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Friday, November 10, 2023

Basketball: Food, Service, and Hospitality

The search for basketball analogies goes on. In an episode of The Bear, a restauranteur tells Sydney that in addition to great food, their new place needs "overwhelming service and hospitality."

1. Better ingredients, better basketball. Skill provides the first parallel. Skill is not talent. Skill blends technical, tactical, physical, and psychological components. You can be undersized at some positions if loaded with technique, game knowledge, and competitiveness. And it's the coaches job to remember that "every day is skill development day." 

The parallel between chefs and coaches is obvious. The Krzyzewski references appear regularly in The Bear. "The greatest comeback ever...they kept drilling." 

Like Thomas Keller's mentor Roland Henin, "cooks cook to nurture people," so do coaches. 

2. Service. Remember servant leadership, a critical part of Don Meyer's program. 

From Santa Maria College

Yes, a player needs skill, explosiveness to separate, and toughness. But being part of teams means interpersonal skills, too. Coaches teach life. We mentor players and teach leadership and mentoring, too. 

Service reflects how teams take care of each other as individuals and as team members. 

Great teams share the ball, help each other on both ends, and share the credit. 

3. Hospitality. Excellent basketball teams play entertaining basketball. They 'show out' for the fans. Coach Ralph Labella would say, "entertain your parents and me." Think about inversion. What's the opposite of low energy, low effort, selfish, low IQ basketball? You want the opposite. 

Restaurants and basketball, great entrees, great service, great hospitality. 

Lagniappe. All shooters miss sometimes. 

Lagniappe 2. Become more athletic with body weight workouts. 

Post by @kpstrength
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You won't always have weights or equipment, but you always have your body.