Quotes alone don't win games. Embrace principles embedded within quotes. Here are some of my favorites:
1. "Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi
What's the opposite and what are the likely consequences of the opposite? How would you want people to describe our team? Smart (vs low BBIQ), tough (vs soft), together (vs selfish).
2. "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson
Teamwork is a force multiplier. Exceptional teams usually exceed the sum of the individual parts. Sharers make those around them better.
3. "The game honors toughness." - Paul Patterson (popularized by Brad Stevens)
Jay Bilas's book Toughness is a must read for every serious coach and player. It's excellent for "team reading."
4. "Prove them wrong." - Kobe Bryant
Naysayers always have reasons "not to believe." Too small. Too slow. Too inexperienced.
5. "Excellent teams play harder for longer." - Dave Smart
Smart is aptly named, an under-the-radar coach who is among the best in the sport. Playing harder for longer manifests resilience.
6. "Shot selection is the quickest path to improvement."
Believe in Newell's legendary mandate, "Get more and better shots than our opponent." It's the meaning behind Doc Rivers' "shot turnovers" and the first priority of analytics effective field goal percentage. "Me, too" or "My turn" shots are unacceptable.
7. "Fouls negate hustle." - Anonymous
Hustle can make something out of a negative. Fouls create the highest points per possession chances - free throws. Bad teams play bad individual and team defense, often leading to fouls.
8. Just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight
Contribution doesn't equate to "box score hero." The best teams get the ball to the best shooters for the most shots from their spots. Players can contribute with defense, communication, screening, blocking out, taking charges, winning 50-50 balls, and more.
9. "Drag a teammate into the top ten percent." - Urban Meyer
Working out with a teammate improves two players, enhances communication, teamwork, and creates competition. Meyer require top ten percenters to bring someone from the "middle class" (the 80 percent) to work out.
10. "I believe in you." - Anonymous
When your coach tells you, "I believe in you," they're making a powerful statement. A woman was walking into a CIA meeting to give a presentation and her boss asked her, "Do you know more about this than anyone else here?" She said, "Yes." He instructed her, "Act like it." Belief is ultimately our responsibility.
Lagniappe. Learn every day.
