Everyone benefits from understanding survival in their unique basketball landscape. Survival shows (Survivorman, Dual Survival, Alone) inform viewers about the many physical and mental challenges. Derive analogical benefits.
Shelter, fire, water, and food are the major challenges against the elements, predators, thirst, and hunger. On the survival shows, contestants or experts have (optional) tools to improve their odds - tarp, fire rod, cutting tools, primitive fishing gear, snare wire, paracord, pot, sometimes bow and arrow.
Sometimes the conditions are not survivable - the New York Jets of the NFL.
And lamentable, effort may not be proportional to results. "Control what you can control."
Ecosystem - facilities, practice, assistants
Predators - opponents (and competition for available talent - other sports)
Climate - talent, parents, community (extremes of desert, frozen tundra both non-navigable)
"Nutrition" - thirst and hunger (training, resources)
You wouldn't choose a survival challenge without any experience or survival in survival. Ideally, the 'survivalist' (coach) would train at the hand of an experienced/successful coach.
Obstacles
Ecosystem - One season I was offered two hours of practice a week. I countered that I was prepared to walk away without at least three. The tradeoff was practice 7:30-9:00 p.m. for middle schoolers.
Predators - One area community has an elite field hockey program. The best athletes vote with their feet and win States every year.
Climate - Prep and private schools cherry pick a lot of the best available talent. Make peace with reality. Coaching girls, I practiced total transparency and all communication went through parents. Parents got periodic emails re: progress and need areas. Any "hard" conversations should always have two adults present.
Nutrition - offseason training is limited in suburban Boston by weather. May through September, hope for the best. The best players were always the most committed. Everyone, without exception, has at least occasional adversarial encounters with parents with the usual issues over minutes, role, and recognition.
Lagniappe. I've read Deep Survival twice and I'm not an outdoors person.
Lagniappe 2. Curiosity is essential.
Leadership QOTD: pic.twitter.com/6z7DmPBxB0
— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) April 14, 2025
Lagniappe 3. Numbers don't lie.
BE A GAME SHOOTER
— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) April 14, 2025
Numbers don’t lie, and there are a lot of players that say they are ‘shooters’ but don’t consistently make shots in games.
2 ways that we can help players translate their shooting workouts to game success…
1. Rep Variability - Whether it’s the type of shots,… pic.twitter.com/dkUGIuyw8E
Lagniappe 4. Become more with better habits.
If you're Ambitious But Lazy,
— Deep Psychology (@DeepPsycho_HQ) April 14, 2025
Open this before you regret.
1. pic.twitter.com/z1ub5E5bA5
