Adversity is inevitable in sports. It visits every athlete, every coach, every sport — uninvited, inconvenient, and never on schedule. The question is not if, but how.
Belief, patience, and unity turn those moments into lessons. That’s how a good team becomes a great one — and how excellent teams endure.
It arrives as a slump in performance, lost playing time, injury, losing streaks, role frustration, lack of recognition, or problems off the court. Sometimes it hides behind good fortune — coping with success can be its own test.
Unfortunately, sometimes it begets a feedback loop. A slump causes a loss of confidence. The loss of confidence worsens the slump. Or it appears as sleep disturbances, feeling down, or anxiety. Everyone is different.
Sometimes there's a trigger. Sometimes not.
Solving problems means recognizing and addressing them. Much like a garden, water the flowers and pull the weeds or nature will take its course.
There’s no single fix. What helps one athlete may not help another. Experienced coaches have seen what steadies players when the winds pick up.
Family support. A voice at home that says, you’re loved no matter what, keeps perspective intact.
Mentoring. The seniors who pull aside a younger player and say, I’ve been there, turn experience into strength.
Team connection. Trust within the group — the “Ubuntu” that says I am because we are — helps players weather tough stretches together.
Faith or grounding. For some, it’s prayer or reflection. For others, it’s quiet gratitude or journaling after practice. Stillness helps balance the storm.
Relationships with coaches. Feedback lands best when respect runs both ways. A coach who challenges you and believes in you changes the conversation from why me? to what’s next?
Counseling and mental skills. Talking to a counselor, a teacher, or a trusted adult isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom. Champions train their minds as much as their bodies.
In strong programs, they remind each other that The Standard is the Standard. Hard days don’t lower it; they define it.
In medicine, "A Great Case" is similar to Ahab's white whale in Moby Dick, a compelling obsession. Decades ago, a Georgetown physician asked us, "What is the definition of a great case? The patient must be sick as hell, nobody knows what is going on, and most important, it's someone else's patient."
In basketball, the parallel is clear. The team is struggling. No one knows for sure what’s wrong. And — if we’re honest — it’s someone else’s team. Your job is to solve the problem, to cut the Gordian Knot.
Building or Rebuilding a Program
Every program needs diagnosis before prescription. Great coaches are part clinician, part craftsman, part psychologist. The art is knowing what to fix first — and what to leave alone.
Early signs of recovery include:
Getting the team on the right track
Trending in the right direction
"Championship vision" even if not immediately
Connecting with players
Adding value via player development
The Stoics remind us: Control what you can control. With apologies to Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way, sometimes the obstacles feel immovable — but that’s where growth lives.
Reasons for Program Struggles
Not every challenge is about talent or tactics. Sometimes the “pathology” is systemic. Common causes include:
Competing attractions: A community’s best athletes are pulled toward other sports — hockey, track, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling.
Demographics: Small schools fighting larger rivals.
Culture: An entrenched tradition of mediocrity or resignation.
Pipeline: No effective feeder or youth development system.
Resources: Limited facilities, funding, or staffing.
Politics: Toxicity within the program or from outside influencers.
The Bottom Line
Every job comes with potential possibilities and pitfalls. Whether in medicine or basketball, your reputation will rest on one thing — how well you treat the case in front of you. Researching and determining existing levels of inertia, resistance, and support can help coaches from assuming unanticipated burdens.
Lagniappe. Brad Stevens looks for "competitive character."
Brad Stevens was asked, “What’s the one thing you look for when hiring a coach or drafting a player?”
Excellent players have a multitude of skills and the know how to apply them.
Let's choose a few areas that are intrinsically challenging to teach and learn.
1. Pick-and-roll defense. When run well, PnR challenges many defenses. It can create:
Numerical separation (handler defender trapped)
Individual separation (screen rejected, handler free to the basket)
Open perimeter shooter (pick-and-pop)
Open roller (with roll or slip)
2. Ball containment. Contemporary offensive players have multiple actions to create separation with the ball, both with physical superiority and a variety of moves and combinations. Speed, crossover, hesitation, rip and go, show-and-go, negative step, stampede and more. Developing athleticism (footwork, balance, maneuvering speed) means as much for defenders as offensive players.
