"Burn the boats."

Are you all in? I've discussed the Spartans at Thermopylae (480 B.C.) and General Lee at Chancellorsville (1863), but another great commitment story centers on Hernan Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs from 1519. Cortez and 600 Spaniards sailed from Cuba to Veracruz, Mexico on a bloody mission to plunder great wealth. Legend has it that Cortes ordered his men to "burn the boats" to prevent any possible retreat. Establishing alliances with the locals, he annexed vast territories for Spain as well as the attendant 'tribute' while exacting severe human cost on the locals.

"Burning the boats" became quintessential commitment, assuming a point of no return.

In our endeavors, we can decide to 'burn the boats' of comfort or retreat, to choose enterprise and risk. That might mean abandoning a secure job or failing relationship to pursue other challenges. Or in a narrower basketball sense, it might mean change in our current personnel, strategies, and operations.

Change doesn't always improve your lot. John Wooden noted, "all progress requires change, but not all change is progress."

E. Hamilton Lee remarked, "there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots." Last season we played predominantly a version of "pack line" defense and lacked the experience to play any offense consistently. We had to "burn the boats" of conventional wisdom this year. With athletic but undersized players "we play fast."

Young people have many excellent alternatives to basketball. Securing commitment from players and families means modeling commitment. That means being punctual, prepared, enthusiastic, respectful, and fair. Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly opined "I'm a salesman," recognizing the importance of adding value and getting a buy-in. When we want more from our people, we have to be 'all in' all the time.