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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Basketball - Resonant

"Impossible is a word only found in the dictionary of fools." - Young Sherlock Holmes

Coaches have no magic words - only helpful ones that encourage remembering concepts. Find a few to make your own. "It takes patience to elevate the humble but motivated player." 

There are no more powerful lessons than losses. 

“Turnovers kill dreams.”
— recurring basketball principle emphasizing possession value. An extension of one of the Four Factors. Excellent teams do not give away games. 

“Scores and stops.”
— concise framing of winning possessions and productive players. Another phrase encompasses, "Stops make runs." Still another version uses 3-7-2, three consecutive stops (a kill), seven times per half, for two halves. You can't succeed by playing "one end" of the court. 
 
“Every day is player development day.” - Dave Smart
— encapsulates core developmental philosophy. Talent is king. Don Meyer's question was, "Do you want two better plays or two better plays?" Every excellent player needs individual attention. 
 
“The Standard is the Standard.”
— cultural expectation independent of roster/year. "Legacy programs" leave the organization in a better place. Without values and standards, sustained success is impossible. 

“Coaches don’t set lineups. Players do.”
— Seek socially portable lines. Players conveniently hold coaches responsible for shortcomings. Reality is Bill Parcells' "Coaches are the most selfish people in the world, wanting players that make us look good." Charles Barkley asked, "What is your NBA skill?" What gets you minutes, role, and recognition? 

“Discipline determines destiny.”
— What is our foul-discipline?. Fouls often convert opponent possessions to high points per possession chances. Don't convert a bad opponent possession into free throws. 

“Don’t give away points.”
— Possession efficiency is king. So many games reveal themselves as one team scoring "easily" and the opponent struggling. There is but one outcome to these. 

“The game reveals itself to those who study.”
— A teaching/scouting ethos shows up on the court. The teams that do not learn from mistakes are consigned to the scrapheap of history. When players have little "situational experience" they make hesitant or poor decisions.
“Production is the scorecard.”
— Meritocracy/performance show up on the scoreboard. Making others around a player better won't always in the scorebook. Screening, blocking out, getting 50-50 balls, help and recover defense, communication, and other vital skills only matter to winning. 
“The best players make the team.”
— This is not a union job. “There is no seniority system.” Who is most hurt by politics? Players. 
“Basketball is sharing.” - Phil Jackson
— This integrates into every coach's teaching language and framing. Wooden said, "Happiness begins where selfishness ends." It dovetails with the "Deadly S's" that destroy teams - selfishness, softness, and sloth (laziness). 
“Put people in position to succeed.”
— Leaders create leaders" and "Results reflect leadership. An old quote says, "An army of asses led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by an ass." 
“Leading isn’t about getting our way, but finding the best way.”
— This reflects principles of many coaches, especially Bill Walsh. Finding better ways often accompanies excavation - reading, study, watching clinics, or attending another coach's practice. 

“If it looks like a foul, officials will call it."
- Certain actions don't always foul but will get called. Reaching in, hacking down (especially blocking shots), and bodying opponents gets attention - not in a good way. 

Players may say, "I know, I know" after making mistakes. If they know, then why continually repeat them - bad shots, missed assignments, driving or passing into traffic? This saying applies - "One mistake, bad play. Two mistakes, bad player. Three mistakes, bad coaching." 

Lagniappe. "Pain is pain." 
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