Basketball: The Gift (What Would You Choose?)

Think on this. If you could have one gift, what would it be? Fame, fortune, genius? 

What might be candidates? 

• Industry 
• Humility 
• Clarity (of thought and communication)

I can't offer anyone master coaching, lacking that height of vanity. Coaches provide structure and seek to ignite the fires within players and students that separate ordinary from high performers. All three of the above contribute to Anson Dorrance's competitive cauldron that churns out excellence without agendas. 

Industry (work ethic) is one cornerstone (along with enthusiasm) of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Industry drives us to work harder and better than the competition.  

Humility is one of Don Meyer's PUSH-T core values. I use the acronym for PUSH THROUGH. Passion (or purpose), Unity (Teamwork, Ubuntu), Servant Leadership, Humility, and Thankfulness. Humility is not thinking less of ourself but thinking less about ourself. Humility allows us to strive to become a learn-it-all not a know-it-all. Humility allows us to recognize excellence and pursue it realizing that it's not ours to judge. 

Clarity spreads messages, even the wrong ones. Mandelas and Mansons both deliver clear messages to followers. "There is no accountability without clarity." Don Meyer spoke of "blind enthusiasm, sophisticated complexity, and mature simplicity." Simple is better. Simple is the easy button. Simple is spacing. Simple is staying out of traffic. Simple is understanding what to do and when, and best yet, why. 

“A few years ago a group of American and Norwegian researchers did a study to see what made babies improve at walking. They discovered that the key factor wasn’t height or weight or age or brain development or any other innate trait but rather (surprise!) the amount of time they spent firing their circuits, trying to walk.”

My granddaughter is not quite nine months old. But she 'wants' to walk. In Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code, he found three components to mastery outliers:

• Deliberate Practice (the quality and depth of practice, not only time)

• Motivation (the will to prepare, practice, and refine skill)

• Master Coaching (we've discussed how coaching is the only shortcut to greatness)

At our best we become mentors to future masters. Work to craft that gift every day. 

Lagniappe: Choose three coaching change with specifics. 

1. Simplify (early offense, spread offense, PnR offense)
2. Study great "developers" (e.g. Hanlen, Kelbick, Chris Johnson)
3. Improve video study (see below)

Find resources that work for you. 

Lagniappe 2: Even NBA Champions make defensive errors and mistakes. 

The play starts with KCP denying Duncan Robinson on the help side. But on the drive, he gets caught ball watching and Robinson sinks. Too late. Every possession is the potential margin of victory. 

Lagniappe 3: "You know why they're the best players in the world...because they play together as a team...they help each other out." - Benny in Queen's Gambit

"Enjoy your gift."