1. Back in the late 80s, I retired from the produce business, sold the company to its employees, and went back to college (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), and received another degree in Education in 1990.
2. I did my student teaching at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS).
3. I taught American History in the upper school until Mayre and I moved to St. Simons in 1995.
4. While at CSAS, my friend Mark Dragoo, who was, and still is, Athletic Director at the school, gave me the opportunity to coach Cross Country and Baseball. Mark was head Basketball Coach for the Patriot Boy's team.
Fast Forward to the Present (with some facts)
1. After Carolyn and I married in 2019, I became full time in Chattanooga.
2. In February of 2020, she and I volunteered to help staff the welcome desk at the BX, which is the conference and athletic center at our church, Brainerd Baptist.
Now let's look at a story that took place over the past couple of weeks.
While working our Monday shift at the BX, primarily checking in BX members who want to use the facilities, I noticed a name on the computer screen. I knew that name, Phillip Moss, and I wondered if I might have know him in the past.
When he came back into the lobby, I walked over and asked if he might be the boy (man now) who was at CSAS back in the early 90s. He answered with a question, "Weren't you my history teacher there?"
We determined that we did remember each other, and that I had been on my student teaching assignment during that 1991 basketball season when he was playing on the team that went to the State Championships.
We talked about family, about school, and basketball. I remembered him playing and asked about the present team and coach. He said that Mark was still there, still coaching, and the team was beginning the District basketball tournament the next week. The games would be played at CSAS.
When I asked Carolyn if she would like to watch a game, she enthusiastically answered in the affirmative, and we made our plans.
The Patriots won that game over Sale Creek. Although they lost the Championship game to Lookout Valley. they did qualify for the Region tournament, which would be on the next Saturday, in the CSAS gym.
The opponent in the first game of the Region was from Sunbright, a small town west of Knoxville, and the CSAS boys won that game. The next game, also at CSAS, was against Oneida, another town in the Knoxville area, and that game was last night.
Well, we were there again, and, although the home team lost, it was a good game, and a close one. Mark was coaching a young team with few upperclassmen, and a host of sophs and freshmen.They acquitted themselves very well.
We had watched three games in that short span of time, and enjoyed the atmosphere of high school basketball. Carolyn, who was not a big fan of sports, was very much "into the games".
Mark had coached at the school for 30 years and they school had named the basketball court in his honor.
Even though it had been a losing effort, the best way to top off the evening would always be some Krystals and fries.
And sports conversation about the game with my charming wife, who is waiting anxiously for the 2020-21 season to begin.
A "Blast from the Past" leads to a new basketball fan, and an anticipation of things to come.
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