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Friday, August 14, 2026

Basketball - "Response"

"We can't control what happens to us, but we can control our response." 

Good and bad happens to our team. Players come and leave, injuries happen, player development doesn't occur on the expected arc, conflicts arise. Regardless, we choose how to respond - with understanding, anger, withdrawal, and more. 

First, dot B (.B) stop and take a breath. The first thought in our head may be neither helpful nor appropriate. Widen the distance between the event and the response. 

Second, stay positive. Maybe something beneficial comes from this. A star player gets hurt, other players get and opportunity to step up. 

Third, remember the Fourth Agreement. "Always do your best." It's normal to feel disappointed or have other emotions. Regardless, as the coach (or as a player), you have a responsibility to the team and to yourself. 

Create a "2 x 2" matrix of possibilities around importance and urgency. I asked Chat GPT Plus to create the table. 

Basketball Coaching Priority Matrix

URGENTNOT URGENT
IMPORTANT🟥 Quadrant I

Game & Crisis Management
• Timeouts
• End-of-game execution
• Injuries
• Foul trouble
• Player conflicts
• Opponent scouting		🟩 Quadrant II ⭐

CHAMPIONSHIP BUILDING
• Player development
• Skill acquisition
• Culture & standards
• Leadership
• Practice design
• Strength & conditioning
• Film study
• Decision-making
• Team chemistry
UNIMPORTANT🟨 Quadrant III

False Urgency
• Arguing with officials
• Parent distractions
• Rankings
• Social media
• Coaching fads		⬜ Quadrant IV

Time Wasters
• Endless scrolling
• Complaining
• Gossip
• Second-guessing old games
• Meetings without purpose

Key Lesson

Our top priorities revolve around what's important. 

Great coaches spend less time putting out fires because they spend more time preventing them.

As you work through your off-season 'programming', focus on the difference makers that will program success. That will be different for "early stage" coaches than for experienced coaches. 

Don't let ego stand in the way.

Self-reflect. Where am I in this journey?

Find a mentor. Even seasoned professionals get help. As Rams Coach Sean McVay says, "Everyone benefits from coaching."

Learn every day. Advance player development. Watch more video. Study some coaching clinics. Develop a strength and conditioning program. Add mindfulness training for players to improve focus, sleep, and decrease mood disorders.

Read. About half of Americans haven't read a book in the last year. Even if we can't be Coach Raveling, Popovich, Kerr, or Mike Neighbors, that doesn't mean we can't read more than we are. 

Lagniappe. It takes a little more effort to connect with people. Erling Haaland does a better job than some. 

 

 

 

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Thursday, August 13, 2026

Basketball - Getting What You Want

We don't always get what we want; we often get what we deserve. In his MasterClass, David Mamet reveals that he advised his children to do one thing every day for craft and one for business.

Quality metrics don't always reveal themselves from 'sales'. Van Gogh sold one painting during his lifetime of the nine hundred or so he painted. The others became collectors items. 

Craft reveals itself through studying achievement. 

How does someone become excellent?

How does a leader make decisions?

How do organizations succeed or fail?

How does character emerge under pressure?

Fall sports tryouts are coming up in the next couple of weeks. Let's address these question. 

Excellence

"Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - attributed to Aristotle

Elite habits help fashion elite performers. They're more than 'practice' or 'study'. They include thinking, self-examination, focus, nutrition, sleep, and more. 

An Admiral once told me that it's rare for officers to achieve "flag rank" if they're jerks, because they interact with and lead both up and down "the Chain." 

Excellence is "performance-focused" and "feedback-rich" to create sustainable competitive advantage. 

It's unlikely that student-athletes with low character or low competence will "show out" at tryouts. "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior." 

Decision-Making

"Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment."

Whether you're an acolyte of Malcolm Gladwell ("10,000 Hours") or not, you find that in most professions, admired decision-makers have lengthy runways to success. "Overnight success stories" usually evolve over a decade or more.

Consider Nick Saban, a coach's son and a product of a demanding upbringing. When he washed cars at his father's service station, if he missed a spot, his father made him rewash the whole car. "If you don't have time to do it right now, when will you have the time?"

Abraham Lincoln formed his cabinet with a "Team of Rivals." He got input from multiple leaders - Chase, Seward, Bates.

Bill Belichick had "Belichick's Belichick," Ernie Adams, a long-time confidant, perhaps with a photographic memory. Adams kept a sign on his desk, "Stamp out bad football."

