Being A Good Teammate Like NCAA Champion Marvin Williams

By Joe Haefner

I’m currently reading Hard Work by Roy Williams which is a very good read by the way.

When Roy Williams of North Carolina recruits players, he looks for talent and character. They can have talent, but no character and vice-versa.

When Roy Williams was recruiting Marvin Williams, he recognized how talented he was. So next, he wanted to see what his character was like.

During a high school game that Roy Williams attended, Marvin fouled out. Instead of throwing a fit, sulking, or being angry, he got all of his teammates water during the next timeout. Roy said that is when he was sold on Marvin Williams. The following year Marvin helped North Carolina and Roy Williams win the NCAA championship.

Now, Marvin plays in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks.

That’s what great leaders and teammates do. They do the little things that help their teammates even if they’re on the bench.

Respect

By Joe Haefner

This was passed on to us by a coaching friend, Bud Leonard.

Respect.

This is a topic I have spoken on at many camps and to quite a few young basketball players across the province. I feel that it is the basis of a good understanding and attitude toward the game of basketball. Respect is the foundation and building block to many things that are, or should be, important to you as a player and a person.

To start with, you must have self respect. Not the phony chest beating macho kind you see on the streets and on TV, but the kind that can serve you well in all that you do. Self respect doesn’t include being aggressive, a show off, or the center of attention; that is known as bravado and often denotes a “thug” or “smart alec”. Self respect is the inner assurance that you know how to do the right thing and are prepared to do so. It is that something inside you that lets you know that what you are doing or how you are playing is the ‘right way” and will end in satisfaction for you.

You must always respect your team mates. They are very important to you; they are part of your team, now and forever. In future years they will become a large part of the bank of memories you have about your basketball experience. At present you may feel that you are a better player than they are. That may be true at present, but it is up to you to help them become better! You can’t accomplish this by making fun of them and their efforts to play the game that only beats them down. What you can do is respect their efforts and show them that you care about them and need them as a team mate. Remember that nobody misses a shot, drops a pass, or runs the wrong play on purpose; and you must respect the effort they make.

Respect for your opponent is also necessary. They are players just like you, playing a game they love, just for the fun of it .If they seem to be the type of player who is a “show boater”, show them the right way to play through your style as a player. There is no need to “chirp” at them all game long, just play your game and they will learn. Your sense of self respect just may change theirs!

A great aspect of respect shown by the best players is that shown to the game officials.These men, or ladies, are mostly former players who are “giving back” to the game. They have one of the toughest jobs on the court. Yes, they will make a mistake on occasion; this is not done on purpose, just as you don’t miss a shot or fail to rebound on purpose. The more respect you show to the officials, the more respect they will have for you as a player and as a person.

Respect for the coaches is mandatory. Your coaches are there giving up their time to help you to become a better player. They were all once players and understand how difficult the game can be , how time consuming practices can be when homework needs to be done , and how much you want to win. Mostly they are there to help you succeed!

If you can master the art of respect, and show it in your play and attitude at practice and during games, your game, and your enjoyment of the game, will increase to levels you never expected.

Coach Bud Leonard.

New Article: Do You Yell At Referees?

By Joe Haefner

Check out the new article called Do You Yell At Referees?

The Philosophy That Will Guide Us..

By Joe Haefner

Here is a guest blog post by our coaching friend Bud Leonard.

Being a varsity athlete is a privilege … not a right! People compete for the opportunity to wear your school’s uniform .The level of commitment to training that is expected is high. While you are an athlete, you will be expected to place your participation in third place on your overall list of priorities…

Your Priority List as an athlete!

1. Faith and Family
2. Education - the successful completion of your Secondary School education.
3. An athlete on our school’s teams.
4. Everything else - part time job, social events, friends, acquaintances, etc.

You will only have one window of opportunity in your life to be an athlete on your school’s teams. Make the most of it! You will be expected to train twelve months of the year to maintain and improve. Your goal at the end of each season should be to come back in September a fitter, stronger, more skillful, and more intelligent player than you were the previous year! You must aim for consistently high effort on a daily basis and for constant improvement. If you are not working to get ahead… you are going backwards!

You will get as much playing time as you earn and deserve. Playing time will not be promised in this program! Playing time is based strictly on merit! How much playing time you merit will be determined by multiple factors.

1. How hard do you work?
2. Do you practice hard on a daily basis?
3. How athletic, skilled and intelligent are you as a player?
4. Are you a leader, and do you make your teammates better players?
5. Are you a team player? Is the most important statistic in your game the final score?
6. How have you performed in recent games? Do you play hard and smart within the team?
7. Are you coachable? Can you accept that coaching involves criticism?
8. Are you better able to contribute to the team objective … winning games … than teammates who currently get more playing time than you?
9. Are you able to honestly answer question 8?

The bottom line is that you control your attitude and your effort… and little else! Sometimes you must accept that others are currently more ready and able to contribute toward the team’s effort to win the game than you are. If you can accept this and remain positive… while continuing to work hard to improve yourself… then you can always be a valuable team member. If you cannot accept this … and become negative toward teammates, coaches, and staff… then you will become a “cancer”. While there are cures for “cancer”… and sometimes these take time… in the end, if the “cancer” cannot be cured, the only solution will be surgery! The “cancer” will have to be separated from the team.