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Thursday, January 15, 2026

Esprit de Corp

"They knew the platoon was more than the mere sum of their numbers - they had imbued themselves with this knowledge and made it theirs. They were great, they were magnificent; he was proud to be their leader." - LT Sam Damon in Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer

Not everyone "gets to" be the face of a franchise as either the star or the coach. Special opportunity and obligation come with that territory. 

Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" features team spirit as one of the three central building blocks.

What qualities and values translate to forming a team "more than the mere sum of their numbers?" Team performance mirrors inputs. 

Competence

Competence means more than knowing Xs and Os. The saying that the sport is "overcoached and undertaught" manifests on video daily. 

  • Wisdom transcends knowledge. 
  • Leadership bests management. 
  • Care surpasses oversight.

Teaching appears in details and in energy. Strong teams talk on defense. They create advantage constantly. They come off screens tight and don't give up easy baskets. They win close games through force of personality. 

Communication

Coaching is a relationship business. Communicators who get "buy-in" outperform by adding more value. Communication means honesty and integrity with the ability to navigate hard conversations. It is better to lose a game than to lose our team. 

Don't be the guy who takes credit for victories and passes responsibility to the players for losses. 

Relationships raise spirits when adversity hits. And it always does. 

Positivity

The coach and team leader must bring positive energy to work every day. Success requires performance regardless of whether you feel like it. Coaches and 'stars' have the ability to stay focused and to energize the team consistently. 

Enthusiasm

"Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." Princeton coach Pete Carril reflected on joy. 

“Light bulbs, that’s what I call them. Light bulbs. There’s an intangible feeling a coach and a player have that you can delight in. When [players] walked on the floor … I could be dead tired: I saw him, I felt good.”

Optimism

You can only be as good as your self-belief. Optimists see better days ahead. That doesn't mean blindly overlooking deficiencies. It demands clear-eyed recognition of strengths, limitations, possibilities and the will to drive the process forward. 

Director Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story." The coach has to advance the story. Optimism energizes.

Authenticity

We have to be ourselves because we can't be anyone else. Don't be Dr. Jekyll one day and Mr. Hyde the next. 

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (1841)

There's an ocean of difference between a foolish consistency and the mindful will to maintain high and increasing standards. 

Leadership

What is leadership? Leadership is not about titles or self. Leaders have the capacity to attract followers and to raise performance of those around them. Leaders have the ability to set a course and to adjust when necessary. 

Lagniappe. Relationships come first. 

Lagniappe 2. Lever your athleticism with technique. 

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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Basketball - Creating Advantage

Teach basketball symmetry. Good offense creates advantage and good defense minimizes it. 

Where does advantage arise? 

  • Spacing/initial positioning
  • Player and ball movement/create separation
  • Finishing/"the scoring moment"
Truth in Aphorisms
  • "Great offense is multiple actions."
  • "Great defense is multiple efforts." 
Video Reveals these Truths

High school video can reveal excellence and limitations among design, decisions, and execution. The goal is education not criticism. I do not know any of the players or coaches. Both teams have improved.  

Spacing

"Win in space." Driving or passing into traffic creates advantage for defenses. White gets back in transition and takes away a paint pass. 


Manipulate space. Against an extended defense, white brings everyone to the ball and then "takes the top off" with a look ahead toss. Although it's not initially complete. Secondary 'troops' finish the play. 


Player and Ball Movement

White gets advantage off the dribble and "draws two." The ball has gravity. They penetrate and pitch for an open corner 3. 
 

Well-designed BOB from 1-4 low. Has options for multiple perimeter shots and a backscreen for the initial screener (screen-the-screener).
 

The Scoring Moment

The game has evolved strategically to threes, layups, and free throws. This isn't always an advantage as poor shooting can offset theoretical advantages. 

The "diamond press" puts a premium on trapping, limiting dribble advancement, and relies on vision and reaction from the "anticipator." 


Getting to the scoring moment can challenge teams. Here the spacing is good and the PnR fails? Why? The ball handler can't use the screen ("B to B in Hoosiers) and doesn't deliver the available pocket pass.
 

Great example of reading advantage here on the 1-4 low. High post entry with fake handoff and drive. 


For young coaches and players wanting to learn, watching more video affords a lot of opportunity.