3. Handling defensive pressure. From a young age, players face extended defenses (most commonly zone traps, e.g. 1-3-1, 1-2-1-1) because it's the quickest way to fluster young players. Consider starting with these:
Kirby Schepp keep away.
Play 'keep away' inside the volleyball lines without and later with screening.
Advance to 4 versus 6 or 5 versus 7 full court defense with constraints (e.g. no dribbling). Make practice hard so games are easier.
4. Shooting against defense. It's one thing to make open shots in drills and it's another to score with a hand (or defender in your face). Bob Knight condemned "free shooting" and that makes sense. Here's the analogy, “Anyone can shoot at a target. How well do you shoot when the muzzle points at your heart?”
5. Taking a charge. It's easy to explain "how" to take a charge, legal guarding position, and holding your position. Yet, watch most youth and high school games and charges taken are rare.
The commentary is telling, "sacrificing your body"...and being "willing to take the hit."
Lagniappe. Competing doesn't stop at the edge of the court.
Danny Hurley said, "If you can't sit through an hour and 15 minute video session...get out of this industry because this is only for the most competitive people."
Greatness isn't for the interested. • It's for the committed. • It's for the prepared.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 24, 2025
Lagniappe 2. The list of what is expected goes on and on.
Coaches can emphasize, demand and hold accountable for; -Accuracy of passing - Aggressiveness of catching passes -Using the Backboard - Throw aheads in Transition -Talking and getting matched up in transition - Talking on Screens -Being in position on weak side -Shot choices
Listen well and ask insightful questions. Provideing readers with a list of possible questions might add value.
An After Action Review from The Leadership Moment (Michael Useem)
What went well?
What went poorly?
What can we do differently?
What are the enduring lessons?
Change can be premature or powerful. These questions are designed to find what works, what doesn’t, and to do more of the former and less of the latter.
Conflict resolution
What do you suggest?
Where do we agree/align on this?
Can you live with this?
Finding compromise doesn’t have to be a lost art. Asking for suggestions is a first step. If a person doesn't want to add suggestions, they may not seek resolution.
Advice from Brad Stevens
What does our team need now?
We may need to work harder, take a day off for physical or mental health, or practice focused on individual or team skills.
An Outsider Perspective
How can I help?
A fresh look can help identify old or novel suggestions. Bill Belichick talked about formations from a 1976 Lions game that helped him win a game over forty years later. “There is nothing new under the sun.”
These nine questions can help "reboot" our team.
Use a "Filter," the THINK Acronym
Is it true?
Is it helpful?
Is it inspiring?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
Steven Covey said, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Questions provide shared responsibility - listen sincerely to help not hurt.
Often there is "information asymmetry" that participants should address.
A parent contacted me during tryouts to share that there was family illness and ask that their child make the team. I answered that I was sorry to hear about illness; no issue existed as the girl was one of our best players.
Lagniappe. Teams need leadership and identity.
The strength of your culture depends on the strength of your leaders. Do your leaders BRING IT every day? Do your leaders model the culture? Do your leaders celebrate their teammates? Do your leaders hold teammates accountable? Strong cultures are led by strong leaders.
Ken Burns says common stories are one plus one equals two; the good ones are one plus one equals three. Morgan Housel calls that leverage—two habits that compound into more than their parts.
Many of you have lived your own March Madness. I did fifty years ago. My twin daughters did twenty years ago. I hope you wrote great stories.
Think Hoosiers: the rim is ten feet, the lane the same width - same court as back home. The stage changes; the standards don’t.
The 2025–26 Premortem
A premortem examination allows you to anticipate and fix problems that haven't occurred. If someone told you today the season will fall short, why? Write the obituary now, then fix it.
Motivation: Did daily work connect to a purpose and a role?
Teamwork: Did we share the ball and the credit—screen, space, extra pass?
