RHS Coach: Season more than wins and losses

The end of a season does not often come in more brutal fashion than it did for the Redmond boys basketball team in the KingCo 4A tournament at Juanita High School in Kirkland.

Redmond led by one with 5.8 seconds left in the game Tuesday night, before Newport sophomore Isaac Dotson sank two free throws. Mustangs point guard Andrew Squiers then went the length of the court and found Connor Floan open under the basket. Floan’s shot as the buzzer sounded hit the backboard, then the left side of the rim, before rolling off, doing everything but falling in.

Floan’s head sunk in his hands as the Newport players celebrated. The Redmond team slipped away from the court, some of the players for the final time.

The moment was a reminder that only one team can end its season truly content. Whichever team does not hoist the championship trophy can be left wanting.

But for Redmond head coach Jeff Larson, a season cannot be summed in simple wins and losses.

“I don’t define (the season) in terms of wins and losses,” Larson said. “Nobody knows--parents, community--nobody really knows what all of us coaches demand from our players in this day and age in high school.”

Redmond had an up-and-down season on the court. The Mustangs started strong but lost eight of their final nine games, including seven in a row. On Tuesday, Redmond started slow, scoring just 13 points in the first half before a Jason Harrington scoring binge (eight points in 48 seconds) put them back in the game. The Mustangs then led for most of the fourth quarter before Dotson gave Newport the lead for good.

In sports, the means often get lost in the ends. Wins and losses become the most important barometer in determining who the best teams are. A team's success in any given season comes down to how that season ends.

But for Larson and the Redmond boys basketball team, the end does not even begin to describe the effort of the means.

“These kids are playing year-round; they’re practicing all the time,” Larson said. “I’ve been around doing this long enough where winning and losing the games don’t define us. Just watching these guys come willing to work as hard as we ask them to work everyday …. I’m really proud of them.”