SPORTS
‘We Make Mission’ Bowie basketball motto explained
Many people have commented and asked what the state champion Bowie basketball team’s motto “We Make Mission” means.
That it’s not grammatically correct. It does not make sense. Where does it come from?
I briefly mentioned the origins in a previous article, but the short version is that the phrase comes from the book, “Toughness” written by Jay Bilas.
For those who do not know, Jay Bilas is a longtime college basketball analyst for ESPN and former college basketball player under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewksi at Duke. The book is mainly about how to build physical and mental toughness not just in sports, but in life.
The passage the phrase comes up is a chapter where Bilas went to Camp Arifjan as a part of Operation Hardwood, an event organized by the USO in which college coaches visited military camps to coach servicemen.
While being shown around the camp, they coaches remarked a bank of flagpoles with flags of many different solid colors. They were informed that the different colors were code for the soldier’s heat orders, which let soldiers know how exactly how long and under what conditions they were allowed to work outside in the dessert.
The most severe order allowed soldiers to work only 10 minutes every hour outside. When asked how they ever got any work done, a soldier told them matter of fact, “Our job is to ‘make mission,’ sir,” he said. “We have brothers and sisters dying in Iraq, and they don’t get fifty minutes off every hour just because it’s hot. So we don’t take fifty minutes off. We make mission.”
They decided to make it their motto since the Alamodome, where the state championship tournament is hosted every year, is named after and is near the Alamo, which itself was a mission structure. They were making it their mission to get to the mission.
To read more, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Nocona Lady Indians beat Saint Jo at home on Saturday morning.
The Lady Indians won 16-1 after four innings due to run-rule against the smaller school.
Nocona was coming off a competitive loss at Collinsville earlier in the week while the Lady Panthers were hoping to compete after a busy week of their athletes doing everything else besides just softball.
The Lady Indians easily won the first matchup between the teams in March, 19-2 and it was more of the same on Saturday.
Saint Jo struck first to start the game off well. Jordyn O’Neal hit a one out single. Krista Reeves followed with a walk after O’Neal had stolen second base and had advanced to third thanks to an error trying to throw her out. A wild pitch then allowed her to score to put the Lady Panthers up 1-0.
The lead did not last long. Nocona’s first two batters drew walks which set up Abby Hill to drive them both in with a single to right field.
Despite giving up a single and a walk later in the inning, Saint Jo’s defense did not allow another run. A line out and groundout to the shortstop while picking off a runner attempting to steal got the Lady Panthers out of the inning unscarred.
The Lady Indians led 2-1.
That was about as competitive as it got. In the second inning, Nocona’s bats got going. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases up with no outs.
Reagan Phipps drew a walk that drove in a run. Hill hit another two RBI single. Skye Kirby followed with a two RBI double.
After the first out, Allie Sutton drove in one run with a single. There was a fly out for out two, before a runner came in to score after a passed ball. Finally, an error allowed two more runs to score on the base paths.
Nocona had scored nine runs and led 11-1 to break the game open heading into the third inning.
Taylor Patrick hit a double, with O’Neal and Reeves following with singles. Unfortunately for Saint Jo, Patrick was thrown out before the hits attempting to steal a base so the Lady Panthers scored no runs from this.
The Lady Indians kept pouring on the runs. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases up with no outs. Tinley Cable then hit an RBI single. Shelby Swell was hit by a pitch that drove in another run.
After two strikeouts, Evelyn Marquez drove in two more runs on a double to put Nocona up 15-1, coming up one run short of ending the game early.
The Lady Indians scored that one run in the fourth inning. After Phipps drew a leadoff walk, Hill hit a triple that drove her in to end the game.
Nocona won 16-1.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
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