Coach's 700th Win

On November 10, my dad, affectionaltely referred to as "COACH', not only by his players, but also by his grandchildren, won his 700th basketball game!

My dad, Garth Pleasant, has been coaching basketball for the past 38 years. He has been the head men's basketball coach at Rochester College (formerly Michigan Christian College) since I was 5 years old!

I have wonderful memories of growing up as a "coach's kid". I have been on many looong bus trips with my dad and his teams. Whenever I smell the diesel from a big charter bus, I automatically and with great fondness think of my childhood. As weird as it is, and it is weird, I actually love the smell of sweaty uniform jerseys (totally gross, I know). Growing up, my dad was responsible for washing all of the uniforms after each game, and my bedroom happened to be right next door to the laundry room...therefore explaining how I came to love the nasty jersey smell!

I was a cheerleader for my dad's team from 1991-1993. That time in my life holds many wonderful and precious memories! I cheered with Stephanie Perry (Barry), Karla Thomas (Brent), Carla Brown, Kimarie Fry (Graham), Lesli Palmer (Raymond) to name a few. We had some really fun times! I especially remember the Dallas trip, but that is an entirely different post altogether!

I recall so many of my dads players with great fondness. I remember the "early guys", like Hank Woodmore & Marvin Mathis (these are the early guys to me anyway). I remember Wayne & Noel, two players from Antigua, who would stay at our house during all the holiday breaks. I recall William Sayles and Roderick Edmonds (my huge teenage crush). I think about Eric Vaughn, Troy Rusnell, Willie Maul, Dwayne Tubbs and Anthony Foster who played on his first national championship team in 1989. I remember Kenyatte Baylor, Scott Muska, Kelvin Brown, Ty Clark, Jason Connely, Craig Koneszka and Rueben Cordova. A few of my favs would include...Mike Robinson, Josh Graves, Terry Leaphart, who I love like a brother, Johnny Pleasant, who is my brother, and Randy Speck, who I married (excuse the major run on sentence).

Although we all have different stories, backgrounds and lives, the one thing that we all have in common is the fact that we all love a man who has influenced and changed our lives for the better. They call him Coach, and I call him Dad!

This is my dad right after he won his 700th game.

In the locker room, talking to his team after the game.
I can guarantee that he reminding them that he has never scored a basket in any of the 700 wins, and that the victory really belongs to all of them!
He is probably also telling them that although it is fun to win games, that the most important thing to him, is that they all end up in heaven someday.

Palmer w/ my dad and the "Warriors"

Palmer with his Coach, and the winning ball!

Randy, Palmer and my dad.

My dad and his two assistants Klint Pleasant (my brother) and Brian Thrift.

This year will end my dad's coaching career. He has decided that he has gone on enough long bus trips and washed enough uniforms. Fortunately, his influence will live on in the lives of so many of us. I have been so fortunate to have had a dad who chose a career that brought so much fun and excitement into my life!

We love you Coach!