We know we imagined it, but we thought we heard much of Memphis say “amen” when they read Church Health Center founder and executive director Scott Morris’ January 2 op-ed column in The Commercial Appeal.
Dr. Morris urged Memphians to emulate University of Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner in their lives. “His first response to stress is to be kind and compassionate and then to offer constructive instruction,” he wrote after hearing the 34-year-old coach tell a player during a highly contested game that he loved him before telling him what he was doing wrong.
“All too often, we deal with the stress of life in ways that are not helpful. We become angry. We blame others. We look for excuses. Rarely do we turn to the person we are coaching, mentoring or working with and say, ‘I love you.’ I know many of you think the Tigers’ woes would be resolved if he were more harsh and tough on his players, but to what end? Do we really want victory if the cost is having the coach cursing and humiliating players?”
We were reminded of the answers to Dr. Morris’ questions the next day with the eulogies that followed the death of former University of Memphis and Hall of Fame basketball coach Gene Bartow. When he was hired at “Memphis State” from a small Indiana college, he was either 39 or 40 years old. He did not curse and became as famous nationally for his positive, upbeat attitude as for his won-loss record.
In a sentence, he was the “kind of coach you’d want for your children,” the late Memphis Mayor Wyeth Chandler said after his team played for the national championship in 1973. It’s impossible to find anyone who has a negative comment to make about him.
“No coffee, no tea, no drinks, no four-letter words,” said George Lapides, former Memphis Press-Scimitar sports editor. “I really believe Gene is one of the nicest human beings God ever put on this earth.”
If Josh Pastner is channeling anyone in his job, it sure seems like it’s Gene Bartow, and it’s impossible to think of a better role model. As Dr. Morris wrote in his Commercial Appeal op-ed:
“I do believe that Pastner’s approach to stressful situations is worth adopting for the New Year. If we could decide to greet the stress of the moment with a positive attitude — yes, even with love — then I think good things would be more likely to happen. Offering kindness is always a healthier way to deal with others. Living a healthy life has as much to do with how you handle stress as it does dealing with a specific disease.
“My New Year’s wish is that you condition yourself to deal with the stress of life the way Pastner does in a game. Responding with kindness can help hold at bay the health consequences that come from anger and despair. And, no, it doesn’t mean you will win in every situation. But you will be more likely to end the day understanding what truly matters and making healthier choices.”
It was his knowledge of what mattered that led to Gene Bartow’s healthy choices that were eulogized last week by basketball fans everywhere.
