Can we agree that summertime is one of the best times to work on your game?  Great players take advantage of the summer to develop their skills.  Deron Williams is a great example.  Here’s his schedule for a typical summer day when he was in high school:

9:00 – Bike To Gym
9:30 – Work On His Game
12:00 – Pool
6:00 – Hoop With Older Guys
10:00 – Leave Gym

What’s the first thought that comes to mind after seeing his schedule?  That’s a lot of basketball.  It turns out, that’s not uncommon.  The most skilled players in the world dedicate a large amount of their time to improving their game.  And, there are three ways you can play basketball:

1.) By yourself
2.) Pick-Up Ball
3.) Organized Ball

If I asked you to look at that list and think about the past year of your life, what percent of the time did you do each of them?  Which do you think is most important?  I asked Deron and here’s his list of order of importance:

1.) By Yourself
2.) Organized
3.) Pick-Up

I agree.  Let’s compare the top two.

What’s the most amount of shots you’ve ever taken in a game?  Keep your answer in mind.  (For this example, we’ll use 20 shots) How long is a typical summer game in real-time?  About an hour, right?  So, you are getting up around 20 game-like shots per hour.  How long would it take to get up 20 shots by yourself with a rebounder?  A minute or two.  Do you see where I’m going with this?

Which is why Kevin Durant’s Timesheet on how he spent his time with basketball looked like this when he was in high school:

70% – By Himself
15% – Pick-Up
15% – Organized

The best thing you can do if you’re serious about improving your game, is get with a coach who you trust (they need to have a good knowledge of the game) and work with them on building a workout you can do on your own to help you develop as a player.  That way, you can make this summer, the summer you change your game!

When do you have more focus:

A.) Beginning of the game.  Score 0-0

B.) Start of 2nd Half.  Score 51-21

If you’re like most, the answer is A.  Why?  Because, when you’re up 30, it’s comfortable.  So is success.  Which shows again why success can be dangerous.

Brad Stevens (Head Coach: Butler) said, “In a game of 150 possessions, you’re going to have a lot of success and a lot of failure and you have to be able to move on from each.”

I think how you handle a lead or lesser opponents tells a lot of how well you handle success.

Here’s Butler’s Goal: To win each game one possession at a time.  Why is this a great goal?  It takes the scoreboard out of the equation and focuses on winning the possession.  Every possession.

One of the things that I love to watch for is, how the starters act on the bench once they get pulled for the night in a blow-out.  Do they:

1.) Stay engaged and give energy to their teammates who never get to play.

2.) Relax and think their job is done.

Ask yourself this question, when the best player of a team goes to the bench, what do you think it means to the guys who never get to play (who are expected to bring the energy from the bench day in and day out without seeing playing) sees you excited for their success?  To me, that shows a fully functional team.

The best player typically dominates the personality of the team and how they handle success is often a key indicator on what kind of season they will have.

When is practice harder?

A.) When you win by 25
or 
B.) When you lose by 25

The obvious and most common answer was A.  Which proved that success can be dangerous.

I’ve spent a lot of time with high-performers now, there are a few common trends among them.  Here’s one:

They have trouble enjoying success because their mind is already onto the next thing.

For example, Andre Iguodala said, “I don’t enjoy success because I’m looking forward to the next thing.”

When I followed up with this question, “Can you explain the best way to handle success?”  He responded, “Remember the work that went into the success because guys tail off when they forget about it.”

Which is exactly the reason why I love Don Meyer’s notebook exercise so much.  After each practice Coach Meyer had his players write down What they did well and why.  

Great players want to understand the why.

When you focus on the why you focus on the effort aimed at the result not so much the result or accomplishment itself.  Essentially you focus on the process.

The best thing success can teach us, is how we got there, once we understand that…we can repeat the process.

When is practice harder?

a.)  When you win by 25
b.) When you lose by 25

If you’re like most, you answered B.

Now let me ask you this…

When do you improve:

a.) When more is demanded of you
b.) When less is demanded of you

Obviously A.  So, if more’s demanded of you when you lose, do you see how winning could actually stunt your growth and development as a player?  So, how do successful coaches combat this problem because their clear objective to keep their jobs is to win.

Tom Izzo (Head Coach: Michigan State)  said, “There aren’t a lot of self-driven people out there…that’s why there are coaches.”

There aren’t a lot of self-driven people out there.  What do these self-driven people have in common?  They spend time in a place called the Sweet Spot, a term coined by Daniel Coyle.

To get there, you continuously set goals, just beyond the edge of your abilities.  That’s where struggle takes place.   And, as you accomplish each small goal, you set another goal, again, just beyond the edge of your ability.

