Model Behavior with a Math Spin

Above all, education is about changing behavior. And we coaches are educators, molding young lives with input that can last a lifetime. Humans are unique machines because we can improve both our hardware (physical and brain structure) and the software (brain function via altering brain function). It begins with modeling effective behaviors.

Should we be goal-directed or process-directed? They're not mutually exclusive because when we focus on goals, invariably they translate into our process. 

Kansas State's Bill Snyder shares his family goals, relevant because family is our smallest and most important team.  

Commitment leads Snyder's list. We cannot expect our players to be "all in" unless we are. Everything counts. This summer I awarded "Participation" recognition because a player attended virtually every voluntary workout and game. My mother reminded us "the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." It's always about the work. 

Dean Smith had a saying, "I don't coach effort, I coach execution." What I think Coach Smith meant was that players embed effort within execution. 

I know some coaches who excel at setting low expectations. "We'll go as far as the talent takes us." I believe in the opposite, because "confidence comes from proven success" and you cannot perform above the level that you believe in yourself. Every player should approach every activity positively. 

Mistakes deform the math. What do I mean? If we have 75 possessions in a game (and don't shoot threes), then we have 150 possible points. If (excluding free throws) we shoot 30 percent then we can score 45 points, which approaches enough to win regularly at our level. But that ignores turnovers. And if we turn the ball over 25 times, that reduces us to 50 scoring chances, and 30 percent is only 30 points, which loses every time. 

Improve the math. When we value the ball we have fewer than 14 turnovers and take quality shots (increases our shooting percentage to over 40 percent). So that's 40% of (75-14) equals 49 points which will win consistently at our level. Add in free throws and we're going to succeed almost all the time. 

Because "we play fast", I'm sure that we lead our league in possessions and we lead our league in scoring. And I suspect we're close to the league lead in free throw percentage because we work on shooting for at least forty percent of practice. 

We're here to create futures for our players, beginning by emphasizing that what we do today matters to what happens next. When we show detail-oriented, people-focused commitment, how can players lose?