This is the “team picture” from my retirement party. We had players from 1978 and 2024. From Washington DC, Colorado, Chicago, St.Louis, and Carbondale- thanks for coming back. Looking at this picture- we could put together a pretty good team with this group of players!!
It has essays that I wrote on System Basketball, interviews with System coaches, and articles written about the Streaks teams who ran the System.
Too often as coaches, we act as if a player is either a leader or not a leader. We design drills in practice to help players become better shooters, better screeners, and better defenders. Why shouldn’t we be using practice to help players become better leaders? What Boston was doing was not complicated and not difficult- with practice any player could do this.
When things are going bad, too many players become self-absorbed or filled with self-pity. In this situation, Boston stepped out of herself and thought “team first.”
In practice would it work to have 3 seniors or 3 captains, have a “leadership task?” Maybe it as simple as each coach takes one “leader” and instructs them that they are to 5 times in practice purposely on the sideline when out of drills or on the court during a drill give a specific assigned player 10-20 seconds of “coaching.” It can be physically reaching out and giving them a fist bump, giving them praise, giving them some tips, or giving them tough love. Then after practice that “leader” needs to talk to their assistant coach- debrief and describe what they did and what they could have done better.
The objective would be to work on specific leadership behaviors in practice vs yelling at the players during halftime to step up as leaders. Train ball handling, shooting, and LEADERSHIP!!
And players don’t need to have this organized by a coach. A player could set out a “leadership goal” in each practice. Maybe it is a senior recognizing a sophomore on the varsity is lacking confidence. So the senior could set out to make sure to give the sophomore 5 fist bumps, encouragements, praises, etc. Then after practice, reflect on the specific examples of leadership and evaluate yourself. And it doesn’t have to be a senior- any player can work on their leadership.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
In basketball, culture evolves around several things-
1- How players treat each other.
2- How players feel about the team in general and how important the team is to them.
3- Players belief in the coaches and desire to be coached.
4- How players approach practice.
5- How players approach competing.
6- How players handle winning and losing.
A coach can guide and encourage players behavior, and then a coach can reinforce positive behaviors. But it is the players who create the culture with their behaviors. While each team is unique in some ways, often the culture is passed down from one team to the next. Individuals and teams have the ability to add onto the existing culture and to make the culture stronger.
After I respond by saying I really can’t decide, they precede to tell me who the greatest player of all-time is, or who the starting five would be. And it is not unusual for them to also tell me who the best GHS team of all-time is. While appreciate their interest in Streaks girls basketball, many of the people who give me their answers are people who probably have watched maybe ten years of GHS basketball.
For me as the coach, I have a bunch of all-time favorite teams and I have a bunch of all-time starting fives. When it comes to all-time best GHS player- it is obvious to me who the all-time best player has been. While I know a coach should not share their opinion, I am willing to tell you who I think is the all-time best GHS girls basketball player!!
2024 Streaks gave me a wonderful book filled with pictures from the last 46 years of Streaks Basketball. It is as thoughtful and as meaningful of a gift as anyone could possibly give me. Thanks to the 2024 Streaks for your thoughtfulness!!!
Several years ago I was at a get together and fell into a conversation with a man who had played football at Galesburg High School in the 1950’s. He asked me what the girls basketball players did in the summer. It was a conversation I was somewhat hesitant to delve into, I anticipated he would be critical of the amount of summer activities I had organized for the girls. To my surprise, his reaction was the opposite. He said,”I am glad you have them doing a lot, it seems like too many teenagers just sit around today.”
