Little Things, Part I

Gatorade produced a very nifty commercial highlighting the importance of executing the little things in key moments. Michael Jordan misses the jumpshot over Craig Ehlo, Derek Jeter doesn’t throw Jason Giambi out at home, and Joe Montana throws a pass off Dwight Clark’s fingers. The moral of the story: it’s the details that count; I agree entirely. Bret Hart is the best there was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be because he is the excellence of execution. Coaches should improve student-athletes by developing fundamental skills and teaching players how to work together on the court.

Furthermore, the altered videos were really cool. What if? But if things were different, they wouldn’t be the same.

Stream of Consciousness, Part II

Charlie Weis mishandled the closing moments of the Notre Dame - USC game. He should have used his timeouts to stop the clock once USC got in the red zone. At least Notre Dame would have had thirty seconds to drive for a game tying field goal … I’m really interested in what happens with the Astros - Cardinals series. Houston could be completely crushed as a result of that slider Albert Pujols crushed in the top of the ninth. Nevertheless, starting Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens in games six and seven and their mental toughness gives them a chip and a chair. (Because of what happened in game 5, it’s the Astros who have the chip and the chair, not the Cardinals. That was a huge psychological hit for a jinxed franchise) … I designed a zero post motion offence today based on option like reads. It’s rather particular and relies on a player who can screen and shoot, as opposed to a traditional post presence … It’s old news but Mike Scioscia did an excellent job in Game 2 of the A.L.C.S. That dropped third strike was a terrible call, mostly because the umpire clearly called the batter out. Scioscia made his case but didn’t make a big deal out of it. The Angels lost because of Chicago’s ridiculous starting pitching, not the missed call.

Why Do We Coach?

Paul J. Meyer once said: “You never work for someone else. The truth is someone is paying you to work for yourself.”

Someone recently suggested that coaching for the purposes of self-actualisation was possibly selfish. In the end, don’t all humans choose their actions in order to satisfy a need (physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualisation)? Even those employed in an altruistic occupation do so because helping others meets their belonging, esteem, or self-actualisation needs.

The suggestion was made with a somewhat negative connotation. I couldn’t disagree more. People are free to act as they wish and no one can tell someone else how to make the most of themselves. Conventional wisdom is very popular and a revelation that all action is incentive based (economics is merely a model to understand life) can be hard to accept.

Why do we coach? Obviously, we love the game and the people - players, coaches, referees, and fans - who play it. But don’t coach to indulge ourselves; there are many ways to satisfy our basketball jones without affecting the lives of young people. We chose to assume positions of influence in the lives of student-athletes because we wanted to give back and make a difference.

Basketball (or any sport) is the vehicle, personal best sand self-actualization are the destinations. Since we coach because we want to help players become the people they aspire to, how do we make the biggest difference?

No Longer All Night

ESPN chose recently not to renew Todd Wright’s contract. This is disappointing because Todd had done an excellent job as the host of ESPN radio’s overnight show and was completely atypical of most radio shows. Todd understood the mindset of the typical sports fan and despite his occasional long-winded monologue, put together a consistently interesting show. His replacement, Jason Smith, is far more traditional and doesn’t rock the boat or stimulate the mind at all.

Choice Theory

A recent Choice Theory workshop that I attended was very productive. During a very valuable ninety minutes, the group discussed the negative consequences of criticism. Players and coaches shared how they had been affected by criticism. Coaches, family members, athletic directors, and others hurt people with thoughtless - and sometimes abusive - comments.

First of all, there is never any place for personal criticism. In sport, although it is necessary to provide feedback, comments should focus on specific behaviours, not a person's character. Secondly, correction must be supplemented with encouragement to build the confidence of individual athletes and the entire team.

Unhappy people evaluate others, happy people self-evaluate. Greg Norman once said: “If you’re serious about improving your play, be brutally honest with yourself.”