Sunday, October 13, 2019

Basketball: Ten Thoughts on Worldbuilding

15 DAYS UNTIL TRYOUTS
"If you are building a world, you have to care about that world." - Fantasy author Neil Gaiman

 We build our basketball world with characters, dialogue, and story. We paint the landscape; we make the rules. 

 Identify a core philosophy. Your philosophy is uniquely yours. If it's win at any cost, step on anyone in your way, then be prepared to defend your world. "The last fifteen minutes of a dictator's life are always the worst." Do you believe in karma? 

 Add value. The top player and the twelfth deserve respect, attention, and teaching, to be valued and feel valued. That doesn't mean they merit the same minutes. 

 Identify and stick to core values. My high school coach, Ellis "Sonny" Lane informed consistent values - family, school, basketball. Almost fifty years later, those values still resonate. Gloves and hats in the winter still work. 

Become the coach/player that you want to be. What belongs in our kingdom? We always have room to grow technique, tactics, teamwork, teaching, and communication. 


Energize. Up the tempo. Work to squeeze more from practice. Coaches have to bring the fire every day. 

Radiate positivity. 

Be the "Positive Dog." Our local volleyballers have 16 players on the team. In a recent competitive match, a lot of players didn't get court time. That didn't make them care less. It's a big reason why they've won a state championship, eight sectional crowns, and fourteen league titles in sixteen seasons. 

Build our brand. Own our brand - what we represent, how others see us, our "Mood Board," our ability to sell our philosophy and process to players, parents, and the community. 

 Ideas are like compost heaps. Sometimes they stink but they encourage growth. Great ideas can come from anywhere. The more we expose ourselves to concepts from other domains, the more translation we can get. Read, read, read, read, read. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” wrote Margaret Mead. Learn across disciplines. An excerpt:

 Rhetoric: People like symmetry, AB and BA. In his inaugural speech, John Kennedy used chiasmus (rhetorical symmetry), "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Mae West said, "it's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men." I tell players, "if we don't put an end to the turnovers, turnovers will put an end to us." 

Leave an impression. "Success leaves footprints." Whether tryout out or applying for a job, bring our best self. As Sam Jackson says, "this is a look at me business." Maybe this job isn't for us, but the next one might be. 

 Get the buy-in. Seasons are stories. Teams have to believe. G.K. Chesterton wrote, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

Lagniappe: People do the impossible. Why not us? 


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