PINCKNEYVILLE (WSIL) -- Pinckneyville is a basketball community and Panthers hoops is a way life.
Saturday was their last home game and the season ends on Tuesday in Nashville.
This season included a monumental win, but there's also a message that goes beyond basketball.
If you've ever been to a Pinckneyville boys basketball game I can assure you, you've heard a gruff voice from the bench, it belongs to none other than Bob Waggoner.
Coach Waggoner never stops coaching. Looks intense during the game but all smiles afterward. His formula works. You don't win 500 games by accident.
"It's not a Bob Waggoner thing, it's more about the kids than it is me," Waggoner said.
"It's more about the school, the community. This program was successful for a long time before I was here and will be successful a lot longer after I am gone."
It's been a different type of season, no state title to play for.
"They say all the good teams are playing in March, this year everybody is playing in March."
"Our kids understand expectation even if it's not going to be for state tournament play, they still take great pride in being a Panther."
"It's probably been a lot easier for me than a lot of other coaches to get kids ready to play."
"The one motivation we are looking at is not a lot of varsity teams get to go out on a win in a year," Pinckneyville senior Ben Restoff said. "Basically you lose, you're done and the one team that goes out on a win is the state championship team so we are really looking forward to that and hoping to finish off the year on a win and keep our win streak going."
Coach Waggoner cares for his players deeply. We talked hoops but he wanted to make sure I knew the life goals of his two seniors. Dre Scott wants to one day go into social work and Ben Restoff wants to join the Air Force Academy.
"I want to help people to get over their problems and just help them be great people in the community and just help people out," Scott said.
"Aviation has been part of my family ever since I was in Kindergartern, first grade," Restoff said. "I remember the first time I rode in a plane and I was super scared and now it's just so much fun to me and I always wanted to do it on my own and I always wanted to serve my country so putting those two things together was always my life long dream."
