I can’t believe I’m about to say this—we might need to take some advice from the New York Knicks. Yes, the New York Knicks.
The same Knicks that spent years finding creative new ways to disappoint one of the most loyal fan bases in professional sports.
For decades, Knicks fans endured bad contracts, bad draft picks, bad coaching hires, front office drama, and enough heartbreak to qualify for group counseling.
And yet they stayed.
They packed Madison Square Garden. They wore the jerseys. They argued on sports radio. They believed—even when there wasn’t much evidence to support it.
Then something changed.
Not overnight. Not because of luck. Not because someone magically appeared and saved the day.
The Knicks started making a series of calculated decisions.
First came Jalen Brunson. At the time, some people thought New York overpaid for a good player who had never been an NBA All-Star. Turns out they weren’t paying for what he was; they were paying for what he could become.
Then they kept building.
Good players were traded for better players. The front office brought in Karl-Anthony Towns. They surrounded Brunson with players who fit his style and personality. In many ways, they put the band back together, bringing in players he had won championships with during his college days at Villanova.
Instead of collecting the biggest names, they collected the right names. There’s a difference.
They built chemistry. They built trust. They built a culture.
And when adversity showed up, Jalen Brunson repeatedly put the team on his back and delivered.
The organization stayed committed to the vision.
Now they’ve added championship coach Mike Brown, another move designed to strengthen the culture and keep the momentum moving forward.
As I write this, the Knicks are in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Think about that.
For years, the Knicks were the punchline. Now they’re playing for a championship.
Success usually isn’t one giant decision. It’s a series of smaller decisions made correctly over time.
The right leadership. The right people. The right culture. The right vision. And enough patience to let it all come together.
That applies to basketball. It applies to business. And it applies to communities.
Because if we’re honest, South Carolina deserves a win. A few wins actually. Not just on scoreboards.
Wins in economic development. Wins in education. Wins in community engagement. Wins that make people excited about where they live and hopeful about where they’re headed.
Those things happen when the right people come together around the right ideas.
You identify talent. You develop it. You create a culture people want to be part of. You stop chasing quick fixes and start building something sustainable.
Winning cultures aren’t accidental. They’re intentional.
The Knicks haven’t finished the job yet. They’re still fighting for the title. But whether they win or lose, they’ve already proven something important — organizations don’t change because they get lucky. They change because somebody decides losing is no longer acceptable.
Then they find the right people, create the right culture, and commit to the process.
Fairfield County needs that. South Carolina needs that.
And if the New York Knicks can climb out of the wilderness and get back to the NBA Finals after all these years, then surely there’s hope for the rest of us.
On a lighter note, if the Knicks actually win this thing, America may be down to 49 states.
Because I’m pretty sure Knicks fans will celebrate so hard they’ll find a way to erase New Jersey from the map.
Kenny Robertson, an educator and comedian, is a native of Ridgeway.