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Exposing a Thief of Team and Individual Successby Ed SchillingOne of my favorite things about basketball--playing and coaching-- is the friendship and comaraderie that develop and strengthen throughout the course of a season.?? Memories from the really good teams that I have been a part of are not my points per game, assists or minutes played.? Those most meaningful memories are the brotherhood, the friendships, the good times in the locker room, and the joy of? “going to war” together. ?Ask a professional athlete after he retires what he misses most, and he will probably tell you that he misses the relationships and putting on that uniform with his teammates and going to battle with those whom he has poured out blood, sweat and tears.?As great and fun as athletics can be, the joy can be stolen and the unique opportunity to form life-long friendships can be easily missed when the vision shifts from the “we” to the “me”.??? The goal in sharing insights from over three decades of my playing, coaching and parenting is to help max out the enjoyment, the recognition, the improvement and the winning and avoid the “thief” of these of basketball delights.Enjoyment“If you want to be miserable, all you have to do is be selfish.”?–Joyce Meyer“Happiness ends where selfishness begins”?--John Wooden.?When playing high school basketball in Lebanon, IN, we had a team that had a blast together.? We loved playing ball with each other, whether in the park in the summer or in the gym during the season.? We trusted in each other and believed that we had each other’s best in mind.? As a result of our trust, we were one of the best teams in the state.? Although I later became a starter on Division 1 conference championship and NCAA tourney teams, I probably never had more fun and enjoyment than I did with that high school team.? Perhaps the foundation of the positive experience laid in the fact that neither the players nor the parents had selfish agendas.? We wanted to win and we cared about each other. ?I learned a significant lesson from that team—if one wants to really enjoy the basketball experience then value the other guys on the team.?By the way, those parents had a great experience too.? They didn’t worry about the coaching, stats, newspaper articles, rankings or awards—they positively supported and encouraged instead of complaining and manipulating for their child’s “benefit”.? I have come to the conclusion after many years in basketball, that an athlete cannot truly enjoy the basketball experience if the parents are negative at home.? ?Players listen and absorb what the parent’s say and carry the emotion of home into the practice and games.? If the parents are “killing” the other players or the coach, the player cannot help but to be impacted.? The negative impact steals the joy from the game, ultimately hurting the team.? When the atmosphere is positive and encouraging those attitudes are reflected in the energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness of the players.Recognition and Promotion“As the tide rises all the boats rise.”?–John F. KennedyA misconception is that individual stats get players opportunities to play at the next level.? The truth of the matter is that every team has a high scorer. Scoring a lot doesn’t make or break a player’s future opportunities.?If a player can “play”, college coaches recognize it and NBA decision makers see it.? Playing well and helping the team win ultimately produces more recognition than getting big statistical numbers.? In 1996, I was an assistant men’s basketball coach at The University of Massachusetts.? We were #1 in the country for 10 straight weeks.? Our star player, Marcus Camby, didn’t care about stats—he cared about winning.? Some games he scored a lot, other games he didn’t.? He didn’t finish with gaudy numbers, yet he was the National Player of the Year.? He made his teammates and team better and the country recognized it.? During the course of the ’95-‘96 season, nearly every player on the team had a major article or news story done on them.? Even the players who rarely got in the games got noticed for their work in preparing the starters to execute well in the games.? There were many players in college basketball that scored more and averaged more minutes, yet it was Marcus Camby who received the John Wooden Player of the Year award.Another example of team success producing individual promotion was the University of Florida Men’s Basketball team in 2006-07.? This team won the National Championship.? The highest per game scoring average was 13.3.? So, none of them got the chance to play in the NBA right? Wrong!? All five starters were drafted and played in the N.B.A. And, get this, the sixth man on that Florida team who averaged 6.2 points a game and only 18.4 minutes a game also played in the NBA.? Yes, “as the tide rises all the boats rise.”?There are examples after examples of players getting attention and promotion because of team success.? On the other hand, if the team doesn’t win, chances are that college recruiters or NBA front office people will be skeptical of a player’s ability.? Of course, one cannot promise that when players (and parents) channel their energies into making the TEAM the best it can be, regardless of the player’s role, that everything will work out perfectly.? However, one can just about guarantee that if players (and parents) focus on personal stats and selfish agendas, promotion and recognition will be thwarted.After decades in the basketball business, I cannot recall a single example of when a player got upset and “concerned” over numbers or minutes played where proved to be helpful to the player or to the team.Preparation“If you STAY ready, then you don’t have to GET ready.”