Basketball: Avoid Cliche to Become Exceptional

Avoid cliche. What is cliche? Oxford says, "a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought."

I think of a hockey interview, "we skate hard today; we skate harder tomorrow." 

"Greatness" became cliche. Greatness inhabits rare air. Everything isn't great, even my best couscous-stuffed peppers. 

What ideas, events, and people etch themselves upon our basketball souls? 

The smells of Betadine with Tufskin and locker room perspiration are forever. So is the scent of fear. 

A memorable book or film leaves lasting impressions with multiple unforgettable scenes. Think about the ending of The Karate Kid, the restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally, training montages in Rocky, or the holiday party in Groundhog Day. 

Transforming events imprint upon us because emotion intensifies neurochemical signal. When we won a sectional championship in overtime in 1973, I jumped and literally didn't come down. An unseen teammate caught me in the air from behind. 

Sport affords creativity. Teams paint a canvas with a palette of space and time. Sometimes we love the results, others we hate the images. It's Kurosawa or kindergarten. 

Image from Kurosawa's masterpiece, Dersu Uzala

Elite preparation is cliche. Watching a young player remove sock wrinkles, lace up her sneakers, and stretch meticulously is not. 

Jay Wright, Gregg Popovich, Frank Martin, and Geno Auriemma are never cliche. In Auriemma's autobiography, he described sleeping near hot coals as a child in Northern Italy...and getting burned, scarred. Basketball leaves scars, too. 

 

Referee baiting is cliche. Ted Lasso asking officials to explain the offsides rule is not. 

The coach who "rolls the balls out" is cliche. The helicopter or snowplow parent is cliche. My wife Ellen, who cheers for both teams, is not. 

Cliche is hackneyed, banal. Don't become a cliche. Work at being original. 

Lagniappe. Think for yourself. Decide what is true and what is not. If we ask, "what is the ideal practice, the composite player, or desired coaching what first principles would we choose?

We might choose a blend of mental and physical conditioning, the ability to teach and communicate, skill building, teamwork and integration, and decision-making. And that might lead us to develop a new drill or more effective practice. 

Lagniappe 2. Adopt and modify concepts. 

Older video from Coach Daniel. The fourth concept (backscreens in transition) is common. Why not add Coach Obradovic's technique of screening with the backside of your body which improves offensive readiness for catch-and-shoot, pass, or drive?