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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Basketball - Think Again

Adam Grant wrote "Think Again," discussing how rethinking benefits us in daily life. Knowledge about sport theory and practice takes years, especially the mental part of sports. In the interim, we inhabit an incomplete or erroneous database. 

Grant suggests keeping a 'rethinking scorecard', a storehouse of corrected misconceptions. The best truths work across domains. 

1) Officiating. Don't overthink it. I only recall a few games over the years where officiating mattered.... Mostly, "it's how you play, not whom," or the officials. Don't make excuses our brand. 

2) Simplify. This isn't rethinking, rather consolidating. Some teams are celebrated and criticized for its 'simple basketball'. Don't go off the rails by reinventing the wheel or quitting what works. Versatility is good, except when it isn't. Have a clear plan of how to win. 

3) Inside out. There are insiders, those with the most intimate knowledge of the program, at practice, with 'coaches' eyes' seeing strengths and weaknesses. Then there are outsiders who see the 'finished product', games and video. That doesn't reduce the outsiders to zero, but we have a fraction of insider knowledge. 

4) False idols. Regular season win-loss record isn't the "be-all, end-all." It's much like baseball and better analytics. ERA, WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), and K/BB (strikeout/walk ratio) often share more insight than wins and losses. 

5) "Scoring." Watch a game and mentally score, positives and negatives by each team. The best teams score the most points through their actions and losing teams often surrender points through errors, inconsistency, and mental mistakes. Watching is not seeing. 

6) It's not so simple. Craft is earned. Technique and tactics have nuances. Balancing the big picture and granular details separate extraordinary from ordinary. Win individual battles and team play. 

7) The Craft. Don't hesitate to use New Age training. Use the Jedi Mind Tricks. It's not enough to play a lot or to love the game. Study great teams, great players, and great coaches. Study the mental game. Maybe "Search Inside Yourself" or "The Inner Game of Tennis" are too much for teens. Or not. 

8) The "Prime Directive." In Star Trek, the Prime Directive was not to interfere with the development of civilizations encountered during intergalactic exploration. In sport, The Prime Directive is parental advocacy for the well-being and situation of their children above those of the team. Parental advocacy is normal and expected. It can go badly, like a story of a Texas basketball coach fired by a parental donation of tens of thousands of dollars to a private school. 

9) Transparency. How much is good, or bad? This is unresolved. Players need to know what to work on to improve. Coaching is a relationship business and the 'right amount' of transparency is hard. Two rules that help include the '24 hour rule' not to discuss a game until emotions have cooled and 'Your Child Only' rule, discussing your child's situation alone, never involving another team member. 

10) Secrecy. Some communications are absolutely privileged. Those can't be revealed and go 'to the grave'. Even if a coach says, "this player is the best thing since sliced bread," don't share unless it's authorized. 

These are just a few lessons learned over seven decades in sport. 

Lagniappe. When the game is on the line, demand high performance from everyone. 

 Lagniappe 2. Is the agenda me or us? 

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