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Tone Setters
Great competitors can have a huge impact on the way you practice.
I coached a player at Rhode Island College named Ethan Gaye, who was a tough combo guard who wasn't recruited and came out for the team in the fall. I knew something was different about him when my veteran players kept asking me if we were going to have a spot for him before practice started. Ethan wasn't the most skilled guard but he was athletic and tough. He wasn't a pure ball-handler or a great shooter, but he made up for any shortcomings with how hard he competed. He was like a free safety. Ethan made our squad, and over time worked his way into the starting line-up and a key role on some great teams.
One year Ethan had some challenges to handle balancing school, work and his family and he wasn't sure he'd be able to play. We had a few conversations and he decided to take the first semester off from basketball. When he came back in December, it was clear right away how much we missed him. We hadn't gotten off to a great start and we were inconsistent in the way we practiced and played. But Ethan changed the tone of our practices as soon as he came back, just with how hard he competed. He was hungry, he was full of energy and you could tell how much appreciated the opportunity to compete every day with his teammates. His competitive edge set a completely different tone for the rest of the team.
When I look back at our success at RIC, we had a number of tone-setters like Ethan Gaye, although I don't know that I recognized it at the time. Kinsey Durgin. Tahrike Carter. Terrance Tribble. Alex Cruz. It's remarkable how much of an impact great competitors every day in practice had on their teammates.
John Linehan was one of those players at Providence College. We were lucky to take over a team in 1998 at PC when John was a sophomore, and I'm not sure I've ever coached anyone who competed as hard as John did. He was your typical undersized, something-to-prove guard with a chip on his shoulder. People who would come to practice and watch us play would comment about how hard we competed, and I always felt it was really just because of Linehan. He competed at a level that just wouldn't allow anyone else to take a day off, or a play off. If you didn't compete, he'd find a way to embarrass you by going so much harder than you and making you miserable. There was a competitive edge about the entire team anytime Linehan was on the floor. There's a reason why he's got more steals than anyone in the history of college basketball.
When I first got to Maine we didn't really have any tone setters. I was the tone setter, and that was a challenge. I was trying to coach and will our guys towards the right compete level, but all they could do was hear it from me. They couldn't see it. There really wasn't anyone who understood that competitive edge and had the toughness and mentality to bring it every single day. The team was looking to me to provide it, and that won't translate nearly as well. There is a difference between the coach telling you to play harder, and getting embarrassed on the court by someone who is kicking your ass because of how hard he is playing.
Seek out and value players who can be tone setters. They might not be your most talented players or the guys that put up the best numbers. But the edge they bring to practice every day can have a huge impact. They make your job as a coach a lot easier.
The New Reality
College basketball coaches are used to having power and control. But things are changing rather quickly. Players are now able to transfer one time without having to sit out a year. And soon to be enacted legislation will allow players to make money while in college off of their name, image and likeness. Every player has also been given an extra year to play due to the pandemic. The players will now have more power and freedom than they've ever had.
So much of the conversation about what's happening right now, with over 1,000 players in the transfer portal already, is focused on the players. They aren't being loyal, they don't want to face adversity, they are just taking the easy way out. Kids these days, kids these days, blah blah blah. Keep in mind, the majority of players in the transfer portal are not in there on their own. They have been told that there might not be playing time for them next year and they may want to look elsewhere. It's the coaches making those decisions more so than the players.
As a coach, I think the focus needs to be on how we are going to adapt. When I was the head coach at Maine, I dealt with a large number of transfers. We had nine guys transfer up in four years, to places like Oklahoma, VCU, South Carolina and Colorado State. We dealt with young players who came to Maine and put up good numbers, and then looked elsewhere for a better basketball experience. It wasn't easy, and it changed the dynamic of our entire program. But it was the reality we were dealing with.
I knew when I took the job we had to try and win on culture. We didn't have a lot of advantages as a school or program, and we had our share of disadvantages. We had to create an environment that kids wanted to be a part of and one that made them better players and people. There was no sense worrying about our location, the weather, long bus rides or a lack of tradition. We couldn't do anything about that. What we could was control our own environment and the way we coached our players every day. That was our best chance, really our only chance. Ultimately before we could really establish that culture and create the buy-in, our young players had opportunities to play at a much higher level. We did change the culture but it took time, and in that time most of our recruited talent went elsewhere. But complaining about our reality was of no help to us. We had to figure out how to best navigate that reality.