Resilience: Did we have a reset to stop runs? Could we play "uphill," facing deficits. Did we have depth to control for injuries or other intangibles? If the point guard fouls out early in the fourth quarter, how do we run the offense and break the press?
Decision-making: Did we follow our shot profile and ban "shot turnovers?"
Coaching: Did our schemes fit our personnel—and did we adjust fast?
Premortem → Plan
1) Standards that travel (Four Factors + 1). What do you expect? Fill in your blanks.
eFG%: ≥ ___% (shots we want: rim, FT line, clean rhythm 3s)
TOV%: ≤ ___% (no live-ball gifts)
ORB%: ≥ ___% or DRB%: ≥ ___% (pick one as identity)
FT Rate: ≥ ___ (pressure the paint)
PACE with purpose: transition chances ≥ ___ per half
2) Roles and leverage
Each player names their keep-you-on-the-floor skill (on-ball defense, screening, corner 3, rim runs).
Each player names an “out pitch” (the difference-maker under pressure):
PG: paint touch → spray
Wing: corner 3 + 1-more pass
Big: early rim run + verticality
Sixth: two hustle plays/quarter (charge, deflection, O-board)
3) Pressure packages (win the last 4 minutes)
ATO offense (2 sets)
BLOB/SLOB (2 automatics)
Defense (what would you adjust now?)
ICE side PnR; when we switch defenses?
Switch 1–4 late clock;
4) Film & feedback cadence
Weekly: 5 clips/player (3 keep, 2 fix).
Practice: one cue/day posted (e.g., “get 2 feet in the paint before pass”).
Game card: shot chart by zone + paint touches and pass-to-assist counts.
What Leverage Looks Like (1+1=3)
Paint touch + one-more pass get corner 3s, higher eFG%
Wall up + gang rebound to kill second chances
Nail help + low-man early to take away driving lanes without giving up rhythm kickouts
Early drag screen + rim run create foul pressure + dump-offs
Cue word: __________ (e.g. red, fronting the post)
My out pitch tonight: __________
Same court. Same standards. Better habits. Make two things add up to three.
Lagniappe. Wisdom from millenia ago
Most people think strategy is about plans on paper.
But Sun Tzu knew the truth 2,500 years ago: strategy is not about plans
It's about how you think
Here are his 7 principles of strategic thinking — the same mindset used by the leaders, entrepreneurs, and creators you admire: pic.twitter.com/h8M0KR5COP
“Our selfishness will condemn us to the worst suffering that we ourselves have invented — loneliness.” — Paulo Coelho
"Basketball is sharing.” — Phil Jackson
The three deadliest S’s in basketball—selfishness, softness, and sloth—don’t show up on box scores. They surface in habits, effort, and in how teammates feel when you walk into the gym. The best teams pass the ball—and the credit. The worst teams guard both like possessions. Invert selfishness and you get connection. Invert ego and you get trust. Sharing becomes competitive advantage.
What selfishness looks like
Selfishness isn’t only a bad shot. It’s any act that puts me over we:
“Me first” or “me, too” shot selection
Unwilling passer - dead ends the offense
Conserving energy for offense - less defense, transition, or closeouts
Uncoachable - rejects feedback, blames others
Sulking over minutes - lowers the huddle’s temperature
Credit-seeking - media, social posts, stat-hunting
No mentorship - won’t help the next player up
Diagnosis is easy. Cure is hard.
The coach’s dilemma: benching or belief?
Every coach wrestles with the line between individual freedom and team discipline.
The bench teaches lessons the scoreboard can’t. Some learn. Some pout.
Belief invests in growth: clarity and accountability.
Most coaches would rather have a productive player on the floor than a disenchanted one on the bench. But production must align with team standards.
Antidotes to selfishness (standards → behaviors)
Team first - celebrate the helper, effort always.
Communication - creates energy and advantage.
Effort - effort is not a given. Coach it up.
Sharing - extra pass, screen to score, hockey assist pride.
Growth - accept feedback, film one clip you’d change, fix it.
A simple framework: freedom earned, trust kept
Role clarity: “Here’s your job; here’s how it helps us win.”
