It's been quite a year for the Gosnell Pirate basketball team. Wednesday night they'll open the 4A East Region at Riverview with a number one seed against ESTEM. Last Friday, the Pirates captured their first district title since 2013 with a thrilling 72-64 win over Westside at the Gosnell Physical Education Center.
Considering where the program was just eight months ago, a regional birth, much less a district title may have seen like a pipe dream.
Last June, the Pirates were beginning Summer workouts on the heals of a last place finish in the 3-4A. It was a year plagued with injuries, eligibility issues and eventually forfeiture of games. And, early in June, they were without a coach. Former head coach, Kirk Glintborg, stepped down at the end of the school year after three years and returned to Blytheville.
It's hard to look for a basketball coach that late in the calendar year so the Pirates turned to a familiar face. Former head coach, Danny Williams. Williams last head coached a team in 1997. By February of 1997, Williams was finishing his 27th and final year with Gosnell, Michael Jordan was on his way to his fifth NBA title with the Chicago Bulls, a 26-year-old Bret Favre just one a Super Bowl that January with the Green Bay Packers, Derek Jeter was entering Spring Training after his first title with the Yankees in 1996 and this humble sports writer was a skinny 21-year-old about to walk down the aisle with his beautiful bride to be till death do we part.
19 years later, Williams, with no intention to ever head coach again, said he felt an obligation to step in when the school needed him.
"I really didn't think I'd be doing this at all," said Williams in an interview last June. "I kind of thought I'd just stay as an assistant. The situation dictated it and this is what I felt I ought to do."
While the words were sincere and honorable, they hardly were the words of someone who felt a district title was on the horizon.
As if taking on the task of head coach of a high school basketball team after 19 years wasn't daunting enough, Williams lost his father and Blytheville coaching legend, Dwight Williams, over the Summer. No one would have blamed Williams if he maybe didn't put his all into the season and just held the ship a float while Gosnell searched for a more long term solution.
In 2015-16, Williams is in some ways turning back the clock. A 20-7 record to this point, a second place regular season finish and a district title is by no means, "keeping the ship a float." He's taken a team from the bottom less than a year prior to tearing down the nets on their home court.
"I never thought I'd coach again after 97," said Williams following the Pirates win Friday night. He said the difference this year has been with his players.
"We've improved all year long," he said. "We had one day of practice before we played the first game. Most of the guys were playing football. We really didn't have much time together. They've worked hard. So, we've played are way into what we are now."
Considering the way this season continues to play out, it's not hard to believe what he said after Friday night's game.
"This one's number one right now," he said referring to where that game ranked in his long career.
With still at least one more game this season and how it's currently playing out, it wouldn't be a surprise if that ranking changed before it's all said and done.