What presents belong under your tree or your players'? I'll leave five, although I have many more on the shelf.
Commitment. Has anyone been more committed to their sport than Dan Gable?
Whether we know anything about wrestling, recognize Gable's uniqueness as an athlete, coach, technician, and teacher.
Persistence.
Discipline.
Bill Bradley was an All-American, Rhodes Scholar, World Champion, and Senator...because of his discipline. As a Princeton freshman, he made 57 consecutive free throws. It all began with his workouts starting in middle school (three hours a day and all day on Saturday).
In the consolation game of the Final Four, Bradley set the Final Four scoring record putting up 58 points against Wichita State.
Relentlessness.
Tim S. Grover wrote the book, "Relentless", defining relentless athletes.
"What would you have to sacrifice to have what you really want? Your social life? Relationships? Credit cards? Free time? Sleep? Now answer this question: What are you willing to sacrifice? If those two lists don’t match up, you don’t want it badly enough."
If you want a bigger role, I say this, "Do more to become more; become more to do more."
Toughness. The most underrated quality of a 'player' is toughness. Jay Bilas shared his timeless thoughts on toughness.
You might throw in the innovation of Bill Russell, the preparation of John Wooden, the process of Nick Saban, the creativity of Pete Maravich, the teaching of Pete Newell, the humanity of Dean Smith, the personality of Jerry Tarkanian, the sacrifice of Pat Tillman, the communication of Del Harris, the servant leadership of Don Meyer.
Add your gifts to the list.
Have a wonderful day.