All of the high-level coaches like Tom Izzo are able to keep their teams in the “Sweet Spot” win or lose.  That’s why they grow and get better throughout the season.  And, why more-often-than-not , they’re in the mix for the National Championship at the end of each year.

I began to talk to coaches to expand on this idea.

Billy Donovan (Head Coach: Florida) said of his best players over the years, “I think they have an obligation to….use their talents as a platform to inspire their teammates.

Why is that needed?

One of my good coaching friends says this is the way teams work.

Let’s say there are 14 players and only 8 of them play consistently.  That means:

9-14: Want to play
6-8: Want to start
4-5: Want more shots
2-3: Want to be the best player
1: Wants to play at the next level

What does this show?  That everybody naturally wants more, which shows how fragile a team is.  So, how can the best player inspire their teammates?

Well, the best player usually:

1.) Takes the most shots
2.) Scores the most points
3.) Gets the most attention

So, when they use that platform to promote:

1.) Hard Work
2.) Being Unselfish
3.) Team Chemistry

It becomes more natural for players 1-14 to sacrifice, embrace their role, and focus on winning.  When everybody does those three things, in the long-run…everybody wins.

Brett,

I currently have a son who’s very much into basketball.  As a 4 year old he played in two leagues last year and we travel 45 min away to get skill training.  He’s very interested in learning more about basketball.  Do you have any suggestions? 

Thanks.

Before I get into my suggestion.  I’d like to make a quick point.

One of the questions that I love to ask high-level players is,  Give me a story of when you went to extreme lengths to play the game of basketball.  EVERYONE has a story, including Andre Iguadala – who’s an N.B.A. All-Star and a Gold Medalist with the 2012 Olympic Team.

When he was younger he found an interesting use out of a hanger.  He used to bend the hanger into a circle and fold the top part over the door…he would then shut the door.  Boom, a basket is made.  And, 1-on-1 is played.

They used a pair of balled up socks as the basketball.  They even used the microwave as a timer to have have a 3 point contest.  I LOVE that!

And to be honest, I’m with Andre.  Some of the best memories I have with the game of basketball came from the creative ways I used to play the game.  I fell in love with it through my imagination.

So, that being said, my suggestion to the parent is simply this:  Don’t Speed Up The Process.  The best thing that you can do, is have fun with your son to advance his interest.

Then, as he gets a little older, he’ll naturally want to play more by himself and when it’s his decision to practice – it’s his decision and he owns it.  That’s when greatest improvements are made!

A lot of high-level coaches are going away from talking about goals with their players?  Let’s investigate why…

When you focus on a goal – what do you focus on?  The result.  When you focus on the “effort” aimed at the goal, you’re focused on the process.  What’s the difference?  There’s a big one!

Brad Stevens was the youngest coach to ever take a University to back-to-back National Championship games.   He’s completely gone away from talking about goals with his players.

He focuses on the process.  There mission, he says, “Is to win each game one possession at a time.”

So, how do you build a program around this concept?  Butler has.  They use a pyramid model to explain their philosophy.

Tier 1:  Character.   Butler is built on 5 principles: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood, and Thankfulness.   They give these words meaning, so they aren’t just words, they become the standards of the program.  They call it “The Butler Way.”

Tier 2: Preparation.  Where does Butler’s confidence come from?  Their preparation.  Most would tell you, who are around the game, that there aren’t too many coaches that are better when it comes to getting their team ready to play over Brad Steven’s.  He’s one of the best.

Tier 3: Performance.  Do your job to the best of your ability is something you will hear often when you are around the Butler program.  Essentially that means performing your role that you have prepared for when game-time comes.

Tier 4: Result.  The outcome of your effort.

What’s interesting about their pyramid, and it’s by design, is that each level you go up, the tiers get smaller.  Which portrays the way they focus their energy on each of these topics.

The tiers at the bottom receive more attention than the tiers at the top.  Why?  Because they effect the result.   The three lower tiers are the process.

Results are used as tools.  They tell you what you did well and why (so you can repeat) but also what you need to work on and how (so you can fix).

When you use results to improve your process – that’s how you get better one possession at a time.

Multiple Choice Question: Why do bad player-to-player relationships happen?

A.) Bad Communication
B.) Jealousy
C.) Personal Dislikes
D.) Different Common Goals

I think you could make a case for any of these answers to be right.  In fact, they’re all right.  But what I’m much more interested in, is what all of these answers have in common.

I believe that all bad player-to-player relationships can be traced back to one thing:  When people put their individual wants over what the team needs.

