Final Exam

Joshua Wooden

Today is the final day I'll be assisting with one of our groups. I had assisted with this group for two years, and then our local Recreation Department insisted that the head coach and I divide our coaching among two separate groups. Apparently parents complained (backhanded compliment) that they wanted more 'coaching equality' among the different grades. 

I'm asking for a few minutes to make a few observations. 

"The game honors toughness." - Brad Stevens
Toughness, physical and mental expresses itself on every play, on every day in class, homework assignment, piano lesson or dance class, how you clean your room. The most dreaded words (for me) in sports are "soft" and "quitter." They're the opposite sides of the same coin. 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson
Not everyone will be a great player, but everyone can be a great teammate. Playing unselfishly, supporting your teammates, energizing your TEAM may not come naturally. But it's worth the effort. Would you want to be on a team where everyone didn't feel that way? 

"Never confuse achievement with activity." - John Wooden
How good can I be? What must I do to improve? What price will I pay? Am I investing my time or spending it? Decisions determine destiny. 

"A lion never roars after a kill." - Dean Smith
Basketball doses all of us with adversity and failure. How do I respond to success and failure? Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. 

"Well done is better than well said." - Benjamin Franklin
We get a chance to model excellence and become a better version of ourselves every day. Don't be a person who revisits their life saying, "If only..." Take control of what you can control and follow Joshua Wooden's advice, "Make every day your masterpiece."