James Patterson wrote The Women's Murder Club. No, women didn't band together to murder people but to solve murders.
Nobody sends a "bat signal" signaling desperation. Yet, everyone wants to win and many identify with the underdog, thus the success of Rocky, The Karate Kid, Little Giants, McFarland USA and others.
What if a group of retired coaches anonymously collaborated to solve a town's "ne'er do well" basketball problem, to murder defeatism and hopelessness. We all know programs permanently consigned to the scrap heap of basketball, winless and hopeless. Why not fix it?
Young Ben Franklin anonymously penned missives for the New-England Courant under the pseudonym Silence Dogood. Anonymous patrons and submissions aren't new.
Whom do we want for our "benched coaches" sidelined by age or other limitations? I'd start with Muffet McGraw, a proven winner and not far from the game. Why not reach out to Phil Jackson, whose basketball mantra reads "basketball is sharing."
There's a saying that in old age we don't change, we become more of what we were. Scratch Bob Knight off the list.
They don't all need to be coaches. Enlist a graphic designer, a writer, publicist, or an advertising maven to build the buzz around the project. Show a deflated basketball, pumped by victories, a catchy jingle, or a music video.
What elements might fit in our revitalization project?
- How about free clinics that our anonymous benefactors arrange?
- "Anonymous" sends a conditioning program, their top handful of BOBs, SLOBs, ATOs, quick hitters, sets, zone offenses, individual and team drills, and basketball wisdom to the well-meaning but overwhelmed coach.
- Add on some backstories, the coach yearning for one last achievement before consumed by memory loss or a burgeoning and unexpected friendship within the club.
Or imagine that you have an established and successful program but haven't cleared the championship hurdle. What is possible enlisting help and inserting more energy and more initiative into your program?
Imagine.
Lagniappe: "Hammer Time" via HalfCourtHoops
