I’ve followed a high school basketball program in New Jersey called The Patrick School for over a decade.
This high school used to be called St. Patrick and spawned NBA players Kyrie Irving, Michael Gilchrist, Al Harrington and Sam Dalembert before being closed by the archdiocese in 2011. I began attending St. Patrick games in 1993.
A dogged group of people reopened the school under The Patrick School name in 2012.
TPS has turned out no less than 3 NBA players since its opening.
During most years, the school struggles to stay open. Kyrie’s generosity combined with a class of about 20 to 30 students – if that – makes keeping the school open possible.
A few nights ago, 2 Patrick School alums won the coveted D1 national title for UCONN, also known as March Madness. Their names are Adama Sanogo and Samson Johnson. One alum – Adama – won the most outstanding player for the tournament.
One alum from TPS won the Bob Cousy award as the nation’s top point guard. He set the NCAA tournament single game assist record and stole the nation’s heart during March Madness. He ranked #2 in assists nationally. His name is Markquis Nowell.
Another TPS alum led the nation in scoring for much of the year, ranked #3 in 3 pointers made per game and was the frontrunner to win the Bob Cousy award until he got hurt in mid January. His name is Jordan Walker.
Yet another TPS alum led the nation in minutes per game. His name is Darryl Banks.
I’ve chatted with all of these ballers during their playing days at TPS. All are friendly, engaging and appreciative young men who worked their tails off to become elite basketball players. In Northern NJ, we’d call ‘em “good people” but really, they are nice, inspired human beings who are incredibly easy to root for.
Imagine 5 players from a high school that enrolls 20 to 30 students utterly dominating D1 college basketball at the highest level. This has never happened in the 40 years which I’ve closely followed college basketball from high schools with enrollments of thousands of kids.
TPS, when it was St. Patrick High School was located in Elizabeth, NJ. Elizabeth was the biggest high school in the USA in the 80’s with an enrollment of almost 6,000 students. Even that high school didn’t come close to what a high school with an enrollment of 20 to 30 kids achieved. Yes; Elizabeth has turned out multiple NBA players, NFL players and MLB players. But they never did what TPS did this past year.
Has CNN sports, ESPN or any major media sports outlet run this inspiring story about The Patrick School? Nope. Forget about running a full length story; checking social media streams from TPS coaches and players, no major media has made any mention of the connection between TPS players and their sheer dominance of college basketball this year.
The Impossible World
What has ESPN chosen to run as one of its dominant headlines?
One headline involved two female college basketball players talking trash. Another headline mentioned how both finalists in the NCAA Women’s D1 finals may be invited to the White House.
ESPN has every right to run whatever story seems best for their base.
But this silliness sums up the impossibility of the world.
Running prominent headlines on trash talking basketball players and who gets to visit the White House after winning – and losing – the national title game is not generally seen to be inspiring, uplifting, thrilling and empowering. Trash talk and gossip are garbage journalism because neither brings us together, uplifts, or inspires people to overcome their obstacles.
This proves the impossibility of the world.
Far from being unfair or a complaint, it simply proves that the most inspiring stories will be buried because the world is too afraid to wake up too many minds at once with genuinely inspirational, eye-opening, once in a lifetime type stories. Wake up too many minds and of course the world we know will gradually evolve if not entirely disappear, metaphorically, at least.
Over 3 TPS classes, 5 kids from graduating classes of 20 students reached the pinnacle of college basketball, either as winners, or statistically.
One of those players is 5-8. Another one of those players is 5-10. Both were largely ignored by scouts in high school.
The MOP of the national championship team – who was one of the best big man in college basketball – was deemed too slow and unathletic by scouts coming out of high school.
The Patrick School players are highly schooled at proving the world wrong again, and again and again.
Why would the world want egg on its face?
Does the ego love looking stupid?
Isn’t it easier to run headlines on trash talking and gossiping?
The world is impossible because it is out there.
The only real change comes from within your mind.
The only answers come from within your mind.
The only freedom comes from within your mind.
Look Within
ESPN is in the business of catering to its followers.
Since this network is in the world as far as a mainstream outlet, it is in the business of doing what it takes to keep people coming back. Return readers and viewers boost advertising revenue. Ad revenue keeps major media afloat.
I totally get it.
Even though I tweeted a few TPS “domination of college hoops” stats to ESPN and a few other major media outlets I let go of the tweets and have zero expectations because the world is impossible and the only thing I do control is my mind.
I just checked ESPN Dot Com right now for the latest men’s college basketball headlines. I saw no mention of the TPS connection but scrolling down 4 headlines revealed how Grant Billmeier has been named head coach at NJIT. Where did Grant attend high school? Why St. Patrick, of course. You cannot keep a good program down! Also, inspiration peeks through even in an impossible world.
The secret is to look within your mind for happiness, for freedom, for joy, for your passions and to do your best NOT to look for the world’s approval. The world seeks popularity and crowd pleasers. The world does not seek inspiration.
What would happen if the news began to report that you have unlimited potential?
Do you genuinely believe that people would put all of their hope on the government, politicians, elected officials and the world in general if they became more aware of the literal unlimited power in their mind?
If you knew that you had unlimited power in your mind why would you look to anyone outside of your mind for power?
Even better: if you realized that you and everyone out there had the same unlimited power in their minds wouldn’t you logically just work together to uplift everyone?
Admittedly, these are uncomfortable questions to ask because each begins to poke holes in what most of us have been taught to believe about the world.
However, unless you poke a sleeping mind and rattle some cages in the process you cannot wake up the mind, nor can you see the impossibility and wheel-spinning ways of the world.
One Disclaimer
The world in its impossibility behaves just as is, perfectly, for all of us right now. Its ridiculousness gives us all a chance to awaken.
Deeming its impossibility means that the last thing you want to do is change it and the first thing to do is to change your mind about it.
Ultimately, I’m using the lessons I’ve learned about watching a high school with an enrollment of 20 dominate 358 teams and nearly 4,300 NCAA D1 basketball players.
The world may never hear about TPS’ magical 2022-2023 year in D1 hoops outside of my blog, my social media and this guest post but I’m using their principles to inspire, to uplift and to ruffle some feathers by waking up the sleeping mind dependent on an impossible world for its failing solutions.
Change your mind about the world.
Once you look to your mind for the answers you will have peace and will also see tremendous inspiration out there versus the silliness that the world attempts to cram down your throat.
