Basketball: Avoiding Mistakes by Hanging with the OGs

 In the Navy, I ate lunch with the "Old Guys", attending physicians who were in their 40s and 50s when I was in my 20s. Colleagues asked, "why?" Because a lot of times the OGs know stuff...stuff that only comes with time. Do you want a new bricklayer or greenhorn carpenter or a seasoned professional? 

Captain Baker (Cardiology) would say, "the worst type of heart problem is a heart problem that becomes a brain problem (e.g. a stroke)." Dr. Pazmino (Nephrology) told me that leaving the Navy would be good for me, "sometimes you run out of silver bullets." 

Coaches don't want to repeat mistakes over and over. Bo Schembechler said that it was better to miss on the recruit who "might beat you once a year instead of beating you every day." In other words, don't get low character guys. 

"Character is job one." 

I've heard this Saban clip at least four times because it's spot on. The same goes for choosing a spouse or a friend or a plumber. Reliability matters. 

Don't give away games. We give away games with poor decisions (mental mistakes), turnovers, poor effort, poor communication, bad shots, missed free throws. 

Surround yourself with talent, complementary people. Find the player development person, recruiter, film study expert, defensive expert, or whatever will help. That doesn't mean your best friend doesn't belong, but can she tell us when we're wrong?

Writer Neil Gaiman says you can believe someone who says, "that doesn't work for me" but that doesn't mean you can trust their solution. 

Communicate better. When one person understand their assignment ("Commander's Intent"), then the full mission is at risk. Not switching the screen, cutting to an occupied post, obstructing a driver, fouling low percentage shots or any of a thousand mistakes will burn us. Getting on the same page is a lot harder than it sounds. We've all seen it. "The help can never get beat." 

Lagniappe. Must turn sound up full. Listening to the OGs.