That is the challenge for college coaches today. With the pandemic, everyone granted an extra year, no live recruiting for at least 15 months, new transfer rules and the incoming NIL legislation, everything is changing. We can spend time complaining about what we don't like about it, or we can look inward, and figure out what we are going to do about it.
We've long enjoyed the comfort of power and control as college coaches. If we are being truthful, many head coaches haven't really had to answer to anyone. You run the program the way you want to run the program, and as long as you pile up enough wins you continue on without much challenge to your control.
The lifeblood of every program is recruiting, and that world is cutthroat. You do and say what you need to do to land the players you can win with. I'm not talking about cheating, although of course there is some of that going on. I'm talking about communicating in a grey area. Telling the players want they want to hear to make them comfortable, to get them to sign. Once they signed, in the past, they really didn't have any power. Up until recently if they were thinking of transferring they needed to get permission just to talk to any other schools. And if permission was granted, they'd have to sit out a year wherever they went. When you got them to sign, you now had them under your control.
Now things are very different for the players. With technology they have instant access to information whenever they want it. They know everything that is going on everywhere else. They will also have the ability to make money off of their name, giving them financial freedom. And they can enter the transfer portal whenever they want, giving them back the power that they generally relinquish when they sign a letter of intent. They don't need permission to leave, or to talk to other coaches. They have more control. You can disagree with all of this, but it is the new reality. So what are you going to do about it?
As coaches we really have to examine everything we do. Take a long look at our culture and the environment we have established for our players. Are we making them better? Do they enjoy being a part of it everyday? Think about the way we communicate. Are we being transparent and honest with our players? Or are we treading in that grey area, where we don't really commit one way or another, giving ourselves an out if we want to change our minds? Are the players who aren't getting the playing time they want comfortable that they are at least getting an opportunity to play? Are they treated the same as the players who play a lot? It's one thing to want to play more. It's another thing to feel like you aren't being treated fairly. We have to think about what we promise when we recruit kids to play for us. Are we delivering on what we are selling to them?
We also have to think about our coaching approach. There has always been a lot of yelling and screaming in coaching, with a lot of anger often in the mix. Whether we like to admit it or not, cursing, berating and some rather unpleasant communication exists in coaching on a lot of levels. With just about all of the power and control in the dynamic, a lot of coaches can get away with that approach. We have long accepted it in coaching, and the players usually can't do much about it. I hope this will be the impetus for some of that to change. With the players having more options, will they continue to accept a coaching approach that makes them uncomfortable? The days of closing the gym doors and yelling and cursing at your team could be coming to an end, especially if the kids decide they don't want to be coached that way. Whether or not coaches can and will change their approach will be interesting.
The new reality in college basketball gives coaches a lot to think about. We can complain about the players and "kids these days" all we want, but that isn't going to change anything. The level of power and control is shifting, whether we like it or not. A lot of coaches are uncomfortable with this new dynamic, as is often the case when you are forced to give up some power and control. Our job is to find the best ways to adapt and connect with our players, and doing so now seems more important than ever.
There is a lot of talk about all of the changes coming to college athletics, but I'm not sure we are talking about the right things. Complaining about the kids and the new rules isn't going to help. Those who look introspectively at how to address the new reality will be a step ahead. Coaches who don't adapt may find themselves wondering where it all went wrong.
The Low Maintenance Player
"Never underestimate the value of a low maintenance player." - John Beilein
When people ask me about the elite success we sustained at Rhode Island College (Hey! Look, you can read a book about it here!), I always say the same thing: We had elite talent willing to buy in to a championship culture. No question we had great players that were a huge part of the winning we did, but the sustainability came from the culture. While I was there, when media ask how we continued to have success year after year, I would always tell them to come watch us practice. Watch what we do every day, and you'll have your answer. You'd see elite players competing their brains out for one another.
