Sadness

I'll be honest: I"m sad.  Quite sad, actually.  Last night BYU lost to Florida in the Sweet Sixteen. I'm not really sad that they lost; everyone loses sometime. My sadness began with about a minute and a half left in the game. That's when Coach Rose took Jimmer out.  As Jimmer walked along the sideline and hugged his coaches I was overcome.   I knew that one day Jimmer would no longer be a Cougar; he played his final home game in the Marriot Center almost three weeks ago.   But I'm still incredibly sad that my cousin, whom I've come to love and admire, is no longer representing the school that I love so much.  I'm happy for Jimmer; he's had a great career and he's headed to the NBA.  I'm happy for all of the guys and am very proud of what they accomplished this year. I love Coach Rose and I'm awed at what he and his staff have done. But I'm sad that this era is over. Yes, I'll be a Cougar basketball fan forever, but I'll never get to see Jimmer in and blue and white uniform again. It's quite possible that I'll never have another family member represent BYU on an athletic field.  I may never again feel the thrill of sitting in the stands surrounded by BYU students and members of my own family and hometown community.   This has been a wonderful time in my life.  The only consolation is in knowing that all of the players--Jimmer, Brandon, Jackson, Noah, Charles, Kyle, Stephen, Logan, Brock, Nick, Anson, James, and Chris--will continue to do great things and that I can continue to pay attention to them.  And I will.  The draft is June 23.  Jackson and his wife are having their first baby in September.  I'm very hopeful that Brandon will play for BYU again.  And, of course, Jimmer will play, too.  Who knows--maybe I'll even learn to like the NBA.  'Cause life goes on even if the Cougars are done.