A lesson in how to ride the bench

Most of us have done it at one time or another. I rode the bench so much that me and my backside celebrated the move from wood to metal in the construction process.

None of us really relished our time on the bench, especially when that kid we knew we were just as good as got to keep starting because he was at least a fifth-generation of the same family to play on the high school sports team.

It also didn't hurt that his parents' names were always on the top tier when it came to publishing the list of who had donated what to the school and/or its athletic program.

But hey, a view from the bench helps you become a student of the game, because you can watch what every position is doing at any one time, instead of needing to focus on playing what your position would be if the coach would just put you in.

Mike James was a student of the game, and when his name was called, he got off the bench and schooled everybody about what a "nonstarter" can do.

Rivals.com on Yahoo Sports reported that on Tuesday night, James — a junior for Division III Lamar University — erupted for 52 points off the bench in Lamar's 114-62 dismantling of Louisiana College.

His game of a lifetime included 18-of-35 shooting and 11-of-21 from three-point territory. He also put an exclamation point on his performance with a two-handed flush to break the school's record of most points in a game.

But don't look for him to turn into some dribbling and dunking diva — James knows his role.

"I think coming off the bench is what my team needs me to do," James said in the Yahoo Sports piece. "We have two veteran guards that start in Anthony Miles and Kendrick Harris. They start off the game well. I just watch what we do when I'm sitting on the bench and when I come in, I try to do what we were missing."

The kid just gets it.

I deserved every minute of pine time I got in my non-illustrious high school years, because I just wasn't as talented as most of the team — plain and simple.

But I knew what was going on at every moment of every game, because I was watching it intently in my uniform that once again would not need to be washed. I was mentally ready to do my part, even if my physical skills were lacking.

James undoubtedly has game, while I did not. But part of what helped him scorch the nets on his banner night was that he was ready.

Sometimes sports, and later life keeps you on the bench more than you think it should. All any of us can do is keep our heads "in the game" and be ready to do our best when our names are called.

Contact Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.