Lagniappe. Elevator/sandwich screens. 

Lagniappe 2. Force your way onto the court.  

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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Basketball and Rhetoric

"No lines, no laps, no lectures..." - Brian McCormick

Coaches are teachers - teaching life, sport, and more - even language. Rhetorical devices are language tools of persuasion. Everyone uses them. Everyone can use them better. McCormick's quote stresses efficiency - getting more done in the time alloted. 

Tricolon

McCormick's quote uses tricolon, three words or phrases used to grab attention and make an impression. You know Caesar's "I came, I saw, I conquered" or MacArthur's "duty, honor, country."

"Play hard, play smart, play together." I've heard that credited to Morgan Wootten 

"Vision, decision, execution." I've chosen that as another version of "see it, choose it, do it." 

"Teamwork. Improvement. Accountability."  Asking team members to remember laundry lists of values can be a "fool's errand." In his MasterClass, Navy SEAL team leader Jocko Willink tells the story of a team member who asks for three things to remember, "because I can't remember more than that." 

Metaphor

Metaphor compares two dissimilar things to highlight similarities. 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson   Jackson expresses a core value similar to "force multiplier" or a team can be greater "than the sum of its parts." 

"The ball has energy."  Willing passers create not only better angles and better shots but goodwill. Players have less incentive to pass or to move if they believe they won't get the ball back. 

"The ball is a camera."  If you want the ball, then you must get in a position where the ball (the passer) can see you. The camera metaphor emphasizes the value of playing without the ball. 

Chiasmus

Chiasmus mirrors words, phrases, or ideas in reverse order, often an A-B-B-A pattern. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration featured, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." 

"Do more to become more. Become more to do more." Encourage players to embrace their roles while working to grow them. 

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." - John Wooden   Better coaches and players have specific plans to create advantage when facing tough opponents. Belichick shared Sun Tzu's Art of War advice, "Utilize strengths; attack weaknesses." Trader Linda Bradford Raschke reminds investors to "Plan your trade and trade your plan." 

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” - Phil Jackson   This reminds all of us of the famous line, "the strength of the wolf is the pack." 

Some lines do heavy lifting.

Dean Smith said, “A lion never roars after a kill.” Smith's quote applies multiple metaphors - the lion is the winner, the kill is victory, and roaring symbolizes boasting or taunting. He messages his team to "Act like you've been there before."

Studying effective players, coaches, and their language helps us to become better communicators and influencers for our teams. 

Lagniappe. Adversity is our companion. We cannot wish it away.

Lagniappe 2. “There is seldom just one cockroach in the kitchen. You know, you turn on the light and, all of sudden, they all start scurrying around.” - Warren Buffett

Good teams have better organization, discipline, and training. Less effective teams seldom have "one cockroach." There are usually problems with preparation and training leading to execution problems. 


 

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Monday, January 12, 2026

Basketball - "Different" Quotes as the Springboard to Growth

"If you want to be different from everybody else, then you've got to pay the price." - Anton Myrer in Once an Eagle 

Drive expresses itself in different ways. Dan Pink shared three components in his book ("Drive") - autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Sara Blakely, founder and CEO of Spanx says, "Obsess the product." Actor Sam Jackson adds, "Bring the best version of yourself to work every day." And Kevin Durant (top 10 scorer in NBA history) wakes every day asking himself, "How do I get better today?"

Quotes can serve as an impetus:

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson

Sharing implies collaboration, communication, connection. These manifest as helping each other at both ends of the floor. On offense, space to open driving and passing lanes and stretch the defense. Move without the ball, cutting urgently, screen, deliver on-time, on-target passes, and take quality shots (ROB shots - in range, open, on balance). The opposite of sharing is selfishness. 

"Impact winning." - Dr. Fergus Connolly

Examine every phase of practice from warmup to recovery. If something doesn't drive the process, why are we doing it? Be as quick to remove something unhelpful as we are to add. Be efficient (using time wisely) to drive execution (what shows up in games). 

"The coach's job is to help players see the game." - Pete Newell

Newell's Cal Bears defeated Wooden's UCLA Bruins eight consecutive meetings. Newell preached footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed. His books and tapes (e.g. "Big Man Moves") provide blueprints for separation from wing to post. Because video is "The Truth Machine," underutilizing tape underappreciates an essential teaching tool. Watch tape of coaches and players who create advantage for players. 

