A Grip on Sports: There is something special about watching the joy that comes with reaching a goal, no matter how difficult the journey was

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If there is any way to turn back the clock, how many of us would do it? This morning, when Daylight Saving Time kicks in, pretty much everyone. But when faced with the metaphorical, looking back on our past successes and failures, the question is a lot harder to answer, isn’t it?

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• The idea there is a multiverse out there somewhere for each action results in a different result is fun for movie plots, sure. But all of us live in the reality of our making. And nothing reveals that more, in a condensed period of time, than important athletic events.

Think UConn coach Danny Hurley, winner of two national titles, wouldn’t love to have back the final 0.4 seconds of his team’s Saturday loss at Marquette? When his reaction to a non-call kickstarted his petulant reaction on the sidelines? A reaction that cost him $25,000 and resulted in another wave of photos that makes him look a little like a horse’s back end?

Sure he would.

Or the numerous Spokane-area high school basketball teams who started the week hoping to be holding one State trophy – the championship one – Saturday night, only to get back on the bus with a higher numbered piece of hardware.

Yep, them too.

But in every competition, there can be only one winner. And one outcome for the millions of decisions made under pressure. As the 1,483rd Dalai Lama (in some multiverse), Bill Parcells, once said, “You are what your record says you are.” And you are a product of all the decisions you have made.

Even those decisions outside of your control.

There is no one connected, either intimately or peripherally, with the Colfax High boys’ team that would have chosen the awful circumstances that befell the basketball family this season. The way-too-early death of a loved one, in this case head coach Reece Jenkin, is never anyone’s choice. But it happened.

His cancer diagnosis hit midway through the season, his death just a couple months after – with the most-important part of the year still ahead.

Jenkin’s loss? Uncontrollable. The events that unfolded after?

Having sat on benches in hot, sweaty gyms many times over the years with Reece, having shared as well untold hours afterward talking about everything under the sun, it isn’t hard to imagine what each of his players – including his son Adrik – carried after he left us.

The burden must have been immense. But Jenkin was a basketball coach. Their coach. And I’m certain he shared a piece of advice I heard him share often during games over the years. Advice that is echoed by every coach who has the right stuff. And Reece had the right stuff.

Control what you can control.

What is thrown your way may seem unfair. Awful. Crushing. But you, and only you, control how you react to it. No one else. Lean on your teammates, sure. Let them help you. Let them support you. Lift you. Control what you can control.

And it is possible to overcome anything.

No, it doesn’t always happen. You can do everything right and still fail. But there are lessons to be learned either way.

The Bulldogs took the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena court Saturday afternoon against Adna with a lot at stake, much of which we could see. An undefeated season. A State 2B title. And other unshared goals only they knew.

There was one thing, however, that wasn’t on the table. How anyone should have thought of them. There is only one word that could describe that, win or lose.

Admiration.

A bunch of 14-to-18-year-old young men had already earned that. And not by any results on the scoreboard. They earned it by just playing the way Coach Jenkin had taught. By controlling what they could control.

Ultimately, they controlled the Pirates and rolled to a 69-56 victory. All of the goals set before the season were met. And, after the buzzer sounded, they shared their joy with their community, their families and their coach who could not be there.

Watching Adrik celebrate while carrying a picture of his father, hugging his mother and sister, happily dapping his equally elated teammates, had to tug at every heartstring in every multiverse.

Giving into the tears that wanted to emerge? It was the only choice.

