Basketball: Team and Work Make the Player

In The Art of Possibility, Rosamund and Ben Zander question the impact of grades on performance. They quote Michelangelo, "inside a block of marble is a statue" and the sculptor's job is to find it. They require each student to submit a letter explaining why they earned an "A" and insisted that they not use, "I will" or "I intend" or "I hope." 

Here's an edited letter:

"I received my grade A because I worked hard and thought hard about myself taking your class...I became a new person.

I used to be so negative a person for almost everything before trying. Now I find myself a happier person than before. I couldn't accept my mistakes a year ago, and after every mistake I blamed myself. 

I enjoy making mistakes and really learn from these mistakes. In my playing I have more depth than before. I used to play just notes, but now of found out about the real meaning of every piece, and I could play with more imagination. 

I found my value. I found myself a special person, because I found that if I believe in myself I can do everything."

A teacher divided his class in two, grading one on their volume of clay pots and the other on the quality of their best pot. The group that fired the most post also fashioned the best, learning from their mistakes. Trial, error, and refinement define success. 




This recalls the Marshmallow Challenge to build a tower of spaghetti and marshmallows in finite time. Kindergartners are champions because they build instead of organizing in their finite time. "Practice is magic."  When time is limited, action rules. 

Brad Stevens comments on Patriots' practice, “Their culture, the way that they move from drill to drill, how they pull together, how connected they are… it’s special.”

We disallow failure words, "I'll try" or "I can't." Celebrate Bret Ledbetter's "the person is greater than the player" and choose to focus on possibilities.  

• Have clear goals. 
• Be organized.
• Be specific.
• Energize. 
• Operate at the highest tempo you can. (Stevens said he was amazed at the tempo of the Patriots' practices.) Condition within drills. 
• Be objective but be positive. "WE CAN." 
• Praise the praiseworthy. 
• Outstanding players want coaches to make them better. 

Your individual workouts demand equal focus. Hone your strengths. Shrink your weaknesses. Add new dimensions. 

This summer I demonstrated the Reverse Mikan drill to a player on a scorching Sunday. She struggled. Seven days later, she finished with either hand from either side. Own the skill. Believe and do the work. 

Lagniappe: Strong teams complete a series of actions. In development, we invest time teaching how to play more than running complex sets.