Gregg Popovich spawned a huge coaching tree of 23 NBA head coaches. 

Four head coaches from Gregg Popovich's tree have won NBA championships as head coaches:

  • Steve Kerr - Warriors, 4 titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
  • Mike Budenholzer - Bucks, 1 title (2021)
  • Doc Rivers - Celtics, 1 title (2008)
  • Mike Brown - Knicks, 1 title (2026)

Organizational Results

"An army of asses led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by an ass." 

Success depends on people, strategy, and operations. Leaders coordinate all three. 

Integration among management, head coaches, assistants, and players all matter. There's no "Just One Thing" that defines results.


Some of the worst decisions ever arose from consensus. For GM CEO Alfred P. Sloan recognized this. 

Character Under Pressure

We don't know how a person will respond under pressure. Ordinary people fashion extraordinary results, like the 1965 "Havlicek stole the ball" moment. 

There are stories of remarkable refusal to yield, like King Leonidas at Thermopylae or Admiral Stockdale in Vietnam. 

A more mundane example comes from Coach Doc Rivers during the Donald Sterling fiasco. Rivers taught what his parents shared, "Never allow yourself to be a victim." This amplified a quote from author Neil Gaiman, Author Neil Gaiman teaches us in Coraline, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

Summary

Navigate your journey learning across domains. Apply lessons from other organization, stories of great character, and the travails of elite decision-makers. 

Lagniappe. How do you find a decision-maker? 
Lagniappe 2. Coach DeMarco shares a "shooting calendar." 




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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Physical Basketball - "Saints and Sinners?"

“Basketball is not a contact sport. It is a collision sport.”

One of the hardest things in life is to "unlearn" what you know, to unsolve what you have already solved wrongly. In college, organic chemisty Professor Von Doering (who reminded me of Captain Ahab) gave us unlimited time with Saturday exams. "To help you correct what you've solved incorrectly." 

The same principle applies to sport, basketball, and media. Everyone should want their brand to be toughness. There's an ill-defined line between physical basketball and 'dirty' play. 

We played a team in middle school where the opponents literally "knocked out" four of our players during the game. It wasn't marginally "tough ball." It was "gorilla ball," attempt to injure. I wrote the League Commissioner and never got a reply. Our girls persisted and won anyway. 

In high school, one team knocked two of our players out, one being future WNBA player Shey Peddy. Another player was injured by a two-handed shove into the bleachers. That's not physical play. That's not 'toughness'. In the return match, the girls asked for free reign to demolish the opponents. They led 42-10 after 10 minutes when the coach "called off the dogs." Point made. 

Physical play

  • Solid screens with feet set with solid base
  • Blockouts that resist opponent contact
  • Taking charges from "legal guarding position"
  • Fighting over screens.
  • Denying cuts 
  • First to the floor for loose balls.
Over the top
  • Not "basketball plays" 
  • Submarining players
  • Intentional/habitual moving screens (taught by some coaches)
  • Gratuitous contact to the head and neck 
  • Flying elbows
  • Intent to injure
Many players, coaches, and teams understand that when aggressive play goes "over the line," Frontier justice usually ensues. When officials don't control the game, problems inevitably arise. 

Currently, there's a "saints and sinners" narrative on social media, often centered around the Indiana Fever. 


The narrative can't become, "she was frustrated" versus "she's a dirty player." 


There was a thread of "dirty plays" committed by a Fever player which was removed by X.com. 

Deterrence 

Some coaches preach, "do it to them before they do it to you." I disagree. An opponent had given a cheap shot to one of our girls, and a player approached me, "Should I take her out." I answered, "You mean, to lunch?" Teaching dirty play is not the answer. 

I would say to the officials before games, "Keep the kids safe." I didn't tell them how to officiate.

The latest trend is public officials seeking their '15 minutes of fame'. 

Officiating

When officials "call it loose" or "let a lot of contact go," they can create a pressure cooker of emotions. That's why pressure cookers became IEDs. Calling fouls sends a message that you can't hit people indiscriminately. 

Nowhere in Jay Bilas's "Toughness" article or book does he countenance dirty play. That's not who he is.

Sometimes, sports and politics mix to form a toxic cauldron of commentary. Basketball has always been a physical game and every player, coach, and league has to navigate the boundaries. The players who cry about physical play and commit the same actions need to look in the mirror and at the video. 

Lagniappe. "Being useful before the meeting starts is how you earn the right to lead it." That goes for pregame meetings, practice schedules, playbooks, and video review. 

