SACRIFICE: THE PRICE TO BE GREAT

"It’s all about Sacrifice"
by Jay Crowell

I heard a story a few years ago about a man who walked into a basketball gym on a quiet summer day, on the University of North Carolina campus. He was drawn into the gym, by the sound of shoes squeaking and the bouncing of a basketball. Anticipating to see the Tar Heel's basketball team scrimmaging, to his surprise, the man saw only one player, intensely working on his skills. The man said the player was pushing himself harder than any athlete he had ever seen. The player was sweating profusely, driving himself through drill after drill. The man was in awe of the player's work ethic and strenuous workout he was forcing himself through. After watching the player workout for over an hour and a half, the man was extremely impressed with the player. He decided to find out who the player was. Once the player seemed to be finished with his workout, the man went and introduced himself to the dedicated athlete. They shook hands and the player gave his name, Michael Jordan. The man, taken aback, realized that he had just been watching one of the world's greatest basketball players work-out. Astounded, the man asked Jordan, "Why would you work-out so hard in this hot gym during your vacation time, when you already are the best player to ever play the game?" Jordan quickly replied, "Because you can never be satisfied with where you are. You need to constantly be pushing yourself to get better, because there is always someone coming after you."

Jordan's great sacrifice and hard work earned him 5 NBA Most Valuable Player awards, 6 NBA Championship rings, countless other awards and titles, and the distinction of being the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.

As you enter the basketball season, I hope you will consider making a key focus for your season the goal of SACRIFICE. According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, sacrifice means "To forfeit (one thing) for another thing considered to be of great value." It has been awesome this fall to see kids giving up free time to work on the basketball game and take out time to set goals and develop plans to reach those goals in their lives. My father used to always say, "Dare to be great." Being excellent is difficult; it takes giving up certain things, plenty of work, and becoming vulnerable to failure.

Not long ago, a good high school basketball player came up to me and said he was frustrated with how he was playing. He said he had worked so hard during the summer and was not seeing the results. I knew his aspirations and his plan to reach those future goals. I asked him, "Are your goals posted where you can see them every day? Are you setting extra time during the season to work individually on your skills and your personal fitness level? Do you have an objective mentor, someone who is not emotionally invested or who determines your playing time who can help evaluate what you need to change. Are you committed to healthy eating, quality living and total focus during the season?" He had worked so hard in the off season, he had neglected carrying that focus into the basketball season. To reach your goals, it’s all about sacrifice.

Basketball season is right around the corner, what are you sacrificing to reach your goals? The first report card should be determined by now, what are you sacrificing to get the grades you want? We can ask these questions for every part of our lives when it comes to getting what we desire.

Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces an abundant harvest (benefits, rewards or results) for those who have been trained by it.” You couldn't say it any better because when it comes down to reality, it’s all about sacrifice.

Please email me with your thoughts, questions, or stories about sacrifice at jay@nbccamps.com

Grit Guts Glory Award:G3

Do you find working out a joy? Do sit ups make you laugh? Do you get in defensive stance when brushing your teeth because standing is too easy? If so take our grit test to see how tough you are.

If you can meet the standards of our G3 Award email your name and photo along with your scores and we will post you on our website. Email Jennifer@nbccamps.com

G3 Award criteria:

60 or more perfect push-ups in one minute. Arms must fully extend.
(50-middle school, 40 elementary)
60 or more perfect sit-ups in a minute. Curl-ups
20 or more consecutive Free Throws. Give us your best score.
20 or more consecutive jump shots outside the key and inside the 3 pt line.
10 or more consecutive 3 pointers.

Along with the above criteria, pick one or more of the following to qualify:
Run the mile in 7 minutes or less.
Refrained from pop or junk food for over 3 months.
Scored 25 or more in one game.
Dished 10 or more assists in one game.
Snagged 10 or more rebounds in one game.
Earned straight A’s on your report card.
Participated in a service project for over 3 months or traveled to a service project.
You have siblings who will testify you are a quality brother or sister 90% of the time.

