Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Basketball: Minutes and Time - Jordan, the Fab Four, and Roosevelt

Excellence starts by sacrificing time and resources. Kevin Eastman advises, "you own your paycheck." 

Michael Jordan told Carolina assistant Roy Williams, "I will work as hard as any player who ever played for Carolina." Williams replied that to be the best, Jordan had to work harder than any Carolina player. 

The Beatles were an overnight success. Not exactly. Years of grueling preparation under adversity blazed their trail to superstardom. "The Beatles had worked for around 600 hours, under terrible conditions. Imagine —for three months, (playing) between 6 and 8 hours a day and not a single day off."

"Your time is up." When Teddy Roosevelt was appointed New York Police Commissioner, graft and corruption ruled. He changed the culture by investigating and changing leadership. Manage by walking around. He found stars and slackers during midnight excursions. He put in the time when they didn't. Quality replaced crookedness by merit promotion, not favoritism and patronage. He backstopped the program through transparency and public support


Recent examination of Jack Clark's core values highlighted MERIT in a winning culture. Unlinking minutes and merit, we compromise quality and fairness. 



Couple minutes and player investment. In a developmental program, everyone gets minutes, but not the same share. Invest the time, engagement, and effort to earn more minutes

There are no shortcuts...not for Michael Jordan, the Beatles, or Teddy Roosevelt. Why should we expect them? 

Lagniappe: developing basketball IQ
Lagniappe 2: via @BBallImmersion


Dave Smart – Q: What are the weaknesses that you look for in a player?
A: The first thing is ‘Where do they struggle to pass from?’ If you can’t pass at a high level, you can’t play.