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Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Basketball - The Need to Belong

Every player wants to be seen, be heard, and belong.  

At the NFL Combine, interviewers used to ask prospects, "Would you rather be a dog or a cat?" Dogs are part of the pack and cats are loners. The answer was obvious.

Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" postulates "belonging" at Level 3..."the need to feel loved." 

Refer back to Erik Spoelstra's comment, "There is always a pecking order." At the highest levels of sport, when players have transcended to self-actualization of stardom and financial independence, does being part of the team still apply? In other words, can "self-actualization become self-absorption?"

Players and teams should wonder, "Self-actualization can quietly become self-expression. Self-expression can become self-interest. And self-interest can eventually eclipse shared vision, shared goals, and shared sacrifice."

"What gives us the best chance to win?" can become "What's in it for me?"

Great players like Jordan, Duncan, and Curry were able to prioritize winning. Bill Russell said, "My ego depends on the success of my team." 

Coaches work to align values and standards in the manner of John Wooden. John Wooden  wrote, "The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."

As coaches, a key question becomes:

How can I best align the interests of the team with the best interests of the 'stars'?

"If you keep playing games at work, you will become addicted to games, too." - Deputy Manager Oh in Misaeng

That brings us back to the sign in the UNC Women's Soccer team room, "Excellence Is Our Only Agenda." 

Simple is never easy.

Lagniappe. Value our assistants.  







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Monday, August 10, 2026

Basketball - Think About Using AI as a Coaching Collaborator

Coaching inputs arrive from many sources - experience as the decision-maker, as an assistant, an observer, reader, student.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has underrated potential as a teacher. AI conversations expose strengths and limitations ("I hadn't thought about that"). 

We choose how to hear input:

  • Accept critiques as legitimate
  • Let them "wash over us" (ignore)
  • Get angry
We have the freedom to choose. 


Click ChatGPT Plus image to enlarge

What follows is heavily edited coaching conversation with AI:

Misaeng endure because it informs human performance inside organizations. For coaches, the court, the film room, and the weight room are our laboratory. 

It resonates for me because every episode shares leadership principles that transfer directly to sport. Themes you identify stand out.

1. Separate the person from the problem

One of the recurring lessons is that business decisions are rarely personal, even when they feel personal.

Good leaders avoid saying:

"You failed."

Instead they ask:

"Why didn't the process produce the desired result?"

Players or coaches should never believe that criticism devalues them as people.

2. Competence creates confidence

Jang Geu-rae doesn't become confident because someone gives him a motivational speech.

He gains confidence because of:

  • preparation
  • attention to detail
  • problem solving
  • process earns trust

Confidence follows competence. He doesn't come with an abundance of credentials, only life experience and work ethic. 

3. Growth comes through difficult assignments

Every major character receives assignments that demand they leave their comfort zone. They grow but not in a straight line. 

Player development challenges people. If it's easy, it probably isn't helping. 

4. The "patio" matters

Characters retreating to the rooftop, executives stepping outside the office, isn't accidental.

Leaders need cognitive space. In medicine we call it diagnostic reflection...connection and collaboration offer collective insight. 

In sports it might be

  • taking a timeout
  • sleeping on a lineup decision
  • reviewing film the next morning

Emotion can cloud decision-making. A pause often improves judgment.

5. Politics is unavoidable - but integrity is optional

The show doesn't pretend organizations are meritocracies. Every organization has unique politics: 

There are

  • alliances
  • egos
  • incentives
  • self-preservation

We can ask and decide, "what is in the best interest of the team?" Misaeng shows people, especially Sales Team Three, choosing integrity when politics would be easier.

That's a realistic message.

6. Every organization has informal leaders

Some people possess titles. Others possess influence. Those aren't always the same people. 

Sports teams are exactly like that. The captain isn't necessarily the emotional leader. Nor is the leading scorer. 

Team dynamics aren't subject to "stoichiometry," as in the exact proportions required for a given reaction. The amounts and sequence of the spices added to a dish influence the flavor profile. 

7. The manager as teacher

Manager Oh rarely gives answers. He creates situations where people discover them. That illustrates Socratic coaching. He develops judgment rather than dependence.

Great coaches eventually want players to coach themselves.

Why it resonates

Curious and open coaches "reverse engineer" lessons. 

Keep asking:

"What principle is hiding here?"

    Misaeng fits perfectly into that pattern because it isn't offering "management tips." It repeats case studies in leadership under uncertainty.

