Sport teaches shareworthy lessons. Yours won't overlap with mine. Maybe they're better. Share them.
Sacrifice. What is good for the team won't always be best for you. Suppressing ego is hard. Undiminished ego leads to poor decisions. Ryan Holiday's Ego Is the Enemy is a terrific read.
Learn every day. Never stop learning. Devote time daily to study. The best in every field are readers and students. "I can learn."
"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson Great teams understand that they have to sacrifice...usage, numbers, and their bodies.
Be coachable. Everyone benefits from coaching. Even a highly trained Harvard surgeon found he could learn from hiring a 'coach' in the operating room. Those who profess to know everything haven't learned the lesson of humility.
Model excellence. "You can't fool kids, dogs, or basketball players." Bring the best version of ourselves to work every day. Everyone around us has clarity on our best and our effort.
"Take care of the kid." When you get the rare opportunity to coach a special player or mentor a great student, overextend yourself.
"Stay in the fight." Go the distance. We can deal with losing. Everyone loses sometimes. Teach players never to quit.
Speak greatness. "I believe in you." A single word can make all the difference. "That was good BUT" is inferior to "that was good AND..." Reflect on how our words make others feel.
Lagniappe. Struggles are opportunities. Leaving our comfort zone offers us a chance to progress.
Ultimately you have to accept - no struggle, no growth. pic.twitter.com/FOfW0Hyn4i
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) August 1, 2024
Lagniappe 2. We choose to build players' basketball IQ or to complain about it. It's a teaching profession. This article has excellent ideas and valuable educational resources. I've sent to a few players.