Thoughts from an Island Girl

Sometimes a single point matters. ? Even if it was in an otherwise forgettable season by the Gettysburg Bullets. ? ?For the first time in many seasons they had a losing record. ?But it won't be remembered that way. ?In fact, ?it will be a Cinderella season, ?one that launched a 1-pt game onto ESPN's top ten plays.

?So what's the big deal, right? ?The big deal is the young player had a stroke at age 18. ?while yet a freshman at the school. ?After a series of medically traumatic events, he slowly recovered. ? And recovered enough to make a moment-clinching scene. ? ?You see, ?the game already in hand, ?the coach asked him if he wanted to play after he called a timeout with less than one minute to go, ?with an 18-pt lead! ? The coach asked Cory if he wanted to play and of course, ?he said, "yes". ? ? Seeing they were putting him in, ?the opposing coach asked his players to gently foul Cory. ?Which they did! ? Sending him to the free throw line.

Corey almost hit the rim on his first shot. ?This was usually the way it went in practice too, ?so he felt pretty confident with his second attempt. ? ?And true to form, ?he made it! ? The place was going crazy, ?adults crying and fellow students sharing in the raucous moment. ? ?One point! ? But that point was the only point of his entire career! ? A point that really matters. ? Unlike Jeremy Lin, ?this is the end of the road, ?but like Lin, ?he came out of nowhere to the general public who probably never even heard of the Gettysburg Bullets in New Jersey.

Arkansas Razorback Joe Adams also had a stroke when he was 19. ? He missed a few games but came back to be one of the best players in the SEC and a candidate to be drafted high in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. ? The courage of these players are the fact that competition and their love of their sports is a powerful motivating factor. ? Degrees of success cannot be measured by statistics but maybe how they came about. ? For a healthy person, ?it is he or she against their opponents but they are mostly seen. ?With Corey, ?it was against a much bigger foe, ?his very life.?

​The glory days do eventually pass everyone by. ?But in the hearts and minds of the Gettysburg players, fans and sportswriters, ?this day will live until they die.