?–-David DawsonThe rules of the game of basketball allow only five players on the court for each team at a time; therefore, a majority of the team will be on the bench during the game.? The players who don’t get to play in the game or don’t get a lot of minutes in the games are still almost always required to be at every practice and are expected to give their best effort at the practices.? This is a challenging part of basketball.?? The attitude and effort given by that “bench player” in practice will significantly impact the team’s success.? Further, the attitude and effort will significantly impact the “bench player’s” potential to do well if, and when, he gets an opportunity in the game.?I spoke previously of the ’96 Marcus Camby led UMass team.? That team got to the coveted Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.? UMass played a talent-loaded University of Kentucky team in the Final Four.? In the game, UK got off to a great start and UMass couldn’t get going and struggled most of the game.? Midway through the second half Coach Calipari looked down the bench and called Giddell Padilla to go into the game.? Now Giddell’s younger brother (Edgar Padilla) was the starting point guard, but Giddell who was a senior rarely played.? In fact, as he was checking into the game the announcer said, “ Giddell Padilla to enter the game, let’s check his stats… Giddell Padilla has no real stats!”? What people outside the program didn’t know was that Giddell challenged and competed every single day of practice and tried to beat the starting guards every minute of every practice—yet rarely did he get any time in the games.? In practice, he often out played the starters.?When Giddell got into that game he made an immediate and positive impact.? He stole the ball and took it in for a lay-up, then deflected a pass, then an assist.? All of a sudden UMass got some momentum and the crowd of over 20,000 started roaring, UMass was back in the game.? Giddell Padilla played well and actually played more in the second half of the Final Four game than he did the entire season.? How could he play so well on such a big stage?? The reason he played so well was because he competed well against the starting backcourt (which was one of the best in Division 1 that season) every day in practice. He could have been upset that his younger brother was a starter or that he deserved to play at least some minutes, but he wasn’t.? He found enjoyment in the team’s success, and he “stayed ready” to play in the game by working everyday in practice.Well, UMass lost that close and highly competitive game to UK who became the National Champions two days later, but Giddell Padilla’s performance did not go unnoticed.? Shortly after the season, he was offered and accepted a lucrative contract to play professionally in his native country of Puerto Rico where the game had been televised.? He became somewhat of a celebrity in Puerto Rico because of one game—one game that happened because he “stayed ready” even-though his chance of actually getting in the game was doubtful at best.By working to make those guards playing ahead of Giddell better, Giddell got better himself.? His unselfishness and consistent effort put him in a position to have an experience that positively impacted the rest of his life.?Unfortunately, I have seen the opposite happen so often when “bench players” lose their drive to practice with passion, then when their opportunity does come in the game, they perform poorly.? Further, staying focused and passionate on the bench during games is important.? If Giddell had been stretched out on the bench, not paying attention or had a sour look on his face because he wasn’t getting any playing time, it is unlikely that Coach Calipari would have put him in.? Giddell’s effort in practice for six months could have been thwarted by six seconds of bad non-verbal on the bench when Coach Cal looked his way.Crossroads“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.”? --Robert FrostIn every player’s career, he will often come face to face with the temptation to turn his focus toward himself and away from the team.? What direction the player chooses at that “crossroad” will impact his future success, the team’s success, and also the quality of the player’s experience.The decision to turn selfish can be prompted by a well-meaning family member, a peer looking to encourage or even a sports agent trying to help make his client appear more marketable.?Subtle comments like, “you ought to be playing more minutes”, “you were open a lot and didn’t get the ball”, “you need to score more”, “don’t understand why so and so shoots so much”, “you are being played out of position”, “you need to show the scouts your shooting range”, etc., etc., can be the little spark that sets the forest of selfishness ablaze for the unsuspecting athlete.The “disease of me” can affect the leading scorer, the point guard, the sixth man or the player at the end of the bench.? This can also impact a coaching staff member as well.? An assistant coach who thinks his ideas need to be used more readily by the head coach can fall victim to the “sickness of selfishness” which could potentially weaken the team.?CancerOne of Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions for cancer:?