Fast Five: Primary Attributes for Young Players

Becoming an excellent basketball player demands a terrific process compounded through commitment, discipline, and patience. As a young player, you should ask, "where do I start?"

1. Listen. The first price is to pay attention. Coaches and teammates respect serious players who work to improve. 
2. Study the game. "Basketball is an easy game to learn and a hard one to master." James Naismith couldn't anticipate the game's evolution. Learn something new about both the game AND learning (metacognition). The quickest way to improve is to understand the game better. 
3. Become detail-oriented. You must see the big picture and fill in the details of individual and team play. 
4. Improve your habits. Habits are how you go about your business. Habits are about investing not spending time. Habits are very malleable with a commitment to change. 
5. Outwork the competition. Tiger Woods used to finish each practice by making 100 consecutive eight-foot putts. With that routine, one season he did not miss a putt inside of four feet. 

What do these measures have in common? None of them are about talent. They are about approach - attitude, choices, and effort. None by themselves will make you an excellent player, but without them, nobody can achieve their potential.