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.
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Family support. A voice at home that says, you’re loved no matter what, keeps perspective intact.
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Mentoring. The seniors who pull aside a younger player and say, I’ve been there, turn experience into strength.
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Team connection. Trust within the group — the “Ubuntu” that says I am because we are — helps players weather tough stretches together.
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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.
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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?
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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.
Lagniappe. SLOBs that worked.
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— Dustin Aubert (@dustinaubert) October 23, 2025
Warriors go-to “What the f***”
Rip screen + DHO pic.twitter.com/Di7Sdcr4Vb
Lagniappe 2. "The ball has energy."
