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Saturday, March 11, 2023

Basketball: "The Law of the Jungle" Meets Reality

Competition is "the law of the jungle.”  

High school rosters always have turnover. One of the challenges is integrating young players. There's no sugar coating competition.

Returning players and parents don’t always see newcomers as part of winning tradition. Some see them as threats, eager carpetbaggers seeking to displace veterans from “their rightful spots.”


That shows up as bans on rising frosh from summer teams, workouts, and other exclusions. Carl Pierson shares that and other issues in his book, "The Politics of Coaching."
Reality is that girls mature at an earlier age and freshmen often have the size, athleticism, and skill to succeed young. By age fifteen, on average girls have 98 percent of their adult height. Mostly it's WYSIWYG, what you see is what you get.
I’ve heard stories of upperclassmen telling young players to “know your place” and “don’t make me look bad.” That dog does not hunt.

Great culture means 1) everyone gets opportunity and 2) the best players, senior or freshmen, earn the spots. When you have the receipts, you play.

Coaching young players, I trained them to compete for contributing roles as freshmen. They know that other players will come along with the skills and determination to compete against them. Competition brings out the best, and the best enjoy success.


Competition is "the law of the jungle.”

How do we up our compete level?
  • Make competition the 'default' level at practice, in drills, and in scrimmages.
  • "Be a tracker." Challenge ourselves in individual or group workouts to achieve our personal best.
  • "A rising tide lifts all boats." Raise the expectation standard statistically, fewer turnovers, better effective field goal percentage, more 'stop sequences' of three consecutive defensive stops.
  • Play against better competition. AAU and college women's teams practice against boys - bigger, faster, stronger.
  • Think "next level." What must I do to succeed at the next level?"
  • To do "more of what works and less of what doesn't," analyze possessions for "multiple actions" and "multiple efforts."
Lagniappe. Apply yourself with the same intensity in the classroom as you do on the court.


Lagniappe 2. "The devil made me do it."









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