Thad Matta (Men’s Coach: Ohio State) said, “The biggest challenge coaches face at all levels, is having positive communication in the locker room.”

Why is that?  He attributes a large part of it to the fact that anybody on the outside (away from the team) has instant access to you via social media, etc.  And, why does that matter?  Let’s take a closer look.

Does your inner circle, family and friends with the most access to you, care more about your collective team’s success or do they care more about your individual success?  My guess, if you are like most people, it’s your individual success.

So, a lot of times those third-party people are going to give you their opinions, based on what they think is right for you and it might not always be what’s best for the team.  And…it’s a lot easier to listen to people who are telling you what you want to hear versus maybe what you need to hear.

That puts a lot of pressure on the individual who’s caught in the middle.

How does Coach Matta deal with that with his players at Ohio State?  They have “Circle-Ups” everyday to discuss things that could potentially get in the way of their common goal.  Thad says, “I want them to understand that only the people in that circle have an effect on the outcome of the game.”

Why is this an effective exercise?

1.) It’s a built-in support system with people who can control the outcome of the game.
2.) The objection: To deal with anything as a group that can get in the way of a “Team-First” attitude.
3.) It attacks issues daily.

It’s not easy but great programs understand that the more you give of yourself, the more you will receive and that is how you eliminate bad player-to-player relationships on a daily basis.

Anthony Davis was 6’10 and ranked the #1 player in the country when he was a senior in high school.

What do you think that everybody around him was telling him about his basketball abilities?  That he was the best, right?

Which is one of the biggest issues coaches at the next level deal with because they aren’t telling them that.  In fact, they are telling them the opposite of what they’ve heard their entire life.

Which is why I found it very interesting when I heard what the first thing that Coach Calipari told Anthony Davis when he sat down with him on his recruiting visit.  He said, “Kentucky’s not for everyone.”  What effects do you think this had on Anthony?

I think:

1.) It presented a challenge (And, what great player doesn’t want a challenge?)
2.) It tested Anthony’s hunger for growth

In fact, Anthony said, “I was looking for that challenge.”

Here’s why he was looking for that challenge.

If you would have asked Anthony Davis to be completely honest with himself in high school, despite what all the people around him were telling him, on whether or not he thought there was a big difference in his playing ability from someone with a similar body type…say Kevin Durant – what do you think he would say?

My guess would be, “Of course.”  He obviously recognized that there was a huge gap between where he was and where he wanted to be.  Which was why it was so important for him to find someone to help him grow and get from Point A to Point B.

He chose Coach Calipari as that guy because he knew he would be challenged.

To Coaches:  The quickest way to gain the trust of a high level player is to show them that you can make them better.

To Players:   Great players 1.) Want to be challenged and 2.) They accept coaching.

Your First Challenge – Players ask your coaches, “What do you see that I need to do, in order to be a better teammate / leader who can help the team?”

Simply put, it means that whether you do something good or you do something bad – your focus is never on the past because you can’t change that.  So…you focus on what you can control, which is being at your best for the next play.

How do we teach this?  Here’s one way.

There was a player at the University of Florida who was either really good or really bad.  He was really good when he was making plays because he brought unbelievable energy to the team and lifted them up.   However, he was the exact opposite when he was playing bad and he drained the energy of the team.  Which isn’t uncommon.

So, to illustrate the Next-Play Mentality to this player, Billy Donovan (Men’s Coach: Florida) taught him an interesting lesson.  Here’s how he did it:

The day after a loss where this player shot 2-11 from the field and played 38 minutes, Coach Donovan called him out in front of the team and asked him three questions.

Coach D: How many shots did you miss last night?
Player: 9 Shots.

Coach D: How long does it take you to shoot one shot?
Player: (Perplexed) About a second.

Coach D: And, how many minutes did you play for last night?
Player: 38 minutes.

Coach D: So, let me get this straight, you let 9 seconds effect how you played the other 37:51 minutes you were in the game?  That’s selfish.

Mature players don’t react to their success or mistakes – they move on to the next play so they are at their best to make a play for the team.

Having a Next-Play Mentality should be a Team Standard for every player!

What happened to the 2004 USA Men’s Olympic team?

They had the worst finish in the organization’s history:
Record: 5-3
Result: 3rd Place

They needed to change their culture.  What is culture?  It’s the behaviors and beliefs of a group.

So, Coach K was then elected head coach of Team USA and he needed to re-shape the culture and take the team in a different direction.  How’d he do it?

He attributes it to what he calls, his best team-building exercise and it happened before they even took the court as a team.

