The High School Benchwarmer

I stand six feet and four inches but I weigh a measly 160 pounds. Through the first nine games of the season, I have more "Did Not Play" marks in the stat book (5) than I have appearances on the court (4). My career high is 3 points. My most stat-filled game saw me fill the charts with totals of 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal, and 1 assist. My only career start will come on Senior Night. I won't be offered any scholarships to pursue my basketball career in college and I won't be invited to any all-star games at the end of the season. But I am the one of the most important members of the Class 6A No. six ranked Tulsa Memorial Chargers basketball squad. My name is Patrick Flesher, and I am a benchwarmer. I may have given you the wrong impression, I'm not a bad basketball player at all, and in fact I like to fancy myself as more talented than the average joe. Technically speaking, out of around 1250 students- 42% being male, I am one of the 14 best boys basketball players in the school. Sure, there may be some not on the team who could beat me one-on-one, but when it comes to staying eligible, playing in a system, being dependable, and having talent, I'm in the top 14. I play hard and work even harder. Unless I am seriously ill or legally committed, I never find a reason to miss practice. I do my best to show up early and when I can, stay late. I can shoot the ball decently, my rebounding and passing are serviceable, and my knowledge of the game is pretty good. At a smaller school or lesser program, I could probably be a starter or important player, but at Memorial, I am buried on the depth chart with no foreseeable light at the end of the tunnel. So how did I get to this situation, why if I'm such a serviceable player can I not get a look from my coach? Funny you should ask, I have quite the answer. It goes all the way back to middle school. As a 6th grader at Thoreau Academy, I made the basketball team, but was still short and a little chubby and could not hold my own with our star players. When try-outs came around in 7th grade, I was one of three players the coach asked back for a 2nd try-out for one spot. After a misunderstanding with the coach as to what time this 2nd try-out would be held, I missed the try-out and never got another chance. When 8th grade came around, I was determined to make the team, and after a good showing at try-outs, did just that. But as part of a city semi-finals team, I hardly touched the floor, stuck behind players like Jamie Booker (three year starter at Booker T. Washington) and Todd Addudel (three year starter at Edison). When I chose a high school to attend, I ventured to the world of private schools and enrolled at Holland Hall Preparatory School. For many reasons, the school and I were not a fit. I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. When the school year concluded my family and I came to the decision to transfer me to my neighborhood school with my brother and many of my friends, Memorial, I figured my basketball career was over. How could a kid who wasn't good enough for an independent school with an enrollment of 300's basketball team be expected without playing organized ball two out of the last three years be expected to join a program that was just three years removed from winning the 6A state title? When I finally got to Memorial, I had only played one of the past three years competitively and was adjusting to a school five times the size of my previous one. Needless to say, I was not prepared to make an impact on the court. Well, in my first pre-season scrimmage with the team, I was sent out with the varsity players to see how I would fare. My first defensive assignment, Mister Carney, now a starter at Connors State College who was our best player that year and ended up being all-state. He made me look silly, as did most players those next two weeks that I was put out to play with varsity. When my coach had seen enough, some other players got the chance and seized the opportunity, relegating me to the end of the junior varsity bench to work my way up. Two years later, I have improved my game immensely but have also been way too consistent. While I got to the varsity squad my junior year, I really just graduated benches I was sitting on. But after all that happened before Memorial I am happy just to have that opportunity. As a benchwarmer, I measure myself in other ways than playing time. When 6-foot-8 sophomore Cameron Downing makes a great move inside to score, I take pride knowing he perfected that move against me. When Blaise Voskuhl-Staab hits another shot, I find pride in knowing I contested hundreds of those in practice. When Dominick Cornelius over powers a fellow rebounder, I see all the times he has had to block me out in practice. They say that a team is only as strong as its weakest link, and if those who warm the bench are the weak link, I feel comfortable in Memorial's strength. I'm not alone. Every team has one of us. Every team has to have one of us. I'm not alone on my own team. James Turner, Clark Young, David McIntye, Jon Powell- none of us will likely be the one to hit the big shot in a play-off game later this year, but without us, Memorial likely would not get to the play-offs anyway. Every team has their stars, and their starters. Those players whose names fill the news and interest college coaches. Those players who get credit all the time, some more than they might deserve. But every payer has a benchwarmer too, each with a story and a reason. And it's time we got our credit too.