Being a Teammate

This was forwarded to us by former Mounds View baseball coach, Mark Downey, who is now coaching at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

He forwarded to us as a great example of a Mustang alum actually living out what is so often talked about by coaches. Most people acknowledge that being a member of a team...at least a healthy one...requires some self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, acknowledging it and living it can be two very different things. Also, it applies to EVERYONE. No one escapes this from top to bottom...for the superstar it might be giving up individual statistics (see the second-half of Michael Jordan's career) but on the other end of the spectrum, it might be a role player letting go of individual frustrations of not playing to support teammates along the way. (This, I would argue, is probably THE most difficult thing to do as a member of a team.)

That brings me to the inspiration of this post.

Pat Delahunt was one of our captains in 2006-2007. In all reality, as a ninth grader there is no way anyone would have predicted that he would even be a varsity contributor based on his natural ability. However, he is one of the most goal-orientated, tough minded and hardest working players I've ever come across. (Garrett Ganske, a high school teammate from 1995 will probably forever hold the #1 spot in my mind!) He literally WILLED himself into being a player. He spent countless hours working on his game...often times alone. Pat in the truest sense is a gym-rat. A lot of people play basketball, but there only a handful that are basketball players. Simply stated, he LOVES the game. It took time, but by his senior year he was starter and in the process earned the respect of his peers to be voted captain.

His high school career was statistically average at best, but his legacy as a student, teammate and person stand out among the best to ever wear a Mustang uniform.

Pat was cut from the St. Olaf squad his first two years. And now, his senior year, despite the thousands of hours he's put in the game, he's only played 15 minutes all season. But he continues to be an outstanding student, teammate and person. In Coach Kosmoski's words:

"Pat became a part of our team last year as a junior. I have been able to count on him every single practice with his consistency and effort on the court. His positive energy is inspirational and has not only made himself a better ballplayer, but he has made those around him better as well. Pat has only been a positive asset to this team these past two years. There is a reason that we are a better team today than last year, and Pat has been an integral part of this growth."

I have no doubt the lessons Pat has learned through playing basketball are going to lead him to great things as he moves on to the next stage of his life. It was a privilege to coach him..for many it has been a privilege to call him a teammate and friend..and for those that don't know Pat De La Hunt, I can only hope you have people in your lives like him.