I love basketball.

I played competitively through junior college.

I have been a fan for 40 years.

My native New Jersey has some of the best high school hoops in the United States. I began following St. Patrick high school during my playing days for the sheer talent the school produced along with friends I knew at the school. After NBA players like Kyrie Irving, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al Harrington and Sam Dalembert graced its halls, St. Patrick was closed in 2012 by the Archdiocese of Newark.

But the school continues to live on as an independent, non-denominational school now known as The Patrick School, while virtually all small, Northern New Jersey parochial schools have been closed, for good.

Not only has the school stayed open, this year’s team may be the #1 squad in the USA with perhaps the #1 high school player and NBA draft prospect donning Celtic Green.

How?

The people at the school adopted a “never say die” attitude to survive and thrive.

Refuse to Give Up the Vision

Even after St. Patrick was closed, people refused to give up the vision of offering kids an education and chance to play competitive basketball in a high profile setting with a warm, loving community being the backdrop. St. Patrick has always been a tight-knit family more than anything, from the students to staff. The vision continues to keep the school open.

Never give up by holding your vision, despite anything that happens in life. See your dream, Hold your dream. Follow your dream no matter what to keep the vision alive and to never give up.

Be Flexible

St. Patrick had to close but flexible people simply opened an independent school with “Patrick” in the name to keep continuity with the prior school.

Doing this has allowed the school to keep ties with NBA players like Kyrie and Michael, as well as being linked to iconic St. Patrick teams of the past.

Be flexible if your dream seems to go south. Flexible people bend and persist when rigid folks break and quit.

Teamwork Breeds Persistence

When things seemed most bleak, staff and folks who shared The Patrick School vision gave their time, energy and financial resources to keep the dream alive and to persist through thick and thin.

Nobody could keep the school open solo. But a team effort created a sense of resolve that inspired people to work through difficult circumstances.

Build a team of loving, loyal, supportive people around you. Become incredibly resilient by tapping into the power of teamwork.

If You Keep the Love Flowing the Resources Arrive

NBA superstar Kyrie Irving has generously provided financial assistance to keep the school afloat. He still has love for Pat’s. A small, dogged group of people at the school has held the intent to give kids a loving, caring community for furthering their education and for ballers, improving as a basketball player.

The love always keeps the dream alive. Infuse your dream with love. See beyond fear. Keep your dream alive. @RyanBiddulph (Click to Tweet!)

Ryan Biddulph is a blogger, author and world traveler who’s been featured on Richard Branson’s Virgin Blog, Forbes, Fox News, Entrepreneur, Positively Positive, Life Hack, John Chow Dot Com and Neil Patel Dot Com. He has written and self-published 126 bite-sized eBooks on Amazon. Ryan can help you build a successful blog at Blogging From Paradise.

Image courtesy of Jay Sadoff.