Freedom within role: More trust unlocks more touches, reads, and late-game usage.
Accountability: Miss the standard? We adjust minutes or touches until it’s met.
Player pledge (post it)
I will share the ball and the credit.
I will defend first actions even when tired.
I will accept coaching and pass it on.
I will make my teammates better today.
Exceptional teams share vision, sacrifice, and rewards. When a few won’t share, the challenge becomes a distraction. The cure is the same as the diagnosis: make the we visible—in roles, in reps, in praise, and in minutes. If the standard is sharing, the culture starts to keep itself.
Lagniappe. Brad Stevens:
"My door is always open to talk about playing time.
But if you want to talk about playing time, be prepared for the truth"
This one comes from A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein — a look inside Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers.
There’s a short passage that really stuck with me. Before playing Kent State, Knight had to remind his team they could lose.… pic.twitter.com/0Fdqkbk3J1
"I ask myself if I am putting myself in a good position to succeed: Did I eliminate distractions? Did I prepare? Did I practice? Did I produce? Did I honestly self‐evaluate my performance and see where there was room for improvement? Did I see the challenge correctly? Did I do my research before I shared my response? Did I reach out to others that might have gone through this situation to share their experiences?" - Clint Hurdle in "Hurdle-isms"
Putting players and teams in a position to succeed defines coaching. Coaching it teaching...and curiosity about our limitations. In his excellent book, Hurdle lays out worthy questions.
Did I eliminate distractions?
Computers do not multitask. They process faster than people, who cannot switch attention with the same speed and accuracy.
Focus separates the best. Focus allows attention to detail and execution. Whatever your responsibility in the moment, focus completely.
Did I prepare?
Preparation is physical and mental. Study the game. Preparation means refining skills, maximizing athleticism, and taking care of your body with hydration, rest, nutrition, sleep, and more. Mindfulness is an important part of preparation for many elite athletes.
Did I practice?
Practice means working in advance to be capable of executing the tasks expected of you. Becoming a defensive guard within modern basketball asks the equivalent of Rocky Balboa doing chicken chasing.
Were we innovative in building skill and athleticism?
Building in constraints (conditions) such as time, makes, or sequences ups the difficulty.
Did I produce?
Players produce in different ways. Scorers score, rebounders rebound. Players should ask did I impact winning and how? Did I make my teammates better - by communicating, by doing the dirty work, by helping the team finish plays?
Did I honestly evaluate my performance...
Each of us knows when we've shown high performance or fallen short. Nobody relishes saying, "I was bad." But we've all been there. Win or learn. Growing from mistakes separates long term success. The success equation is:
ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME
Highest achievement means exceptional performance over extended time.
Did I see the challenge correctly?
Success means knowing the task and executing it. Giving our best doesn't guarantee success. The eighth best poker player in the world may get her head handed to her if her opponents are one through seven. Of course, luck does play a role in that situation.
Did I do my research?
Research varies with task at hand. Coaches may need to study tape, player development, psychology, exercise physiology. Studying people and how our body language (hand movements, eye contact, body position) influences how others see us also matters. Research is unbounded and top coaches are curious and open.
In my sixties, I took the free Coursera.org course, "Learning how to learn," because learning helps craft our edge.
Did I reach out to others?
Sean McVay, coach of the Rams explained, "Everyone benefits from coaching." I've shared before how Harvard surgeon Atul Gawande hired a senior surgeon to review his technique. He wrote about this in "The Coach in the Operating Room." Another core belief states, "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."
Lagniappe. When a coach says, "You can't teach me anything," they're saying nothing about us and everything about themselves. Abraham Lincoln said, "I will prepare and someday my chance will come."
Via ChatGPT Plus: Here are the big takeaways from Atul Gawande’s “A Coach in the Operating Room” (his New Yorker piece about inviting a senior surgeon to coach him):
Core ideas
Even experts plateau. Skill doesn’t automatically keep improving with experience; deliberate feedback restarts growth.
A coach supplies an external eye. You can’t see your own blind spots—tiny posture, setup, or timing issues that cascade into bigger problems.
