A close-knit bond through adversity strengthens Caney Creek’s basketball team

CONROE, Texas — The Caney Creek varsity boys basketball team discovered what it meant to come together through times of adversity last year when they lost their top player to a knee blowout in the first game of their season.

Head Coach Gregory Burkhart said after losing one of his best players to an injury, the team faced a difficult season, winning only two of their district games and finishing 7-18 overall. Despite the tough times, Burkhart believes this changed his team for the better.

With his top athlete out for the season, Burkhart said several adjustments had to be made in order to survive the season. Many of the team members were thrown into positions they had never played before. Those same kids are back as leaders for the team this year, and Burkhart counts this as a major benefit.

“A lot of the kids had to adapt to what happened to us last year, so they are kind of thrown into the new circumstances and gained a lot of experience from that,” Burkhart said. “We’ve got a great group of kids, but as a coach, you always want them to communicate more together and just grow together and be more of a cohesive unit.”

Solidarity, friendship and chemistry are things Burkhart said that coaches often can’t teach, so when a team naturally possesses those characteristics, it’s easier to work with the athletes.

“As coaches, you can’t really bring a group together. You can put them in positions, and you can try to get them to where they can get together, but the chemistry of a team is something that a coach can’t really force upon a team,” Burkhart said. “This group of kids, they’ve got a good chemistry. They care for one another. They support each other.”

Caney Creek’s ability to control the tempo of the game is something Burkhart credits to his team as one of their greatest strengths. Off the court, however, he said that their character, leadership and dependability are big contributors to the flow of the season.

“They’re smart kids. I don’t have to worry about them in the classroom,” Burkhart said. They’re leaders in the school. I don’t have to worry about getting phone calls and e-mails saying, ‘Hey Coach, can you talk to so-and-so, because he’s acting up in my class.’ That is a strength, because that type of stuff wears on a coach if you’re battling that type of stuff all season long, no matter whether you’re winning or losing.”

With his fifth year underway as the head basketball coach at Caney Creek, Burkhart has known his athletes since they were in the 8th grade and considers them as his own children. When someone enters the school as the new coach, Burkhart said it takes time and effort on both sides to build connections with the athletes.

“You gain closeness, and these kids are just fun to be around,” Burkhart said. “They for hard everyday. We can laugh and just in practice and have a good time, and at the same time these kids will work hard.”

Above all else, Burkhart said that even though teams are judged by wins and losses, he wants them to have confidence in each other and put forth their best effort. He said he wants to reach his athletes beyond the court and provide them with lessons that they can apply to their personal lives.

“Most of the coaches I had taught me something,” Burkhart said. “They used the sport to do it, but now that I look back I can see now that what [my coach] was trying to teach me applies to my life now by just using basketball or football to do it, so I hope these kids can make that connection one of these days. I hope they have happy lives and fulfill what they want to fulfill.”