My son and I were talking the other day and the topic of Jr. High basketball tryouts came up. He’s 13 and a pretty good ball player and he works hard, so he asked me to move my truck so he could shoot. I sat on the front porch for a while and watched him while he went to work. What I was most impressed with while watching him was the intent and purpose he put into what he was doing. He wasn’t just shooting to shoot, and wasn’t just going through the motions. In his mind he was in a game with an opponent in front of him; he was already on the team in his mind. He took a break to get some water and we talked a little bit. He told me that he wanted to make sure that he had his combinations down, so he could do really well at tryouts and make the team.
As we sat there talking he couldn’t contain his anticipation for the upcoming season. It wasn’t a conversation about raining three pointers, or breaking ankles, but went in an entirely different direction. His focus was on being part of a team that represented his school. He talked about the fact that the team got to take buses to games, and the camaraderie between teammates on the way to and from the games. There were hints of game talk mixed in, but the bulk of the conversation focused on the team environment, and what being on that meant to him.
As a parent, I was proud of his work ethic and his drive to achieve his goals. As a coach, I was in awe of his desire to be a part of something greater than himself. His willingness to put his best efforts forward in order to represent his school the best way he could, and be a part of a team. Too often there is more emphasis on the individual player, rather than all of parts that contribute to the whole. Focusing on the team and what the team represents creates success in a program. Pride in a program creates success in teams. Player investment in team cultures creates success in individual players.
Program-Team-Individual
As we sat there talking he couldn’t contain his anticipation for the upcoming season. It wasn’t a conversation about raining three pointers, or breaking ankles, but went in an entirely different direction. His focus was on being part of a team that represented his school. He talked about the fact that the team got to take buses to games, and the camaraderie between teammates on the way to and from the games. There were hints of game talk mixed in, but the bulk of the conversation focused on the team environment, and what being on that meant to him.
As a parent, I was proud of his work ethic and his drive to achieve his goals. As a coach, I was in awe of his desire to be a part of something greater than himself. His willingness to put his best efforts forward in order to represent his school the best way he could, and be a part of a team. Too often there is more emphasis on the individual player, rather than all of parts that contribute to the whole. Focusing on the team and what the team represents creates success in a program. Pride in a program creates success in teams. Player investment in team cultures creates success in individual players.
Program-Team-Individual
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