“Class is striving hard to be the best at what you do while taking the needs of others into consideration.”
—Roger Staubach, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback

I neither have, nor ever will, experience the emotion, intensity, and adrenaline bundled in one’s pursuit of a national championship. But Geno Auriemma, coach of Connecticut’s Lady Huskies basketball team, has. It was on full display once again during the Huskies’ semi-final game with South Carolina’s Lady Gamecocks week before last. And the coach didn’t meet the moment.

During an interview between the third and fourth quarters, he blasted the officiating and Dawn Staley, the highly-respected coach of USC. He even threw in a word you don’t typically hear on ESPN unless it’s accidentally caught on a hot mic. Even worse, he got into it verbally with Coach Staley after the game, and then he walked off the court without shaking the hands of the South Carolina players. Certainly not his one shining moment, but a glaring one nonetheless.

To be fair, and as expected, he apologized the next day—to the staff and team, but not to Staley by name. Auriemma’s a head coach, charged with leading and developing not just the athletic skills of his players, but their leadership and sportsmanship skills too. His behavior was reprehensible.

Full admission: I’ve been there, and you probably have too. Not on such a big stage as a televised major college sports event, but in our everyday lives. Sometimes, we fail to present the best version of ourselves. We drop the ball, to continue the sports theme.

Someone once asked baseball icon Joe DiMaggio why he hustled down the baseline to first base on every routine infield grounder. His answer: “Because there might be somebody in the stands today watching me play for the first time.” Wow! That’s the epitome of professionalism and self-awareness.

In the same way, our first and possibly only encounter with another person is important. As the saying goes, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” How you act and what you say can have a lasting impact on another person. How do you want to be remembered?

Fortunately, we usually get a chance to make amends—to improve our behavior, our language, and/or our conduct. That’s a measure of grace, and not something we should take for granted. It forces us to swallow our pride, a quality that can be tougher to conquer than a dominant basketball program. But it also offers us a lesson in humility, something all of us need from time to time.

So, we’ll try to get past Coach Auriemma’s conduct, and we’ll give him another chance. Like anyone else, he deserves to have that opportunity.

But Coach, if you haven’t already done so, pick up the phone and call Dawn Staley.