Don't ask me why, but this year I took on the task, along with Brett Vines, of coaching WCC's middle school basketball team. The boys on this team range in age from 12 to 14 years old. I bring that up because there is a huge difference in the maturity level of a 14 year old compared to a 12 year old. For instance, one of the 14 year olds on our team is 6'2. We don't have any 12 year olds near 6 ft tall, in fact, some are pushing 5 ft. tall. It makes for an interesting mix.
I wasn't sure how this team would fare when the season began. Last year's team, coached by John Summers, was loaded with talent and went undefeated. My suspicion going in was that that wouldn't be the case this year. However, I might have underestimated. This past Saturday night we played a team that was by far and away larger than us in size, but we absolutely wore them out! In fact, in our first two games, our margin of victory has been over 20 points. Who would have thought?
I have to admit that being the competitive soul I am, I gloated for about a day thinking about our victories. I even had the fleeting thought go through my mind that maybe I wasn't called to pastor, maybe I was called to coach basketball. My wife reminded me very quickly though that I am barely 5'6 with boots on and that I needed to wake up and smell the coffee. I am not a basketball player, nor am I a basketball coach. Hence, this team isn't winning because of coaching. So what has been the key to our early success? Here are my observations.
1. Unselfish play. If you have ever worked for an organization or played on a team where one specific individual thinks that he/she deserves all the attention, you know then how frustrating that can be. I mean whether you are a North Carolina fan or not, one of the things that anyone who grew up watching the tar heels play can appreciate about Dean Smith was that he was all about TEAM. Think about all the great players that have come through the program over the years and yet I can't ever remember a team, even during Michael Jordan's tenure there, where there was just one main go to guy. That's the way this team is, no stars, no egos, no prima donnas, just boys who want to win! That is the kind of team I want to play on.
2. Ignorance/Faith. Crazy to think that ignorance would be an ingredient in a winning team, but sometimes it is. Let me explain. Sometimes people/players think they know too much which makes coaching them impossible. I don't know of anything more frustrating than trying to coach someone on how they could improve, only to have them tell you, "my way works just fine". None of these boys do that. They except the fact that they don't know everything and have enough faith in Brett and my limited knowledge of the game to do what we ask. I love that! It makes coaching so much easier.
3. A Winning Attitude. Winning attitudes are essential to winning. Some people would disagree and say that winning is essential to have a winning attitude, but that is just not true. I don't care what it is that you are attempting to do in life, whether it's playing basketball, working for an organization, or pastoring a church, if you don't believe in yourself then you have already been defeated. It was so funny this past Saturday as I watched my "little" team walk out to center court to greet the group of "giants" they were getting ready to play, only to hear one of the "giants" say, "We are going to kill em!" I then witnessed one of our players say to another, "They are in trouble now." It didn't matter how big the challenge was, my boys believed they could and would win....and they did.
I don't know if it's because I grew up playing sports or what, but some of my life's greatest lessons have been taught by observing what takes place in the heat of competition. It's funny, I thought I was going to come out and teach these boys a thing or two. As it turns out, I am the one who's doing most of the learning. I am grateful for the lessons they are teaching me about success. It's not just applicable on the basketball court, it's applicable to life.
Blake, I want to let you know that Austin has printed this entry and has it hanging in his room. Way to go coach!!
Posted by: Debbie | January 15, 2008 at 05:58 PM