Bob Knight Wisdom from "The Power of Negative Thinking"

Study greatness. 

Coach Bob Knight argues that winning arises through avoiding mistakes. Here are substantiating quotes from "The Power of Negative Thinking." 

Most speak for themselves. Some are lightly annotated. 

We see this all the time as the high draft choice, the scholarship player, or highly paid player gets chances time after time. Sometimes we see 'seniority' rewarded over young players with more ability and higher performance. 

Especially with the prevalence of close games, avoiding bad possessions separates high level winning from losing. 

The five "must answers" for the plebe at Annapolis are: "yes, sir, no, sir, aye, aye sir, right away, sir, and I don't know but I'll find out, sir." 

Everyone benefits from coaching. 

"Be good at what we do a lot."

"Self-reflection is critical in evaluating success and failure."

As General Patton said, paraphrasing, "you don't win a war by dying for your country but by making the other guy die for his." 

If not, why? 

We often overestimate what players know and underestimate their needs. We cannot get everyone on the same page when they don't know what's on it. 

Lagniappe. We don't discuss sportsmanship enough, especially good sportsmanship. Sportsmanship doesn't always have to be 'interscholastic'. 

Practice sportsmanship by practicing hard, being a great teammate, celebrating the success of others, and supporting the program. It's the journey not just the destination. 

As communities, cultivate good sportsmanship - respecting opposing communities, coaches, and players. Condemn harassment and bias and "dirty" not physical play.