    Contribution precedes recognition.

    Nearly every respected character earns credibility by solving problems before receiving authority or praise. That differs from many Western narratives, where confidence is often portrayed as something you assert.

    Consider Footloose, where Ren arrives with strong ideas and a credibility gap. He's confident by nature. He earns an unlikely ally but makes enemies along the way, too. 

    In Misaeng, confidence accumulates because other people repeatedly see you adding value.

    That reflects this recurring coaching idea:

    "Speak less about your commitment. Let your behaviors and actions demonstrate it."

    Lagniappe. Avoid delusion. 

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    Sunday, August 9, 2026

    Basketball - Powerful Lessons from a Young Leader (Print and Save)

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    How do young people advance as leaders before others? When they share, listen. 

    1. "Never be the smartest person at your own meeting." 

    Surround ourselves with people with complementary, high-level skills. In basketball, that might include a player development coach, an offensive or defensive coordinator (analogy to football), or a "special situations" coach. 

    2. "Write it down or it did not happen."

    People forget. We tend to remember "peak" moments, end moments, and emotional moments. We don't remember perfectly, a strong argument for recording and writing down what happened. 

    How many games have you seen lost, some excruciating, because what was taught or said, was forgotten in the heat of competition? 

    After Action Reviews or postmortem examinations add value by documenting 'corporate memory'. 

    3. "Answer the question you were asked."

    Every day we see "leaders" evade the hard questions, dodging, ducking, or deflecting. 

    That doesn't mean that "masters of deflection" don't demean the profession. Coaches need to address the "character and competence" details that win and lose games.

    4. "One page always" 

    "Brevity is the soul of wit." - Shakespeare 

    5. "Volunteer for the thing nobody wants." 

    What is the 'anchor' around metaphorical coaching necks? It could be 'cutting players' (The Turk), fundraising, breaking down film. Expertise in important but unwanted tasks builds our experience and value. 

    6. "Never complain upward without an option."

    Coaching is problem solving. Whining for the sake of whining achieves less than nothing. Bring solutions to the table. Big questions are out there.

    "How does it feel to be coached by me?"

    "Do I understand this well enough to explain it clearly?"

    "Is the perception of the star and the last player on the bench the same? The same "fairness" may not be equal.

    7. "Learn the money." 

    You say, "there is no 'money' in high school or lower level basketball." Chuck Daly said that "every player wants 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million." The metaphorical money for us is the Unholy Triad of minutes, role, and recognition. Players not getting "the money," respond in many ways, most of which don't advance the story. 

    8. "Leave on time twice a week."

    Life rewards balance. Work-life or basketball-life balance challenge every achiever. Sport can be a cruel mistress, demanding ever more of our time, attention, and emotion. Seek balance. 

    9. "Tell people what you want."

    As each of us has heard from our parents, boss, or children, "I'm not a mind reader. Let me know what you need." Sometimes our story advances when we've said, "Yes" to many requests and sometimes we protect ourselves by saying, "No." Learning both are skills. 

    Steal some of these to survive and thrive. 

    Lagniappe. Zak (and Etorre Messina) always have a lot to share. 


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    Saturday, August 8, 2026

    "Gods and Generals" - The Other Chamberlain

    “In the end, a leader's fundamental job is to bring order out of chaos, whether it occurs on a battlefield or an a boardroom. Leaders must stay calm, never lose their temper, and strive to bring that sense of order to the team.” - R. Manning Ancell in The Leaders' Bookshelf

    Basketball and leadership lessons can arise anywhere. 

    Everyone here knows of Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant athlete in NBA history. Chamberlain's power, athleticism, and size are legendary.

    Similarly, almost everyone knows of the Battle of Gettysburg, but few know the unsung hero, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The Bowdoin Rhetoric professor won a Congressional Medal of Honor for leading a decisive battle (Little Round Top) at Gettysburg. Learn how a young leader triumphed.

    1. "I can learn." 

    Colonel Chamberlain was a self-taught scholar of military history. He had no formal military education and unlike Robert E. Lee was not a son of West Point. 

    When asked how his under-resourced Maine 20th regiment overcame the Alabama 15th with a ferocious bayonet counterattack, he explained, "I can learn." 

    Learning and teaching the craft is a coaching obligation. Reading, video study, and deciphering the game are coaching basics. 

    2. Aggression wins.

    Facing a seemingly impossible situation near the bottom of the battlefield, out of ammunition and facing defeat, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet counterattack...leading to a decisive victory. 

