Tony Bennett became his father’s progeny when he used his pack-line defense to turn Virginia into a powerhouse college basketball team. It had been three decades since the University of Virginia had made the Final Four. Around that same time, Dick Bennett turned a Division III program at the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point into one of the best teams using the innovative defensive scheme he called “the pack line.”

Thirty years later, Dick’s son, Tony, brought the pack line to Virginia to compete in the Final Four. Dick applied his pack-line principles to create a system that ensured no player would stray from the pack on defense at the expense of the team. “It’s more of a team system. You have to rely on people to help in the gaps,” said Tony.

Tony coaches very much like his father when it comes to the pack-line, but more has been passed down in their relationship. “When he instructed me as a player, a coach, even when he speaks to me now over the years, it’s changed a little bit. It comes from a place of love. And when you can trust that he always quotes a proverb to me. He’d say, ‘Son, wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy.’ So that meant I was going to either be told I was doing a crappy job or something. He’d speak the truth. He’d say, ‘You need to hear these things.’ He’d say to me, ‘Learn from my mistakes as a coach.’ That stuff’s invaluable.”

Ephesians 5 – Christ-like Pattern

When Tony Bennet wasn’t copying his father’s pack-line, he spent most of his life learning even more valuable lessons from his father. The word imitators in Ephesians 5:1 is the word mimics. A mimic is not someone who picks up general patterns, but someone who copies specific characteristics. Paul was making the point that children are like their parents. Often, children learn more by watching and imitating than in any other way. Paul was arguing that if they were God’s children, they ought to imitate their Father. This is his reason for the three warnings in chapter 5. God is love (1 John 4:8); therefore, “walk in love” (1-2). God is light (1 John 1:5); therefore, “walk as children of light” (3-14). God is truth (1 John 5:6); therefore, “walk in wisdom” (15-17). Each of these “walks” is part of Paul’s urging to “walk in purity.”

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete recognize that they are not perfect, and that their lives grow through spiritual maturity, becoming more like Christ.

Bible Memory Verse – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12  (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute: Imitation of Faith

Our featured book this week is Ecclesiastes – The Forward-Looking Coach. (A  10-Week Bible Study For Coaches Who Want To Lead With The End In Mind), written by Joshua Thiessen.

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