This week in HS Sports: No way Alaina Peacock was going to miss Alma Bryant’s final four debut

This is an opinion piece.
There was no way Alaina Peacock was missing this day.
The Alma Bryant girls basketball coach, who has coached in only one game this season after her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury in November, was at Legacy Arena on Thursday to see her Hurricanes play in their first final four.
The outcome wasn’t great.
No. 1 Hoover cruised to a 92-47 win in the Class 7A state semifinals.
But that didn’t matter on this day.
Not really. It was about much more than that for Alma Bryant girls basketball and Peacock.
“This meant the world to me,” she said. “We dreamed about this four years ago. I had to be here to see it through.”
John Peacock, a self-employed contractor and assistant coach for the Hurricanes, fell back off a 4-foot ladder at a work site while installing a light on Nov. 10 – two days after Alma Bryant played its first game of the season.
He immediately suffered a seizure and was flown by helicopter to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. He spent 15 days in intensive care, 17 days at an impatient specialty hospital and then was transferred to Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.
Ironically, he was released from there the same day the Hurricanes won their South Regional semifinal game against Daphne. Alaina has been with her husband every step of the way.
Alma Bryant boys assistant coach BJ Evans took over the team in her absence and kept them on track for a historic season in spite of Thursday’s outcome. Peacock was only able to attend a couple of games until this week. On Thursday, she watched nervously from press row before greeting her players after the game.
“We knew four years ago that to get here was going to be extremely hard work,” she said. “The journey has been tremendous. Getting here has been phenomenal. Hoover just had too many studs.”
Six of Alma Bryant’s players are seniors, including twins Madi-Marie and Mari-Margret Grayson. This was the team Peacock was building toward when she took the job at the Irvington school.
Her players didn’t know she was coming all the way to Birmingham on Thursday.
“We weren’t expecting her to be here,” Mari-Margret said. “When we walked out and saw her, it definitely ignited something underneath us. We love Mrs. Peacock. It is because of her that we made it this far with all the skills and everything she has taught us.”
Added Madi-Marie: “We saw her walk by and screamed her name. Our eyes lit up. It meant a lot to have her here.”
Evans deserves a ton of credit for handling the situation the way he did. He didn’t hesitate when he was asked to lead the girls. He consistently deferred credit to his team and to Peacock, though he played a huge role as well.
Alaina said John, who stayed at home Thursday, is doing “really well,” though there are still plenty of hurdles to clear. He started outpatient rehab this week.
“They could only provide two days of therapy each week so, of course, I have fussed about that,” she said. “I’m coaching him up at home. He’s moving really well. The speech is going to take time. They expect him to be walking well by six months, and we intend to break that record. They think he will eventually gain access again to the arm that is giving him trouble. They tell me what to expect on everything, and we expect to beat those odds.”
So far, so good.
The Peacocks have come a long way since that tragic Nov. 10 day when John’s situation looked dire.
Will Alaina be in position to return to coach the Hurricanes next season?
“Only God knows that,” she said.
My guess is the Peacocks will continue to beat the odds.
Thought for the Week
“The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us now, transforming our character, healing our brokenness and empowering our witness.” – The Bible in a Year.