    Like lessons from General Hal Moore a century later, Chamberlain found one more thing, just as coaches change defenses, attack the basket, or profit from unexpected personnel changes. 

    3. Build the team.

    On short notice, Chamberlain integrated the rag-tag, "losers" of the Maine 2nd into his fighting force. The mutinous crew faced the choice of fighting or court-martial. Most fought. Chamberlain lacked the privilege of highly-trained, integrated forces. He did more with less.

    4. Education is a competitive advantage. 

    Chamberlain analyzed the terrain, adapted, and communicated. He knew his advantage - thinking. 

    Exceptional teams don't just have skill and competitiveness, they play smarter. 

    5. Know what must never be surrendered.

    Know your 'why'. Chamberlain's position anchored the Union's left flank. Defeat there would have led to the main Union position being overrun. 

    Just as Sun Tzu taught, "Utilize strengths and attack weaknesses," Chamberlain recognized that defending his position, overcoming enemy forces was non-negotiable. 

    Basketball coaches know to prevent transition or perimeter hoops from "overrunning their position."

    6. Courage is often making the least attractive decision.

    Sometimes no decision appears attractive. Chamberlain's troops were out of ammunition with no retreat option. Waiting meant defeat. So he chose the "least bad option" and attacked. 

    You might face a "better" team or "legacy program." Quitting is not an option. Prepare your team, emphasize shot quality, fierce rebounding, and ball security. "Simple can win." 

    7. Every player deserves dignity.

    Chamberlain understood that some of his Maine troops had lost both respect and dignity. He gave them a reason to fight and they responded with unusual gallantry.

    "What does it feel like to be coached by me?" Aside from basketball, what life lessons do we convey to our players and their families? 

    Chamberlain once mused, "In great deeds something abides." Childhood experiences on the court fashion the adults we became. Even when we're "out of ammunition" we might have a winning solution in our character.

    Lagniappe. The best players impact others around them and impact winning. It's not enough to "put numbers in the book." 

    Lagniappe 2. Kirby Scheff has shown the value of "multiple actions" to increase scoring.  

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    Friday, August 7, 2026

    Basketball - "Misaeng," A MasterClass for Coaches

    Some have called Misaeng: Incomplete Life the greatest workplace drama ever made. Misaeng shares an abundance of coaching "dos" and "don'ts."

    Here are translatable lessons for coaches.

    1. Standards Define Culture

    Culture isn't what we write on posters. Culture is what flows from leaders that gets embraced and internalized. 

    When inappropriate behavior goes unchallenged, it quietly becomes the standard. "Dogging" younger players or "kicking down" has to be prevented. Hierarchy is not hazing. 

    2. Master the Fundamentals

    The most experienced employees and the best coaches never outgrow the basics. Ballhandling, passing, shooting, cutting and screening need attention daily. 

    Communication and preparation get everyone on the same page and need emphasis and testing. 

    3. Earn Responsibility

    Misaeng rejects entitlement. Captains and seniors bring more experience and coaches expect a lot from them. Credentials, like previous all-star status don't 'mistake-proof' teams.

    As Peter Parker's uncle said, "With great power comes great responsibility." 

    Gregg Popovich told the Spurs, "Don't skip steps."

    4. Separate Roles from Worth

    "There is always a pecking order."  That doesn't entitle coaches or upperclassment to throw 'juniors' under the bus. 

    Everyone deserves respect and compassion whether they're the stars or deep reserves. Lower position on the totem pole doesn't nullify human value.

    5. Give Credit

    Secure team leaders share credit generously. In Adam Grant's "Give and Take" he cites numerous examples where withholding credit cost leaders (Frank Lloyd Wright and Jonas Salk) dearly. 

    Recognize the contributions of everyone associated with the program - including custodians, quality control assistants, public relations, and donors. 

    6. Become a Teacher

    Many high school coaches are also teachers. Teachers educate; education changes behavior. 

    Player development shows in many ways, including language. Coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't call pick-and-roll defense "hedge" or "show." Instead he was descriptive, labeling it "fake trap." 

    Great educators like Richard Feynman had a process: name, explain, research, and simplify. If we can't explain it simply, then we need to be better. "Run and jump" might be called, "trap and go" or "trap and rotate." 

    Ball movement could be descriptive with "paint touches and ball reversal." 

    7. Contribution Exceeds Recognition

    One of Misaeng's recurring themes. "Who helped us succeed?" The player who comes in off the bench playing shutdown defense or pounding the boards getting extra possessions has great meaning. 

