We Talking About Practice!

    


     As a youth basketball coach, I've had one of the most important and exciting jobs anyone could ask for.  There's no better feeling than continually challenging the players I coach and to watch them progress, grow and battle both individually and as a team.   

 
      Currently, in my second season coaching hoops, I continue to practice what I preach.  Coaching at any level, is a full time job. If you don't put 110% into it, you get 0% out of it.  "Don't teach what you don't know" is one of the first things that stuck with me.  The less I know, the less I teach. The less I teach, the less my players know.  Some people think Michael Jordan was born with a basketball in his hand. Remember, he didn't even make the JV team in high school.  There are no great people in this world, only great challenges in which ordinary people rise to meet.

     True LOVE and PASSION, not just for the game but for anything you set out to do, already gives you the potential and work ethic to become whatever you want to be.  The ball is already in your court; the only question is what are you going to do with it?

     The toughest opponent you will face is yourself, both mentally and physically (as a player).  Never fear failure or mistakes, if you have never failed or made a mistake, you will never succeed.  Focus on the outcome, rather than the process.  Focus on where the road leads you rather than how rocky it is.  If the road is smooth, you're not going the right way! Most importantly, strive for excellence, not perfection.  Excellence is a process, a journey, and a movement! Where as perfection is a moving target and impossible to attain.

     In 2011, when I was asked to coach basketball, I honestly had no idea what/how I was going to coach.  Thanks to my older brother Mev, and a couple of competitive neighbors, the game of basketball was already surrounding me, it just took me a while to realize it.  Sports are a great environment to help you grow as a person, and it took some maturity on my part for me to realize that.  Though it may not be their job title, in my eyes, these competitive neighbors, were teachers.  Not just of the game, but of life.  My competitive spirit kept my feet moving, but now my thought process is doing just as much moving if not more.  Thanks in large part to my family, neighbors and mentors like Nick Foster and Chris Locarno.