Why Parkview basketball still feels like winners despite Class 5 quarterfinal heartbreak
Through the pain of defeat, somehow, Parkview senior guard T.J. Hill said he still felt like a winner.
Never mind the heartbreaking 58-57 overtime defeat on the scoreboard. Never mind that his career in a Vikings uniform ended. Never mind that he was so close to helping lift Parkview to its first semifinal appearance since 1981.
It didn't matter. He looked around at the packed crowd in Parkview's gym, for the first time this season, and knew it was a moment he would never forget.
"It was truly special," Hill said. "Just being able to finish my last game and be in front of the people I love... even though we lost, it felt like a win in my book."
A Parkview boys' basketball season packed full of adversity ended in a Class 5 state quarterfinal loss to Jefferson City on Saturday afternoon in Springfield.
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Parkview spent the entirety of the regular season on the road, playing its home games at either Central or Hillcrest, due to water damage to its home floor. The Vikings took multiple long bus rides to stay in hotels in different states throughout the year. They wouldn't trade those moments together for anything.
The Vikings' new floor was installed and completed ahead of Saturday's quarterfinal. They got to have a shootaround in the gym on Thursday before having a practice on Friday, differing from the 45-degree auxiliary gym where they had most of their practices. The stands were packed to watch them compete on Saturday.
Parkview had its chances down the stretch. They couldn't capitalize on free throws, finishing 11 for 24 from the line, before allowing the Jays to make up a seven-point deficit with 3:16 left to force overtime and then going on to win.
A loud Jefferson City contingent that made its way to Springfield exploded in celebration. The Vikings walked off the court wiping their faces with their uniforms.
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"My teammates are family at this point," Hill said, fighting the tears. "There's an empty feeling inside but it'll go away. I'm gonna miss those that I've put all that time in with over the past two years."
Knowing what kind of work ethic it takes to be a winner, on the court and in life, is something Parkview's seniors said they would depart with.
Second-year head coach Jack Simpson helped install a new mindset for the program, giving them life lessons that could be used on and off the court. It's up to the underclassmen to buy into that mindset now.
All five of the Vikings' starters and others, along with Simpson, had their alarms set to 6 a.m. to get runs or workouts in before school. The intensity didn't calm down in practices and games afterward. Practices often featured bear crawls and sprinting sessions from baseline to baseline.
For as dreadful as it sometimes was, the seniors will miss those, too.
"I don't know if I could find a better group to do it with, to be honest," Simpson said, also choking up. "I would text them at 4 a.m. and say 'Who's ready to practice?' and they would send me laughing emojis back or whatever. I love these guys. I hate to see the ride end but I'm very, very proud of them."
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Simpson also made his players feel loved, whether that be from him and his coaching staff or making sure it was felt from player to player.
It's nothing new for the Parkview program. Landon Cornish, Simpson's predecessor, did much of the same and delivered some successful years for the Vikings.
The program has only continued to grow under Simpson's leadership and it will continue to do so for years to come.
"Parkview has tough kids over here and we have some tough kids that maybe have been through some different situations that may have molded them for tough moments," Simpson said. "They're built for it. I keep telling people that it's an easy transition when you have really good kids. They make me look good. I'm just blessed to be here."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Parkview basketball falls to Jefferson City in Class 5 quarterfinal
