"Make them a star." The best players make everyone around them better.
Consider the mental model, inversion. A player worsens teammates by lack of effort, indifference, selfishness, silence, unwillingness to pass, bad shots, turnovers. Who wants to play with her?
From PickandPop.net about Jose Calderon:
"He always made it about everybody else," DeRozan, a four-time All-Star, said. "Being a good individual to your teammates, to everyone in your work environment, your colleagues, that's definitely something I took from Jose. To have a point guard like that, who gave off that energy, that vibe and professionalism, to this day, I carry a lot of things I took from Jose with me leadership wise."
Phil Jackson reminds us, "basketball is sharing." Larry Bird elevated Hall of Famers.
Encourage your team on the court, from the bench, in the media. Coach Kevin Sutton writes about Alan Williams' book, Teammates Matter. He shares several quotes including, “If you want to know what the head coach is all about, don’t ask the star of the team…. ask the guy that sits at the end of the bench who doesn’t get to play. He will tell you what he’s really like.” – Tom Konchalski – Founder of HSBI
Pull teammates higher by working with them. That includes academics, cardio, weights, shooting, playing one-on-one. Become closer friends and better players. The Navy SEALs teach, "two is one and one is none."
See the game together. Take video and analyze each other shooting. Study video individually and in groups to grow your game understanding. Film teaches form in the Information Age (image above). Celebrate unity.
Grow our process. Reflect upon strengths and weaknesses. Collaborate with mentors and colleagues. Track our process and our results. "Are we building a program or a statue?"
Ask better questions. Why do comparable programs succeed or fail? How does another program do more with less? What methods can I import from great players and coaches in another sport?
Make them a star and shine in their light.
Lagniappe:
This 3 player switching concept is what we call "switching the up-down." Our players have freedom to execute it anytime they see an opportunity to keep bigs in, & smalls out. Watch Boston demonstrate a 3 player switch vs. a low post match-up that disrupts the Cleveland offense. pic.twitter.com/pjALeEP3Uk
— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) May 19, 2018The Celtics "Ice" the side pick-and-roll. Rozier and Horford switch and Love cuts to the block. Marcus Morris switches and Jason Tatum rotates to the weak side corner. This only works by understanding the defense and through great communication.
Keywords: Basketball, Mental models, inversion, learning, process, questions