Basketball and Success Principles: Chef Thomas Keller Revisited

"Cooks cook to nurture people." - Chef Thomas Keller

Feed our people. Teach across disciplines. Chef Keller runs the iconic Michelin 3-star restaurant, The French Laundry. As a teenage dishwasher in his mother's restaurant, he learned core values that transcend cooking. 

Organization. Blend the big picture with fine details. Schedule practice to the minute and adjust as needed. 

Small numbers from illness disrupted a recent practice plan, but we pressed on. The big picture is preparing players for high school basketball. Forget about perfection. 

Efficiency. After players, practice time is our greatest resource. There's never enough. 

• The tempo is never high enough. 
• Get into and out of named drills quickly.
• Have energy and energize. 
• "Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm."

Critical Feedback. In The Heart of Coaching, Thomas Crane preaches "performance-focused, feedback-rich" coaching to create "sustainable competitive advantage." Catch people "in the act of doing something right." Suggest better ways and correct issues. 

• Always FACE UP. 
• Find the quality shot. 
• Take care of the ball.

Condense the John Boyd combat OODA loop of "observe, orient, decide, act." For example, against zone defense, apply the 2-second rule for assessment, decision, and action. 

Repetition. "Repetitions make reputations." Don't tire of doing the small things right. Players wonder why we do flips, pickups, and Bradleys in shooting practice. The great shooters like Steph Curry and Steve Nash had highly repetitive shooting workouts that honed their craft. Coach Wooden noted that Bill Walton never tired of working on perfect footwork. 



Chef Keller looked back fondly to making Hollandaise sauce daily in his brother's restaurant. The perfect emulsion of eggs, acid (lemon), clarified butter, and water emerged from thousands of tries. 

Rituals (routine). Are you winning your morning routine, your homework sessions, your pregame routine? That might include nutrition, reading/study, writing, exercise, mindfulness, gratitude, playing an instrument. 

Chef Keller starts each day with protein, two hard-boiled eggs cooked exactly four minutes, drizzled with a few drops of olive oil and finishing salt. 

Teamwork. "We can go faster alone but farther together." The coaches work to take players where they can't go alone. The best players are the best because they make everyone around them better. The best leaders work for the greater good not just for themselves. The Navy SEALs say, "two are one and one is none." 

The teenage Thomas Keller understood that getting clean plates and glasses up meant on time service of food and beverages. 

Everyone won't be a great player. Everyone can be a great teammate. 

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Make your million dreams come true. The magic is in the work. Go out there and play like tigers.