Over time I realized that the fabric of our team, who we really were on a day to day basis, wasn't due to our elite talent, but due to our approach. And that approach was set in place by our "program" kids, the kids who maybe weren't quite as talented but who showed up every day with something to prove. To borrow Coach Beilein's phrase, the low maintenance players.
If culture really matters to you, pay close attention to your low maintenance players. We all fall into the trap at times of spending most of our attention on the guys who are a pain in the ass, and overlooking the guys going about their business the right way. But the guys who bring the right approach every day are quietly carrying your culture, and that should demand a lot of your attention.
If you have core values, core behaviors, a culture wall - however you go about it, then it's important to seek out the behaviors you want and do two things - celebrate them, and reward them. It's not enough to just point out how hard the walk-on runs sprints, or the effort one of your freshmen back-ups is giving in drills. If certain players show the values you really think helps your team win, then you have to reward him.
It's remarkable when I look back on those RIC teams how many of them had a walk-on in thee starting lineup. The toughness and competitive edge that we really valued came from those kids who "weren't good enough" on paper, and for us that edge translated to victories. Ultimately if your core values really matter, those players need to be rewarded, and the ultimate reward is playing time. I'm not saying they have to play a lot, but the opportunity to earn playing time has to be there. Many times the reward can be playing time in practice. If the core values they exhibit don't translate to winning in games, and they can't help you at all, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your core values.
Never underestimate the value of a low maintenance player. Those guys can really carry your culture and help you sustain it. Celebrate them and reward them.
Celebrate him. Reward him. If your values are important to you.
Playing For Each Other
The best teams play for one another. They don't play for the coach or for awards. They want to win, of course, but that's not what ultimately drives them. They don't want to let their teammates down.
How do we create a team that plays for one another?
"Count on You"
We used this phrase all of the time within our program. If we can't count on you to show up on time to class, do you think we are going to count on you to go on the road and win? It doesn't work that way. If we can't count on you, we can't trust you. And if we can't trust you, you can't be a part of what we are trying to accomplish. This isn't for you.
I would often say "the best ability is reliability." One of the worst things you can be as a teammate is unreliable. It's actually better to be mediocre than to be unreliable. At least we know what we are going to get every day. We know what we can count on. That is crucial to high-performing teams.
Constantly emphasize to your teams the importance of showing up. Being consistent. Competing at a high level every day, without compromise. Make sure they know that everyone is counting on them, and without the commitment of everyone, the team will fail. Create an atmosphere where reliability is expected and celebrated.
Connect the Dots
Finding ways to connect the dots with your team is an important step. Make sure they are aware that one weak link in the chain impacts the entire team. Being clear about how everyone is relying on each other will help your team start to think about their teammates. If you aren't ready to guard, now we have to help you. Everyone else has to rotate. Someone is going to be left open. One player not doing their job impacts everyone.
A few weeks into practice at RIC we always asked our freshmen if the knew the name of the janitor who they saw every day, cleaning up their locker room and the gym. None of them ever knew his name, they never really thought about it. And he was literally cleaning up after them every day. He cleaned the floor before practice for us.
So what if he decided not to clean the floor before practice, and it was too dirty and too slippery to practice on? Or we couldn't go hard because we were worried about getting hurt? Rafael was our teammate, and his job was just as important as everyone else's in helping our program. If he didn't do it, it had a negative impact on our program.
Not only was it a good way to show appreciation and eliminate entitlement, but it was also a good way to connect the dots for our guys. What one of us does affects us all.
Shared Experiences
I do think I was lucky in this regard when I first became a head coach. I took over a veteran, talented group that had been through a lot together - 3 different head coaches, lack of success, some challenging situations at RIC, long rides in cramped vans to games, etc... They were naturally invested in one another by the time I arrived. They didn't play to win. They played not to let each other down. But it made me recognize the importance of those shared experiences to their investment in each other.
Are there ways for you to engage your team in shared experiences - away from the gym - that helps them come together/invest in each other unrelated to simply playing basketball? Get them away from the gym and let them get to know each other. Create an investment level where they simply refuse to let their teammates down.