Feedback is specific and observable. Notes like “raise your elbow,” “reposition the drape,” “slow your first three stitches,” or “move the monitor here” change performance immediately.
Coaching isn’t remediation. It’s a performance tool for the already competent (as in music and sports), not a fix for incompetence.
Structure beats vibes. Pre-agreed roles (coach observes, asks questions, offers concrete cues after the case) keep it safe, focused, and ego-proof.
Results compound. Small improvements in setup, economy of motion, and team communication add up to cleaner, steadier operations.
Cultural hurdle > technical hurdle. The biggest barrier is professional pride; once you allow another expert in, improvement follows.
How Gawande worked with his coach
Chose a trusted, highly experienced surgeon (not his boss) to watch cases.
Asked for micro-level notes on technique, setup, and communication—things colleagues normally don’t say aloud.
Met after cases to translate notes into one or two changes for the next operation (not a dozen).
Kept it ongoing, not one-and-done—performance is perishable.
Translated for any high-skill field (e.g., coaching volleyball)
Pick the right coach: someone you respect who’ll be frank and specific.
Film or live-observe: agree on 2–3 focus areas (setup, first actions, communication).
Make feedback actionable: verbs + location (“lower platform angle on float serve receive,” “call seam early”).
Iterate: one change per session, measured in the next rep/match.
Normalize it: “Pros have coaches” reduces ego threat and makes feedback routine.
Study greatness. We abuse the term great. Great arrives infrequently. Sports differ but many coaching principles cross sport domains. These coaching notes from Bob Knight and Geno Auriemma illustrate.
Find some core concepts to adopt.
Excerpts:
1) Playing defense has to be taught (well)
2) Many coaches make the mistake of trying to coach something that someone else does well (coach what we do well)
3) What you can TEACH depends on the type of players you have
4) How will the other team beat us?
5) Nature won't help you, you have to make change happen
6) IMPORTANT: know strengths and limitations
Tell a kid what they CAN'T do (yet)
Tell a kid what they CAN do
7) Find a way to simplify the game for the kids
8) What little things are going to make the team better?
9)
10) You can't make kids into something they are not.
11) Have drills to create intensity and attitude from the beginning of practice
12) Drills are run at the pace you want to play at
13) Practice culture:
14) "Thinking makes good players out of average players."
15) Maximize practice time; maximize teaching.
16) Do things that suit you as a coach and your players
17) Make practice hard:
My thoughts:
***Beating quality means scoring points. You cannot win 0-0. Execute. Execute. Execute.
***Show players and teams specifically what we want done.
** Use video as illustration. This is how we will do it.
Lagniappe 2. Be good at what matters every possession.
BASKETBALL IS SIMPLE
Winning Basketball is not about complicated sets, or the ability to make tough shots. It’s about being disciplined and consistent in the simple things that happen the most in the game…. Finishing possessions with rebounds, taking care of the basketball,… pic.twitter.com/4TBmedQVj2
Basketball philosophy is our blueprint for program formation.The word "philosophy"originates from the Greek, combining the words "philo" meaning "love" and "sophia" meaning "wisdom."
Philosophy establishes our direction, like a road map. Years ago a parent asked a new coach the team's philosophy, and the coach said, "I don't have one." The season went downhill from there.
Quotes reflect our philosophy but don't define it.
"Sacrifice." Coach Ellis Lane expressed teamwork as sacrifice.
"Basketball is sharing." Phil Jackson said it another way.
"Team first" is how John Calipari staked out his territory.
"The game honors toughness." Brad Stevens and others recognized the role of physical and mental strength.
"Two is one and one is none," shares the doctrine of Navy SEALs.
Pete Carroll's emphasizes having a clear philosophy in his book "Win Forever." There's no one way to coach.
Coach John Wooden developed his "Pyramid of Success" as a model for philosophy and culture. Wooden informed "success as peace of mind attained through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable."
Vince Lombardi's model was simpler, "Winning isn't everything. Winning is the only thing."
