" A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"- Lao Tzu
While members of our Devon Prep basketball program work and strive to be better all throughout the year, this weekend marks the formal beginning of our season. The varsity team is traveling to Pittsburgh to play three games against some tough competition (Lincoln Park, North Catholic and Ursuline, OH). The week leading up to our first games always has a special feel - the anticipation of a new season is so awesome! Every season has twists and turns and ups and downs, providing new opportunities to learn and grow. While some programs set out to win a certain amount of games or a championship, we at Devon Prep believe on focusing on the journey. When we start this new journey, we always challenge our teams to leave the program in a better place than where they found it. I wish we could take credit for this concept but it was not our idea originally. The All Blacks, the national rugby team from New Zealand, instilled this principle in their team many years ago. We have adapted it to our program but the idea is similar. We want our players to return their jerseys better than when they first put them on. Our varsity TIDE are putting their Devon Prep jerseys on for the first time of the 2023-2024 season this weekend.
Before we play our first game, we give each player a little journal that contains messages from former Devon Prep players - those who have worn their jersey before them and who have left their blood, sweat and tears on the court and on the jersey. Players who have left the jersey in a better place! Each year the journal grows as we add more chapters to our story… more ‘miles’ to our journey. Really, at the end of the day, there is no true end to the journey. When these players leave Devon Prep after they have played their last game and have taken their jersey off for the last time, they are still continuing on their journey. We hope that the seeds that were planted here - in our gym, locker room, school and with each other - can help guide them on their own journey of a thousand miles. And wherever they go, they will leave their new “jersey” better than when they first put it on.