Give Them Space to Have A Voice
There were inevitable times of confrontation and disagreement with my teams, and often I had to let them work it out. That meant some uncomfortable situations in practice - some arguments, intense disagreements, etc. But it created a clear feeling of "We all really care about this... it matters to us." Even if we disagree. Sometimes when things get heated in practice, give them the space to work it out. Let them handle it.
For example, competing was always our most important core value/behavior. I would ask the team at the beginning of the year to rate every one of their teammates on how hard they played every day. One through 15. We would total it up and share it with the team. Who they thought competed the hardest, who they thought didn't. Someone had to be last. They didn't have to put their name to it, so it was shared as "This is what your teammates think about you." It created some tension/anxiety and a little bit of confrontation that they had to discuss. But at the end of it was "We are in this together." They had the voice, and they had to talk it out.
Challenge Them to Count On Each Other
This is something you can do intentionally in practice. We had a conditioning drill called 8-6-4-2. The team was grouped together in pairs - usually a faster player with a slower player. They would alternate running sprints (1 set of 8 lengths of the floor, then 2 sets each of 6 lengths of the floor, etc..) Your partner could not run until you had completed your sprint. So, he had to complete 8, then he would rest when you ran your 8, etc... If one guy was dogging it, he was letting his teammate down. The drill had to be completed in 9:45 as a team - so it was a long, tough drill.
Guys were dead tired, we would usually do it at the end of practice, so it was very hard. But if you gave in, you were letting your teammate down, because he couldn't finish without you. Generally when I put them on the line for the drill I would hear some groans, but halfway through the sprints the energy would turn (as the sprints got shorter, going from 8s down to 2s). There would be a ton of positive energy in the gym at the end of the drill. They had to count on one another to complete a tough task.
We did another team exercise off the floor with puzzles. We'd group them in 3s, and give each group a puzzle. The only instructions I would give them was "We have to finish all of the puzzles as quickly as we can." Naturally each group thought they were supposed to finish the puzzle in front of them. Some of the puzzles would be complete and be easy to put together. But some of the puzzles would be mixed - they'd be missing pieces, and the missing pieces would be with other groups. Teams would figure out that they needed help from another team and start asking and sharing pieces.
The team or two that had an easy, complete puzzle would just sit there - proud that they had finished first. Remember, the only instructions were "we have to finish all of the puzzles as quickly as we can." Some groups would experience frustration and have to fight through it. Others would experience entitlement/privilege and feel like they had accomplished something - when in fact they were just given the easiest situation. Ultimately to complete the task of finishing all of the puzzles as quickly as they could, they would have to work to help each other.
Elite teams play for one another. They refuse to let each other down. They don't play to win or to please the coach. They don't play for themselves. They play for their teammates.
Create an environment where your team learns to be reliable and to count on one another, and you'll increase your chances of sustaining elite success.
Culture Is A Consequence of Actions
From Ben Horowitz's book, "What You Do Is Who You Are."
Culture is weird like that. Because it's a consequence of actions rather than beliefs, it almost never ends up exactly how you intend it. This is why it's not a "set it and forget it" endeavor. You must constantly examine and reshape your culture or it won't be your culture at all.
Standards and Rules
A lot of leaders like to say they "don't have a lot of rules." The thought being having strict rules about specific behaviors will have the players walking on eggshells and paint them into a corner when someone breaks a rule. And not every situation is the same. Is being two minutes late for practice the same as being thirty minutes late on game day? Leaders like to have flexibility to treat each situation on its own - and, if we're being honest, the ability to find a way out of discipline that might hurt the team in the short term.
Standards are different than rules. Rules are meant to guide the conduct of your team, while standards are shared beliefs that maintain a high quality of effort and performance. Rules are usually set in place by the leader. Standards can be owned and maintained by the team. Standards represent a level you are constantly working to achieve. A rule is to always be on time. A standard is to give maximum effort every day.
Standards and rules don't paint you in to a corner. It's the punishment that does that. Regardless of whether you have standards or rules, you don't have to have a correlating punitive arrangement. You can treat each violation of your standards a different way, without being inconsistent. There is a difference between somebody who is one minute late to class and comes sprinting in to the building because they couldn't find a parking spot, and somebody casually walking into the building twenty minutes late. Somebody who gets frustrated with a turnover and jogs back on defense is below your standards, but it's not the same as someone who consistently gives a lazy effort.
