SZVETITZ COLUMN: Title game loss won't keep Glenwood's Humphries down

MONTGOMERY — Julie Humphries smiled.

Even after losing in the state championship game to Pike Liberal Arts, the Glenwood coach wasn’t down.

Even after watching her team shoot 11.3 percent — 9.5 percent in the first half — the first-year Gators coach was upbeat.

Even after her team had three chances to beat or tie the Patriots in the last 23.4 seconds, coming up short all three times, Humphries looked at the bright side.

See, as upset as she could have been — as mad or disappointed or distraught as she had every right to be — she wasn’t.

See, her perspective is a little different from most “winning is everything” coaches. For Humphries, it’s not about state championships. Although, winning one Saturday at Huntingdon College in the AISA AAA finals would have been a dream come true.

It’s about the kids. It’s about basketball. It’s about fighting and persevering. It’s about growing. It’s about character.

And going by that, her Glenwood girls were victorious.

Sound corny, trite or goofy? Well, then, you didn’t watch Saturday’s game. And you don’t know Humphries.

Sure, she wasn’t happy about the stats — just two made field goals in the first half. But, as she pointed out, it’s not like the girls were trying to miss. They were giving it everything they had.

“It is frustrating, especially when you think you’ve got them in the position to win the ballgame,” Humphries said. “You’ve got them the opportunity to make a wide-open jumper and we miss, or we miss a wide-open layup — this, that and the other. But, that’s all we can do.

“I guess that’s why I love my job. I come back year after year, with all the missed baskets. It’s all about the girls and what they learn from the season and what they can take from me with them for the rest of their lives.”

Sure, for the rest of their lives the Gators will always look back and wonder “what if” or think “if only.”

Shooting 11.3 percent will do that to you. It’s enough to make any coach or player an insomniac. And, of course, losing in the state title game when you were oh-so-close, will keep you awake for days.

But, again, that’s what separates Humphries from other coaches. She knows the truth. And the truth is the Gators did what no one thought they could do.

It’s the perfect Cinderella story. Well, almost. The ending was a little different, but how they got to the final page was certainly something to tell your kids at bedtime.

Just to get to the state championship game, Glenwood, the sixth-ranked team in AISA AAA, had to beat No. 1 Lee-Scott. And if you know the history of that series, pulling off the upset was a daunting task. In three games this season, Lee-Scott swept the Gators. And everyone was predicting the Warriors to do it again to Glenwood in the semifinals Friday.

Everyone, except the Gators, who rallied to beat their rival, 49-46, in overtime, sending them to the finals.

“Nobody had us in the championship game,” Humphries said. “I guarantee you nobody in the AISA gave us a chance.”

And if they did, after seeing the way the Gators played the first 16 minutes Saturday, no one would have given them a chance to be in it at the end against Pike Lib.

But, again, there they were. Right there.

The fight never left. Even when it could have given way to depression and despair.

Then, the most incredible thing happened. A team that had just six field goals for the game had a chance at the end.

It just wasn’t meant to be.

But, man, what a thriller. What a chance. What a story. Cinderella had gone to the ball and danced her feet off. Unfortunately, the slipper slipped off at the end.

“The girls gave us everything they had,” Humphries said. “I can’t say enough about them and their effort. I can’t say enough about all of them.”

Even though she tried.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at mszvetitz@oanow.com or 737-2513.