Compassion On The Court

There’s a pretty good chance you have already heard by now what took place earlier this month in a basketball game between two Mid Western high schools. If you did not you are about to learn about a true example of sportsmanship not the often forced kind which lacks sincerity and feeling.

Milwaukee Madison of Wisconsin and DeKalb of Illinois have built a nice out of state rivalry in which after the game the teams share a pizza dinner. On the day the teams were to play the mother of Madison senior co-captain Johntell Franklin died and at the hospital his coach suggested the team forfeit the game. Franklin said “no” he wanted the game to go on as scheduled so while his teammates left he remained at the hospital to say his final goodbyes to his 38-year old mother.

Early in the second quarter of a close game who should show up but Johntell Franklin. The gym erupted as fans and both teams cheered the sudden arrival and many left the court and stands to welcome the distraught teenager who was moved to tears. After order was restored Franklin told his coach he wanted to play and Aaron Womack put him in the game even though he knew it would result in a technical foul and two free throws for the other team. That’s because the lineup has to be entered in the book before the game and who thought Franklin would show up…never mind play. However DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his team did not want the free throws…they wanted the referees to let this one slide by but after a discussion they insisted the rule had to be enforced. Rohlman then gathered his team and clearly sent the message that you know what has to be done. So junior Darius McNeal volunteered to take the free throws and went to the line where he intentionally missed both….sort of just throwing them a few feet. Remember this was a 2-point game at the time and McNeal, the visiting player, received a standing ovation from the crowd. Turns out the two points would not have mattered because DeKalb ended up losing by 15. That was not the point and McNeal said afterwards “I did it for the guy who lost his mom; it was the right thing to do.” Franklin by the way scored 10 points in the victory.

Womack, his coach was so impressed by the act of sportsmanship that he wrote a letter to the editor in which he said that if he could not coach is own son in the future he would move to DeKalb and let him learn from Coach Rohlman. DeKalb is even collecting donations at their home game tonight to help Franklin and his family and they will be honored for their actions by the Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend.

Some people just talk sportsmanship but in this case athletes learned it and experienced it first hand. You can be sure they and everyone else at that game will never forget an act of kindness and compassion.