In the gym – Chadwick at Everton

Friday night I made the roadie up to Dade County to watch the Chadwick/Everton clash in Everton.  Lot’s of things had me fired up about this matchup. A couple of ‘name’ headliners in Garrett Gladden for Everton and Shaun Thomas for Chadwick, underrated #2 guys with Everton’s Chase Knackstedt and Chadwick’s Nathan Hale, a clash of styles as Chadwick’s relentless pressure would be taking on Everton’s deliberate half court mentality, and some folks in Everton that I’d exchanged emails with that I wanted to meet.  Off I went with great expectations in full effect.

As I arrived my first two thoughts were that there was a good crowd based on the number of cars, which was to be expected.  And that this was my kind of gym.  Just from the exterior you could tell it was older, not real big, and had the potential to be real loud and intimidating.  Just what you want out of a basketball court.  I parked quickly and got inside as fast as I could.  Before I could even take my seat I was greeted by one of the folks I hoped to meet and invited to sit on the stage.  As the JV game was already in progress, I promised to come over for the varsity game and took a seat in the stands.

Now the 2000 census has Everton’s population at 322.  If you’ve never been to a Friday night basketball game in a town that size, you’re missing a real slice of the American way of life.  It’s not just a game, it’s a social gathering.  Where long-time residents come to keep up with the latest generation and expound upon it’s resemblance to, or differences from past ones.  You want to catch up on what’s going on in the town?  Go to the game.  You want to learn the family relationships of local residents?  Go speak to the gentlemen sitting on the top row.  You’ll find grandparents, girlfriends, at least one team mom, and usually one fine lady who knows the referees by name and will call those names out to let them know she didn’t agree with their call.  More often than not, the home fans will have friends, acquaintances, and even family in the stands for the other team which lends a civility and friendliness to the games that is lacking in many bigger gyms.  Such was the environment in Everton’s gym Friday night, and I felt right at home.

I moved to the stage for the varsity game and met Monte and Kim Gladden, Garrett’s parents.  They struck me as just the kind of people that make living in small towns great.  Down to earth, friendly, honest, easy to talk with.  My wife and I had a great time talking with them the rest of the night.  Also got to meet the Everton coach, Jim Scott.  Nice guy, did a good job with the boys during the game, & seemed to have a good rapport with them.  Warmups completed and the game began.

In the first quarter, each team had a lesser known player make their presence know.  Cody Sartin got a couple of early buckets for the Tigers and was finding the open areas on the backside of Chadwick’s press.  And guard Aaron Phillips was the early threat for Chadwick running the point and spearheading that press.  The Tigers struggled with the pressure but seemed to settle in as the quarter went along.  Strong rebounding kept Chadwick from getting any second chances and the first quarter ended 16-14 Cardinals.

Chadwick is battle tested having already competed against some big boys in the Kickapoo Tip-Off Classic this year and it showed in the second quarter.  They began to assert themselves with their aggressive half court trap and pressure on the ball at every position.  As Monte pointed out to me, it’s impossible to simulate what Chadwick does in practice to properly prepare for it.  It kept Everton from getting into their offensive flow and often brought Gladden, who is a good ball handler for a true back to the basket post player, out to assist with getting the ball into the front court.  The result was a number of forced turnovers and a 18-6 quarter giving Chadwick a 34-20 halftime lead.  With a 14 point lead, the game was not decided yet as we started the third quarter.  And then both headliners came to life.

Gladden had 7 points in the first half, but did not get to spend a lot of time on the block where he’s at home.  As I previously mentioned, he’s a true back to the basket post which is a rarity anymore.  Broad shouldered, strong, and a very good rebounder, a competitor from another team described Gladden by saying “He knows how to get the ball.  And once he gets it, he know how to finish.”.  His mother, Kim, is the girls coach at Everton and Garrett obviously has a good basketball IQ himself.  He was one of the three players employed to break Chadwick’s pressure and he handled the ball very well.  His decision making was excellent and with the exception of a couple of misthrown passes, he didn’t make a misstep against the press.  But his bread and butter is down low and that’s where he began to hit from more than doubling his point total in the period as the Tigers put up 19.

Unfortunately for Everton, Shaun Thomas, who had a relatively quiet first half, came out smoking.  On a team where every player appears to be disciplined, basketball smart, quick, and a good shooter, Thomas still stands out.  He has a smooth shooting stroke, seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, patience to let the game come to him, and he understand the importance of getting his teammates involved.  As you watch him play, you can tell he sees the ebb and flow of the game.  Hence why he seems to rarely be forcing his shot, yet gets so many good looks.  If his skills fully translate to the next level we can’t be sure.  But I feel that if he’s placed in a system that fits him, he could be a great contributor.  In the first half, the game seemed to dictate Thomas setting up teammates Hale and Phillips more than scoring himself.  But Shaun put in 9 third quarter points in just over 2 minutes as the shots just seemed to be there.  And despite Everton’s third period scoring, the Cardinals did even better putting in 25 and taking control 59-39 entering the fourth.

From a game standpoint, the fourth was anti-climactic as Everton went cold again scoring only 2 points and the game ended with a final score of 74-41.  Thomas finished with 26 and hit 2 3s.  Phillips had 20 and Hale 16 for Chadwick.  Gladden put in 21 for Everton.  Sartin ended up with 10 as the only other Tiger in double figures.  Both squads were applauded for their efforts at the conclusion of the game.  The fans of both teams had been just tremendous throughout.  And with the game over the fans, the players, and the coaches began to mingle on the floor.  I got to meet and speak briefly with Garrett before he was swept away by Shaun to talk.   I didn’t get to speak with Shaun or Coach Terry Jester myself but just how they were conducting themselves spoke volumes about them.  We said our goodbye to the Gladdens and Coach Scott with hopes to see them again.  As we made our way to our vehicle, even a referee stopped us for a friendly chat.

As we drove away from Everton, I reflected on all that had transpired in the previous few hours.  We give such attention to the Kickapoos, Joplins, Ozarks, Glendales, and Nixas of the world.  And deservedly so.  Schools such as those send on kids to possible fame and fortune with far more regularity than all the Evertons and Chadwicks combined.  But heaven forbid that we ever lose the Evertons, Chadwicks, Winonas, Climax Springs, Stoutlands, and Wheatons of the world.  We may give more attention to the big towns, but a Friday night spent in a small-town gym will stay with you forever if you let it.  That way of life, that mentality, that kind of people.  They’re a part of all of us.  We need them to be a part of us.  For when you strip away all the distractions, all the pretense, and all the superficial burdens that the world places on us, you get to the heart of what it means to be a member of the human race.  To be a person.  What it means to truly live.  And nowhere can you do that better than in a place, in a town like Everton.