Two Worst Losses of the Season

There are not ties in basketball. If players or coaches find any loss to be fun- they are probably not meant for basketball. That said, some losses are harder to take than other-

Being upset by a team that was clearly weaker than us.

Losing to a team who I felt the coach or the players were arrogant and didn’t respect us. 

Losing in a championship contest such as a game for the conference championship. 

There are many more examples I am sure. But to keep thinking of bad losses would just depress me. The longer I coached, the more convinced I became that there were two losses each season that were the hardest to take. 

Last Loss

Losing the last game of the season is obviously a tough. In HS basketball, it is sudden-death, single elimination. You have only one chance at it. 

I found no matter whether it was the opening game of the Regional, in the Sectionals, or in the State Championship games- the pain was the same. After that loss, everybody either tries to console you or push to have you fired. Those trying to console you will say, “Once you step back, you will appreciate what a wonderful season you had.”

While you can find the positives about the season, I am not sure you ever completely move on from that last loss. I can still reflect on the last plays in a Regional loss 40 years ago. I don’t think that you ever get over some of those losses. I am not saying you have trouble going to sleep, thinking about those game, but you reflect on a “missed opportunity.” 

For a coach, part of the pain of that “last loss,” has to do with control. We as coaches are in the “control business.” Coaches are trying to control as much as they can, but they are in a world they really can’t control. You work all week and then some ref calls 50 fouls that are not fouls. You work all week in drills on how to read coming off of a ball screen, and your point guard looks lost in a game. You try to control things but you can’t. 

With that last loss, as a coach, you lose control. You don’t get to say what time practice will be, you don’t get to set up drills to correct errors, and you don’t get to keep playing games. One minute you are doing pregame talks, newspaper interviews, and scouting- the next minute nothing. The radio people wanted to talk to you before games, at half-time, after games, and on a morning show- now no one wants to talk to you. Some years the only person who wants to talk to you after that last loss is your wife- and she only talks to you to tell you that you need to get the eaves cleaned out. 

The suddenness of that last loss is what hurts, and the finality of it. You can’t plead or argue- you are done. As a coach, you had one shot with that team, and now it is over. 

First Loss

The other tough loss every year was the first loss of the season. It usually did not matter if it was opening night or if you went 15-0 before you lost. All spring, summer, and fall you have planned and you think you have a great plan. 

As a coach, you have dreams of what you think might be possible. “If things go right, this might be the year.”

If you win your first 4 or 5 games, you may begin to think that not only are we going to be championship caliber team, you begin to think that you may be a dominant team. That first loss is a slap across the face- “Welcome to reality.” 

I can remember the night after many of those first losses, going home and being really sad. You feel like the kid who dreams of going to Harvard but gets his ACT back with a 22. 

We preach to our players that winning is not easy, it is hard. Sometimes the first loss is just reminder that winning is tough. At least with the first loss, you get to go back to work and try to make adjustments and corrections.