After the Olympic men’s and women’s basketball teams were selected and I looked at their rosters, I wondered how in the world would they keep all of those players happy with their playing time. Early I felt like Coach Kerr was trying to keep everyone happy by playing most of the players almost equal minutes. In my view, he was playing too many players. It was effecting performance and I am not sure anyone was happy.
The worst thing about basketball is that only five players can play at a time. Players have to learn to embrace roles. The best thing about basketball is that only five players can play at a time. Players have to learn to embrace roles and understand the value of sacrifice and unselfishness. Most of our lives, whether it is in our families or our careers, we have to learn to put the good of the group ahead of our selfish interests.
The famous basketball player and coach, Doug Collins captured the essence of fulfilling roles in basketball. His message was-
“Believe in your role.”
“Stay in your role.”
“Star in your role.”
Roles can be tough. Roles are not always what we would choose. Depending on your analysis, Joe Biden had to be pushed, encouraged, or forced into recognizing that his role for the team was not to run for President. For all of us older Americans, it is REALLY tough to accept with age that we can’t handle some roles.
Those of us who are Bulls fans, probably remember the famous game ending play when Coach Jackson chose Toni Kukoc to take the last shot, and Scottie Pippen chose to sit out the last 1.8 seconds. Scottie’s selfishness in that moment, and failure to be a “team player” tarnished his image the rest of his career.
I once heard John Wooden speak at a clinic. Although his teams were uptempo fastbreak on offense and were pressure defense, Wooden expressed he believed to succeed that you could only play 7 players on a regular basis. Wooden believed putting 8-9 in the rotation would mean less minutes for the top players and less development for the top players.
Wooden was defining where he drew the line in terms of roles. Today whether a coach plays only 7 players or as many as 10 players regularly, the point is that in basketball not everyone is going to get the same number of minutes, and some players are not going to get to play.
The key phrase in Doug Collins advice is the first part- “Believe in your role.” On a high school level, many times players could embrace their roles and believe their role. Players are at practice and they can see their value to the team. Players experience the joy of being part of a team, and can take pride in their role.
Sadly, parents don't always embrace or believe in their son’s or daughter’s role. It can be an unhappiness over minutes, starting, or staring. When the parent gets upset about the player's role, things begin to spiral and it is very difficult or impossible for the player to continue to believe in their role. The player begins to make the child question their role and their importance.
Years ago, Maddie Ross was able to be a captain and a leader, despite not starting and sometimes not playing a lot of minutes. She found joy in her team. When she went into a game, her phrase was, “It is my time to shine.”
This past year, Taylor Herchenroder was on the varsity as a backup guard. We needed a backup point guard. Taylor being on the varsity was important for our program and important for the varsity team. Practicing versus varsity competition allowed her to grow, but playing limited minutes is really tough for a freshman. Taylor embraced her role and even if she only played 5 minutes, never showed negative body language. She grew as a player because she "believed in her role."
In the Olympic basketball games, I tried to watch the benches as much as the TV camera allows. I was so impressed watching Kelsi Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Tyrese Haliburton, and Derrick White. They had games where they played only a few minutes or not at all. These four have roles of being stars on their regular NBA and WNBA teams. Watching their enthusiasm on the bench and their energy when they go into games- they are definitely ready to be “stars in their role.”
I have never been a huge Kevin Durant fan. I realize he is a great, great player- but I just have never embraced Durant. After the USA Teams win in the semis- I am a huge Kevin Durant fan. Kevin is considered to be one of the best 2-3 players in the world, yet he didn’t start on the Olympic team. In the semis, his minutes in the first half were limited, and it was awhile before he even got a shot. Late he played an important role off the bench.
It would be so easy to complain and to pout about minutes. After the game he described the game as one of the best games he had ever played in. He didn’t say it was his best game, yet it was one of the best he was part of. Clearly Durant on that day got it- he understood the significance of embracing a role to make a team better.
Bob Cousy is a former Boston Celtic great. Cousy's reaction to the lack of minutes Jayson Tatum played, shows how hard it is for people to deal with roles in the game of basketball. I don’t know what Tatum’s personal reaction to a lack of playing time has been. It seems on the bench that he is not as engaged as Haliburton or White or Plum or Ionescu.
As a Boston Celtic legend, Cousy was choosing to attack Coach Kerr on Tatum’s behalf. When his attack turned to claiming that it must be that Kerr hated the Celtics, that is just crazy. Coaches make mistakes in evaluating players, but trust me- coaches want to win. Coaches don’t bench someone out of hate. Coach’s bench players for things like a player not being able to execute the post defense you have been working on.
Cousy should perhaps look at his coach, Red Auerbach’s message- “Some say you have to use your five best players, but I have found out you win with the five that fit together best as a team.”
Learning to believe in, stay in, and star in roles is the hardest thing in basketball, but it is the most valuable thing a player can take out of basketball into life. And the player who believes in, stays in, and stars in their role increases the likelihood they will be given a bigger role going forward.
Good article
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