"An easy game to learn and a difficult one to master." - James Naismith

There is no overnight success. It's a grind and partially explains some migration away from basketball to other sports (e.g. volleyball). The exploding costs, unrealistic participants, ego, and delusions of grandeur (NIL riches for a few) can drive bad behavior (e.g. abuse of officials and sometimes coaches). 

"Every day is player development day." - Dave Smart

Talent isn't everything but no coach wins without it. Find it and develop it. In parallel with building technique and tactics, coaches need to develop or outsource physical and emotional (resilience) training. 

  • "Think shot first." - Don Kelbick 
  • "Develop a GO TO and COUNTER move." 
  • "Find four ways to score."
  • "What is your NBA (or other level) skill?"
  • "Life is hard." - Nick Saban
At the same time, coaches cultivate leadership skills. 
  • "Everyone benefits from coaching." - Sean McVay
  • "The magic is in the work." 
  • "Be warm and demanding." - Brad Stevens
  • "The game honors toughness." 
  • "Sacrifice." 
Newell's mandate to teach players to "see the game" is a big ask. Players have many choices and distractions. It reminds me of the saying in the Navy, "If the Navy wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one." 

Lagniappe. Zoom is versatile. Chris Steed shares Zoom Elevator. 


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Sunday, January 11, 2026

Basketball Stuff Worth Counting - Beyond the Four Factors

"Measure a thousand times and cut only once." - Turkish Proverb

Experts like Dean Oliver showed the value of measurement in explaining outcomes. Find three "game changing" ideas a day to enhance our chance of winning. 

Conventional and unconventional statistics often reflect if not always predict outcomes. Tracking beyond the critical Four Factors (differentials of EFG%, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws) reveals more about our teams. 

Quarterbacks, point guards, and basketball teams live and die at the intersection of decisions and execution. 

Turnovers

Turnovers sort by decision-making and execution. 



Graphic from Zak Boisvert

Every coach needs to evaluate where the "low-hanging fruit" lies for their team. I recently watched a women's college basketball game where traveling was rampant. Turnovers are the answer to a math questions - the zero percent possessions. 

Kills

Some call three consecutive stops a kill. Get seven a half for two halves and you've stopped 42 possessions. That translates to winning a high percentage of games. 

Bad Shots

Every player should know what a good shot is for themselves and for each of their teammates. Watch some high school games and cringe at a painful percentage of airballed threes. Dr. Rivers called them "shot turnovers."

Transition Points Allowed

We used to set a goal of no more than three transition hoops allowed per game. That's a high bar but not impossible. That begins with knowing who goes to the offensive boards, who balances the floor, and having a clear plan. 

Special situations differential

Years ago we won a game by three against a good middle school team. AN official came up to me and said, "Amazing. Three time outs down the stretch and you scored on the ATO each time." Special situations often separates success and less close and late.

50-50 Ball Percentage and Hustle Stats

Nobody gets all the "up for grabs" balls. But aggressiveness and anticipation show up with more loose balls corralled. Winning 50-50 balls either extends or establishes possessions. Hustle matters. 


Think "hustle equals possessions."

Lagniappe. Lessons are here for us. 

Lagniappe 2. Simple wins when done well.  

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Saturday, January 10, 2026

More Basketball Video Lessons

The four legs of the improvement stool are skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. Video study informs the first two.

In Basketball Methods, Pete Newell includes screener as an important role. Neemias Queta fills the bill here with a screen assist. 


Dribble separation occurs via speed, change of pace, and/or change of direction. What has Brown done for you lately? 


"All men are created equal." Every "pick and pop" is not.
 

Celtics' "Snap" (Spain PnR, "backscreen the roller") has many options including the guard getting downhill.
 

An unusual pick-and-roll that starts near half court.
 

R. J. Barrett gives the Celtics a taste of their "draw two and dish" medicine. 


Two lessons...first, Pritchard separates with the "negative step." Second, the help steps up freeing the lob for two. 


Beautiful basketball from the Raptors with the short roll pass for the open corner three. 


More conventional Spain PnR with an unconventional finish.
 

Versatile finishing equals off either foot with either hand from either side. 


