Eufaula high-school basketball player Terrell Jones went viral after he gave a passionate speech following a loss in the state championship over the weekend.
His team fell by only one point to Sylacauga, and it resulted in one of the best sports speeches you’ve heard in a long time.
He said the following (transcription via Barstool Sports):
If you want to be a state champion, you got to be different. I’ll never forget a word that man said to me. And each and every second that winds down, I’m thinking to myself…I got to be different. I got to separate myself. I got to separate myself to know that I’m different, because I want to be a state champion. We fell one point short, but I know…all of those young guys in that locker room have a bright future, because everything that I’ve been through, they’re going through and they’ll still have to go through, and it’s only going to make them better. And this man right there…is the best coach I’ve ever had in my life… wouldn’t trade him for the world.
I walked off the high school court for the final time in my career as an undefeated state champion. I’m not bragging. I’m simply setting the stage to say that I have no idea what this guy must be feeling. I went to a restaurant afterward to get a cheeseburger. That was the conclusion of my high school career.
But anybody who has ever played a sport can empathize with this kid. He went out on the court, poured out his heart and lost a state title by the littlest amount possible. That’s why this video has gone viral. He’s just being real with the people, and there’s nothing better than an athlete who just speaks openly.
I think Jones has a long future ahead of him. He clearly is a straight-shooter with a leadership mentality. That’s a great start to getting ahead in life. Hopefully, we get a few more motivational speeches from him along the way.
