Winter Convocation 2004

Bill Gibbons, head coach, women's basketball

My name is Bill Gibbons and I am honored to be a part of Winter Convocation 2004 titled, "Walk with Me." I am currently in my 23rd year working at Holy Cross, the first four as an assistant men's basketball coach and the past 19 years as the head women's basketball coach - a job that, in my mind, I would take for a year or two until I had an opportunity to get a full-time position coaching men's basketball. So, as you can see, what I thought would be a short "stroll" here with the Holy Cross women has instead turned into a marathon walk on College Hill for me - yet, a walk for which I thank God every night when I hit my knees.

Being "men and women for others" and learning our "obligations to one another" is pretty easy in a basketball setting. Sacrifice for the good of the team, pass to the open player, help each other out on defense, stay positive, stay TOGETHER and have fun ...and always play with passion, unselfishness, desire and intensity ...play with that "Holy Cross Spirit" and you will never let your teammates down!

But, the more challenging question as a teacher/coach and as student-athletes, is to answer that "obligations to one another" question off the court. In a humble way, with the help of my wife Lisa, I have tried to show some examples of giving something back and helping out those less fortunate...with trips to the Mercy Centre School, canned good drives for the needy, Community Reading Days and various school, Jewish Community Center or church group basketball clinics. However, those are really "easy" choices, too. To me, the answer to this question is all about the really tough choices that we must make in the day-to-day activities that face us here on Mt. St. James and beyond. This is where the "teacher" (me) has become the student. The young women and young men (I've had 6 male managers - 7 now with my son Billy - a future Crusader - stepping up to help this year) ...over 240 young people that I have been blessed with for their four years at Holy Cross -and beyond that, have taught me, my wife, my two boys, my assistant coaches and their teammates in the HC women's basketball family, what indeed our obligations to one another are all about!

Please let me share one of the many stories that I have, in hopes of showing you what I mean. It is Girl's Basketball Camp week. All my team comes back to coach at camp, workout, play and bond towards next hoop season. It is a midweek night and it is the night that (after lights out) my team and the other counselors have permission to have their fun night - the best night of the week! They all get to wind down, hang out, dance a little and celebrate camp week with their friends - old and new. The girls get dressed up, the guys get clean-shaven with their cologne and their dancing shoes on for a fun evening. The older counselors/coaches step up and take the dorm duty for the night.

Now, there's one little 8-year-old camper who is struggling with the 'ole homesickness bug. One of those older counselors, my wife, who settles them all down, can't really settle this little one down. However, the girl is fine when her camp coach - my senior co-captain - is with her. It is now getting late, my captain runs to her room to shower and get ready as her teammates wait to go. She hustles back to say goodbye to her little friend, yet every time she gets up to leave, the tears come streaming back down the camper’s face. Meanwhile, her teammates are anxious to get going, and my captain is the driver! "Let's go Cap, it's getting late!" Then, Mrs. Gibbons chimes in, "Thanks for all your help, I'll stay with her. Go and have a good time with your teammates and the others." My captain gets up from the camper's bed, starts to head out the door and then does a quick reverse pivot back inside as she flips her car keys to one of her teammates. "You guys go ahead, I'm needed here right now. I'll catch up with you later or I'll see you at breakfast."

They do not catch her later, as she ends up in a sleeping bag on the little girl's dorm room floor. The girl ends up having a super finish to her camp week...and becomes a huge fan of my captain and the Lady Crusaders. She never misses a home game, keeps stats, listens to every road game on the radio and even comes on some road trips...until sadly, she passes away, around this time, four years ago, just shy of her 13th birthday. However, the joy that HC women's basketball gave her and the joy, courage and example that she gave and showed to all of us was remarkable! A wonderful five years for her and for us, that never would have happened, if not for one simple reverse pivot and flip of those car keys. An unselfish choice, a compassionate choice, a "woman for others" choice that night in Mulledy Hall. We talk about playing with "Holy Cross Spirit"...that was living with Holy Cross Spirit.

What about you? My captain wore the purple and white of Holy Cross across her uniform as an Academic All-American, Patriot League Player of the Year, and Crusader of the Year. And you know, she still wears that Holy Cross across her chest - not in those same bold, block letters that were on her basketball jersey...but under her white coat and doctor's clothes as a successful M.D. in Boston...Holy Cross is there. The same as it is there for all of us! Jesuits, professors, administrators, workers, coaches, Nativity School boys and staff - and, of course, HC students past, present and future...the Holy Cross is also across our chests.

The question of our "obligations to one another" is extremely challenging...faced with our own tough choices in our daily life, what will we do?

It is my hope and my prayer today that all of us, when faced in our own way with a "fun/good time for me" vs. a "homesick little girl who needs me" type of dilemma, will let our "Holy Cross Spirit" come shining through and, in our own way, make that simple reverse pivot and flip our car keys to our friends saying "go ahead, have fun...I'm needed here now".... That, my friends, would be the right choice...fulfilling our "obligations to one another" and truly helping us to become a man or woman for others!

I thank you for the opportunity and I thank you for listening.