WATCH: Alabama high school player leaves coach in tears after inspiring postgame remarks
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Eufaula High School in Alabama came up one point short of a state title, but the words of one of the team’s star players — Terrell Jones — make him a champion.
Jones gave an inspiring postgame speech, crediting his coach for making him a better player and a better person.
As you can see in the video below, coach Michael Smith was moved to tears by his player’s words following the incredibly tough loss:
In his final high school basketball game, Terrell Jones (@itstkadee) scored 20 pts. and fouled out late in the 4th. Eufaula lost the state championship by one point, but this kid left it all out on the court. Not a dry eye in the room after what he said at the podium. @EufaulaCS pic.twitter.com/KRfg3UML2X
— Rocco DiSangro (@RoccoDiSangro) March 3, 2018
“It’s been a long time since Eufaula has been in the state championship,” Jones said. “Since Day 1, I remember the first day Coach Smith came in the gym. He told me — he said, ‘If you want to be a state champion, you gotta be different. Everybody can’t be a state champion.’
“I’ve never forgotten a word that man said to me. Each and every second that winds down, I was just thinking, ‘I gotta be different. I gotta separate myself. I gotta separate myself to show that I’m different.’ Because I wanted to be a state champion. We fell one point short.
“But I know all those young guys in that locker room, they have a bright future. Because everything that I’ve been through, they’re going through and they still have to go through. It’s only gonna make them better. This man right there is the best coach I’ve ever had in my life. I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”
Despite the overtime loss in the championship game, Jones is a real winner. Credit to Coach Smith for playing a big role in this young man’s life.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
