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Colton Linkous - CNO Photo by Dylan Knoop
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The Colton
Linkous Story – Greater Than Fiction
By David Barger
crosscountyconference.com
NEW MADISON - As kids, we often dream of action and reenact moments of
great valor. As adults, we spectate and share in the desire to
see these moments of boldness.
Reality is they don’t happen often, it’s why those stories are often
read in books or watched in movies. But sometimes, we can bear witness
to real life legends.
It was 1989, and the Chicago Bulls were in a heated series with the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On the verge of defeat in game five, time running
out, struggling to get open and execute any offensive scheme, Michael
Jordan fought his way to the ball.
Time seemed to stand still as Jordan swiftly attacked the middle of the
lane, then stopped, elevated, and drained an immortalizing shot … “The
Shot,” as it later came to be known.
Michael Jordan was a dreamer, a guy who as a kid struggled to even make
the cut in high school. Those dreams, however, turned to action.
Through tireless workouts and constant repetition, Jordan became the
man to answer a calling, and found legendary status in “The
Shot.” That shot became a statement throughout the successful
journey during Jordan’s playing career.
Flash Forward to 2015, and the biggest stage for high school
basketball. The Tri-Village Patriots had the athletic and competitive
Harvest Prep Warrior team bearing down on them; and the Patriots’ first
state championship was in jeopardy.
Enter stage left, Colton Linkous, a man of action. Struggling to get
open and execute an offense, Colton Linkous found his way to the ball.
Time seemed to stand still as Linkous swiftly attacked the lane, and
then stopped; he elevated while fading away and drained an
immortalizing shot… “The Shot at the Schott,” as it came to be known
“Coach (Sagester) does a great job of putting us in these kinds of
situations every day at practice,” commented Colton Linkous, when asked
what it takes to hit the most crucial shot taken in his high school
career.
Coach Sagester had confidence in Colton, when asked what the last play
was, Sagester said, “get the ball to Linkous and get out of the way.”
Linkous paused then added, “My teammates were able to find me open on
the wing and they trusted me in taking the last shot.”
And why wouldn’t they trust him with the shot? It happened once
before during the game when time was expiring at the end of the first
half.
With great athleticism, Linkous, through heavy congestion, caught a
three quarter court baseball pass from Damion Cook in traffic. It
appeared effortless as he collected himself, squared to the basket and
sank a triple from beyond NBA range.
The trifecta at the buzzer gave Tri-Village a 25-15 lead at the break.
The humble high school senior, Colton Linkous, smiles and enjoys the
moment, perhaps still not even realizing the significance of what he
and his teammates had accomplished.
How can he understand? Hitting game winners isn’t a regular
occurrence. It’s the reason for popular films like Hoosiers, a
film that Tri-Village predicated its team and overall approach on when
they visited the historic site in the preseason to practice on the
floor and soak up the aura of the place.
Like all story book endings, the tale must have a beginning and
climactic middle before the dramatic finish.
The conversation with Linkous continued. When asked where the
drive for such a high level of success in his career came from, once
again he replied with a humble response.
“My drive comes from my father and mother.”
Colton’s father Randy Linkous had his moment on the big stage as a
player at Sparta High School leading his team to the state semi-finals.
His mother Christy Sarver was also a standout player as well.
“They pushed me to be the best basketball player I could be, and knew
my potential ability on the court,” stated Linkous, but the family
story doesn’t end there.
Linkous also notes his sister Kayla as an inspiration during his
younger years. “My sister being the stud she was made it to
Columbus too … having to live up to those expectations really drove me
to be the best I could be,” Linkous indicated.
With honors and accolades, and even all-star games still to play, such
attention can often make the most humble person’s ego swell.
That’s not Colton Linkous.
Remembering his teammates, his “brothers,” and the birthplace of the
journey, Linkous credits them for inspiration and drive even at an
early age.
“I knew growing up we would be a good group, a team that hated to
lose,” says Linkous, almost cringing at the thought of the word.
“We hated losing more than the thrill of winning and we would push each
other. I knew we would be good because of that … but I never
expected to be 30-0 and winning a state championship,” smiled Linkous.
If you followed The Patriots season in 2012-13 you knew that the group
of sophomores had lots of potential by being a part of Tri-Village’s
eighth overall Cross County Conference league title, a sectional
championship, and the gold medal with a district championship.
They were good that year no doubt, but came up short in going to
Columbus with a loss to Troy Christian in the regionals.
That moment for the Patriots finally came in the 2013-14 season, again
earning their ninth league crown and a longer more extensive journey
throughout the postseason getting all the way to the Final Four for the
first time since 1991.
Their inexperience on the big stage coupled with a poor third quarter
resulted in a 54-50 defeat during the semi-final game to Convoy
Crestview who went on to win the State Championship.
As this group continued to grow and mature, they realized they were
just dreaming for too long.
A dream had to become determination if they were going to win a state
championship.
“The journey turned into a “Mission” on March 22,” Linkous emphatically
stated.
“When we lost to Convoy Crestivew, the guys and I were very determined
to get back and we weren’t settling for anything less than a State
Title,” Linkous commented.
That led to action to help fuel the dream.
“The following Monday we got back in the gym and made it a daily
routine to work on our game, individually, and together as a team,”
added Linkous.
That’s where the Hoosier’s moment stops. No movie can glamorize
the work necessary to be successful. Fairy tales would be
thousands of pages long if one were to be written about this
Tri-Village team.
“If you want to be the best, you work your tail off to be the best.” -
Colton Linkous
Years from now people will be sitting in the local establishment
discussing the legendary moment, reminiscing over a time in the past
about the Linkous “Shot at the Schott.”
That shot lifted the Patriots to a 48-46 win over Harvest Prep and for
the first time in three trips to Columbus they were crowned State
Champs!
Colton ended the game with 22 points and 12 rebounds, impressive stats
that will fade over time. But they will talk forever about his
big game heroics that earned him the OHSAA DIV State Tournament MVP
honors.
Shortly after, kids could be seen reenacting the shot, the pose, and
the flexing of the muscles … all wanting to be Colton Linkous.
Colton Linkous, however, more than anything wants future generations to
know what it takes to be successful and it didn’t happened by accident.
“If you want to be the best, you work your tail off to be the best,”
says Linkous. He and his teammates know this best after upgrading
to gold state championship rings this year.
“Get in the gym, work on your game, know your own weaknesses, and put
in the time,” this is the Colton Linkous recipe to success.
Movies can be fabricated, the story will be stretched … but they always
leave out the part about the commitment, effort, blood, sweat, tears
and time invested to get to that moment.
That’s why real life stories are so rare.
The journey from a dream, to determination for success, and finally the
nerve needed to hit the biggest shot of Linkous career, is beyond what
can be put into storybooks.
The story of Colton Linkous “Shot at the Schott” and the “Mission” of
the 2014-15 Tri-Village Patriots State Championship Title … well,
that’s real and that beats fiction every time!
Reprinted by permission.
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