Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of when I applied to be the head basketball coach for the Wisconsin Badgers.
You can see the application, which apparently wasn’t enough to get me the job, in the tweet below. I don’t want to brag, but it’s maybe the greatest job application ever written. At least that’s what some drunk dude once told me, and he seemed like a basketball fan.
Today is the two year anniversary of when I applied to be Wisconsin’s basketball coach. I promised to bring the winning spirit of Donald Trump.
Trump went on to get elected President, and Wisconsin hired Greg Gard over me. I guess you simply can’t win them all. pic.twitter.com/4MV9M3ZiQ5
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) February 27, 2018
Two years is a long time in my life. It’s nearly ten percent of the time I’ve been on this planet, and it seems like a time for reflection on where we go from here.
I knew that Greg Gard was likely to get the job after me. He had the boosters, the media and most of the fanbase behind him. I knew it was an uphill battle, but I figured my countless NCAA championships on College Hoops 2K8 and my state championship in high school (props to my less than 2 points per game performance) could help turn the tide.
I wasn’t so lucky. Gard made a late season push to the Sweet Sixteen and cemented himself as the head coach. It’s fair to say he earned it.
However, with so much time passing, I think it’s fair to ask where we’ve come and where we plan on going. I cited Donald Trump’s winning attitude in my application. He would go on to get elected President a few months down the road, I would continue my rise to the throne of the internet, but Badgers basketball hasn’t been so fortunate.
My beloved team is almost certain to miss the tournament this season. It’ll be the first time since I can remember that Wisconsin doesn’t have an outstanding team. This comes on the heels of back-to-back Sweet 16s for Greg Gard. That’s not terrible, but I still expect more. I certainly don’t expect to be on the outside looking in during March.
I stood behind the decision to hire Gard, but I made it clear that I would be ready in the wings if I was needed. I’m fearful the time has come where the boosters will begin calling me, and I will be put in the most difficult position of my life. Can I leave my current journey to the top of the internet mountain to save the school that I have sacrificed so much for? It’s a dilemma I pray none of you are ever faced with. I love both so much, but I can clearly only do one.
Is my calling to sit on the internet throne greater than my calling to win a national championship in real life instead of on Playstation? I honestly don’t know. Stay tuned, because things are going to get very dicey if Wisconsin realizes they passed on their savior two years ago. Let’s hope it never gets to that point, but I worry the ship has already left the harbor and is cruising straights towards Washington D.C. to pick me up.
Am I hero if I leave to become an elite college basketball coach and win a dozen titles? I don’t know. I guess the history books will have to decide.