My Sportsman Choice: Damian Segura

By Melissa Segura

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In 1910 Rudyard Kipling explained what a man is in his poem, If. In 2004, my brother, Damian, showed me what one is in his daily dedication to his basketball team, the Albuquerque's St Pius X Sartans.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

Beneath the still-starry sky my brother makes sure he's at work cranking out his engineering projects by 4:30 in the morning so he can get to practice by 3 p.m., go over scouting reports, player evaluations and parent meetings by 6 p.m., to get to game plan an hour later, to get to his son's and daughter's storytime-bathtime-homework time by 8 p.m. and get to bed by 11 o'clock.

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

One day a letter to the editor called him holier-than-thou after letting one of his best players walk away to join another team. Didn't my brother know this kid would be the team's best chance for a championship? Yes he knew, but Damian couldn't let a player who wouldn't show up for practice, wouldn't listen, and didn't care, be his leader. Winning is good, but learning is better. What would he be teaching his players if they weren't all held to the same standard? Coaching is about instilling values and inspiring confidence.

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man my son!

In the last minute of Damian's first season as the head basketball coach at St. Pius, his team was down 60-55 in the semifinal game against its district rivals. With a timeout, words from his heart, and spirit from his players, they forced overtime. Though a series of foul shots and a shortage of seconds would end their season that night, my brother showed me that 60 seconds' worth of distance run and, which is more, he'll be a Man, my brother.

He'll be my Sportsman, too.

Sports Illustrated will announce the 2004 Sportsman of the Year winner on FOX on November 28. Check back every weekday until then to read more Sportsman picks from SI writers.