“Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.” – Proverbs 22: 29

We all admire greatness. Skill, finesse. A professional who can make something really hard look effortless. Think of your Olympic figure skaters. I’m in awe when I see one of them perform. Tradespeople too – mechanics who can get my old car working again fast or technicians who can easily identify and correct HVAC problems. And I admire nurses and doctors who can speedily troubleshoot a human physiology problem and take the proper steps to realign harmony. Professionals who are good at what they do. I hope to be one one day. I still feel like an imposter a lot of times, trying to navigate my way through the complexities of primary care medicine.

I’ve learned in life that getting good at something typically means getting a lot of practice in failing. People who are good at what they do have another common characteristic: they learn from their mistakes. I picked up on this early in jiu jitsu: if I got choked out one particular way one night, I would be ever on my guard against that attack again.

I say all this to bring some attention to the culmination of this year’s March Madness-Men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament. For the first time in 17 years, all four number one seeds have made it to the Final Four. There’s usually a great upset somewhere in the preceding two weeks that knocks out at least one or two of the nominal number one teams. This year, it’s Florida, Auburn, Duke, and Houston. Something I’ve come to really admire about college basketball is that typically there is a HUGE difference between a number one ranked team and a 16-seeded team (the lowest seed possible). A college from my hometown made it to the tournament this year as a 16-seed. They sadly had to face Florida in round one and it wasn’t pretty.

As a pretty good basketball player back in my high school days and early college days, I can say with confidence that there really is a big difference between NCAA Division III basketball and NCAA Division I basketball. In high school I got to play against some girls who went on to Division I college teams and those girls were really good: typically a few inches taller than me plus about 20 pounds heavier and also faster, better ball handlers, better rebounders, better defenders, etc. And it wasn’t hard for them. I killed myself just to get a spot at a Division III school. And then within Division I, you have the Dukes and the UConns juxtaposed with other schools no one has ever heard of. Last year for the women, South Carolina won the title and remained undefeated all season long. Pretty epic.

Caitlin Clark basically lived and is living my dream from high school. How I yearned back then for a spot at Division I college basketball – to play for Tennessee or LSU or UConn. Ha. It’s funny now, at age 36, I realize those girls are giants. Innately talented plus hardworking and well-coached and surrounded by a team of greats. And when a team of great players has their eyes set on winning the NCAA Division I national championship, it’s awesome. Greatness. So, on Saturday night I very well might stay up past my bedtime to watch the number ones go at it. I wonder what great coaches/kings/recruiters will be in the stands watching. ~