“something evil or malignant that spreads destructively”When a team member (players and/or coaches) comes to the crossroad of moving his thoughts (which eventually will become actions) from what is best for the team to what is best personally, that negativity spreads on the basketball team and is detrimental force.? It must be dealt with like cancer.? Cancer treatment is often immediate, aggressive and fierce.? To rid the body of cancer may require painful surgery or chemotherapy that uses strong chemical agents to kill the cancer cells. Perhaps you have heard of a player being referred to as “a cancer” on the team.? A bad attitude acts like cancer to the body of a team.? One player with a bad attitude has the potential of soon becoming two.? Misery does love company.? In the game of basketball not everybody gets 32 minutes and 32 shots in high school or 40 minutes and 40 shots a game in college or 48 minutes and 48 shot attempts in the NBA.? ?The potential to be sucked into unhappiness is available to all who play.? The “strong chemical agent” on a team is the head coach and it is often he who must recognize and diagnose the most appropriate treatment to rid the team of the cancer.? However, the assistant coaches can be significant in helping cure the selfishness if it is caught in time.? In many situations, a fellow teammate can see the “sickness” brewing and can try to save the player before he becomes too contagious.Tornado Watch Vs. Tornado Warning:?“A tornado watch is just to let folks know to be on the lookout for a possible tornado as conditions are favorable for one to occur in the area; whereas, a tornado warning is a notification that a tornado has been seen in the area.”The key for a team is to understand that conditions are always right for a self-serving tornado to wreak havoc on the team and to be alert.? And, if a selfish and bad attitude has been sighted, then urgent measures must be taken to protect the team from potential and pending disaster.Protect What Matters Most“Gentlemen, we will be successful this year, if you can focus on three things, and three things only: your family, your religion and the Green Bay Packers.”? --Vince LombardiIf you are like me you have probably lost your cell phone or had your phone or computer crash at some point in your life with all your important stuff on it.? My latest broken phone caused me to lose many important numbers.? In fact, one day I had the brilliant idea to put all my user names and pass codes and also frequent flyer and hotel numbers in my smart phone.? This was a long, tedious process, but one that seemed wise for it would keep me from carrying so many cards in my wallet and save me time trying to remember what user name went with what pass code.? This great idea worked well… until the phone crashed.? This was a while back, the Icloud hadn’t been perfected yet, and I hadn’t backed all my stuff onto my computer.? So all the tedious work of entering my pass codes, user names in along with so many key numbers, etc., etc., etc., were lost into the abyss. In hindsight, significantly more measures should have been taken to protect my information and my phone.?As much time as was invested in putting things like those frequent flyer numbers into my phone, players invest far more time into their basketball abilities.? Players put in at least the required two hours plus per day of practice in season, and additionally work out in the weight room and on the practice court countless hours on their own away from the team.? The time investment into a season is almost impossible to calculate.? Way more unfortunate than a crashed computer or a lost phone is a season corrupted by selfishness and negative attitudes.? I have been able to recover almost all of my lost numbers from my broken phone.? However, the good times, the life long relationships, and exhilarating victories that are prevented by a team infected with the horrible “cancer of selfishness” are worse than lost for they never happen when selfishness invades a team.A Final WarningThe wise coach, athlete and parent will be constantly aware of the dangers of the insidious “disease of selfishness,” the thief who has the potential to steal, kill and destroy the unsuspecting athlete and team.? Alertness and protective actions facilitate the highly positive desirable by-products of being part of a team—incredible enjoyment, recognition, life long friendships and victories.This is article is written by Park Tudor (Indiana) High School Head Coach Ed Schilling. Under Coach Schilling Park Tudor won the 2011 and 2012 Indiana 2A State Championships. He has been the Head Coach at Divsion I Wright State, has served as an assistant coach for John Calipari at UMass, with the New Jersey Nets, and at Memphis. Ed serves as a Head Coach for the Adidas Nations Program.As a player, Ed was a four year starter at Miami (Ohio). He holds the Miami single game, single season, and career assist records. In addition, Ed's 18 assists in one game still stands as the Mid American Conference record. ................
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