We all write a narrative. In, On Writing, Stephen King advises doing so with the best plot, characters, and dialogue available. Creativity requires more than inspiration. Capturing readers' imagination requires work.
While we may believe in excellence for excellence sake, both players and coaches usually have other agendas - winning a championship, recognition, a scholarship, a bigger contract. First, we need their attention. I (imperfectly) make it a practice to greet every player by name in the first few minutes of practice. Each player needs recognition that they matter.
Periodically, that may expose us to lampooning...but it also means that we brought impactful character and dialogue.
King's book addresses improving your writing. Two excellent books share tips on improving the content of your stories. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath discusses key elements of storytelling. Effective stories are simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, and emotional. They use the acronym SUCCESS as a construct. President Kennedy's appeal to land a man on the moon within the decade of the 1960s was such a story. Writers craft great sport stories like McFarland using those tools. Contagious by Jonah Berger shares techniques encouraging 'virality'. He suggests the acronym STEPPS - social media, trigger, emotional, public, proven value, and story.
We can all think of great basketball stories - Hoosiers and Milan, Indiana, Texas Western defeating Kentucky, Villanova's incredible shooting beating Georgetown, Princeton upsetting UCLA and more. Most of us share personal stories of how our teams overcame or overachieved or suffered heartbreak via bad luck, poor decisions, or flawed execution.
Help players write a better narrative through better communication, better stories, and conscious use of effective storytelling.
On Writing
Made to Stick
Contagious