Lagniappe. Coach Underwood explains how they led the country in rebounding missed threes and their "get back" designations. If you shoot a three or are above the key, get back. 
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Friday, January 9, 2026

Change of Possession

Many coaches embrace the great Pete Newell's advice to get "more and better shots than your opponent." By extension, get "more and better possessions than your opponent."

Shots are subsets of possessions. Ask ourselves two questions:
  • How do possessions end? 
  • How does a new possession relate to the previous one? 
For example, we know that live ball turnovers in aggregate lead to higher points per possession for the new possession. 

In basketball:

  • Live-ball turnovers (e.g., steals, live errant passes) generally lead to more efficient scoring outcomes on the next possession. This is about  ~1.28 points per possession on average (NBA 2018-19) because the defense is out of position and transition can occur.

  • Dead-ball turnovers (out-of-bounds, offensive fouls, ball violations that stop play) often result in lower efficiency possessions, around ~1.08 points per possession.

In the 'higher turnover' environment, e.g. high school, points off high volumes of turnovers, especially live-ball, can be decisive. 

With different types of "conversion" we might expect differing points per possession. Scoring against 'set defenses' is more difficult than scoring when defenses are in crisis (outnumbered) or chaos (scrambling).

"Live ball" conversions other than turnovers:
  • Rebounded perimeter shots (e.g. missed threes)
  • Rebounded interior shots
  • Perimeter steals
  • Blocked shots with change of possession 
"Dead ball" conversions:
  • Made shots and free throws
  • Ball out of bounds
  • Shot clock violations
  • Dead-ball turnovers

Opponent PPP after missed shots isn't higher after missed threes. Conversely, clear transition defense assignment matters:

  • avoid guard misses at the rim with poor floor balance, and

  • define clear offensive rebounding/get-back rules (who rebounds, who sprints to the nail, who protects rim in transition). 

What are your favorite "conversion drills?" We used two:
  • 4-4-4 transition (four on four with a third group off at half court). After a possession, defense converts to offense and the OFF group has to sprint onto the court, talk and matchup. Offense rotates to OFF and defense becomes offense. 
  • "Change." (Knight drill) five on five full court, coach blows the whistle and ball must be dropped and offense and defense reverse. 
Lagniappe. Impact winning (scoreboard) over the scorebook (numbers). 

Lagniappe 2. Be versatile off Zoom (downscreen DHO).  

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Thursday, January 8, 2026

Basketball - The Good and the Bad of It

"Invert, always invert." - Mathematician Carl Jacobi

Players need consistent, relevant messages that impact improvement and winning. What bad teams do, good teams do not. 

Define expectations about performance - "This is what we do. That is how we do it." Be specific. "Play harder" means less than attack the ball handler, challenge every shot without fouling, and beat your cover to half court in transition every play.

Here are five "good" and "bad" practices to share with players. Everyone says, "Everybody knows that." If that were true, we would see as much uneven basketball. 

Win in Space

  • Basketball is a game of separation. 
  • Don't play in the traffic.
  • "Spacing is offense and offense is spacing." 
    The Nuggets have great spacing, set a flare screen and the Celtics have a "failure to communicate." 

    Movement kills defenses
  • "The ball has energy.
  • "Player and ball movement stress defenses and force long closeouts. 


The Celtics goal is to "draw 2" and create open perimeter players. Ball movement creates an open corner three. Bad teams are stagnant. 

On time and on target passes
  • Be good in the pick-and-roll
  • Be versatile as a passer 

Denver exploits "hard to guard actions" including the pick-and-roll. Better teams have both handlers and receivers who win in the PnR. 

Develop versatility in finishing
  • Be able to finish with either hand off either or both feet from both sides of the basket. 

There was an epic line in the old movie Risky Business, "Porsche, there is no substitute." In basketball, there is no substitute for making shots. My coach's advice on improvement was simple, "Play a lot." 

Simplify
  • Separate with change of direction and/or change of pace
  • Be good with your dominant hand 

Derek White uses a subtle acceleration and gets his body into the defender to prevent a block. 

As Brad Stevens told my wife (a rocket scientist), "Basketball is not rocket science." Create advantage and finish plays. Defensively, work to shrink space, limit separation, and force "hard twos." 

Lagniappe. Constantly set high standards and specifics for players. 




