Resilience

I know this blog usually tends towards start ups, tech stuff, and the like, but I thought I'd take a moment to recognize the toughness and courage displayed by some of my classmates down in Kentucky this afternoon, where the Penn basketball team took on Texas A&M, the 7th ranked team in the country, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In case you didn't watch, our boys really did us proud today. Every year, we finish near the top of the Ivy League, and when we win it (as we've done my 3 years here), we earn the right to be first round fodder for one of the best teams in the country in the tournament.

Last year, as a 15th seed against 2nd seeded Texas, we managed to be leading at halftime and lost by less than 10, a remarkable feat. But, in some ways, today's performance topped that. Our beloved Quakers, marred by awful shooting, were down by 13 points in the first half and 15 early in the second.

At this point, how easy would it have been to throw in the towel? Just a few hours earlier, Stanford, a higher ranked team playing a lesser opponent in Louisville, got thrashed early and never mustered the fight to come back. We were up against one of the best teams in the country, and everyone could see it. The Texas A&M players dwarfed our own, and you could see the sheer superior talent in first team All American (read: one of the top 5 players in the country) Acie Law and his teammates.

But we didn't roll over. Mustering strength I don't think anyone knew we had, we closed the lead and even managed to build one of our own (39-37). And though Texas A&M ended up winning in the end, our performance was one of the most inspiring things I've seen in a while.

Whether it's a start up trying to take down Google or a bunch of Ivy League nerds attempting the impossible, the importance of resilience can never be overstated. Talent and skill are necessary, sure, but faith and perseverance are often discounted in today's world. I know, it's cliche. But, though it often doesn't seem like it on this blog, today, I'm proud to be a Quaker.