Posted on September 8, 2013
On Saturday afternoon, two basketball coaches passed away forever.
They had spent much of their lives travelling, and over the years we would meet here and there, often only briefly.
Most of the time, we barely had the chance to see one another.
That was also the case the last time, in Miskolc, at the U18 European Championship.
We are a community built around competition, yet also filled with shared memories.
There is always something special about meeting again, because we belong to the same circle of trust.
We speak the same language.
The language of basketball.
The language of the sport to which we sacrifice so much.
We do it hoping that we can bring joy to others and, through that, make our own lives better too.
Day after day, this is how we go to sleep and how we wake up.
We prepare for the next challenge.
Often, there is barely time to deal with our own problems, because so many people belong to us.
So many share their concerns with us.
So many expect us to help find an answer.
For the two of them, all of that ended on Saturday.
Something happened for which nobody can truly prepare.
What remains for us is the legacy they left behind.
And within that legacy are many unanswered questions.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons they will continue to live on somewhere within us.
And why we will not forget them.