Basketball - "I Don't Know"

What we don't know can kill us. "Looks like some great waves for bodysurfing today!" The lifeguard says, "Sorry, Mister, the undertow is fierce; stay out of the water."

A helpful tool is our "Circle of Competence." The circle forms a changeable boundary depending on our experience and study. My son prefers to call it, "staying in his lane."

At the Naval Academy, plebes learn "the five answers." 

• "Yes, Sir."
• "No, Sir."
• "Aye, aye, Sir." 
• "Right away, Sir."
• "I don't know but I'll find out, Sir." 

It's essential to respond quickly and properly within the chain of command.

Medicine expands exponentially. Two vital answers become, "I don't know" or "that's an interesting idea, we might try that." Knowing a patient's allergies, pregnancy status, and other issues are constant concerns. 

The "I don't know" factor haunts players and coaches, especially when "I don't know" leads to a loss. 

The "I don't know" factor reflects attention to detail And every coach in America has lost because of "I didn't know." Check and double-check. 

• "I didn't know we were out of timeouts." 
• "I didn't know what defense we were in."
• "I didn't know that she was left handed." 
• "I didn't know that I was playing the '2' not the '3'."
• "I didn't know that I was covering her." 
• "I didn't know that they liked to run back door from the wing."
• "I didn't know that another foul would disqualify me." 
• "I didn't know we were sending two to the offensive boards."
• "I didn't know we were in 'switch everything'."
• "I didn't know that he always goes left." 

The list goes on and on.

We had a varsity girl that always went right. 100 percent. I said, "I guarantee, the first time you go left, you'll score. Your defender won't even suspect it." And that happened. Unfortunately, habits are hard to break.

Lagniappe. Give what you team needs. 

Marcus Freeman said, "What leadership entails is dependent on what your team needs."

It requires emotional intelligence to lead.
• It means adaptability.
• It means being team-first.
• It means reading the room.

Leadership is connection and action.pic.twitter.com/wuNXO6QncG

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) July 16, 2025

Lagniappe 2. We judge action differently with incomplete information. 

"How do you evaluate yourself? It is said that we judge ourselves based on our intentions, but we judge others based on their actions." - "The Leadership Playbook: Become Your Team's Most Valuable Leader" by Jamy Bechler