A Half-Hearted Commitment Is Worse Than No Commitment At All

Another worthwhile passage from Lou Holtz's autobiography:

Every athlete who has ever played for me has heard me preach against the pitfalls of entering anything halfway. In my mind, a half-hearted commitment is worse than no commitment at all.

If you decide to take a class, you should give the professor and yourself the full benefit of your undivided attention., If you don't, you are wasting your time and taking up a valuable seat in the classroom.

If you're on a team, you owe your coaches and your teammates your total commitment. If you don't - - if you're unhappy because the coach doesn't start you, or because you aren't getting as many touches or as much playing time as you think you should - - you are hurting yourself and the entire organization. You and the team would be better off if you played somewhere else.

Commitment is the most critical component in any relationship. In sports, it's become axiomatic: Commitment beats talent every time!!!

THOUGHTS FROM COACH K

Team USA will play Turkey later today for the gold medal at the World Championships. Here are some thoughts from Coach K:

"This is what I do. I determine how good our kids can be by watching them, by getting to know them, by building relationships with them. I constantly try to take a realistic look at our team and try not to let the final outcome of any game spike emotions too high or too low. And then I also work with the guys over the course of the entire season to help raise them to their highest potential."

EVERY SEASON IS A JOURNEY:

During the season, your team should be led with exuberance and excitement.

You should live the journey.

You should live it right.

You should live it shared.

You should try to make one another better.

You should get on one another if somebody's not doing their part.

You should hug one another when they need it.

You should be disappointed in a loss and exhilarated in a win.

It's all about the journey.

It should be honest and it should be real.

It's not about winning games or what other people's expectations of us may be. We're not going to fall into traps that so many people fall into. That's not why we are going to play. We are going to play for innocence.

ON BEING A GREAT TEAM:

"When everyone on our team believes that our own personal signature is on everything our team does - then we have a chance to be as great basketball team. And not until we believe that every ball we play with says "DUKE" on it, will we be proud of our performance."

ON MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:

"Playing hard together, being the best defensive team and players building strong bonds with one another are shared goals that involve working together as a group over the entire year. If a team consistently concentrates on goals like that, major achievements happen."

THE RICHEST MAN IN TOWN

Wanted to share this short movie with you!!!!

BUILDING TEAM UNITY

Coach Smith is one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball. I thought I would share some things he thought were important about TEAM UNITY...

"My philosophy is team unity - Basketball is a team game. We can't succeed unless we do it as a team. Point out to the players that everyone must play defense. It is important to have goals for team unity. Points are not the only thing. You need each other. Team play is built in practice. Our idea is to have an emphasis of the day, and then give credit during a practice to those players that are accomplishing that emphasis. Players must be aware that if they let down at any time they are huting the team."

BUILDING TEAM UNITY:

1. Do not let one teammate yell at another.

2. No one is perfect. Have you ever seen a perfect game by a basketball player?

3. A player needs encouragement when he or she makes a mistake. You must care about the last person as much as you care about the stars.

4. Never substitute on a mistake. If a player is trying, what more can you ask?

5. Respect every player on the team.

6. A life lesson is tolerance for one another. We should go out of our way to respect and satisfy each and every person, even though society evaluates success by the number of wins and losses.

7. Build a respect and rapport between each player and coach.

8. Praise correct performance and effort.

9. Players on the bench should always stand and applaud team plays and players coming to the sidelines following a substitution.

10. Give emphasis to unselfishness among team members and to give credit to the players who do the little things.

11. Acknowledge the passer. Point your finger to the player. (Give both a verbal and physical response).

12. Always have players on the floor let you know when they are tired. (we do it by having them raise a fist). Starters usually come out five to six times in a game.

13. Get players to go as hard on defense as they do on offense.

14. Stress constantly recognizing the need for each other.

15. After a game, try to give recognition to the opposing coach.

16. Why do we run sprints?? For PRIDE. We think we are in better shape than the other players. Sprints help build team morale.

17. Convince your players not to let their teammates down. The best way to build team unity is to teach players the correct way to play the game is to play hard. Secondly, players must understand that every player is important.

18. Emphasize to the seniors that this is their team; they will make the rules and the coaches will enforce them. Do not allow any phony rules - they hurt team unity.

19. A player wants to be disciplined; this helps to develop both team and self-discipline. Give a player a second chance when it is appropriate.