My assistant coach generously shared Pat Summitt's Reach for the Summitt, which expands her Definite Dozen concept. Chapter VIII advises Put the Team Before Yourself. Summitt counsels, "Teamwork is what makes common people capable of uncommon results."
She discusses how she picked the 1984 US Women's Olympic team. She gave the top eighteen players ballots and they decided which twelve would go to Los Angeles. That gave them ownership in the process and outcome.
Teamwork isn't novelity, just challenging. As children we have an egocentric view of the world. We can't see others' perspective. Some adults have a similar problem, on the border between egocentric and narcissistic behavior.
Great teams collaborate to win. In the Navy, the Special Forces are called 'the Teams'. The SEALs live their philosophy, "two is one and one is none." One author described a training scenario where a hardworking teammate narrowly missed qualifying in a swimming time trial. Teammates swim linked by a rope. Everyone liked and respected him. Instructors gave him another chance to pass, accompanied by a strong swimmer who literally helped pull him to a qualifying time.
John Wooden preached, "Happiness begins where selfishness ends." Balanced scoring often reflected that philosophy.
Roy Williams watched a recruit play. When he fouled out, he sprinted to the water cooler to get drinks for teammates. He didn't sulk; he stayed engaged. He played for UNC and in the NBA.
Dean Smith said that he didn't recruit players with great stats on mediocre teams. Bill Russell remarked, "my ego depends on the success of my team."
Celtics coach Brad Stevens described Ronald Nored as a great 'sharer' and Nored continues that profile as a coach. “I was put on this earth to help people get better,” says Nored at one point, adding later, “What players want is someone who works hard, but mostly who cares about them. If you have those things, players will respect you and want to play for you.”
Young players sometimes play Night at the Opera ball, "me, me, me." Remind them of Jay Bilas' admonition, "it's not your shot, it's our shot."
Being part of an exceptional team is forever. Nobody can take those memories from you.
Lagniappe: Celtics "Diamond Zone" against SLOBs
Special situations defense is just as important to plan for as is special situations offense. Watch how Boston blows up this play from Indiana by simply zoning an area and picking up whatever cutter comes to their area. #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/6GrMviFpUc— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) April 19, 2019
