Road to Sacramento will carry Cougars much farther still

Nevertheless, against all odds, the Cougars found themselves on the same Golden 1 Center court where the giants of the NBA play the game for paying customers. Ultimately, basketball is basketball, whether it’s played on an asphalt court in a city park or with a makeshift bucket on a dusty Coastside driveway.

Here I’m required to tell you the good guys lost this time. Those sorry details are found elsewhere in today’s newspaper. I’m here to tell you another story — one about the power of a worthy mentor and what this game teaches those who are open to the lessons.

The hero of this story is John William Parsons who is surely cringing as he reads these words. He’ll just have to bear with me. As many of you know, Parsons is likely the best basketball player in the history of Half Moon Bay High School and among the best ever to play in San Mateo County. At one time he held the record for points scored and 3-pointers made in the county. He once made nine 3-pointers in a game, a feat that would raise even Stephen Curry’s eyebrows. He took that reputation as a sharpshooter to Claremont-McKenna College where he was a first-team all-conference player with a head on his shoulders. Today he is supposedly in his late 30s, but, honestly, he could suit up along with his current team of teenagers and no one would be the wiser.

His basketball bonafides are tangential to this story. Whatever difference Parsons makes in the performance of his team — and there is no way his Cougars would have been in Sacramento on Saturday without his leadership — is dwarfed by the effect he is having on the lives of a couple of dozen kids, many of whom have played on his youth teams since they were in Coastside elementary schools. Just ask parents like Kevin Dorwin, who has the unique distinction of having kids on both the successful boys and girls varsity teams.

“We’re incredibly grateful for both the support of John and Antonio,” said Dorwin, referencing Parsons and former Cougar girls coach Antonio Veloso. “They fostered an environment for our kids to learn and grow as people.”

On Saturday, that much was obvious even from the cheap seats, where the press was cordoned for the championship game. On the bench, Parsons is supportive rather than bullying. He’s on his feet throughout games, but not on his players. He doesn’t ride referees and consequently doesn’t have to. He is living proof that respect works. Put it this way: Parents told me their kids simply lost interest in other sports once they experienced Parsons’ coaching style.

The Cougars lost a basketball game on Saturday. That’s all. No one had to tell them to keep it in perspective in the midst of the darkest winter in memory for Half Moon Bay.

The shootings on Jan. 23 rendered so much else trivial. The Cougar boys were getting better when the calendar turned, just as things got worse in their hometown. You are forgiven if you failed to notice the ascension of a high school basketball team amid the candlelight vigils and funerals.

Minutes after a stinging final loss in Sacramento, Parsons said this: “It was a very dark time for our community. I don’t think they have a clue yet how big (playing in a state championship) is for Half Moon Bay.”

Parsons, it should be noted, doesn’t pay many bills with the skimpy stipend he earns as coach. To make ends meet, he and his father have their own wealth management business in town. It’s fitting. Any good parent will tell you their most important assets are their kids. You want to talk generational wealth? Look at the bench during a Half Moon Bay High School boys basketball game. The parents who entrust their boys with John William Parsons have put them in a no-risk growth fund that will pay dividends for years to come.

No, the Cougars didn’t win on that hallowed court on Saturday. But it would be a mistake to say they lost. You can thank John William Parsons for that.