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WSU: The Cougar women played their best basketball in the past couple weeks. But the run through the West Coast Conference tournament was bound to end at some point, even if it echoed their run through the Pac-12’s a few years ago. The end came Saturday against the University of Portland, 72-62. Greg Woods has the game coverage. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, it was an interesting Saturday around the country, with many teams sitting on the NCAA’s bubble not helping themselves. … John Canzano believes the Pac-12 has to play its postseason tournament in Las Vegas. It’s hard to argue with his logic. … Washington may or may not have been in that area going into its game with Oregon. But it certainly isn’t now, after the Huskies fell in Eugene. … Oregon State may be honing in on a Michigan assistant with Saint Mary’s ties as its next men’s basketball coach. … Even though most conference tournaments are still ahead of us, that doesn’t mean it isn’t time to start speculating about which players may transfer. … The Big 12 tournament bracket is set, with Colorado drawing Oklahoma State. The Buffs gave second-ranked Arizona a challenge last night in Boulder but still lost. … Stanford won again and seems to be heating up as the ACC tournament looms. … UCLA traveled across town and blew out USC. The Trojans are fading just as Mick Cronin’s Bruins are rising. … Utah State won the Mountain West title, and the one-seed in the conference tourney, with a home win over New Mexico. … Baylor hammered Utah. … San Diego State finished second. … Colorado State is among the hotter teams coming in. … Arizona State’s string of upsets ended with a blowout loss at No. 6 Iowa State. … The second-ranked UCLA women were tested by No. 11 Ohio State in the Big Ten semifinals but won by 10 points. … Colorado fell to West Virginia, ending the Buffs’ Big 12 tournament run. … San Diego State is the MWC tourney favorite. … In football news, Lincoln Riley is bullish on USC’s chances this fall. … Is a break in the Civil War rivalry series actually a good thing? … An Arizona State pass rusher will be back for a sixth season.

Gonzaga: Being that this is the final WCC tournament for the Zags, men and women, the S-R has quite a bit of coverage for this Sunday. Even though neither play until Monday. We start by passing along John Blanchette’s look back at the GU team that started all the madness. No, not the 1999 group. The 1995 one. … Dave Boling is a smart man. How do I know that? Well, only a smart man would have written a column about how the WCC men’s coaches showed their true colors with the all-conference voting. … Theo Lawson’s story for today on the end of the WCC run? He looks back on the 39 years leading up to this point. … He also has this story about another honor for Graham Ike. … The women have only one path to another NCAA Tournament appearance. Win their final WCC tournament title. Greg Lee has a couple stories about that. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Portland will do what it can to keep its star freshman from leaving after the season.

Idaho: Only one local team has played in Starch Madness yet. The Vandal men. They handed Sacramento State a 68-45 loss, ensuring the Hornets season ended just as it begun, without a win on the road. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Montana women will play Montana State after the Griz got past Northern Arizona yesterday. … Weber State raced paced Portland State. … The Idaho State men topped Northern Arizona as well in their tournament opener. … Montana hopes to turn its season around in the tournament. … In football news, Weber State has a quarterback competition this spring.

Preps: One of the weird rules with high school basketball came up Saturday night in Tacoma. Even if video replay is available through a non-partisan entity, as it is in a State title game, it can’t be consulted to get any call right. None. Even an administrative one like what occurred in Gonzaga Prep’s 53-49 4A title game loss to Richland. The game was within six points when a technical was assessed the G-Prep bench for a player not reporting to the scorer’s table before or during a time out. A quick look at the NFHS broadcast would have shown the answer. Instead, a bunch of folks stood around talking for 15 minutes before deciding a T was the correct call. Dave Nichols has the coverage. … Dave also has a story on the Gonzaga Prep girls’ loss in the fourth-place game and Mt. Spokane’s boys taking home the 3A fourth-place trophy. … There is also Dave’s 2A/1A roundup to pass along. … From the Arena, Dan Thompson has coverage of Colfax’s win. … Madison McCord covered the 2B girls final, won by Cle Elum-Roslyn, as well as Neah Bay’s 1B victory. … There is also coverage of Lummi Nation’s title victory in the 1B boys’ ranks. … Lake City High won Idaho’s 6A boys title over Owyhee.

Chiefs: Prince George completed a two-game weekend sweep of Spokane on Saturday, winning 4-3. The Chiefs have dropped three consecutive games.

Mariners: Logan Gilbert is never afraid to try to climb the gold stairs of improvement. … James Paxton lives in Seattle. But he is still a Canadian. And is ready to pitch for Canada in the WBC. … Speaking of that tournament, the U.S. won handily again.

Seahawks: Does Geno Smith really hold a special place in Hawk fans’ hearts?

Kraken: The Senators blew out Seattle last night in Climate Pledge Arena.

Sounders: One mistake. That’s all it took from St. Louis for Seattle to earn a 1-0 road MLS victory last night.

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• The older you get, the better it gets in one regard. Watching young people express their joy publicly seems to get better and better. In all its forms. Until later …