I favored "TIA" - teamwork, improvement, and accountability.
Teamwork - prioritize what is good for the team.
Improvement - "Seek daily improvement."
Accountability - "Hold ourselves to high standards in all areas.”
Your philosophy helps create a reference point and anchor for everyone in your system. Keep it simple, credible, and clear.
Lagniappe. Bring energy and energize.
Younger Coaches , Don’t let anyone tell you that don’t coach effort or energy. That it’s a given. NO IT’S NOT ! You do have to coach someone to believe and understand how hard they have to play to be GREAT. How much energy is needed to persevere and overcome. Build their BELIEF !
Lagniappe 2. Brad Stevens told my wife, a rocket scientist, "basketball is not rocket science."
BASKETBALL IS SIMPLE
Winning Basketball is not about complicated sets, or the ability to make tough shots. It’s about being disciplined and consistent in the simple things that happen the most in the game…. Finishing possessions with rebounds, taking care of the basketball,… pic.twitter.com/4TBmedQVj2
Do you know anyone who wants to be a worse leader?
Of course not. Yet leadership growth rarely happens by accident - it happens through reflection. We improve when we examine our decisions, reactions, and relationships. A Leadership Journal could help coaches and players do exactly that: track your leadership moments, evaluate them honestly, and identify patterns that enhance or weaken your influence.
Reflecting on the Leaders Who Shaped You
Start by asking: Whom have I respected as leaders or coaches - and why?
What qualities earned your trust and admiration?
Communication: clarity, simplicity, honesty
Integrity: following through on words and promises
Competence: deep domain knowledge and curiosity
Optimism: belief that challenges can be overcome
High Standards: setting the bar and modeling effort
Trust: consistency and fairness in word and action
Strong leaders attract followers who think for themselves. As the saying goes, “Leaders make leaders, not servants.”
Learning from Poor Leadership
Equally powerful is recalling the leaders you held in low regard. What drove you - or others - away?
Unapproachable
Mercurial
Untrustworthy
Negative
Controlling
Paranoid
Poor leaders rarely lose positions first - they lose people. As the saying goes, “People don’t quit jobs; they quit people.”
The Power of Reflection
In Think Again, Adam Grant encourages a “Rethinking Scorecard” to capture moments when we change our minds. The same principle applies to leadership: document, dissect, and develop.
Your Leadership Journal might include entries such as:
What leadership opportunity did I face today?
How did I respond - model excellence, avoidance, or something in between?
What attitude, belief, or value was at play?
What might I do differently next time?
The Payoff
A Leadership Journal transforms experience into insight. It moves you from reacting in the moment to improving with intention. Over time, you’ll notice themes - where you thrive, where you stumble, and where growth awaits.
Leadership isn’t a static trait; it’s a practice. Writing is rehearsal for becoming better versions of ourselves.
Applying the Leadership Journal to Coaching Basketball
Basketball coaches live in a constant cycle of decisions—timeouts, substitutions, play calls, player development, and culture building. Every choice reveals values. A Leadership Journal shapes a quiet postgame huddle with yourself.
After practices or games, take five minutes to write:
What leadership moments arose today?
Did I model composure under pressure?
Did my words clarify or confuse?
Did I build trust or erode it?
How did I handle adversity—an official’s call, a player’s mistake, a teammate’s conflict?
Patterns emerge. Maybe you react too quickly when frustrated, or maybe your best moments come when you listen first. A Leadership Journal helps you see yourself as your players see you.
Great teams mirror their coaches. Calm leaders breed calm teams. Curious leaders inspire learners. Accountable leaders create accountability. The act of journaling - simple, regular reflection - keeps leadership fresh and planned, not accidental.
In basketball, as in life, we play how we practice. A Leadership Journal helps maintain a scaffold for leading well.
Lagniappe. Coach Matt Dennis shares a few 'best practices'.
Coaches screenshot this, write it down, like the post, just don't forget about it.
- Define roles clearly with each player during pre-season and check in mid-season.
- Teach phrases players can use: “How can I help the team?”
- Have a “Team First” board where contributions are…