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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Common Themes for Ultimate Success

Success follows common themes. Tell people what you are going to tell them, say it, and summarize what you told them.

Repetition gets the messages across. 

"Life is about the management of risk." 

Risk assessment looks at both the upside and downside of strategy, decision-making and execution. A team with only offensive standouts risks getting burned on the defensive end. There is a tendency to only "see" strengths not weaknesses. "Hiding" bad defenders works until it doesn't. 

"Pound the rock." - Gregg Popovich  

Another Popovich saying, "If it takes a hundred hits to break the rock, you need all hundred hits. 

"You can't skip steps."

When the "Fourpeat" UCONN women practiced, running two laps before practice, nobody cut a corner. Champions don't cut corners. 

There are "equations" that relate outcomes to process. 

Success Equation

ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME 

What works in one environment may not work in another. What if the NBA elected to move the three-point line (above the break) out farther? 

Jimmy Johnson Equation

PA (positive attitude) + E (effort) = P (performance)

Positivity adds value. It helps get buy-in. 

Urban Meyer Equation

E (event) + R (response) = O (outcome)

Memorable outcomes come from the importance of the contest and the performance. Bill Walton's 44 point outburst against Memphis is unforgettable to older fans. 

Wooden Equation

Results = E + D + I + R x 5

(Explanation + Demonstration + Imitation + Repetition x 5)

Wooden emphasized the value of repetition. He commented that Walton never tired of working on footwork, which helped fashion his inside game. You know the saying, "Repetition makes reputations" and "The magic is in the work. 

Lagniappe. Lengthy video of sets from Tournament teams. Something for everyone. 


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Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Leadership Principles from "Once an Eagle"

Coaches model and teach leadership. The best do so naturally and authentically. At Naval Officer Indoctrination School in 1978, we trained under Lieutenant Unruh, someone you wanted to follow.

General Stanley McChrystal shares leadership thoughts in his book, "On Character." The saying goes that, "Sport doesn't build character, it reveals it." 

General McChrystal is a man with whom I'd enjoy having lunch to share his experiences on leadership. That won't happen because he only eats one meal a day, dinner. In the book, he referenced a novel, "Once An Eagle," a novel he read multiple times for the leadership concepts.  

The book contrasts the experiences of two officers who work their way up "the chain," one via valor and the other via politics. You can guess which one he identifies with. 

Here are eight principles extracted from the book, with brief basketball annotations:

Lead by moral example. Authority flows from character not rank alone; standards must be visible and modeled daily.

Basketball: It's a big ask to expect players to set an example when we cannot as a coach. Donald Sterling modeled bad behavior as an owner. Former Patriots assistant Mike Lombardi excavated the character of possible NFL draftees (via SEC sororities). 

Serve the mission and the people, in that order.  The unit exists to accomplish the job. Leaders protect and develop the unit, not for personal  glory.

Basketball: Pete Carroll believes that the first responsibility for coaches and players is to protect the team. The Celtics had a managerial SNAFU that led to Joe Mazzulla's hiring. 

Earn loyalty; don’t demand it. Respect is earned through competence, shared struggle, and fairness. 

Basketball: Coaching resembles parenting. If everyone likes you, then you're not doing your job. Coaches set limits and enforce discipline and even professionals don't always want that. 

Tell the truth early and often. Transparency builds trust; collaboration requires communication and sometimes hard conversations. 

Basketball: Kevin Eastman says that you can't fool children, dogs, and basketball players. When players play hard, the coach is doing something right. 

Courage includes protecting subordinates from unnecessary harm. A leader sometimes "takes the hit." At the end of the day, (s)he is accountable. Players should recognize and value that loyalty as well. 

Basketball: My coach, Ellis Lane, stuck to his principles in defending the team from outside political attack. He got rewarded with multiple sectional titles, a state championship, and election to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Ambition must have guardrails. The desire to win is not a flaw; it becomes one when it spawns unethical behavior. 

Basketball: Recruiting violations, gambling, and "sports fixing" have all come into sharp relief in recent years. 

Competence is a duty, not a credential. Master your craft; stay humble and hungry. A title alone does not establish competence. 

Basketball: Leaders don't bigfoot subordinates or players. Few have sympathy for those who "kiss up and punch down."

