Craig Daily Press

John Vandelinder

John Vandelinder's columns appear Tuesdays and Fridays in the Craig Daily Press. E-mail him at jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com

Craig — My eyes were glued to the screen Tuesday night as a highlight video of the Moffat County boys basketball season rolled on for 45 minutes.

To some in attendance, it was a little too long. For me, you could have hit me with a 2-by-4 and I still wouldn’t have looked away.

Thomas Noble draining threes, Chayton Owens bullying his way inside, Mike Peters slashing through opposing defenses dropping dimes, Blake Najera holding block parties and seniors Eli Buckner and J.T. Haddan setting screens, hitting J’s and pulling in boards.

For a sports nut like me, it sent chills throughout my body.

The MCHS basketball team — or should I say basketball family — had its awards banquet Tuesday night.

Freshman hoopsters to senior men of the hardwood attended and were honored by first-year coach Steve Maneotis and crew, as well as the players’ parents.

It wasn’t what I expected.

I figured it would be a time to fill my stomach with some free Greek food, (which was banging by the way) catch a few highlights and jot down the team’s award winners.

But, it turned into something more.

Sure, the coaches handed out letterman awards, a heck of a lot to be honest, but it wasn’t the awards that dominated the evening, it was the obvious bond that has forged between Maneotis and his team.

He looked like a proud papa as he stood at the head of the room, handing out the Moffat County letters and certificates to his team.

Each sauntered up, armed with a joke toward the coach.

This being the same coach who put garbage cans in the corners of the MCHS gym in the team’s first practice, expecting them to puke from the hard work ahead.

Each was recognized for their individual accomplishments and will to fit into the team role.

In the beginning of the season, in the midst of two-a-days, I could see many of the players rolling their eyes when Maneotis was barking out his now famous slogans.

On Tuesday, those same eyes were red with emotion because they had realized sometime during the course of the season that maybe Maneotis wasn’t crazy after all.

The Bulldogs entered Delta on Jan. 19 with a 1-11 record.

I kept saying the team would catch on fire, and that is the day I believe they did.

A game tying three by Noble preceded an Owens game-winning lay-up, and off the team went.

Eight league wins and a trip to the playoffs followed.

In the beginning of the season, a locked door kept me waiting in the hallway outside of the locker room as the losses piled up.

As the victories mounted, those isolated and lonely moments turned into celebratory high fives and pats on the butt from the team.

I’d like to think I had a part in the turnaround, but maybe that’s just because I wish I were on the team sometimes.

All the talk by Maneotis about starting the MCHS boys basketball program over and beginning what he hoped would be a future dynasty, actually took place.

It made me want to throw on the blue and white and run onto the court with the boys, (is it possible to get a high school red-shirt while in your 30s?)

Maneotis probably would have turned me into an all-league stud.

He did just that with the whole team.

A bench player on the JV squad as a sophomore, Owens turned into a force in the Western Slope, earning first-team all-conference as a junior.

Buckner, Najera and Noble were named all-conference honorable mention. The Bulldogs had four selections from a team — that according to league guidelines — was only supposed to have three.

That Maneotis pushed other Western Slope coaches to get an extra Bulldog named to the team is another example of how he fought all year for his team.

Maneotis has said all season he wanted to put this program on the map.

He did.

At the state wrestling championships in Denver a few weeks ago, I was among my fellow members of the media when the conversation steered toward a surprising topic.

You’d think it would have been wrestling, right?

Wrong. It was all about the MCHS boys basketball team.

People took notice. Other teams took notice. A squad of hoopsters that won six games the year before was scaring people.

And, it’s not going to get any easier for the competition next year.

Owens, Najera, Peters and Noble return.

It was a privilege for me to be invited to the event, as it was a privilege for all who were witnesses (myself included), to watch a team come together right before their eyes.

This team is exactly why I’m in the profession that I’m in.

I can’t wait until next season.