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Monday, July 22, 2019

Introduction to Your MasterClass, Basketball: Five Hearts



Basketball differs for each of us - challenge, distraction, obsession. Do what James Patterson says, "make the pages turn themselves" as you fit the puzzle together. Never forget why you love the game. 

 Game understanding finds solutions amidst basketball symmetry. Pete Newell reminded players, "get more and better shots than your opponent." Offensively, that implies more points per possession, including offensive rebounding. Defensively that suggests:
  • disallow quality shots
  • "one bad shot" implies high defensive rebounding percentage
  • get more possessions via forced turnovers and steals
Five hearts beat as one. Winning starts with small victories in individual battles. As players 'discover' those keys, better results follow.

Constantly acquire new knowledge and concepts; edit and refine into useful bites. A Turkish proverb informs us, "measure a thousand times but cut only once." Clarify and simplify. We can't use everything, nor should we. 

Individual excellence competes with mastery of teamwork. Lao Tzu wrote, "Mastery of others is strength; mastery of yourself is true power." Spiderman's uncle echoed, "with great power comes great responsibility." 

 Chef Thomas Keller says, "the techniques are the most important part of any recipe." We say it different ways:
  • Great offenses spread you out; great defenses contain you.
  • "Great offense is multiple actions; great defense is multiple efforts."
  • Win the battle of (achieving and preventing) separation. 
How we communicate, how we learn, how we practice, and how we play reflects our commitment to each other. 

 Usher Raymond IV advises us, "study your mentor's mentors." For him, that meant studying Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly. For me, that means studying John Wooden and Dean Smith. But Shakespeare advised, "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." Be yourself. 


Master your footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed. Constantly acquire and refine your tools. How good is your footwork? 


Watching is not seeing. Reading is not learning. Hearing is not listening. Be aware about our thinking. Develop an eye for the long game. See something in a player that others don't see...the grinder who becomes your stopper or toughness in a future rebounder. Find the group that will...not...quit. 

Ask better questions. "What am I missing?" Keep looking for a better way. "What does our team need now?" Help them find their voice. Help them embrace a truth of style and substance that can wear opponents down. 

Director Mira Nair says the director (coach) needs "the heart of a poet and the skin of an elephant." Regardless of level, we face adversity and need resilience. Nobody gives you the best way. Keep searching. 

Good ideas come from everywhere. Capture the answers between the lines. But we have to get on the court to learn our craft as players or coaches. 

Lagniappe: Cut hard to get free...a matter of life or death. 
Lagniappe 2: The game changes...but only with our RAM - recognition, acceptance of change, and management of change. 
Lagniappe 3: Dated but discoverable (Carolina multiple defenses 1991)
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