In January 1975, Lincoln High School boys basketball head coach John Carle gave his notes to starting guard and team captain Mike Long and told him to lead practice. He had just found out his son was struck by a car while riding his bike.

After two hours in the front office phoning different hospitals, he determined his son suffered no major injuries and, with him safe back home, Carle headed back to the gym to check on his team.

That's when Carle ran into a gentleman dressed in a suit and tie. The man, a scout for Georgia Tech University, told Carle he had just watched the best practice he's ever seen without a coach in attendance. More: Which schools close, which ones are saved under new Des Moines Public Schools overhaul?

The retired coach revisited that story during a speech at th

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