Scoring from the sidelines

By Erin Hussey

'You should do a story on him," my sister said to me in the Leavey Center stands. Instead of watching Niesen or Bailey or Perkins, both of us were watching the enthusiasm coming from the bench -- particularly from Brandon Rohe.

Rohe has been out with a back injury for some time now, but from what I saw, he was still a huge part of the game. He was constantly clapping, cheering and when the ball arched towards the basket, he would seem to follow it, rising up on to his tiptoes in anticipation.

Being injured is awful. I've been there. A knee surgery had me doing physical therapy three days a week for four hours a day. I was out of competition for three months.

It's funny how things work. When you can practice you don't always want to, but when you can't it drives you insane. You get jealous, frustrated and heartbroken.

Being on the sideline isn't easy. It's a hard thing to cheer on the starters, especially if you were one of them yourself. You feel disconnected and, at times, worthless. But the truth is, you're not. You are just as important, but the trouble is realizing it.

In ex-Chicago Head Coach Phil Jackson's book "Sacred Hoops," he explains that "the only way to win consistently is to give everybody -- from the stars to the number twelve player on the bench -- a vital role on the team, and inspire them to be acutely aware of what is happening, even when the spotlight is on someone else."

So regardless of whether Davey has inspired Rohe to do so or not, Rohe is still contributing to the team from the bench. He may not be able to play right now, but his selfless team support is vital.

I know that if I had just scored a huge point and looked over at the bench and they all had their heads in their hands emotionless, I would be disappointed. If teammates don't care about victories who will?

But if I looked over and saw Rohe and everyone else throw their arms up as if he had just made the basket himself, I would be even more pumped. Intensity breeds intensity, even if it's from the sidelines.

In the "Jungle Book," Rudyard Kipling writes "the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack." The same is true for sports.

The sideline might not be the best position, but you're still a piece of the puzzle, and without you, the team will never be complete.

* Contact Erin Hussey at (408) 551-1918 or ehussey@scu.edu