Painting yourself into a corner with the penalty isn't a reason not to have rules or standards. To uphold your standards, you simply have to be consistent with the accountability. If you make the team run when they are late for practice, make sure you do it every time they are late for practice. If someone is late for shoot around on the day of the game, you don't have to bench them for the first half. The penalty for being late is generally extra sprints, and that doesn't have to change because someone was late on game day.
Whether you have rules or standards, or whatever else you'd like to call them, the accountability is the key. It's not the punishment, and it doesn't have to be the same thing every time. But the level of accountability has to remain the same. You can't let certain things go, and decide hold the team accountable when it's convenient. The rules you have aren't the issue. An inconsistent level of accountability will cause a problem.
Emotional Intelligence and Competitive Excellence
Inevitably at the beginning of practice every year when I was at RIC and at Maine, things would get pretty intense. We took pride in how hard we competed, and everyone was fired up at the beginning of the year not just to compete but to prove they belonged and earn playing time. The intensity level would always lead to some pretty strong emotions.
Usually after a few days we'd have a conversation about emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your own emotion and the emotions of others around you, and to move forward making the right decisions. It is a big part of competitive excellence, something I have talked about in this space before. Competing is playing hard all of the time. Competitive excellence is being able to handle the emotions that go along with competing that hard all of the time.
Teams that lack emotional intelligence struggle to compete at a high level because they can't handle the emotional investment. You know those practices where everyone is playing hard, but then they start getting chippy with each other, bitching and complaining about everything that doesn't go their way? That happens with every team that competes, especially early in the year. That's when we would have the conversation about emotional intelligence. Can we handle the emotion that goes along with playing this hard all of the time? It's one of the reasons why I think a competitive environment is so important. Your team needs to get used to feeling that way all of the time. As that happens, they'll learn how to deal with it.
I do think emotional intelligence can be taught, learned and improved over time. But you have to be intentional about it and willing to talk about it regularly. It's okay that we compete really hard to beat one another every day. It's not okay if, whenever we compete at a really high level, we start fighting with one another.
Make sure you are aware of your team's emotional intelligence, and make them aware of it as well. Put them in challenging situations where they are pushed mentally, and hold them accountable for their approach and performance. It will help your team get comfortable competing at a championship level.
Big Men As Coaches
From the Wall Street Journal in 2014. Some interesting stuff to think about as to why big men have trouble getting head coaching jobs. I thought about it as I watched Patrick Ewing lead Georgetown to a Big East title.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-big-men-usually-cant-coach-basketball-1402007079
Handling Success
At the start of my second year as a head coach, at Division III Rhode Island College, we beat Iona College in an exhibition game. That win was huge for our program and for my confidence as a coach, but it also caught me off guard. I learned a lesson on intentionally handling success. This is an excerpt from my book "Entitled to Nothing" on what I learned after that game.
Obviously, the confidence we took from beating Iona was important to everyone - our players and our coaching staff. But I failed to adequately prepare our team mentally after we won that game. As important as our approach was leading up to that game, I didn't recognize the importance of it after we won. Up to that point, I had never really thought about handling success. You win, things are going well, you just keep it going and everything will be great, right? Well, I learned pretty quick that doesn't work. My team had great confidence, but after that win everything changed. Our expectations, the way people looked at us, the way we looked at ourselves, it was all different. Handling success is something you have to prepare for intentionally, and it can be harder than handling failure.
The strongest emotion I felt in our gym after we got back from Iona was tension. We were loose and confident on the outside, sure, and we felt good about ourselves. But things had clearly changed, and our team, including myself, was really tight. Winning that game had raised expectations and rightfully so. I love high expectations, and I want them around my program all the time. But there can be a lot of tension around teams with high expectations, and I wasn't ready to deal with it.
If you are interested in order a copy or copies of "Entitled to Nothing" for your staff or team, click on this link:
The Way of the Warrior
From Ben Horowitz's book "What You Do Is Who You Are..."
