn’t in attendance. The entire team cites this as the greatest challenge of the season. Despite the irregularity of the situation, the boys persevered, finding clarity in their pregame huddle. “Our ‘circle’ before the lineups were announced brought our common goal into focus,” explained junior Lamar Wilkinson.
“We kept our heads straight,” agreed senior John Smith. “We were prepared for any circumstance. That’s how we brought home the trophy.”
But improvement at the macro level would not be enough to secure statewide victory; each player had to commit to individual growth as well. “Our intention this season was to become better in each phase of the game, both as a unit and individually,” Coach Smith emphasized. He noted that the season’s theme, since Day 1, was “getting the right pieces to fit into the puzzle of success.” Each puzzle piece had to sharpen its edges.
The players reiterated this point. Seniors Keamon Nutt, Kaiden Hunter, and Jimmy Dunn all emphasized that the boys are of course proud of their team as a whole but also as individuals. “We are state champs,” they each said. “We made history.”
This individual-level growth was important to the coach as well as the players. It is crucial that the time, energy, and heart spent on the court benefits each of the boys once the gym doors close. After all, inherent to high-school sports is that, with the passing of every season, players leave. “The team” as a unit is fleeting. As Dunn put it, “[You learn to] cherish every minute together because team members always change. You can never get one minute of any part back, so you embrace every moment.”
When the young men leave the team, headed for college or careers, Coach Smith is confident that they will be prepared for whatever lies ahead. “Their growth as young men, handling adversity and succeeding as leaders—well, that makes me very proud of each one of them,” he said.
Superintendent Casey Nichols is similarly assured. “We are so proud of our students and coaches and their hard work this season,” he said. “The boys’ win is a testament to their hard work and perseverance.”
It is no doubt that the Ashdown athletic program well prepared the players for whatever lies ahead, be it the next season of basketball or the next season of their lives—and they know where credit is due. “These young men are very proud to be Ashdown Panthers,” Coach Smith said.
