“Best Thing I’ve Seen All Week” is about sports, however, it’s not about the X’s and O’s of sports. I’m not going to dissect wins and losses, predict trades or offer my opinion about the College Football Playoff system or the NCAA basketball drama. “The Best Thing I’ve Seen All Week” is  about the stories, the accomplishments and the journeys. It’s about the HUMANS. I hope you can check in with me every week for a feel- good story and a reminder that at the end of the day, sports are so much more than just a game.

I’m going to start with a story from Jacksonville State University. JSU center Norbertas Giga hadn’t seen his mother since he left Lithuania to play basketball in the states in 2013. After a long journey to make it to Division I and a long time without seeing his mother, Giga got a surprise from his coaching staff.

The JSU coaching staff didn’t have to do that for Giga, but they chose to reunite them in time for Giga’s mother to watch him play before the end of his senior season. The coaching staff created an unforgettable moment for both Gigas and his mother and remind us all that sports are family, blood or not.

 

But there are plenty more where that came from…

Texas A&M center Tony Trocha-Morelos got to celebrate Senior Day with his mom

Braian Angola of Florida State was surprised by his mom who flew in from Colombia to watch him play of Senior Day.

Each of these stories is a reminder of the things some athletes sacrifice for the chance to play.