Accountability flows one direction: inward. Things will go wrong for every team. Leaders own culture, mistakes, and results. 

Basketball: Lay out clear expectations. Players need to understand both the what and the why of rules. Getting enough rest improves your performance. Violating alcohol and substance use policy shows contempt for the team and teammates. 

It is said that differences between who we are now and whom we become in five years are the people we meet and the books we read. 

Lagniappe. Learn every day. 

Leadership QOTD: pic.twitter.com/iMENkEfxs5

— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) January 5, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Great set but the complexity could easily confuse young players. 

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Monday, January 5, 2026

Basketball - Managing Obsession with Winning

"Addiction is the sustained compulsive use of a substance or behavior...even if it causes harm to us." - "Dopamine Nation"

Concept Sources: Experience, MasterClass, "Dopamine Nation" book review (Blinkist), ChatGPT Plus) 

The world competes for our consumption - electronic devices, video games, gambling, drugs, alcohol, exercise, and more. Dopamine is the "reward chemical" that links to addiction. 

Recognize the "exposures" that we and our players experience because we are all vulnerable. 

Triggers or facilitators of addiction include:

  • Access (more consumption, more brain change)
  • Quantity (more use can trigger dopamine deficiency)
  • Potency (how much dopamine is released, how fast?) - tolerance occurs so we need larger doses
  • Novelty (think about the many forms of gambling advertised, novelty decreases tolerance)
  • Uncertainty (there's a slot machine effect)
Dopamine release is maximized when the odds of winning and losing are equal. 

Basketball and sport are not immune - as some obsess with practice, video, or winning. Is that bad? It can be. Examples: 

Winning becomes harmful when it shifts from pursuit of excellence to compulsion for relief. The goal shifts from competing to relieving anxiety by controlling outcomes, whatever the cost. The need to win or cost of losing can impact the mental health of athletes and coaches

Gambling

The allure of sports gambling is simple - money. That makes coaches, athletes, and officials potential targets for those seeking to "shift the odds" in their favor. 

Advancing "Self-Interest"

Procuring a spot on a team on a team can lead to pathological behavior. The Texas Cheerleader Mom scandal illustrated the extent to which parents will go to undermine competitors. When an area politician's child was cut, he made firing the coach his mission. 

Win at Any Cost

Lance Armstrong's recovery from cancer and desire to return to greatness led to a performance enhancement scandal. That's not unique with either the Tour de France, the Olympics, or US sports. Obsession can lead to cheating. 

Beating the System

NIL evolved for a variety of reasons including the "widespread" perceived cheating of paying players. With its advent, a "balance of power" shift may be underway as the playing field gets leveled. Some high school coaches get reputations by winning, becoming "Gators" (talent aggregators) recruiting players far out of area. Other programs relocate players or redshirt promising middle school players. 

Even the "blueblood" sports programs have weathered allegations of providing illegal benefits to athletes. Allegations are not proof.  

Institutional Abuses

Tolerating abuses (USA gymnastics) or coverups of misbehavior of athletes (sexual misconduct, substance use, grade manipulation) occur as institutions seek to both win and sanitize reputations. 

Recognize that participants make conscious choices to stretch or to violate boundaries to feed their obsessions. 

Lagniappe. A lot of us might think, "everybody knows that." If that's so, why is there so much bad defense out there? 


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Sunday, January 4, 2026

Basketball - The Main Things

“Ninety percent of success can be boiled down to consistently doing the obvious thing for an uncommonly long period of time without convincing yourself that you're smarter than you are.” - Shane Parrish

“The main thing is the main thing.” - David Cottrell, leadership expert

Coaches have ownership of teaching the game and sharing life lessons that help players succeed away from the court. Often, those lessons passed down from coaches who influenced our worldview. 

Sharing some of those lessons are both a privilege and an obligation. That doesn't mean that we're perfect, only that we're working to improve. 

