What constitutes a 'basketball emergency' and an 'appropriate response'? Most programs are neither top of the heap or bottom of the barrel. Many 'muddle along' in mediocrity.
Good teams have (per Anson Dorrance) continual ascension. They radiate competence and confidence.
An emergency arises amidst negative trending with concerns about the direction and sustainability of a program. Questions arise about:
- What is the status of leadership?
- What is the mindset within the team?
- What alternatives to current policy exist?
- How can they be implemented?
There's no touchstone for leadership. It's not about popularity but doing the organization, management, and communication daily. Successful leaders are immune from neither naysayers nor knives out.
Outsiders can't know the inner working of a team. In Making Decisions, Ed Smith emphasizes the difficulty of outsider objectivity in evaluating teams.
You can't impose a new plan upon a coaching staff and players midseason. A coaching staff and team can make adjustments but cannot remake a team midseason.
Who would teach and implement a new plan in the context of the skill and basketball IQ of the team? If you're a zone defense, five-out offense, are you going to become a full-court pressure, motion offense team the next week. It's not like Ted Lasso where he installed "Total Football" and earned a winning streak immediately.
The image at the top isn't accidental. The box behind the glass is empty, because there's no 'one-size fits-all' replacement available when trouble strikes.
Lagniappe. What are OUR values?
What are your team's Core Values?
— Jeff Janssen (@janssenleader) September 18, 2024
Here are North Carolina women's soccer Core Values that have led to 22 National Championships. 🏆#CultureWins pic.twitter.com/OstJNpeeVw
Lagniappe 2. "Did you push yourself to be great today?"
Urban Meyer said, "It's so easy to be average."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) September 18, 2024
"Did you push yourself to be great today? If you didn't do it, you lost today. We don't have many days to lose."
Excellence isn't the goal, it's the standard.
It's the daily standard you set.
You achieve excellence when your… pic.twitter.com/2L4hECFhbF