A different kind of champion

CHARLOTTE — The Chargers were despondent as, one by one, they were called to mid-court to accept NCISAA runner-up medals Saturday afternoon.

Some wiped away tears.

Others untucked their jerseys, standing there looking like they were searching for an answer to what had just unfolded on the Charlotte Country Day hardwoods.

How did this juggernaut, a team that had dazzled crowds this season with a combination of shooting, speed and raw athletic ability been handed such a lopsided loss in its second straight state championship game?

Why didn’t the shots fall?

Where were the electrifying slams that brought people to their feet throughout the course of the regular season?

How could Davidson Day have been so hot from behind the arc?

The hard reality is that Saturday simply didn’t belong to Wayne Country Day.

And when you’re a teenager, getting so close to immortality and failing to reach that pinnacle is a tough pill to swallow.

So, it made sense that as their names were called, several members of the team didn’t even put their medals around their necks — that they were less than thrilled about the prospect of hoisting a runner-up trophy skyward and posing for a team photograph as their opponents waited to dance behind celebratory chants from a raucous Davidson Day student section.

But then, something happened.

Junior Jaden Cooper started clapping his hands — cheering on his teammates as they stepped forward to accept their consolation prize.

Then, he embraced a member of the team — and when the Chargers were awarded their trophy, he held it close to his chest and looked down at a piece of hardware that will soon take its place beside the one WCDS earned last year.

In those moments, that young man embodied everything that is great about sports.

And he taught every person in that gymnasium a lesson.

Cooper might not have intended to personify sportsmanship — true sportsmanship — but he did.

And he proved himself a leader, validating Colombia University’s faith in him. (A few weeks ago, Cooper committed to play for the Lions when his high school days are behind him.)

So, when you talk about the outcome of this year’s NCISAA 2A Final, remember that while there could only be one winner crowned, Cooper showed us that being a champion is about far more than who has the higher score when the final buzzer sounds.

Sometimes, it’s about having perspective well beyond your years and reminding your brothers, with a simple clap or embrace, that there are plenty of teams in North Carolina who won’t be fortunate enough to get within shouting distance of the history books this year or any year.

And that image of a young man rising above his own disappointment for the good of his team — and, more importantly, the example Cooper set in those few moments at mid-court — will echo far longer than any chants of “We’re No. 1.”