“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but that is the way to bet.” - Hugh Keough
Not bigger. Not faster. Not stronger. A teammate's brother loaned me a scrapbook from the Paleozoic era. It chronicled the success and failure of a team that had never won anything, emerging as a sectional champion.
It unearthed things I didn't know from the Middlesex League All-League selection committee. I absolutely wasn't a star. Not news.
Coaches want prospects with at least two of the big three - size, athleticism, and skill. At the younger levels, it's rare to find even two.
For those without genetic or cultivated physical gifts, what's our plan? Control what we can control.
Be all in. We're probably not going to go "Bill Bradley" (three hours a day Monday through Friday and all day Saturday). But nobody becomes a player on "Call of Duty" or "Donkey Kong." Embrace the grind.
Have a plan. Track our progress. James Clear's Atomic Habits distills to PICK (a habit), STICK (to it), and CHECK (progress). Kobe Bryant took a thousand shots daily in the summer (1000 x 100 = 100,000). Write your plan. "Plan your trade. Trade your plan."
Outwork the competition. Jay Bilas's Toughness mandate, "Play so hard your coach has to take you out." There is no 50-50 ball. It's ours. First to the floor. Take a charge. "You will find players better than I am. You won't find a player who competes harder." Win the intangibles space.
Build your body, build your skill. Have a workout and practice schedule. Spreadsheets or graph paper work fine. Larry Bird took 500 free throws a day, before school. Be a tracker. "Winners are trackers."
Find a workout partner, as Urban Meyer (Above the Line) demanded at OSU. He insisted the top ten percenters (in the 10-80-10 distribution) bring along an 80 percenter, working to drag them into the top ten percent.
Know what you don't know. Use the Feynman Technique. Pick a subject (e.g. pick-and-roll defense). Name it. Describe it. Research it. Simplify it. In medicine, we say, "see one, do one, teach one." Learn every day. Become a learning machine.
Know the game. Legendary Coach Pete Newell opined that the coach's primary job was helping players "see the game." Use every resource available - books, articles, YouTube videos from around the world, video - to expand your basketball horizon. See the game.
Find mentors. "The only shortcut to excellence is mentoring." Many people are flattered by requests for help. Three of Steve Kerr's leadership principles are mindset, culture, and mentors. No, we won't have Coach Popovich as a mentor, but as Mister Rogers reminds, "look for the helpers."
Earn the right to win.
Summary:
- Control what we can control.
- Embrace the grind.
- PICK, STICK, CHECK
- Win the intangibles space.
- Be a tracker. Winners are trackers.
- Become a learning machine.
- See the game
- Look for the helpers.
Lagniappe. "Bring a winning attitude to work."
Long ago, my ten year-old daughter was leaving for a game. "You're going to play softball?" "No Daddy, I'm going out to win."
- If someone watches you coach, teach, or practice what concept or approach would they adopt?
- What makes your 'underrated' player more than a one trick pony? "She's a really good player, not just a _______________."
- What "old school" concepts never die?