On Monday, the school community gathered in the Gunn Gym to celebrate the remarkable success of the Senior Boys basketball team and to raise SJS’s first-ever provincial basketball banner. It was a proud moment that recognized the team’s dedication and reminded us all that with hard work and passion, great things are possible.
As part of the celebration, the gathered parents, faculty, staff and students, watched a video by Mr. Mullen, and heard from team captain Viv Anderson-Francois, who was named the provincial tournament MVP. In addition, Coach Kinman delivered a stirring speech to the community—one that went far beyond basketball—and which, for everyone’s benefit, we have included in full below.
There was also an award to the winners of a door prize from the Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Zone Championship. Grade 2 students Julio Zhu, Julian Zhu and Marcus Wong each won a sweatshirt from the SJS Spirit Wear shop.
Congratulations again to the students, coaches, parents, fans and everyone who was involved in the provincial win. You can read the full report in the story from last term.
Coach Kinman’s speech in full:
“Athletics and sports, and in this case, basketball, just happens to be my arena, my vehicle, that’s what I do.
“And what the Senior Boys basketball team did and what they accomplished, the recipe is easy. It just takes commitment. It takes discipline and it takes focus. And it takes a family around you. Be it mom and dad, the school community, the teachers and staff, all of that comes together and that is what makes things like this happen.
“And to be perfectly honest, if you know anything about me or know my background, I don’t care if it’s basketball. I don’t care if it’s golf. I just care that it’s something. Anybody can do anything that they want to do. It’s all possible, it just takes that recipe.
“So don’t rest on your laurels. Find what it is that you love to do. And then go do it and do it with passion. Do it with integrity, do it with discipline and do it with focus.
“And celebrate everybody else doing it too. Go this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to Urinetown [the musical]. Go see what those kids are doing. That’s the same thing as what we just did. The Christmas Concert, the Spring Concert, the DP Program. All of those things are the same.
“We’re all part of this together. Find what it is that you love. Find a way to make it happen. Thank you for allowing us to make this happen.”
