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Wednesday, June 21, 2023

What My Fiftieth High School Reunion Reminded Me

Reunions are bittersweet. They remind us of what was, what is, and what might have been.

We recently attended our fiftieth high school reunion. Nobody dwelled on past 'glory days'.

Remember the process over results. Process drives outcomes.

1) Dream big. Have a clear vision of your desired end state. Coach Sonny Lane took over a perennial losing program and set the goal of getting to States in three years. Postseason qualification demanded 70 percent winning back then. 

2) Get everyone on the same page. "Know your job" comes before "do your job."

3) Never be complacent. Coach said, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." 

4) Sacrifice. There was never any grousing about minutes, role, or recognition. Roger Lapham, the seventh man on the team, didn't get big minutes. He was the league MVP the next two seasons and was drafted by the NBA and the NFL. 

5) Be coachable. Everyone got and took coaching. "If I stop yelling at you, then you'll know I've given up on you." 

6) Be prepared. We got detailed scouting reports on opposing players and operations.

7) "Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso   Great coaches  steal. In retrospect, many of our concepts came from UCLA coach John Wooden and Carolina coach Dean Smith. 

A framed poster of Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" decorated our locker room. Decades later, I handed out laminated copies to our players. A mother shared how her daughter's traveled in her gym bag daily. Lauren graduated from Annapolis and serves us today as a naval officer. 

8) Gone but not forgotten. During the reunion, the organizers showed an eight-minute video of the forty plus members of our class of 407 who passed on. One was our point guard, Ed Haladay (#44) who died tragically at thirty-six. I'll always remember his infectious enthusiasm. 


9) Apply and handle pressure. Obsess handling the press and playing various tempos in different situations. We practiced every day 5 versus 7 full-court with no dribbling. 

10) Use statistics that impact winning. Dean Oliver's "Four Factors" of effective field goal percentage, rebounds, turnovers, and free throws don't go out of style. SCORE, CRASH, PROTECT, ATTACK. Be good at what you do a lot that matters. 

Lagniappe. 
Lagniappe 2. Develop your shooting workout. 


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