Read

Watch

March Madness Champions and Their ‘Painful Gift’

Published:
May 20, 2024
April 9, 2019
UVA men's basketball team are the 2019 NCAA Champions. Read about their remarkable year.|March Madness Champions and Their ‘Painful Gift’

Congratulations to Virginia men’s basketball team on their first NCAA championship. It was a remarkable journey for this team, especially considering where they were a year ago.

In last year’s tournament, this Virginia team entered as the number one team in the whole tournament — organizers had designated them as the most likely team to emerge from the 64-team playoff as champs. That meant that they were seeded against the lowest team in the tournament, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers, a school most of us had never heard of before. And Virginia lost.

It was the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament, which is saying a lot for an event dubbed “March Madness.” Never before had a top-seeded team lost in the first round.

But how we handle adversity says a lot. It’s easy to be generous and courageous and thankful and strong when you’re standing on the victor’s podium. But what about when you’ve been dealt one of the worst losses in history?

Virginia coach Tony Bennett knew that how the team handled last year’s loss would come to define them — as a basketball team and as individuals. So he found a way to lead this team through a demoralizing defeat (guess what opposing fans chanted at the Virginia team all season long this year — UMBC! UMBC!). And now they are the ones standing on the victor’s podium.

How did they do it?

In this interview that was recorded before their overtime victory over Texas Tech, coach Bennett called that UMBC loss a “painful gift.” It is never fun to lose, but losing gives you an opportunity to respond to adversity. And the only way to transcend the pain is to go through it — not around it.

The same holds true for our weaknesses and the struggles we face in life — if we try to avoid them and hide them away, they still retain their power over us. But if we embrace them as “painful gifts” and place our trust in a loving God, we’ll find a way through. In Christian terms, they embraced the cross. Ultimately, that’s our only source of hope. No one transcends death, but in the cross, we have a way through it.

Coach Bennett made gratitude a pillar of his team’s character, but this year they’ve learned to be thankful even when things don’t go their way. He offers a revealing question in this interview — a question that holds within it the secret to the resilience of this Virginia team, a question that reveals why they are champions: “Can you be thankful for what adversity teaches you?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5pT3f1-3C8

Creators:
Grotto Shares
Published:
May 20, 2024
April 9, 2019
On a related note...
Bearded Blevins Fortnite Stream Aims to Change the World

Bearded Blevins Fortnite Stream Aims to Change the World

Grotto

From Unseen to Seen

From Unseen to Seen

Alli Bobzien

A reflective narrative by Alli Bobzien.

Inspired by the Olympics? Here's How to Challenge Yourself

Inspired by the Olympics? Here's How to Challenge Yourself

Ben Wilson

“The Clamour of the Heart”

“The Clamour of the Heart”

Maisy Williams

3 Ways Faith Can Help Us Combat Racism

3 Ways Faith Can Help Us Combat Racism

Sophie Caldecott

Voice Actor Leaves Small Town to Pursue Passion

Voice Actor Leaves Small Town to Pursue Passion

Grotto

Faith Inspired by Saint Oscar Romero

Faith Inspired by Saint Oscar Romero

Grotto

Feast of the Sacred Heart Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Feast of the Sacred Heart Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

How the Right Music Fuels Your Brain

How the Right Music Fuels Your Brain

Lillian Fallon

How and Why Slow Living Makes You Happier

How and Why Slow Living Makes You Happier

Sophie Caldecott

Role Models Make a Difference for Teens in Need

Role Models Make a Difference for Teens in Need

Grotto

Grotto Celebrates Joy

Grotto Celebrates Joy

Grotto

Why I’ve Attended 30 Dave Matthews Band Concerts

Why I’ve Attended 30 Dave Matthews Band Concerts

Josh Flynt

St. Paddy's Day Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. Paddy's Day Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

What an Imaginative Prayer Experience Taught Me

What an Imaginative Prayer Experience Taught Me

Kate Fowler

Visitation Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Visitation Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

What Does the Church Say About the End of the World?

What Does the Church Say About the End of the World?

Dan Masterton

Ed Sheeran's Lessons on Success, Family, and Death

Ed Sheeran's Lessons on Success, Family, and Death

Mike Tenney

Meet Edith Stein, Soul-Searcher

Meet Edith Stein, Soul-Searcher

Cate Von Dohlen

Sharing Love with Groceries

Sharing Love with Groceries

Grotto

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.