Sunday, April 7, 2024

Basketball: Find the Lesson

"All you paid is the looking price. Lessons are extra." 

What's the analogy? Think hard about that for a minute. 

Card players hold their cards "close to the vest." They don't show you everything. You might hold a setter dump, a cut shot, a slide attack, or a shoot for the right moment. What separates elite players is their ability to "take over" a game when it's needed. 

What's your conclusion? Expertise comes at a price. Experience has another price. Mastery costs the most. 

San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich says, "pound the rock." He also says, "you can't skip steps." If it takes a hundred hits to break the rock, keep pounding. Former Alabama Coach Nick Saban says, "It takes what it takes." 

When you see a player, a coach, an 'expert', you see the superficial part of the iceberg, you don't see the ninety percent below the waterline. 

You do "X" amount to become good enough to make the team. Earning a role takes more. Becoming "more" requires even more. 

At the University of North Carolina, young Michael Jordan told Assistant Coach Roy Williams, "I'll work as hard as any player ever at Carolina." Williams answered, "You have to work harder than that." 

Lagniappe. Don't make excuses. 

Lagniappe. Think in the context of initial formation (spacing), player and ball movement, and the scoring moment.  

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