Students’ Compassionate Gestures at Toone/Whiteville Game Show Winning Isn’t Everything {video}

In basketball, just as in any sport, at the end of the game, there is always a winner and a loser. But sometimes, you can lose and still be a winner as was Talan Goodman when he demonstrated true sportsmanship and set off a wave of compassion during a recent basketball game between the Toone Elementary School (TES) Bobcats and the Whiteville Elementary School (WES) Lions. Talan, a seventh-grade student at TES made the gesture of returning a rebounded basketball to a player on the opposing team, so he could take one more shot and score.

“That’s something you see on ESPN. You see these good deeds and you don’t ever think about it could happen at your house, but it happened,” said Willie Newble, WES boys’ basketball coach. “He [Talan] had all right to try to score, but he turned around and gave us the ball to let somebody else score when we were already winning, and that was a big thing.”

That was a big thing! But the gesture of compassion the fans saw from the stands had more meaning for both players, Talan Goodman and Kyson Pugh, who stood on the basketball court opposite of each other.

Talan Goodman is a seventh-grade student at TES and has played basketball at the school for two years. On the court and off the court, Talan has already earned a reputation for being compassionate towards others.

Shannon Rodgers, who is Talan’s basketball coach, shared words about Talan’s character.

“Talan is a sweet kid. He is very respectful in the classroom and on the court. He is always willing to do anything I have the basketball players do in practice and games,” said Coach Rodgers.

Talan’s mother, Loren Doyle was not surprised by his gesture towards Kyson.

“Talan has always looked out for those around him even when he was little. One of his teachers told me today that Talan is always looking out for others whether it’s helping a classmate or teammate who’s struggling, encouraging others in difficult moments, or simply being positive when he thinks someone needs it,” said Ms. Doyle. “He has always been kind and notices things around him. Talan is just thoughtful like that. I’m proud he wasn’t afraid to do it in a public way during the game and believe it reflects the kindness and compassion he shows in his everyday life with his friends and us.”

Ms. Doyle noted Talan and his sister have been raised to treat others with kindness and respect, regardless of the circumstances. Talan goes even further by putting himself in someone else’s shoes, stepping up when he sees someone in need. On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, that is exactly what Talan did.

Kyson Pugh is a sixth-grade student at WES and much like other boys his age is passionate about playing basketball. One difference from his peers is Kyson recently experienced the death of his mother. Before the season began, Kyson tried out for the WES basketball team, but did not make the cut to be added to the roster. Despite that setback, Kyson did find another way to still be a member of the team by becoming its manager.

“I wanted him to be a part of the team and try to give him the opportunity somewhere, so he feels he belongs, because he really wants to play basketball,” said Coach Willie Newble, the WES boys’ basketball coach. “We let the little guy play to be a part of the team to keep his mind off of the situation and also his mother.”

Coach Newble describes Kyson as very persistent, very helpful, and notes his biggest attribute is doing the best he can with whatever he has.

“He is one of the best managers I’ve ever had in 14 years. He is on it! ‘Coach, here’s your water’. ‘Hey Coach, we need to wash today’. He even gets out of class to come and tell me ‘Hey Coach, make sure you got your stuff ready’. He likes to keep me prepared,” said Coach Newble.

Along with letting Kyson be the manager, the decision was made to give him the opportunity to play in a few games during the season, One of those games was on Tuesday against TES.

WES was leading against TES, so every point TES could earn would benefit the team. Kyson ran down the court, shot the ball, and missed. Rather than taking the rebound, Talan caught the ball and passed it back to Kyson for him to take another shot.

“The little guy [Talan] just turned around and gave him [Kyson] the ball back. We were trying to figure it out ourselves. We were like ‘why was he giving the ball back’. We were like ‘man shoot, score and he kept returning the ball,” said Coach Newble, who realized at that moment what was happening. “I didn’t even know who did it, who the little boy was. The kids were like ‘it was him coach, the guy who gave him the shot’. We thought ‘if he could do it for us, we could do it for him!”

Although neither player knew anything about the other during the game, there was a connection between them, which Talan recognized.

“Talan noticed during the game that he [Kyson] was a ‘small guy like me and wanted a shot too’. He doesn’t understand what the big deal is about this situation, but wanted to make sure someone else had a chance too,” said Ms. Doyle. “This moment was so exciting to watch, and everyone in the gym was moved by his act. Later on in the game, the opposing player returned the favor and gave Talan the ball back allowing Talan to score!”

Ms. Doyle has described the experience as emotional hearing all of the comments about how others felt watching that moment play out on the court.

“I feel very proud of my boy, who’s growing into a responsible, kind, and caring young man,” said Ms. Doyle.

After the game, Coach Rodgers asked Talan the story behind his actions.

“When I asked what the story was with what he did during this game, he just said he felt like the other team really wanted to let Kyson score, so he wanted to help make that happen,” said Coach Rodgers. “When he found out later that his mother had passed away and the family was in the crowd, Talan was so glad he helped make it happen. It was a great game with good sportsmanship all around! The crowd was loud with excitement and support for both teams! It is a joy to have him as a student and a player!”

The fans, coaches, and parents experienced an evening unlike any other at TES. There was a lot of cheering in the gym and heartfelt tears.

“It made me cry,” said Coach Newble, who later reached out to TES Principal Charles Cranford to commend Talan for his compassion. “Winning the game isn’t everything. Compassion for each other on and off the court is important.”

“It makes me so proud that Talan has taken those lessons to heart and lives them out every day,” said Ms. Doyle.

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