| One of the depressing jobs in coaching comes up | | | | 1946. In 1945, he led the DePaul Blue Demons to |
| when we have more kids coming out for our | | | | the championship of the biggest college |
| team than we have positions available. So, we | | | | tournament of that time, the National Invitational |
| have to "cut" players from our squad. I don't | | | | Tournament. He led the Lakers to 6 titles in the |
| know how we can do it without hurting some | | | | National Basketball Association, he was individual |
| feelings, even punching holes in some dreams. We | | | | scoring leader for 3 years, he was on the all-star |
| must be very careful and look over every kid | | | | team every year that he played, he was elected |
| from every possible angle -- give every one of | | | | to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, and to cap |
| these kids a fair trial, because... You and I could be | | | | it off, in a special poll taken in 1950, he was |
| like one of the early coaches in this true story: | | | | named the greatest basketball player in the first |
| Next time you're a contestant on "Who Wants to | | | | half of the 20th century. |
| Be a Millionaire" and Meredith Vieira says to you, | | | | That's what a little dedication and hard work can |
| "For $100,000, who was voted the outstanding | | | | do for you and it does tell us a lot about Ray |
| basketball player of the first half of the 20th | | | | Meyer and why he was such a successful coach. |
| Century," and your choices are Michael Jordan, | | | | What if he had cut Mikan from his Blue Demon |
| Johnny Wooden, Magic Johnson, and George | | | | squad? Would Mikan have gone to another school |
| Mikan, you have to choose "George Mikan" and | | | | or would that have been the last in a series of |
| make that your final answer. His story is an | | | | failure messages, the straw that broke the |
| inspiration for all those "clumsy" kids who mature | | | | camel's back? I wonder if he ever thought about |
| late and often don't get a chance to have a real | | | | giving up on himself? |
| and fair tryout.. | | | | You may want to read about another basketball |
| Mikan played with the Minneapolis Lakers in the | | | | player; the one voted the best basketball player |
| 1940-50s. He was 6 feet, 10 inches tall, a | | | | of the second half of the 20th Century -- this |
| standout giant in those days. As a high school | | | | time the answer is Michael Jordan -- and find out |
| student in Joliet, Illinois and as a freshman at | | | | how he got along in his high school career. |
| Notre Dame, he had been an unsuccessful | | | | A Personal Note -- I had the privilege of seeing |
| overgrown, clumsy youth. In 1943, he enrolled at | | | | Mikan play with the Minneapolis Lakers against the |
| DePaul University in Chicago under a new coach | | | | Chicago Stags in the Chicago Stadium a while |
| named Ray Meyer. | | | | back (O.K., a long while back). His defense was |
| Coach Meyer also saw an awkward giant trying | | | | great, he owned the boards on both ends of the |
| to play basketball. However he saw something | | | | court, and his hook shot was awesome. |
| else; this young man had dreams and the | | | | Peter S. Pierro, EdD How can we predict what |
| determination to work toward them. Meyer or, | | | | that clumsy, immature, 'slow' person will become |
| The Coach, as he was later known in Chicagoland, | | | | as an athlete? We can't be right all of the time so |
| spent hours on end working independently with | | | | let's think long and hard on the decisions we make |
| Mikan and the results are impressive. | | | | before we 'cut. |
| Mikan was an All American in 1944, 1945, and | | | | |