Thank You Firsties
Jimmy Allen, Head Men's Basketball Coach
Guys,
As you get ready to graduate this Saturday I wanted write and let you know how proud I am of each of you and what you mean to our basketball program and the Academy. From your R-Day four years ago, until now, each of you has helped us build a winning culture and you leave our program poised to continue making history. You have set the bar higher for every class that follows you both on the court and off.
For me, it has been extra special because your arrival coincided with my first season as a head coach here at West Point. To a man, you have all impacted our program in positive ways.
We began your senior season talking about what we wanted this year to be about and you decided it was… RESPECT THE TEAM, RESPECT THE GAME, FINISH. Although those were our team core values this past season, you all have lived that throughout your time as Cadets. It is not a coincidence that those were the values you ultimately came up with.
RESPECT THE TEAM.
In your words this meant understanding how everyone’s actions on and off the court would impact our success. You set examples of this as Cadets in your companies, in the corps and on our team.
You exemplified this at different times throughout your four years. I remember getting an email from our Commandant during your Beast Barracks saying that she had been marching with Keeston Smith and how impressed she was with his positive attitude. I remember Matt Wilson during his summer detail last year finding a pair of shoes for a plebe who somehow managed not to bring any. There was Tommy Funk driving back from the New Jersey shore during his leave to be with our incoming Plebes on R-Day.
You took younger teammates and counseled them when they were struggling and you gave up your free time to host recruits. You led our team to break academic records in the classroom all four years. There are so many other memories, but ultimately what I will remember the most is that you took every opportunity during your four years to make choices to make not only our team better but the larger team you were a part of better as well.
RESPECT THE GAME.
You guys led our scout team, stepped into drills, rebounded for teammates, broke individual records and because of all those things our program set team milestones. You set the standard for how to prepare for success on the court.
Lance, Keeston and Will, you asked for extra film to watch so that you could be better in a scout team role. You each stayed locked into scouts so that you could help your teammates be more prepared. I have never been around a group that came to practice more consistently ready to give their best effort and strive for that more than you. This is uncommon and because of you, that has become commonplace in our program. We are the most prepared team in the Patriot League going into games because of your attention to detail, leadership and accountability.
Tommy and Matt, you set and broke incredible records and you know that your classmates helped you reach those marks. One of my best memories will always be watching Keeston (the only guy in the Patriot League that could guard Matt Wilson) playing individual defense on Matt over and over after practice late in the season so that Matt could “perfect his craft”. As a class, your leadership allowed this program to tie the program record for games won in the Patriot League season and you leave with the most wins by a class versus Navy. You also set the program record for wins against the other service academies.
FINISH.
When I think of this word right now, I think of how you have all FINISHED this 47-month journey. The reason for the word FINISH this year was because we all knew we could do better. We wanted to finish our season better and we wanted to finish games better. We knew that if this was going to happen, we had to focus on finishing everything better on and off the court. In order to finish anything, you have to be resilient. No one finishes WEST POINT without being resilient and that is one quality everyone has always noticed about your group. You have each faced obstacles and challenges here at different times and in different ways.
For some, it was early in Beast and for others it was a poor start academically. You even had to overcome poor officiating EVERY game - Funk. Others had to decide whether to continue with the program when it looked like playing time might not be in the future. You had family health issues and lost loved ones. You had to lead during times that did not look very promising. You were down 25 at Navy as plebes and came all the way back to win the game. Starting off your senior season in the Patriot League 0-4 with heartbreaking losses and then FINISHING 10-4 after that. Finish is what you do!!!!
Now you are ending your 47-month journey here and you are on to even greater things. Those core values will continue to carry you to success.
Respect the team. You are going to be leaders on the greatest team in America. You have exemplified what being a selfless leader is all about and have shown that you understand what respecting the team means. You know that how you treat people and your choices on a daily basis will impact the team. You have grown into amazing teammates and leaders that men and women will follow.
Respect the game. As you already know, your experience in this area translates into respecting the process. Your attention to detail, doing the little things consistently and being ready to compete on a daily basis will lead to success in your job. Setting the right example as a leader is what will allow you to hold your teammates accountable. You guys have proven that you respect the game and your example will be contagious moving forward just like it has been in our program.
Finish. Each of you has finished every challenge put in front of you. It doesn’t always turn out exactly the way we hope. But you know that what matters is the person you become in the process. You are incredibly resilient men and that resiliency has become a staple in our program.
As I listened to each of you speak at our “virtual banquet” it was so clear that you are all ready and prepared to lead the men and women of our Army. I want to finish by saying congratulations on your graduation from West Point!!!! I have truly enjoyed being a part of your journey. You have each helped me grow as a coach, leader and most of all, as a person. You have done the same with everyone in our program. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for each of you.
I love you guys!!
Coach Allen