What is in YOUR gym bag?

• Shoes?.....check.
• Lucky Socks?.....check.
• Favorite Shorts?.....check.
• Practice Jersey?......check.

This is my second favorite time of the year (March is first), and I am happy for all of my friends who coach and play this great game who get to head into the gym again.

As you get set to head back to practice and prepare for another season, you are no doubt excited and trying to be ready.  I remember the joy of packing and often repacking my gym bag in the days leading up to that first practice.  I have often said "every team in Ohio has a good first practice....good teams can do it every day". I admit that isn't 100% true, but it does point to a universal truth: Those who prepare better often perform better. That means having good practices on snow days, late on Friday after a long week, and early the next Saturday morning.

Remembering to pack all of the things on the list above is important, but sometimes you mistakenly bring other things with you that keep you and your team from achieving at your highest levels. Here is my list of what NOT to bring to practice:

1. Don't bring your girlfriend.  I know your relationship is important to you.  It just doesn't need to affect the team.  Your teammates are counting on you to put forth a good effort.  You can finish the fight, or the apology, or the plans for the dance later.
2. Don't bring your math test.  Don't fail practice because you failed math.  I teach math, and it IS more important than basketball, but you cannot fix it now.  Rethink your study habits, make a better plan, and move forward.  Do not turn one F into two.
3. Don't bring your parents.  They are wired to want to protect YOU and want what is best for YOU.  It is very hard for them to turn that off and think about what is best for the TEAM.  Do not let the things they may say or feel about your team, coach, or teammates change the way you approach the game.  Read my earlier posts about being a good teammate. It is not about you.  
4. Don't bring yesterday's bad practice.  Same idea as the math test.  What is done, is done.  You control two things at ALL times: your attitude and your effort.  Coaches will be watching to see if you can "bounce back".  Stay positive and give great effort.
5. Don't bring tomorrow's big game.  Everyone gets nervous and everyone gets excited. There is plenty of time for that later.  Block it out and prepare.  Better yet, acknowledge the excitement and use it as motivation to prepare better.

You see the theme, right? You get to be in the gym about two hours a day. You are lucky enough to be doing one of the things you really enjoy. Do not poison that time because you are upset by something else. Not only will a good, physical workout help your team, it will help you clear your head. Stress releases chemicals in your body that physical activity neutralizes. It is not that you feel better, it is that you actually ARE better.

So pack your bag carefully each day. Bring what you really need and leave behind everything you don't.

Have a great first day and a great year.

P.S.--don't pack a shooting sleeve either...they look stupid...just sayin'...

Don't Be "That Guy"

Everyone wants to be noticed by their coaches.  Everyone wants to stand out.  The trust that you earn from teammates and coaches often plays a big part in your playing time. However, there are certain behaviors that coaches notice right away, and not in a good way....trust me.  Some personalities can ruin the atmosphere of a locker room, and alienate coaches and teammates.  As we like to say, "Don't be THAT guy"

1.) "I got mine" Guy: You scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds.  You dominated both ends of the floor every possession.  Your team lost by 9.  You should be proud of your performance, and you can bet your coach noticed.  What you should not be doing is caring more about that stat line than you do about the final score.  Basketball is a team game.  It is not about you.  No one in that locker room wants to see a teammate who is thrilled with his own game after a loss.  Remember that you will have bad games during a win as well.  Are you going to go pout? Put a towel over your head? If you show your coaches and your team mates that you don't really care about them, they will have no reason to care about you.

2.) Always last Guy: Practice starts at 10.  You show up in the gym with shoes untied at 9:57.  Bus leaves at 4.  You pull in and run to your locker at 3:55.  Film room at 3:15? You show up at 3:14. Never late, but always last.  Mean it or not, you are projecting an image of "I don't want to waste any of my time", and "I don't want to be here".  Weather and parent schedules will cause some inevitable delays, but when you are ALWAYS last, there is a problem.  Be early, be prepared, spend time with your teammates.

3.) Cruise control Guy: If you are not playing as hard as you can all the time, I promise you your coaches are noticing.  Other players and fans won't see it, but coaches will.  It is about living up to your potential.

Much is expected from those to whom much was given.

You should never take plays off.  Don't finish 4th in a sprint when you could finish 3rd.  Don't lose by 10, when you could have lost by 7.  Maximum effort all the time. Everyone gets tired.  Fight through it or get out and take a break.  Do not rest on the floor just because you are good enough to get away with it.  No matter how much you play, everyone wants to play more.  You earn your time through your effort.