What Did Culture Mean To The Samurai?
Bushido looks like a set of principles, but it's a set of practices. The samurai defined culture as a code of action, a system not of values but of virtues. A value is merely a belief, but a virtue is a belief that you actively pursue or embody. The reason so many efforts to establish "corporate values" are basically worthless is that they emphasize beliefs instead of actions. Culturally, what you believe means nearly nothing. What you do is who you are.
Getting Tight
It's easier to get tight quicker in a game when you expect to win.
At Rhode Island College we played in eight straight Little East Tournament games, and we won six of them. We were 4-1 as the favorite at home and 2-1 as the underdog on the road. But one thing we never really had to deal with on the road was getting tight. When we played at home, and we knew we were the better team, we had to overcome getting tight a number of times.
It doesn't seem to make much sense at first glass. Why would you get tight when you know you are the better team? You'd think you'd have the confidence to overcome any nerves. But expectations can lead to tension. And when you get deeper into into a close game you often get into a situation you haven't been in that often. You are used to being in control, to playing with the lead. You just don't have as much experience getting punched in the mouth and having to respond.
I know as a head coach I've had to fight getting tight in games where we expected to win. Usually if your team starts getting tight, you've taken them there. They are following your lead. A great challenge is to keep the tension and nerves that you are feeling away from your team. It starts with being aware of how expectations can affect your approach.
You have to be willing to accept some mistakes. You can't demand perfection, no matter how good your team is. Find ways to keep things light and break the tension on the bench. Encourage your team to make plays, and give them the freedom to make some mistakes. Smile. Stay composed.
When your team is supposed to win, your players know it too. They feel the pressure. When they start to struggle, they are naturally going to get tight. Stay aware, and make sure you fight it.
It's so much easier to get tight when you are supposed to win.
Winning In The Post-Season
A re-post from a few years ago by request of a few coaches...I don't think there is a specific formula that helps you win in the post-season. Billy Beane always said the MLB playoffs are a "crapshoot," and there is a lot of truth to that. So much goes into winning and losing a game, and in college we are dealing with 18 year old kids. So many results in the post-season come down to the bounce of the ball, a freak injury or an unlucky whistle. And every team has a different personality. What works for one team might not connect with another team - even year after year in the same program.Still, as coaches we have to do as much as we can to get our teams ready to win in a do-or-die situation. The post-season usually offers a little bit of time to rest, adequate time to prepare and a one game season that only continues if you win. A great year can take place in the space of one weekend tournament, but a major disappointing failure is right in front of you as well. So what are the things you think about when trying to get your team ready to win in the post-season?In my 9 years at RIC we had a lot of success in the post-season, posting a 21-3 record in our conference tournament and winning 6 titles in 8 years. Overall we were 34-12 including the NCAA Tournament. We are working had to establish the same mentality at the University of Maine. It's helpful for me to look back on the approach we used that helped lead to our post-season success.Recognize desperation. There is a different emotion in the conference tournament - desperation. It's not the same as the regular season. Most teams are in a one-and-done situation and desperation brings a different level of energy to each game. Talk about it and be prepared for it.Expect the unexpected. During the regular season most teams want to establish their own style of play. They want to play their way. But in a one-game playoff teams are more likely - especially the bad teams - to do whatever it takes to beat you in that game. You might see something different than you've seen all year. Tell your team to expect the unexpected. You might see something you haven't prepared for, don't let it affect the way you play.Scared goes home. We tell our kids to take a chance. To take risks. To make plays. We want playmakers in the post-season. If you are tentative and thinking about the result, you are going home. Sometimes this goes against what you are feeling as a coach - you are nervous about all of the things that might go wrong. But it's important to get your team to play without fear. Give them the license to go out and make mistakes, so they won't be afraid to make plays.Take more time off. We always took an extra day off before the NCAA tournament. We wanted to take 2 days off per week. We still practiced hard, but our practices were a little bit shorter - generally between 90 minutes and 1:45. It's important to resist the urge to over coach and manage every detail of the scouting report. I never wanted to cripple my guys with too much information. Keep their minds clear, stay rested and let them play.Eliminate winning from the