For Rosetta: Carmel Christian coach dedicates championship to his late mother
Four years ago, the last time Byron Dinkins coached in a state championship game at Forsyth Country Day, his mother, Rosetta, stood in the corner of the gym and watched her son celebrate an 87-68 win over Concord First Assembly.
Dinkins was head coach at Northside Christian then. Now, he’s in his second year at Carmel Christian. Saturday, Dinkins led the Cougars to a state championship - again at Forsyth Country Day.
Only this time, his mother couldn’t be with him.
Rosetta Clemmons died in October. Dinkins watched her take her last breath.
“Right before she passed,” Dinkins said, “she was asking about the team. So silently, without saying anything, I wanted to get this for her.”
In his back pocket Saturday, Dinkins carried a copy of his mother’s obituary, with a color picture of her smiling. After Carmel Christian rallied from 12 points down in the second half to beat Gaston Day 74-72 in double overtime, Dinkins walked to the same corner of the gym where his mother was four years ago. He stood alone, mostly staring at the floor.
Through wet eyes, he later watched his team celebrate, until finally his name was called and he slowly walked to midcourt to receive his medal.
“No doubt,” Dinkins said after the game, “she’s smiling right now.”
Dinkins coached in his eighth straight state championship game Saturday. He lost the first one at Northside before winning three in a row.
But he lost in the past three finals, including his first at Carmel Christian last year.
“I’ve been here a few times,” Dinkins said, “and I came up short. But I never look at it as one game and we lost it or I gotta win it. My job is to prepare kids for what they will do in life.”
Carmel Christian assistant coach Joe Badgett played with Dinkins at UNC Charlotte and is among his best friends. He’s been Dinkins’ assistant for all of his years in high school.
Badgett said it’s been a tough year and a tough week for his friend.
Entering the season, Dinkins had to mold a young team and get it past last year’s championship disappointment. Carmel has six underclassman among its top eight players. Then Rosetta passed. This week there was another setback: LC Cooks, one of the players from Dinkins’ first championship team, lost his mother.
Badgett said winning Saturday’s state title was the best kind of medicine for Dinkins.
“I think it’s huge with the year he’s had,” Badgett said. “This was a big week for him and a difficult week for him. It’s a different generation of kids and a big adjustment, and he’s handled it well. ...”
This story was originally published February 24, 2018 at 6:28 PM with the headline "For Rosetta: Carmel Christian coach dedicates championship to his late mother."