Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Basketball: Words That Mattered Before, During, and After Games

I can't speak for you, but I only recall a handful of pre- or postgame talks. "Peak" and "end" experiences leave the strongest memories. Emotion also factors into memory. Let's get input from ChatGPT.

Emotion plays a powerful role in shaping memory. When emotions are intense—whether joy, fear, or sadness—the brain engages differently. This is largely due to the amygdala, the region responsible for emotional responses, which interacts closely with the hippocampus, the center for memory formation.

Here’s how emotion impacts memory:

  1. Enhanced Encoding: Emotionally charged events are encoded more deeply. Strong emotions create a sense of urgency, which leads to heightened attention, making the brain more likely to store the event for later recall.

  2. Selective Memory: We tend to remember emotionally significant events over neutral ones. This can mean recalling key moments in sports victories or losses more vividly because of the emotions involved.

  3. Long-term Retention: Emotional memories often persist over time. Moments of heightened emotion—whether during an intense match or a life event—tend to stay with us longer, sometimes becoming 'flashbulb' memories, where the surrounding details also get etched in.

  4. Memory Distortion: While emotions enhance memory, they can also distort it. The intensity of a feeling can lead to exaggerating certain aspects or altering the perception of the event.

In coaching, when you create emotionally resonant moments—positive reinforcement, shared celebration, or critical reflection—they become anchored in the players’ memories, influencing their future behaviors and decisions. This is why tapping into emotion can be an effective tool for motivating and teaching. 

Powerful memories remain after an overtime home loss by two, to the twice defending State Champion Lexington Minutemen. A few phrases stood out in a 45 minute dressing down. 

  • "The better team lost." 
  • "You lost because it said, "Lexington" on their jerseys." 
  • "You don't believe in yourselves." 
  • "We won't lose to them again." 
In the return road match, we thrashed them 70-52. You could hear a pin drop in their gym at the end. Then we beat them in overtime in Boston Garden in the Sectional Championship. Coach was right. 

Art is replete with pregame speeches. Al Pacino's "Inch by inch" speech in Any Given Sunday. Gene Hackman's pregame speech in Hoosiers was subdued. For me, Billy Bob Thornton's halftime speech in Friday Night Lights was most powerful. 


Coaches realize the few times that we make moments, when we change lives with something indelible. And when teams change us. 

I could never tell a pre-adolescent that a middle school game was the most important moment in their life. That borders on is insane. But when you tell a player that she is the best player that you ever coached, she remembers. Or when a kid hears, "I believe in you," and believes, it stays with them. 

Words matter. Being a worthy competitor matters. Preserving young people's dignity matters. Help young people make memories.

Lagniappe. Downscreen DHO and weakside action. 

Lagniappe 2. Focus is an enormous issue for young people.  

Lagniappe 3. Whether it's the Spurs "Beautiful Game" or Villanova, "the ball has energy." Teach players to aspire to energize.  

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