Coach T Shout Out:Dream with Purpose

How many times have you heard someone say, "I wish I could…" well, you fill in the blank. The fact of the matter is that wishing or dreaming alone doesn't accomplish much. Everything you desire out of life must be personally relevant. Dreams have to be big enough to elevate them to a level of importance that leads a person to pursue those goals with a passion! If you want (not wish) to make good grades, you have to plan to study and do homework. If you desire (not daydream between T.V. commercials!) to be a better free throw shooter, you have to implement a practice strategy to actually improve in this area. The bottom line when it comes to dreams is that we have to plan to work and then work the plan. With purpose and planning you will be able to see your dreams come to fruition. Check out what Head Women's Basketball Coach at Linfield College, Robyn Stewart has to say on the subject...

Think Small, Dream Big: Keys to Setting and Accomplishing Goals
by Coach Robyn Stewart

"If it isn't written down, it’s only a dream!" I heard those words spoken by NBC Founder & President, Fred Crowell at a coach's clinic a few years back, and they are the same words I start out with when addressing our players at Linfield College about goals and goal setting. How do we make our dreams a reality? First off, the dream or dreams we have must be something that is meaningful, will drive you, and that a person has a great passion for. If not, one's ability to set goals is irrelevant. Can you think of something that really creates a fire within you to go after? If so, then the dream can be set in motion! Identify your dreams and then start asking the following questions of yourself:
• What is your long-term goal? This could be something that stretches over a number of years. What is possible in the long-term if you stretch all your limits and put a high level of energy into it?
• What is your dream goal for this year? What is possible if you stretch all your limits and commit yourself this year?
• What is a realistic performance goal that you can achieve this year, based upon your present skill level,your potential for improvement, and your current motivation? Once these questions have been answered, now it is time to come up with a goal setting plan with specific dated timelines based upon your responses to the questions above. Begin to think in terms of making monthly and weekly strides.
• Monthly goal: Set a goal that you feel you can achieve within the next month. This should be a short-term goal you would like to focus on with special intensity that will help you to your realistic performance goal.
• Weekly practice goal or goals: Set one to three goals that you feel you can achieve by the end of your first week of practice. More than three goals often are too many to concentrate on or even remember.

Now on to what I like to call goal statements. When we have our players write out their goals, they must address the following components:

• Goals should be specific, challenging, realistic, positive and stated with "I will". An example might be "I will make 75 out of 100 free throw attempts by the end of the first week of practice."

• Goals need to be something you can control. This means accomplishing those goals are not dependent on external forces or other individuals. For example, "I want to be a starter on the varsity team." That is a great goal, but not completely in your control, as the coach ultimately makes that decision.

• Focus on performance or process goals before outcome goals. Again, focus on something that you can impact. A person must be able to get to a level of performance in an area prior to attaining an outcome goal.

• Set game goals and practice goals. For athletes, practice leads to performance in competition, thus practice goals are just as important as game goals, if not more so in some instances.

• Write down your goals so you can see them daily and share goals with someone who will help keep you accountable and focused. If you write down your goals and put them where you never see them, then how important are they really?

• Evaluate your goals as you make progress, set timelines, and adjust your goals when necessary. Our players evaluate practice and game goals weekly as a measure of where we are and where we want to go during the season – our team "Dream Goal" so to speak. Goals can be powerful, keep you motivated and your energies directed during those times where you may feel like you are not yet where you want to be. Keep your eyes on the dream, and you will be surprised just how much can be accomplished by having direction, drive and a plan in your life!


What great strategies from Coach Stewart. Having direction, drive and a plan are worthy applications that can add value to every aspect of our lives. Scripture reminds us that God has a role in our plans – Proverbs 16:9. Remember to check out http://www.nbccamps.com for more "Girls Only" advice, and don’t forget to send any questions or personal shouts to me at tellisward@nbccamps.com.

Heart, Soul & Sport,
Coach T
Director of Women's Basketball & Whitworth Site Director
November 2008

EXISTENTIAL IGNORANCE: CAUTION FOR COACHES

EXISTENTIAL IGNORANCE
A Coach's Worst Enemy by Coach Fred Crowell

The overcoming of ignorance, and in particular, "existential ignorance" is one of the most noble and significant achievements in the life of a coach.

