MEYERISMS

One of my all-time favorite coaches is Don Meyer. One of the all-time winningest coaches, Coach Meyer has had some influence on almost every coach in the game today. His notebooks and videos have been a big influence on my coaching philosophy. Coach Meyer has had an incredible career and continues to help young coaches to this day.

A coaching friend of mine recently saw Coach Meyer at a clinic and went down to chat with him for a few moments. He told Coach Meyer that his young son was there at the clinic and was getting into the coaching profession. Coach Meyer asked him to bring his son down as he wanted to meet him. That is Coach Meyer...Always teaching and influencing young coaches.

I was going through some of Coach Meyer's notes I had and picked out some of my favorite "Meyerisms". Here they are:

"Do The Best You Can With What You Have"
Don't violate the "Wooden Rule"... For those who don't know the Wooden Rule, it is "Don't Whine, Don't Complain and Don't Make Excuses!"

Coach Meyer loves the Wooden Rule. He believes it made no sense to complain about the players he had or the facilities available. Just do the best you can with what you have and work hard to make your players better and to improve the facilities you have.

"If You Want A Better Coaching Job, Make The One You Have Better"
For those who have met Coach Meyer in person, you know Coach is "Big Time" in the coaching world.

One of the all-time winningest coaches in history, never coached at the Division 1 level. But he is still Big Time.

He loved coaching at Lipscomb University and later at Northern State. At the time, Lipscomb was an NAIA institution and Northern State was a NCAA D-2 school.

Coach Meyer just didn't tell other coaches to make their job better, he practiced what he preached and the results was the institution, his players, the community and countless campers and their coaches benefitted as well.

"Champions Don't Look At It Like A Sacrifice; Champions Do What Needs To Be Done"
When the decision to achieve excellence has been made, the rest is not sacrifice. The choice was made before it becomes a sacrifice.

"Do The Ordinary Things Extra Ordinarily Well"
Pay attention to detail. There is no need to make a fancy pass. Just make it crisp, a frozen rope, to the target and away from the defense.

Make the simple shots. Like lay-ups and free throws...especially lay-ups and free throws because that's how you win games.

Screen a man and not space. Be tight with the ball. Face up in triple threat.

These are all ordinary skills in the game of basketball. But Coach Meyer's players did them with an attention to detail that was amazing.

"Know Who You Are and What Your Game Is"
Don't be someone or something you aren't...If you are a post, don't try to play the point position. If you are a supporting player, don't try to be the star.

If you are the player who is supposed to shoulder the burden, shoulder it. Be who you are!!

One of Coach Meyer's favorite sayings was from one of the Dirty Harry films..."Sometimes a man's gotta know his limitations."

The recognition of limitations allows players to take ownership. Ownership allows for progress to be made. You cannot eliminate a problem, a weakness unless you admit it exists.

"It's Not What You Achieve, It's What You Become"
Legend has it someone once asked Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, head football coach at the University of Chicago, thought about his most recent football team and its success on the field. Coach Stagg, as the story goes, replied he would not know for another 20 years or so.

Coach Stagg wanted to see how his players lived their adult lives and made use of their educations before he determined whether or not he had been successful as their coach and they had been successful as individuals.

Coach Meyer would agree but he would also be interested to see what kind of character his players displayed in their adult lives. Did they live with passion, have a servant's heart, make the "next best choice", and commit to excellence in all that they did. Were they men of character.

"We Have Met The Enemy and He or She is Us"
You have a choice!!! God gives us total control over three things; the choices we make, our attitude and our effort. We are our own worst enemies. We make poor choices, even when we know they are poor choices.

Do the right thing for the right reason. Particularly when it comes to having a team attitude. How many good teams have you seen disintegrate from within because of internal strife, jealousy and bickering. In other words, the enemy is us!

Have a Team Attitude, do the right thing for the right reason.

"You Can Measure Somebody's Character By How They Treat People That Can't Do Them Any Good Or Can't Fight Back"
Life teaches us to be suspicious of people with good reason. Do something to change that!!

Have you had someone do something nice for you and expect something in return? Ever been manipulated by someone who did something for you?? My personal "favorite" is being treated poorly by someone because they believe I can do nothing to help them achieve what they want.

We all have been bullied, particularly when we were kids. The bullies were almost always in a position of power and had nothing to fear from those they bullied.

Character reveals itself in strange and unique moments. When a person has nothing to gain, has power over others, shows compassion for others and treats them with kindness, expecting nothing in return, it says a great deal about what is truly in the individual's heart.

Happiness Begins When Selfishness Ends"
In other words....."Living a Servant's Life!!!

Coach Meyer loves helping others. He has worked long and hard to help coaches and players around the world. He considers himself a fortunate man. He preaches being a servant leader each and every day.....

One of the of my favorite quotes from Coach Meyer is one I try to live by each and every day...."My wish is that every coach would coach for the love of the kids and the love of the game. And that everybody would strive to be a servant leader. You're no leader at all if you're not a servant to the people you lead."