Warren Buffett recommends a "top down" process (25-5), compiling a big list of twenty-five or so, filtered to a manageable, memorable five. If you want an expansive list, consider Kevin Eastman's "Why the Best Are the Best." Here's a one paragraph summary from ChatGPT Plus:

"Kevin Eastman’s “Why the Best Are the Best” is a coaching manifesto built on craft, humility, and standards. Eastman argues that elite performers separate through unseen habits: obsessive film study, deliberate note-taking, and teaching the game back to others. He emphasizes role clarity, consistent language, and constant skill sharpening, treating every day as development day. The best carry a beginner’s mind, accept hard coaching without resistance, and build competitive advantage through transparent routines, not shortcuts—ideas that translate naturally from NBA locker rooms to high school gyms. The book delivers dense, practical mental models for coaches who want to design systems, reduce errors, and cultivate teams that compete with curiosity, accountability, and a team-first identity."

1. In basketball and in life, the best performers have the capacity to deliver more intensity and consistency over time. They "play harder for longer" and do the "unseen work." They recognize that success comes from "a marathon not a sprint." The Success Equation reflects this:

ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME 

"Champions do extra." 

Success stories like LeBron James arise because of his commitment to practicing his craft and self-care (sleep, nutrition, training, mindfulness). 

2. Recognize the power of "negative thinking," meaning don't give away games (work) by bad decisions. The "mental model" is inversion, meaning invert the bad. The Killer S's are selfishness, softness, and sloth (laziness). The opposites are teamwork, toughness, and tenacity. 

3. Model excellence. Because "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence," leaders have to represent excellence in preparation, practice, and performance. 


Dad taught positivity saying, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." 

4. Seek balance. Courage balances recklessness and fear. Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. Wisdom balances information and ignorance. Finding work-life balance presents a great challenge for those obsessed with success or self-indulgence. 

5. Commit to lifelong learning. Learn across domains. Study success and failure. Abraham Lincoln said that he learned from everyone, often what not to do. Some of history's most "successful" people like Ulysses Grant and Winston Churchill, overcame abject failures earlier in their careers. Adversity is inevitable...and opportunity.

Lagniappe. Werner Herzog's best advice, "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." 

Lagniappe 2. What's on your leadership plate? 




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Saturday, January 3, 2026

Team Building

Collaboration doesn't always come naturally or easily. Elite teams have elite players accustomed to being the "Alphas" at every previous level. 

How do teams navigate the "exceptional talent, unlimited potential" minefield that can prevent championships? 

Culture

  • The San Antonio Spurs, authors of "The Beautiful Game," emphasized culture built around their Big Three of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker. Coach Gregg Popovich's mantra included, "Get over yourself."
  • Golden State won four titles built around Curry, Thompson, Green, and Durant. Steve Kerr's philosophy emanated from culture, mindset, and mentors (including Popovich). 
  • The 2008 Celtics had three players in Pierce, Garnett, and Allen who sacrificed shots and numbers for winning under the umbrella of "Ubuntu," meaning "I am because we are." 

Joint Workouts

Team sports need exceptional togetherness, often built around working out together. Urban Meyer believed that teams fell into 10-80-10 percent categories and required top 10 percenters to bring a teammate to workouts, seeking to "drag" players into the top ten percent performance. 

Team Reading

Many books add value by sharing examples of achievement earned through shared vision and missions. Here are a few:

  • Legacy by James Kerr, profiling the All-Blacks rugby program
  • Toughness by Jay Bilas, detailing what toughness means
  • Vision of a Champion by Anson Dorrance, winner of 22 National Women's Soccer titles at Carolina, the record for any D1 coach
Team Socialization

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski held regular team dinners for players and coaches. Informal gatherings allow team members to interact in a noncompetitive atmosphere. 

Guest Lecturers and Events

Some coaches bring in guest speakers to discuss their experiences with winning. Bill Belichick used this approach regularly including:

  • Bill Russell speaking about the winning habits required for championship play. 
  • IMAX event showing a private screening of the film "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure," illustrating the possibilities of teamwork and testing the limits of human endurance. 
  • Team trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to expose players to the history and evolution of professional football. 
As young players we got exposure to team building in a variety of ways. 
  • In 1970, players were recruited to upgrade outdoor courts in our community. That included posting a sign "Tech Tourney 1973" as part of the long-term vision for becoming competitive. 
  • In 1972, Boston Celtics Assistant Coach John Killilea spoke at our "Breakup Dinner," including each of us in remarks. 
  • A framed poster of Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" hung in our basketball "team room." Wooden's values were timeless and remain part of coaching today. 
Lagniappe. When a team embraces "sacrifice," more is possible. 




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