4.) Mom Guy:  This one is simple.  When you are sick, call or text your coach.  When you are going on vacation, go tell your coach early, and remind him again a few days before.  Wedding? Funeral? ACT test? Communicate directly with your coach.  You are a young adult.  It is your responsibility to let people know about schedule conflicts.  It is not the responsibility of your mom.  Don't depend on her to ask questions or exchange information.  You make sure your parents have what they need and your coaches have what they need.  "I don't know" and "I'm not sure" are not answers that mature players give.  Man Up.

5.) Hide in the corner Guy: You want your coaches to notice you?  Then stop hiding.  You don't rotate into the drills unless someone tells you.  You always try to guard the least talented player.  You do not want the ball when the game is close.  You never speak up to help a teammate or diffuse any situations.  In short, you are always hiding in the corner.  Good players don't hide, they challenge themselves.  Try to jump in every drill.  Never want to leave the floor.  Put in extra work.  You spend all this time in the gym because you love it.  Don't waste your chance to compete.

Being A Great Teammate.....What Would EJ Do?

World's Greatest Teammate

We have all had good teammates and we have all had bad teammates. However, even on the same team, different people will have different opinions of who is a good (or bad) teammate. That is because being a good teammate is really a one-on-one interaction. So what makes you a good teammate? And just as importantly, what can make you a bad one?

I have had the same golf partner almost all the time for the last 15 years. His name is Eric Johnson (EJ). I can't imagine anyone anywhere being a better teammate.  There are many reasons for this. Very few of them have anything to do with golf, and all of them translate right onto the basketball court or any other situation in life where you work with other people. If you want to be a great teammate, here is the blueprint:

1. Build trust. When you get a new teammate, you do not know what to expect. You cannot possibly have any trust that they will make the right play or throw the right pass.  You can't even be sure if you are going to like them or not. But over time, you can build a positive relationship with each teammate. Your shared experiences on and off the court will help you gain trust in each other. Eventually you reach the point that you know you can count on them even if something bad happens on the court or in life. Use this example; If your golf cart is sliding toward a ditch, does your teammate bail out or hang in there with you? Great teammates never bail. Anytime in the last 15 years that my golf cart was sliding toward a ditch EJ stayed in the cart with me. You owe teammates like that a debt you can never really repay. You can only settle for letting them know you are grateful.
2. Set an example of excellence. With every pair of teammates, one will be the better player. But from the best player on the team to the last guy on the bench, you all have a responsibility to make your teammates, and therefor your team, better. On the golf course, EJ is the far superior player.  EJ can't make me be as good a player as he is. What he can do is strive for excellence each time we play. I observe his good habits and try to take pieces of them to incorporate into my own game. You can do the same by observing your more talented teammates. The way they play the game is a model to you of what you need to do when your opportunities come. Conversely, the less talented teammate also has a responsibility.  There may not be anything I can show EJ that will improve his golf game, but by always being willing to work hard at my game, I show my teammate that what we do is important. On the basketball court I may play much less or play rarely, but if I am always working hard in practice, good teammates notice. We are creating an unspoken agreement that we will both try to be the best players we can possibly be.  Spread that same relationship to all of your teammates and you have a very positive culture that your entire team can buy into every day: "We can all work hard, we can all help the team excel."
3. Create positive energy. Success breeds success. You should be genuinely happy for your teammates when they have success. I may be proud when I hit a great drive, but I should still be happy when EJ hits his even farther. His success is good for the team, even if it hurts my pride. And when I do happen to hit a good shot, EJ knows that is good for the team as well. Great teammates don't care who gets it done, as long as it gets done. When things are going poorly, as they sometimes do, your positive energy is even more important. You can't drag down the team by pouting or being angry with yourself. Remember: IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU...it is about the team.  
   
   Can you find the guy who doesn't care about his teammates as much as he cares about himself?.......So can everyone else. Somebody in that game used to be on the bench supporting him. He should be doing the same.
4. Hold your teammates accountable. Once you have developed all of these good relationships with your teammates, you have earned the right to call them out when they are not working hard or up to the standards you have all set together. Players have to understand that everything they do is reflected onto the team. No one feels like working hard every minute, and everyone makes bad decisions, but when you are surrounded by teammates that care about you and are not afraid to hold you accountable, you are much more likely to stay out of negative situations and attitudes.

