He was in my 8th grade language arts class many years ago, but from the time he came into my classroom, I knew I had never met a child with a spirit like his. He was too big to sit comfortably in our desks, so I had to place him at my desk. He'd come in with his humble heart, sit down, and we'd get to work on the tasks of the day. The only time he ever failed to meet an obligation was when I asked him to find an address of his favorite commercial product so we could learn how to write a complimentary letter to the company. With one phone call to a local grocery store, that problem was solved.
Brian O'Dell is a force to be reckoned with in many regards, but I must say that one of the highlights of my professional career has been watching him make the transition from awkward middle school student to one amazing coach and role model for the athletes who play basketball at SMMS.
Anyone who takes on the responsibilities of coaching has earned a crown; the job is about so much more than four quarters. A coach is someone who tries to lead children, communicate effectively with parents, maintain good relationships with community members, and in the process, works him/herself to the point of exhaustion while trying to conduct practices, present a class act during games, raise money, and monitor student athlete grades. It's a job I would never want to have, but if I had a son, and if he loved basketball, I'd move heaven and earth to get him to Brian O'Dell.
I don't go to the games. There was a time I was at SMMS every time the gym opened, but old age and battle scars from Junior Pro have kept me at the house. I did go watch him coach his first game, and as he stood tall amidst the huddle of little dudes looking up at him like he was Superman, I knew that he is where God intends him to be. I've seen the same glow in other former students whose paths are different from his: mothers, nurses, teachers, chemists, stylists, artists, college athletes, architecture, finance students, students of foreign language and business, attorneys, business owners, pastors, medical therapists, pharmacists, and fathers. There is an unmistakable pride that fills me up when I see former students who have found their calling in life, which is so difficult for many to seek.
It doesn't take me a split second to tell anyone that I know the standard for coaching in this county will always lie in the hands of Conk Bryant. I'll shout that from any roof top stout enough to hold me up while I holler. But every day that I peek through those gym doors and see Brian with those kids, I see a legacy growing. I see kids being educated, nurtured, and most importantly, challenged. He has high academic expectations because he produced top grades while he was a student athlete. He has high moral and ethical expectations because he was raised by a family who taught him the same from day one. He is an outstanding role model for our young men, and I'm so proud of him.
To be a teacher, and to watch from the outside looking in at a former student who's doing work that changes lives, there are few greater gifts in this profession.