Recapturing the respect of the world with two gold medals shows us how effective that exercise was.  Here’s why:

1.) Why are Team Standards better than Team Rules?
Team Standards: Positive in Tone / Designed to motivate and inspire you to be better people
Team Rules: Negative in Tone / Force control and are restrictive

2.) When every player comes up with a standard that increases ownership, which leads to a collective accountability.

When a team full of player holds themselves to the Team Standard, that’s…when the shift in culture begins!

What are your Team Standards?

James Harden’s Resume:

High School:
-Won 2 State Championships
-Averaged 18 a game both years

College:
Freshman: Averaged 18 PPG
Sophomore: Averaged 20 PPG

Now when James Harden arrived in OKC, they asked him to come off of the bench and be their sixth man.  Based on the resume above, that was an adjustment.

So, how did he adjust?

James said he changed his mindset to, “I want to change the game every time I check into it.”

Over the course of three years, he mastered that role.  In fact, he won the sixth man award in the NBA last year.

What’s interesting to me is, what happened after all of that.  He recently was traded to Houston – what happened?

Game 1: 37 points
Game 2: 45 points

Magic Johnson said, “He’s unbelievable.  He will be up for MVP of this league.” 

What does that tell us?  That James is incredibly talented.  Do you think there was ever a time when he was in OKC where he was like, “Man, I should be starting?”

All I know is what I would be thinking and my answer would be…yes.

He adjusted his game to fit the team’s need.  When great players sacrifice for the good of the team, special things happen – just like they did in OKC.

What’s your focus on:

What your coach should do for you or what you can do for your team?

If I asked you to define what  a role player is, how would you define it?

Whatever your answer, I can tell you, that if I asked that same question to championship level coaches – they would all answer it the same way and make the first point of this article.

1.) Every player is a role player.

Most people associate role players as players who do the “little things.”  Everybody has a role in making the team maximize their potential and perform as a unit.

Bill Self (Men’s Coach: Kansas) named a few examples of roles:

-Shoot 20 shots
-Set great screens
-Keep the locker room happy

Fact: It’s most important for your best players to play well because they have the greatest effect on the outcome of a game.

One of the most common things I hear from players is, they aren’t happy with their role.  Which brings me to my next question:

When do you change your role?
In-Season or Off-Season.

2.) You change your role in the off-season.

So, what do you do during the season?

3.) Embrace your role.

What does it mean to embrace your role?

You do what your coach asks to the best of your abilities.  Great teams happen when they understand these three things.

1.) Every player is a role player
2.) Change your role in the off-season
3.) Embrace your role in-season

Answer:
Record: 5-3

Finish: 3^rd Place

It was the worst performance USA Basketball has ever had during an Olympic run.  There needed to be change.  Coach K took over the reins as head coach.

The first thing, Coach K did, before they ever took the court – was set Team Standards.  The night before practice started, every player came up with one standard and those standards became the way they were going to live with each other.  Those standards set the culture.

Examples:
1.) Don’t Be Late
2.) Look each other in the eyes
3.) Have each other’s back

Setting Standards worked.  They won back-to-back Gold Medals and re-established their dominance globally.

That’s a great example of how you can change a culture as a coach.  But, how do you do it as a player?

Here How:

Step 1: Admit…You can’t do it by yourself.

I don’t care how good you think you are, you need people to win at anything in life.  The best players understand this, and they invest in their teammates.

Step 2: Surround yourself with people outside your team to inspire and motivate you.

Changing a culture is tough, that’s why you need people away from what you are doing to encourage you during the tough times.

Three Characteristics to look for in these people:
1.) Trustworthy
2.) People that give you energy
3.) People that want to see you be successful

Step 3: Find teammates to help dominate the personality of the team into winners.

What should you look for when choosing teammates to help you?  Look for teammates who have a great mindset.

I told one of our players, who’s in college, having trouble getting buy-in from their older teammates, “There’s no way ANYBODY should out-care you.”

When you invest and care about people over time, they will start to care about you, and that’s when the shift in culture begins.

Step 1: Admit: You can’t do it by yourself
Step 2: Find a few teammates to help dominate the personality of the team
Step 3: Find people outside of your team to help motivate and inspire you

Here’s how Kevin did each.

Step 1: Admit, you can’t do it by yourself.

The best realize this and Kevin is no exception.  Back when he was at Texas, he said, “I bring my teammates to the gym with me.”  This was a foreign concept to me, in fact like most, I went into the gym to get extra shots up so I could get better as a player.

Think about this:

Every time you go to the gym by yourself, who gets better?  You do.  Who doesn’t?  Your teammates.

Now, watch this.  If you bring your teammates to the gym with you, it has absolutely no effect on your development, you still get better.  But, who else does? Your teammates.  So, the entire team gets better.

