Tall Monastic Guy: How are you, Jack?

November 27, 2012

How are you, Jack?

More often than I’d like to admit I fantasize about my basketball days. I relive those glorious (and inglorious) moments of high school and even my short college career through ridiculous dreams, which often involve me hitting last second game winners or going off for 40 or even 50 points.

It seems these dreams are indicative of the universal desire for more – more achievement, acclaim, and notoriety. And while one half of us enjoys these silly dreams the other half of us recognizes that fame is usually more burden than blessing.

I’ve found myself wondering how Jack is feeling this week? Jack Taylor is the kid from Grinnell College who scored an absurd 138 points in a single game last week, setting a new NCAA record. His teammates seemed cool with passing him the ball and allowing him to Jack up 108 shots.

That's one hundred and eight field goal attempts!

I can’t help but wonder what the implications are of that type of overnight fame on a young man. Fame that came with an interview on SportsCenter and seeing that you were the hot topic of conversation for guys like Kobe and Lebron.

We all think we want that and sometimes we day dream about it. But what happens when your coach puts no restraints on you and actually encourages you to shoot the rock 108 times and you actually hit nearly 50% of those shots?

Just curious...

Posted at 02:47 PM in Curiosities..., Ryan's ruminations | Permalink

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Comments

This is a great question... Contrast Jack's story with Jeremy Lin's. Looking through Lin's story, it's like he couldn't catch a break. And so he just kept working harder, refining his game, relearning his jumpshot, putting on weight in the gym. Look at Lin's interviews, too. Lot's of humility and team spirit. Evangelical even... No answers here... just another dimension to consider.

Posted by: Joshua | November 29, 2012 at 09:36 PM

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