Players Playbook-Focus for Summer

This was a handout that I gave to players before the start of the summer workouts. 

On the high school level, summer basketball is an exciting time. It is a time in which individuals and the team begin to develop their identity. So much can be achieved individually and collectively in the summer.

During the regular season it is so easy to focus on the outcomes- wins & losses.  In the summer there is not the same focus on wins/losses that you face during the regular season. It is so much easier as coaches and players to focus on the process. In the summer you lay the groundwork to have successful team chemistry.

When we get started in just over a week with our summer program, I am anxious to establish the foundation for a championship program. What do we want to achieve in the summer?

#1- Establish a Winning Culture

"Sitting in my home office thinking about how important our culture has been to our success. Such a critical part of any team/organization!"  Kevin Eastman of the Boston Celtics.

"Culture change is hardest thing to accomplish in hs sports. Sometimes it is necessary. We are in the reinforcement stage are Galesburg."  Coach Reynolds

Establishing a culture where self-sacrifice for the good of the group is a priority. Every culture has its own shared values and norms of behavior. For a team to be successful in terms of becoming a close knit team and a winning team, it must become an accepted value that players are willing to give of themselves to their team and teammates. Players need to know that everyone is willing to work and sacrifice for their team. When a culture is developed where players can count on their teammates to work hard, be committed to team goals, and be relied on both on and off the court- you have a winning culture.

#2- Commitment to Self-Improvement

“I am not what I ought to be, not what I want to be, not what I’m going to be, but I am proud to say I am better than I used to be.”

Successful teams are filled with players who recognize their weaknesses and work to get better. 

From my experience, unsuccessful players take one of two attitudes-

A- "It is my turn"- They believe because they are now a junior or senior they are assured of playing.

B- Players who figure that they don't need to work, they are like wine- they can just sit around and will automatically get better with age.

June 1, July 1, and November 1 always have seemed to me to be exciting dates as a coach. On each of these dates there always seem to be 2-3 players who you watch play and you are amazed how much they have approved. 

Some take a big jump in the spring and show up June 1 as tremendously improved. Some really get after it in the summer and at the end of our summer stuff- July 1- you realize how much they have improved. And then others make a huge jump in the fall and show up Nov. 1 as an improved player.

I get to watch open gyms and see which players are challenging themselves each night. I get to watch players in the weight room and see which players are working hard. I am anxious for the first day of camp. The players who have taken a jump in ability often surprise even their teammates. 

It is always exciting to anticipate those first couple summer league games- not because we win or lose but for parents and fans to see certain players who have improved. As a coach I know how hard some players have worked, so it is very satisfying when a fan or parent comes up to me after a couple nights excited about the improvement of a player. It is fun to pass those compliments onto the player. 

We have had 4-5 girls who have done everything they could this spring and they are clearly much improved. For us to be successful, we need to have 10-12 girls make that investment this summer. 

Will you be a player who invests in self-improvement? Will you surprise people on June 1? On July 1? On November 1?

#3- Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit."

For us to become successful three point shooters, we need to be willing to shoot threes in the off-season, 1000's of them!. For us to become better ballhandlers, we have to be willing to handle the ball over and over. For us to become a better fastbreak team, we have to drill on it over and over. 

Repetition is not glamorous. It is exciting to play in Thiel Gym in front of 1,000+ people. But it the off-season repetition that makes those nights in Thiel successful. 

#4- Energy, Passion & Enthusiasm

"You have to be Tough to be Us - It's all about the Team...No Flickering Lights...The best ones want to be pushed to the edge everyday!"

"Nothing great has been achieved without enthusiasm."

For us to become successful, we can't be "kind of excited." We can't be lukewarm and achieve great things in sports. Whether it is working out at 7:30am or it playing a game at 7:30pm- champions approach both with energy and passion.