Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Basketball: Earning Respect


Learn about respect. Wayne Gretzky takes most pride not in his records but in his work ethic. 
Respect is earned not granted.

  • Be on time, ready to go.
  • Be the hardest worker in practice. Give your best in every rep. John Stockton was notorious for that, winning every sprint. 
  • Be coachable. Listen and work to learn what is taught. 
  • Bring your best version of caring, effort, and focus to games. Our best may not win but wins respect. 
  • Be a great teammate. 
Cultivate winning habits of preparation
  • Consistent study habits (as serious in class as on the court)
  • Exercise, rest, and nutrition
  • Skill development ("winners are trackers")
  • Game study
Know our behavior impacts teammates. 
  • Treat others with respect. 
  • Accept praise graciously AND...
  • Give credit to our family, teammates, and coaches. 
  • Nobody misses the slacker who leaves a team. 
What basketball "disrespect" bothers me? 
  • Too often boys teams waiting for a girls game to end disrupt the game, literally encroaching on the court during play. 
  • Don't cross the line between "physical play" and "dirty play." 
  • Disrespect of officials by coaches from the opening tap. In the last fifty games I coached, I doubt the officiating decided any. Our losses came from poor shot selection, turnovers, defensive errors, and sometimes mediocre or poor coaching. 
  • Coaches seeming motivated by margin of victory above all else. Leaving starters in and pressing against deep reserves proves you're a coaching genius? 
  • The killer S's - selfishness, sloth, softness. Represent. 




- Michael Jordan




Summary:
  • Be on time.
  • Be the hardest worker.
  • Be a great teammate. 
  • Cultivate great work habits. 
  • Study the game.
  • Give credit to others. 
Lagniappe. We love shooting drills. "Double jeopardy" from TeachHoops.com



Lagniappe 2. Play "16" without a rebounder. The core skill is making consecutive shots from eight spots to advance. 
  • Make 2 consecutively and move to next spot. Max two minutes.
  • Make 2 consecutively at each spot and complete course in the minimum time (track)
  • Make 2 consecutively in the fewest possible shots (16) and keep track of your PB (personal best) until you get to sixteen. 
Lagniappe 3. "It's not life or death losing a hockey game when you're nine years old." - Wayne Gretzky, MasterClass

Lagniappe 4. Find mistakes in victory to achieve more next time.