"I approached the people at the medical school and they said if you go then we can't guarantee you'll have a position in the school when you come back," said Hennon. And when it came time to choose between playing for his country or medical school, the decision was surprisingly easy. The lingering passion for medicine stuck with Hennon throughout his college career. That's where his story takes an dramatic turn. Some games you play better than other games."Īs a result of his collegiate success, Hennon received an offer to play for the United States in the 1960 Olympics. "I shot a lot of what would be now a three-point shot, but I also had a lot of driving shots," said Hennon. In a version of basketball that would be unrecognizable today, he set the school record in points in a single game (45) against Duke in 1957, a record that is still held by Hennon to this day. After that, Hennon was named a Consensus All-American in 1958 and Consensus Second Team All-American in 1959. At Pitt, he led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 19. In an era without the three-point line, shot clock or bonus foul shots, Hennon found a way to dominate on the offensive end. For me it worked out and couldn't have been better." "But they also have a great medical school. "When I visited Pitt, I knew I wanted to play here because my family and friends could come watch games," said Hennon.
He narrowed it down to Duke, North Carolina State, Maryland and Pittsburgh. With an interest in both basketball and medicine, Hennon concluded his recruitment with around 80 scholarship offers. But none of my family members were doctors at the time." "I was a junior or senior in high school when I first found an interest in medicine," said Hennon. However, during that last year of high school, Hennon developed the passion for something bigger than basketball. "I was the leading scorer in the whole state of Pennsylvania," said Hennon. Hennon went on to lead Wampum High School to a 31-0 record and state championship his senior year, passing one of the greatest players of all-time in scoring along the way. As he grew up, the practice certainly paid off. Every single day growing up, Hennon would go to that gym and practice. He refers to a book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell in which it states "to be world-class in any skill, you must practice for 10,000 hours". "I would be in the gym in the morning at 6:00 am for hours before school started, on top of practices after school with the team because my dad was often working at the school." "I started playing basketball at age 4," said Hennon. And as he did his many tasks throughout the day, his son, Don, stuck around too. Butler Hennon never seemed to leave Wampum High School property. Let’s hope that continues to be the case, but regardless, the lessons Tomlin is teaching will remain applicable for years to come.In a little town northwest of Pittsburgh, Pa., one man was the high school principal, janitor and head basketball coach. It’s when they leave Pittsburgh where some flaws start to come out, but while guys are playing for the Steelers, there usually haven’t been issues.
Despite the speech being tailored to Pitt basketball, surely those same lessons have been imparted to the Steelers and their young players for years.īeing physically and mentally tough is extremely important in the NFL, and under Tomlin, players have been able to show that strength. When it’s late in the fourth quarter and someone is able to step up and make a key play to keep his team in the game are the moments that really can show growth, especially in young players.įrom Tomlin’s end, the topic of the speech is a great one for a college basketball team, especially to a Pitt team that has struggled the past few years and has dealt with a lot of attitude issues in the Jeff Capel era. Those moments where a guy pushes past his perceived limit and is able to continue to keep contributing for his team are the ones where you can see that growth and development. Instead of going to the bench, pushing through the pain and finishing off a drive or a possession shows that sort of discomfort Tomlin is talking about. In sports, the example of being uncomfortable applies to when someone might be close to or at their physical limit.
PITT BASKETBALL PROFESSIONAL
The phrase “leave it all on the field” is one that might be overused, but it is certainly applicable to athletes who are playing at the D1 or professional level. That’s usually how things work when it comes to playing sports at a high level. Sometimes, you have to be uncomfortable in order to get the best results. While his speech here was tailored towards basketball, a lot of the same aspects apply in football. “If you’re really chasing rare air, you have to commit to being uncomfortable.”īig thanks to Coach Tomlin for speaking with the team today! /DckfIOTfk4
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