‘All this is for him:’ With heavy hearts, South Meck makes statement to open playoffs
Chris McDonald’s father was with the South Mecklenburg boys’ basketball team all summer.
On the heels of an 8-17 first season as head coach, McDonald signed his team up for more than 40 games last summer and fall.
There were plenty of times where all his assistant coaches weren’t able to make it, so McDonald’s father, Arthur, sat on the bench next to his son, Chris, and traveled with them everywhere from Jacksonville to Greensboro.
After Arthur McDonald died from cancer in October, the Sabres now carry his words of wisdom with them.
Arthur had been in nearly every huddle with the players last summer, telling them to play their game and trust one another.
“Ever since his passing, we’ve carried that on with us as a team, and that’s why we’re able to play so good because we can trust one another,” said point guard Yariel Chudgar, who led South Meck with 16 points in an 81-41 drubbing of rival Charlotte Catholic on Tuesday night to open the NCHSAA 4A playoffs.
“His father was there. It touched all of our hearts. All of this is really for him. He was there supporting us every step — everything, all this, is for him.”
Arthur McDonald was really looking forward to this particular Sabres’ (21-5) season. His son said he shared a moment with him before Tuesday’s game and teared up shortly before tipoff.
This was what Arthur would have wanted for these players, and for his son: An opportunity to play for a state championship.
“These guys got the chance to see and spend time with him,” coach McDonald said. “During his passing, the guys came down and supported me. I was gone three-and-a-half weeks, and they got a chance to see me be vulnerable. To see me be a man and have feelings. And that’s what I’ve poured into these guys every day.
“They believe in what we’re selling. They believe in what we’re doing every day, and I can’t ask for anything better than that.”
The energy was vibrant inside the Coach Dave Price gymnasium — named for the local coaching legend — on Tuesday evening. South Meck, which will play the winner of North Meck and T.C. Roberson, didn’t take long to take control.
Cheers were prominent from the packed crowd, led by the white-clad student section opposite the Sabres’ bench, as Catholic (16-10) struggled to get much offense going. A few minutes into the first quarter, senior Peter Moye — who finished with 14 points — pushed the pace down the floor after a steal and laid in a basket that opened an early double-digit South Meck lead.
Chudgar was instrumental in the dominance for South Meck, which held a 22-point lead at the half and led by as many as 47.
“Being able to trust one another is very important on the court,” Chudgar said. “I think that’s why we’re 21-5. It shows out there, winning by 40 against a decent team.”
The Sabres, who won their first 13 games of the year, began working on new offensive and defensive sets this past March. McDonald brought in a handful of players he’d previously coached as many as 17 years ago and still lived in the Charlotte area to work with the players.
And then, watching their coach lose his father motivated them to win even more.
“We know he’s been through a lot,” said Ben Houpt, who poured in 15 points on Tuesday. “Anything we can do to help ease that pain. We’re gonna do that.”
