Character is proven in the clutch situations.
From 7-24-14
Through the years there was a lot of publicity about the Newton Co. basketball program, it's tradition, & "Death Valley". When Randy Henderson & his parents moved to Covington, they went out to eat at "The Buck-&-Kid" restaurant. They noticed that the town was very quiet, and there there was hardly anyone else in the restaurant. When Mr. Henderson asked the waitress where everyone was, she replied, "Don't you know? The Rams are playing--& everybody in this county goes to their games!" Randy thought, "What's so big about a high school basketball game--but the first time I saw them play, I was hooked as a fan, and wanted to be a part of the excitement!" (Later, in 1976 when I was coaching @ GWA, he helped lead our team to a state title as he averaged 16 pts. & 14 rebounds a game.)
Former Ram 2-time All-State player, Wayne Hall, had been telling his college teammate, Ron Riley, stories about the Rams' tradition. Ron couldn't understand why they had to go so early in the afternoon to make sure they could get into the games. He thought it unusual for such a large crowd to be there for the JV boys game. Everything seemed normal to him until late in the 3rd qtr. of the girls game, when there was a large roar from the crowd & everyone stood, and the referees even stopped the girls game for the noise & distraction. Then he noticed a long line of young men dressed in Navy blue blazers, ties alike, gray slacks, and they seemed to all have the same "crew cut" hair. As they walked around the court going to the dressing room, I noticed some of the opposing girl players were holding their ears because of the loud noise, & some of the NCHS girls team were even clapping for the guys. When the boys team disappeared down the steps to their dressing room, the applause stopped, and the girls game resumed. In 1971, senior Stuart Clive, who was an outstanding player for some of our championship teams, wrote me a letter expressing his thoughts on "being a champion". He wrote "Champions are not natural-born, they are made from much long and hard work. Success is not free, you must pay the price to achieve it. There is more to a winner than being in great physical condition--a winner owns a high character. This character is proven in the clutch situations. The weak give up and accept defeat, while the strong accept the challenge and go on to victory. A good competitor can only accept defeat if he knows he has done his absolute best! These fundamentals are true not only in athletics, but in the game of life!"
