From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1602:
"Basketball is sharing." - Phil JacksonLORD POLONIUS
This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
Jackson's quote outperforms. How can coaches, players, and teams embrace that PTRW wisdom?
Solid teams have shared vision. Shared philosophy, culture, and identity build winning programs. Sharing bespeaks communication, clarity, and gets everyone on the same page. Shared vision forges shared mindset.
Successful teams embody shared sacrifice. They outwork the competition both physically and mentally. Shared sacrifice doesn't demand credit. "It's amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit." Don Meyer said that "most parents would rather have their child be All-state than have their team win States." Gregg Popovich advises, "get over yourself."
Successful teams distribute the ball. They care more about process than results, knowing that high performance process yields better outcomes.
Passing with purpose produces plenty of points. The Warriors have the second most passes in the NBA (behind Memphis) but produce the most points off assists (source: NBA.com).
Successful teams find quality shots without 'hunting' shots. Young players often confuse lots of shots with production. Jay Bilas and caring coaches remind teams, "It's not your shot; it's our shot." Doc Rivers calls forced shots or bad shots "shot turnovers." Al Horford, according to Celtics' charting, has taken only 19 bad shots this season. Few behaviors disrupt team chemistry as much as players who live, "get mine." We tell the kids, "it's the scoreboard, not the scorebook." There is never "my turn" in shooting.
Strong teams communicate on the court. Kevin Eastman remarks, "silent teams lose."
Successful teams coach all levels of the team. Reserves need the attention and time as much as the more talented players. That doesn't mean everyone gets the same amount of shots.
In Teammates Matter, walk on Alan Williams wrote that after he made the Wake Forest basketball team, everyone (except him) found a new, numbered black and gold travel bag in their locker. Later, he found one in his, the star player's bag.
Coach Chris Oliver informs a great point, "how do you want a loss to look?" Nobody likes to lose, but full measures of shared effort and shared sacrifice ease the pain.
Lagniappe: "It was a great lesson. I had given them too much to do." - Lou Carnesecca