Having others think you are a great teammate doesn't happen over night.  It is a process that can only take place over time. Also, the ways that you can interact positively with your teammate is different for each person. The process will go faster and better if you keep those four rules in mind. If you also recognize and respect that your teammates are trying to do those same things for you, you will have a great team atmosphere very soon. When in doubt just ask yourself "What would EJ do?"

"From All of My Fathers, To All of My Sons"

FR: All of My Fathers

TO: All of My Sons

.....life lessons learned on or near the court......

My earliest memories are of being on the floor at Walsh University in Ohio where my father was the coach.  He sparked a love for basketball in me that burns almost 50 years later.  Basketball has given me the good fortune of being around innumerable wonderful people who nurtured, protected, and encouraged me throughout my life.  I have been smart enough (most times) to listen, learn, and add their knowledge to my own.  Basketball was often the context, but life was what I was learning.  Their accumulated wisdom from personal experiences helped to make my journey easier.  They are my personal bridge builders.  They took me under their wing and helped me to become who I am.  In turn, I feel a tremendous obligation to try and help young coaches and young players in that same way...my own sons now among them.  And in the same way that my basketball life has many fathers, so too does it have many sons.  These are the lessons I want to share with all of them:

Compete in everything that you do.  No matter the activity, strive to be the best.  Understand that you will often fail, but in the act of pushing yourself you always become more than you were.  There are no negative outcomes of great competition.  Average people show up and go through the motions, great ones show up and compete.

When it is over, Respect everyone who competed with you and especially against you.  You will not like them all.  They will not all act the way you think competitors should.  Some won't like you very much, or at all.  A few may actually be bad people. However, every competitor deserves your respect.  That person fought the same battle you did and made the same sacrifices to get there.  Congratulate them.  Shake their hand.  Compliment them on what they did well.

Even on your toughest days, Enjoy what you do.  It doesn't always seem like it, and some days are tougher than others, but you are lucky to be doing what you love.  If you missed eight free throws in yesterday's game, haven't been in a game for weeks, or coach a team that is currently 2-15, there are people who would change places with you in a heartbeat.  Remember how you felt when you made the team, became a starter, or got the job? CHOOSE to embrace that joy every day.

Persist until you succeed.  So many players and coaches stop working hard, or stop working at all, often because they don't feel they are succeeding.  Sometimes that is a sign that something should change...a practice plan, a shooting form, etc. Lack of success is NEVER a hint that you should stop working.  Sudden success is never really sudden, those people work hard every day until it happens. Even if you never reach your goals, you have the pride of having worked hard at something important to you.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. -Thomas Edison

Encourage all of those around you.  Encourage your teammates, your coaches, yourself. Basketball, like life, is a pretty hard game.  No one is at their best every day.  But if you create the mindset in your team (or family, or company) that we are all for each other, the collective positive energy that is created helps to get you through the tough times.  People who play, work, or live in an encouraging environment have more confidence and take more ownership of what is going on around them.  That is a recipe for success.

Protect what you have built.  Others will always try to tear it down.  Remember your foundation, the core values that you believe in...mine are listed in this post.  If everything you do pays respect to what you believe, you are right where you need to be.  Protect the people who built it with you.  That does not mean keeping them out of harm's way.  All of my fathers "protected" me by supporting me every time I needed supporting and kicking my tail every time it needed kicked.

Be Loyal.  That doesn't mean you always agree.  In fact, in order to be successful I believe you must have dissenting voices.  If you always remove dissension you are dismissing the possibility that they are right.  Instead, I define loyalty as disagreeing in private.  Have open lines of communication inside your team/family/company and one voice when you "take the floor".

Approach what you do with Unbounded Enthusiasm.  First, if you think about it, you will realize that "enthusiastic" is really how you feel about basketball, school, or family anyway.  We don't always think we feel that way, but enthusiasm is at the heart of why we do what we do.  Secondly, your enthusiasm infects your players, teammates, or family.  Being around people who are excited about what you are doing creates a situation in which it is easy to exist and to work.

Be competitive, respectful, joyful, persistent, encouraging, protective, loyal, and enthusiastic.....What a wonderful lesson  to learn from your 'fathers' or pass on to your 'sons'.