    Winning depends upon more than "scoreboard" watching. 

    8. Accept Responsibility

    One of the strongest scenes in the series is Mr. Park accepting responsibility with the client. 

    Coaches and players make mistakes. Leadership begins where excuses end. Coach Wooden's "Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses" is eternal. 

    "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes tuition is high." Mistakes become tuition when honestly acknowledged.

    9. Learn Continuously

    Geu-rae succeeds because he remains teachable. The best players in every sport are students of the game. They're in their notebooks and they study video.

    Baek-ki struggles because he initially believes he already deserves more. When we show up to the court, we're entitled to nothing. 

    10. Communicate Early

    Most problems originate with relationships. Problems rarely improve through silence. Communication has to start at practice. 

    Great teams communicate: Early. Loud. Often.

    Misunderstandings compound when conversations don't occur, especially when hard conversations are needed.

    11. Integrity Has No Small Situations

    Warren Buffett says three ingredients for success are intelligence, enegy, and integrity. He adds that without integrity, intelligence and energy are dangerous.

    Where does a lack of integrity show up? Moving screens. False hustle. Stat padding. Winners don't cut corners. Small compromises often become larger ones.

    12. Build People

    Championships, winning, and recognition matter. But another question remains: 

    How differently do people leave our program than they started here? That's the mark we coaches try to leave. 

    Studying Process

    My study has focused recently on a "Unified Theory of Coaching."

    • Howard Gardner asks: How do leaders develop?
    • Alfred Adler asks: What relationships produce growth?
    • Misaeng asks: How do people become professionals?
    • Anson Dorrance asks: How do people continually ascend?
    • Jocko Willink asks: Who owns the problem?
    • Kevin Eastman asks: What standards separate the best?

    Coaching helps craft competence, character, and ownership.

    "Misaeng" takes place in a trading company, but it's about player and leadership development. 

    Lagniappe. Where's the ultimate focus? 

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    Thursday, August 6, 2026

    Basketball - Navigating Transitions

    Life is full of transitions  between schools, jobs, teams, and locations. Successful transitions iffer another form of "reset," learning "this is how we do things here."

    Understanding the dynamics of each 'workplace' may not be obvious. In a new position, think about how to navigate 'uncharted waters'. Among the "Hierarchy of needs" is the need to belong. 

    Impression 

    "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Bring a positive attitude, humility, and consistent effort. 

    Examples: be on time, prepared, attentive, making eye contact

    Expectations  

    "The main thing is the main thing." Identify expectations when possible as you seek to elevate both team and personal performance.

    Example: "Advance the story." Be easy to play with, hard to play against.

    Assistance 

    "Look for the helpers." - Fred Rogers  Most new positions don't ask you to be the "lead dog" on the sled. Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence. Find a mentor and become a mentor. 

    Example: Ask, "How can I help the team?"

    Team Player 

    "Team first." Being a team player is a choice. Think about the best team player with whom you've played. What made them a great teammate? As James Kerr wrote in Legacy, "Leave the jersey in a better place." 

    Example: Embrace doing the little things including helping with equipment and cleanup of the bench area. Nobody is too big to do the small things.

    Skill development

    "Every day is player development day." - Dave Smart  Development includes skill, strategy (BB IQ), physicality, and psychology (resilience and mental toughness).

    Example: Stay in condition. Watch video daily. 

    Leadership

    "Everyone can lead." - Jack Clark, Cal Rugby   Leadership includes always being on time, prepared, coachable, and never a distraction. Legendary Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich told players, "Get over yourself." 

    Example: Keep a leadership diary. Track leadership opportunities and how you responded. 

    Prevailing Current  

    "Do not attempt to reverse the flow." Joining an organization offers a chance to add value. Remember the words of Coach John Wooden, "No progress occurs without change but not all change is progress." Be an oar not an anchor. 

    Example: The surest way to ruffle feathers is to come in with a "this is a better way to do it" attitude. There's time to make suggestions if you survive the transition. 

    Deployable skills 

    Skills exist beyond tangible abilities. Hard to quantify skills include preparation, attention, and perseverance. Hard work is a skill. Toughness is a skill. 

    Example: "Never cheat the drill." 

    Doing things "the right way" includes making everyone around you better and impacting winning. You can impact winning during games, on the practice court, and supporting teammates and coaches. 

    Lagniappe. Decision making is a skill. 

    Lagniappe 2. Show strength via body language. 


      

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