I Have A Basketball Jones
Or what I tried to teach you about my favorite team sport.
Dear Team,
I know we spent in inordinate amount of time going through layups lines where I had you work on your non-dominant hand.
We constantly worked on 3-man weave drills where I had you all run the drill again when the ball hit the floor. Even if you thought it was only 1 person fault.
I know you tired of me saying time and time again “time and score”. Not only during the game but during our end of practice scrimmages.
I know most of all you wanted to know why.
Why can’t we just scrimmage in practice? Why am I not playing? Why did you run that play? Why did the referee call this? Why did the referee not call that?
By the ways guys, the referee is not always wrong.
But the most important “why” that you asked was :
Why are you up here?
And then the follow up question of…
Are you getting paid to be up here?
I’ll answer the second question first.
Mostly no, but sometimes I do get a stipend that may cover putting gas in my car and late-night food after practice. That includes the rides that you all may need or the food that you request too! Sadly, most coaches outside of the professional and collegiate ranks do not get paid enough to dream of it as their full-time job.
So, why am I here with you? Guys, you ever heard of a Basketball Jones? A Basketball Jones is an obsession, a craving, and something that you deemed as important. I do love sports in general but what got me hooked on basketball is that it is a great representation of life and I wanted to share that with you as you embark on your own life’s journey.
As you all know, basketball is a team game where all players must play both offense and defense. Now, I know some of you enjoy the thrill of seeing the ball go through the basket and the cheers from the bench and the stands. I know that others would prefer making their impact in more subtly by playing tenacious defense and being an unsung hero.
But in basketball, you have to do both, there’s no way around it. Life demands the same thing from you.
There will be times where you get to do what you love and times where you have to do things that you don’t like. There may times where you have to step in the spotlight. There may be pressure from expectations to succeed and the responsibilities of leading others.
There may be times where you are in the background following the direction of a teammate who is more experienced than you. You may only have a few minutes to play and your impact may seem minimal.
Don’t fear. You don’t have to be great at it or even good. But to be successful, you have to make an effort.
And the here’s the kicker: In life, you don’t get to decide when you get to play certain roles. The moment decides for you. All you can do prepare. Hence all the drills!
I have two examples to share with you:
One of the current favorite players is Luka Doncic. Luka is a 6-foot, 8 inch guard who is a basketball savant. He is one of those few players who, with the ball in his hand, looks like he knows what is about to happen with the other players on the court in advance.
Luka is a better offensive player than a defensive player. As a result, opposing teams try to attack him when they are on offense.
But here’s the thing, if he accepted the fact that he wasn’t a great defender and didn’t try, he would cancel out his great offensive play. But by putting in the effort, he allows his teammates to help him which he clearly pays back on the offensive end.
Another example is Lonzo Ball. Lonzo grew up Chino Hills, California. Through his hard work and dedication along with the support of his family, he became #2 overall draft pick in 2017 by his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic Johnson, one of the most famous Lakers, stated at the time that he will be the new star for the Lakers.
Then, basketball adversity struck. His play didn’t meet those lofty expectations which was one of the reasons why the Lakers traded him to New Orleans. In New Orleans, his outside perception changed. He was no longer looked as “the” cornerstone but as a piece of the team puzzle. Lonzo could have accepted that perception but he decided to work on his game.
Often you cannot change the moment you are in but through your effort, you can change the perception of what you role should be and the ultimate outcome.
The primary criticism of Lonzo’s game was his inconsistent jump shot. But it was that very same jump shot helped him reach the NBA.
What do you do when something that starts to fail that always worked for you in the past?
Lonzo decided to rework his jump shot that was second nature to him. These changes ultimately lead him to a $85 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.
The great thing about basketball and its many possessions is it often gives you immediate results for the changes that you, your teammates, and your opponent makes.
So, you can constantly self-improve and correct just like in life.
Now, I have many other lessons to share with you but that is what the court is for.
See you there,
Coach
To read about the love of Basketball, check out Michael L Butler’s article: Hoops Has Always Had a Special Place in My Heart.
To read more about how life mirrors the sport of baseball, check out Darryl Ventura’s article: Dear Friend, Swing for the Fences.
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