conversation. The result is final, and could mean the end. So I never wanted my guys thinking about the results. We talked about who we were, our culture, being ourselves despite the importance of the game. And it was OK to talk about losing. We'd talk about it matter-of-factly, to also eliminate the fear of the result. We may lose, but that's fine if we go out and compete without fear. Keep the emphasis off the results.Don't add new stuff. I never liked putting new stuff in to prepare for a post-season game. The pressure and intensity will be great, you don't want to give your guys more to think about. Trust what you do, and fine-tune it. I don't think we're going to be successful trying to run new stuff in a post-season game.Lighten the mood. Find ways to keep practice light. Cut the intensity by laughing at something funny that happens. Don't get me wrong, have the same intense practices you have all year. But it's OK to find a way to laugh every now and then in the middle of it, so your kids understand - this is a big deal, but it's not the end of the world.Don't be afraid to sub. I've never been a big believer in tightening the rotation down the stretch. Play the guys that have allowed you to be successful. Stay with your rotation. The nerves that force you to keep your key guys on the floor for big minutes can end up costing you in the end. Stick with the rotation and trust your subs. Staying fresh is a big key to winning tough, close games in the post-season.Don't react. Stay on an even keel and try not to react to anything that happens. A quick emotional reaction to stuff that takes place - either good or bad - will get your guys on edge. That's not what you want. Keep it all inside and stay composed, and your tea will too.Have fun with it. You've trained all year to be ready to play in this environment. Loud, energetic crowds are great to play in front of. Enjoy the atmosphere and feed off the energy. Address it with your team and prepare them to enjoy it. Whatever the atmosphere you are going to play in, talk to your team about it so they'll be ready for it.Prepare the same way all year. These games are won in October and November, not March. Your long-term approach should prepare your team to win big games in tough environments. Think about post-season games all year. You should be prepared to win these games with what you do all year long. When you do that, all you have to do in the post-season is be yourself.
The Less I Speak The Better We Get
One thing I've learned over my years as a head coach: the less I was saying, the better my team was performing. If I was doing a lot of talking, usually the team was struggling.
There is certainly a cause and effect conundrum involved with it. Am I talking more because the team is struggling and they need direction, or are they struggling because I am doing most of the talking?
Obviously I'm not saying you shouldn't talk to your team. But the more you talk, the more dependent they become on you for direction. The more they expect to be told what to do. The less ownership they take of their own situation. They become compliant, showing up every day willing to do what they are told.
Set the tone, establish the approach, and ask a lot of questions. Get your team to talk as much as you can. Of course you have to make sure you are sending the right message. But understand the more you get your team to talk - and the less you talk - the better you will be.
Kobe on Mental Toughness
"When you are going through a really tough time... being mentally tough means you can take your mind someplace else, and concentrate on that other thing, to the point where the thing that was bothering you is no longer a focus, so you don't feel it anymore."
Understanding Your Culture
"You don't understand your culture by talking to your management team. You understand your culture by observing how your new employees behave."
- Ben Horowitz, What You Do Is Who You Are
Your culture is the behavior of your players. It's not the framed pictures on the wall or the slogan on the back of your shooting shirts. Your culture is the behavior that comes about based on the shared beliefs in your organization. Culture is action, not words.
The above quote from Ben Horowitz resonated with me as the best way to understand your culture. You aren't going to truly understand your culture by talking to your veteran players. What you believe in, and what you expect from them, are already ingrained in their minds. They have heard you talk about what's important over and over, and they know what you want them to say. They probably aren't that comfortable saying, "You know what, coach, we've got some issues to fix," even if they are able to understand that something is wrong. Like you, they might not see it until it becomes a big issue that starts to impact the results.
To truly understand your players, watch how your newcomers behave. They will come into your program trying to figure out the best way to fit and and to be successful. They will seek out the quickest avenue to do that. If there is a shortcut, they will probably find out. If they are allowed to act a certain way they will probably do so. They will follow the lead of the veteran players and their behavior will tell you a lot about your organizational culture.
Don't ask your players about your culture. Observe what they do, especially your new players. They will tell you what your culture is all about.