A Wonderful Season

  And just like that, the season is over for the Air Force Basketball Team. It ended Saturday night in Ogden Utah against the Weber State Wildcats. And while there were tears and heartache, there is so much to be proud of if you played on this Air Force team or follow the program. Way back in October the Falcons were picked to finish dead last in the Mountain West. I remember the day the 5 seniors, Todd Fletcher, Mike Lyons, Kyle Green, Mike Fitzgerald and Taylor Broekuis sat in front of the media and told the world this year would be different and special. 5 months later they were right. 18 wins this year, in the toughest conference in America, and a post-season appearance, is very special. Head Coach Dave Pilipovich did a masterful job of bringing it all together. He took chances, played his gut every so often and told his team to believe-believe you can beat 22nd ranked San Diego State, believe you can knock off #12 New Mexico, believe there is post season basketball in your future. As good a coach as Pilipovich is, he's a better human being. I think it was that element, more than anything else that blazed the path for Air Force this year. He told the team to take more ownership of the program. At halftime he encouraged them to write on the chalk board what went wrong and how they were going to fix it. Every practice was a chance for younger kids to prove they deserved more playing time, and he rewarded it. His attitude was always positive and one of opportunity. He understands "athlete" is the second word in the phrase "Student Athlete." His teams 18 wins tied for 4th best in 57 years of basketball at the Academy. A magical season for 5 seniors. A special year for a 1st year head coach. And a wonderful season for all of us.