Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Basketball: Dogs and Babies Capture Attention, Why Not You?

Dogs and babies dominate the screen. You can't avert your eyes. Find players who can 'take over' the game the same way. 

1. Dominant players dominate. A UCONN assistant asked Geno Auriemma about whom they were scouting. Auriemma answered that if you have to ask after a minute, then we're in the wrong place. 

2. Who you are matters in addition to how you play. Pete Carril said, "I don't recruit players who are nasty to their parents. I look for players who realize the world doesn't revolve around them."

3. Stories have power. The Heath Brothers' Made to Stick shares elements of strong stories - simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional stories. Maintain credibility by telling the truth and avoiding hyping players more suspect than prospect. 

4. Have a presence. What we say and how we say it matters. Bring the best version of yourself. After being on overnight call at Bethesda Naval, we had to present cases to a group of senior physicians, adding our assessment and management. 26 Internal Medicine interns competed for what turned out to be one position. I was the dog that stayed. 

5. "Fall down seven times, get up eight." - Japanese Proverb  Failure is inevitable but not final. Never give up. 


Lagniappe. Study how great players get separation. 
Lagniappe 2. Create complex defensive decisions. 



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