Father Bernard Tyrrell, one of the world's finest scholars defines existential ignorance this way, "Existential ignorance is a mere passive ignorance or an active ignoring of those meanings and values which are essential for the achievement, or rather active reception, of the gifts of wholeness and enlightenment."

It is my conviction, forged on the anvil of a basketball-filled life covering a span of more than 50 years, that coaches do not exercise active ignorance but fall prey to passive ignorance.

In Dr. Tyrrell's definition of existential ignorance the concept of "active and receptive" brings about wholeness and enlightenment. Obviously terms like wholeness and enlightenment are uncommon in the jargon of basketball coaches but it is safe to say synonyms could be balanced, focused, team work and execution.

Existential ignorance is a basketball coach's worst enemy because it brings light to the notion that ignorance can be both passive and active. My experiences as a player, coach, parent and sports business leader of over 200,000 youth emphatically tell me coaches do not actively choose to be ignorant. No, the ignorance they fall into is passive ignorance.

Passive ignorance means you think you know something when you in reality do not know what you think you know. The best illustration I can give to support this logic is the following example. You are driving to a location you have been to many times but it has been a long while since your last visit. You call the host for directions, but because you think you know, you don't listen well. At each direction you say, "yes" but you aren't listening. You get lost. The reason is clear, "You were," as Father Tyrrell says, "existentially ignorant."

In what ways are you existentially ignorant? What is there in your coaching life that you think you know but in reality you don’t? The genius coach is actively and receptively seeking wholeness and enlightenment.

By nature, all of humanity is defensive. Being competent in defending oneself is paramount to survival. The sheer nature of coaching dictates, to some degree, the necessity to be defensive; especially in the sport of basketball.

Basketball is the most difficult game to coach for three reasons. First, it's a team sport that permits only five players to compete at one time. Second, basketball has the least amount of time per game of any team sport. Third, spectators are close to the action. Every move from a slight hand gesture to a blink of an eye is in clear view. Many people in the stands adopt the belief that they can coach basketball.

As a college coach in the 1979, I vividly remember my first grade daughter challenging me as her mother was evaluating my most recent game, "Dad, why do you start (name withheld)? He's terrible!" See, if a first grader can coach, anyone can.

If all humanity tends to be defensive in order to survive how much more defensive must a basketball coach be to survive?

Too many basketball coaches can dish out the criticism but are too defensive to take any. It is a rare coach who has the confidence to be able to say things like this to players on the team. "How am I doing as your coach?" and "Are there any ways I am preventing you from being your best?" or "Please tell me some ways I can be a better coach for you."

Just as you challenge your players to compete position by position with their opponent the same goes for you. Say for example matchups pair your player averaging 9 points per game with the opponent averaging 19 points. If your player can reduce this 10-point deficit to five points, your team has a better chance of winning.

In some games the coach on the other bench is worth more points to their team than you are to your team. I recall back in the '60s. I am 26 years old coaching against Dean Smith at North Carolina, Don Haskins at UTEP, Hank Iba at Oklahoma State and Press Maravich at LSU (Pete scored 48 against my box and one). I clearly was outcoached. If those coaches were worth 20 more points to their team was it possible for me to find a way to cut the advantage to 10 points.

Passive ignorance implores one to just go on their merry way whereas active ignorance says, "They're better than me, so what?"

The coach who chooses wholeness and enlightenment attacks existential ignorance with focused intent to grow, to learn, and to get better.

For the past 25 years I have closely watched thousands of teams and coaches at NBC Camps. I know for sure one important thing about kids. They hate to play for coaches who are lazy, who don't seek to actively get better and who do not clearly demonstrate an eagerness to work hard and learn from others, including them as players.

Coaches who come to camp and seldom attend teaching stations, who race to the espresso stand,
play golf, very often are the ones who at nearly every opportunity say things like, "I tell my players over and over but they just don't do it," or "My kids aren't disciplined enough to learn it," or "We work on that all the time," are existentially ignorant and fall prey to their worst enemy.

If you actively wish to focus on ways to eliminate existential ignorance look for my next letter on DEFEATING EXISTENTIAL IGNORANCE by being active and receptive as opposed to being intellectually and emotionally passive.