inspiring story of sportsmanship

ESPN.com reported a great story of sportsmanship from a High School Basketball game:

… Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cancer on Saturday, Feb. 7, decided he wanted to play in that night’s game against DeKalb (Ill.) High School after previously indicating he would sit out.

He arrived at the gym in the second quarter, but Franklin’s name was not in the scorebook because his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., didn’t expect him to be there.

Rules dictated Womack would have to be assessed a technical, but he was prepared to put Franklin in the game anyway. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his players knew of the situation, and told the referees they did not want the call.

The referees had no choice. But Rohlman did.

“I gathered my kids and said, ‘Who wants to take these free throws?’” Rohlman said, recounting the game to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Darius McNeal put up his hand. I said, ‘You realize you’re going to miss, right?’ He nodded his head.” …

Reminds me a little of the movie Stick It. … The athletes deciding what’s “fair”, not the officials.

… “I did it for the guy who lost his mom,” McNeal told the newspaper. “It was the right thing to do.” …

(via Sport At Its Best)

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Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.

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