So, essentially, every time you go to the gym by yourself it’s a missed opportunity for your team to get better.

Step 2:  Find a few teammates to dominate the personality of the team.

Now I recognize, that it’s not always that easy to convince your teammates to put in the extra work with you and I asked Kevin what he would do in those situations.   His response, “Continue to work hard.”

To me, that means, keep asking them everyday to go to the gym with you – even if they continually say no.  Keep investing in them, even if they don’t invest in you.

This can be draining.  Which brings us to our next point.

Step 3: Find people outside of your team to help motivate and inspire you.

You need people around you that are going to be your support system and refill your energy.

In Kevin’s first year, he only won 20 games.  5 years later, look where OKC is.  A shift in culture won’t happen overnight but, if you keep working hard and believing in the people around you – anything can happen.  You just have to make it happen…as a group.

The conversation went like this:

Grandma: “Brett, I don’t think I like that shirt.”

Me: “I would rather die, than live and not to be able to play ball.”

Grandma: “You don’t get it.”
(Insert Silence Treatment for a Day here.”)

Why do I bring that up?  As a 7th grader, I clearly lacked perspective.   I thought about one thing the majority of my youth.  Basketball.

In our Film Session with Coach K, we broke it down.

Average Male Life Span: 75 Years Old
Average Age For Retirement In The NBA: 26 years old
The Difference: 49 years

Two-Thirds of your life will not involve you playing basketball competitively.  That’s hard to realize when you are on the first third of your life and I believe that’s a big contributor to these three things:

1.) 60% of the NBA is broke within 5 years of retiring
2.) Only 25% of the current NBA players have college degrees
3.) Of the 75% that don’t have degrees, only 11.5% go back to pursue degrees in the off-season

Kryie’s different.  His perspective: Basketball is what I do not who I am.

He said, ”I want to make a mark in the basketball world, but having a mark on the real world is something I really want to do.  And me having my degree when I’m finished playing this game, I’ll be able to do it.”

Does this mean that Kyrie is soft? No.  Does it mean that he doesn’t care about ball?  No.  He’s dedicated the majority of his life to becoming the best player that he can be.  By him saying that, it just means that he recognizes that there is life after basketball and he’s making sure that he takes the necessary steps to prepare on being successful in that chapter.

…And I believe, that’s what makes him a superstar!

How long is the average career in the NBA?
A: 4.8 years

Meaning on average, of the few players that do make it to the league, they will retire by the age of 26.  It’s hard to understand that there is life after basketball.  In fact, I remember when people used to tell me, “Make sure you have a back-up plan, just-in-case.”  And, I used to take that as a sign that whoever said that, didn’t believe in me.

The best players use basketball to get them ahead in the next chapter of their life.  Simple statement.  Hard to own.

Sports Illustrated published that 60% of NBA players go broke within 5 years of their career being over.

What is the average salary for an NBA player?
A: 5 million dollars

To put that in perspective, the average household in the US makes a little over $60,000 per year – it would take the average family 79 years to make what an average salary is in the NBA for one year.  Astonishing.

So basically, by 31 years old, the average NBA player is retired and broke with an average of 44 years left to live.  That’s a tough spot to be.

Q: What percent of NBA players have college degrees to fall back on?
A: 25%

Q: Of the remaining, what percent go back in the off-season to pursue their degree?
A: 11.5%

Despite the numbers above, there are guys out there who are superstars, that take steps to prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Coach K says that, “It’s important for younger players to hear from them.”

Kyrie Irving is one of them.  He said,  “I want to make a mark in the basketball world, but having a mark on the real world is something I really want to do.  And me having my degree when I’m finished playing this game, I’ll be able to do it.”

Does this quote mean that Kyrie isn’t as serious about the game of basketball?  No.  The guy was dedicating 6 hours a day in high school to improving himself as a player and now he’s continuing to learn how to be a franchise player.  By saying that, it just means he recognizes that there is life after basketball and he’s taking steps to prepare for it now.

What’s this mean?

If you are going to try to accomplish anything…you are going to get criticized.  So let’s dive in…how should you handle it?

Who’s the most qualified to talk on this topic?  Russell Westbrook.

He was ranked the most unfairly criticized player by bleacher report.

His teammates said they’ve never seen anything like it:
When They Lose: He gets all the blame
When They Win: He doesn’t get any of the credit

That’s a tough spot to be in.

Magic Johnson said this on National TV about Westbrook, “He is the worst point guard in (NBA) Finals history.”  Think about that, that’s brutal.  How did Russell respond?  Two games later he had 43 points and Magic apologized.

In our Film Session, The Effects of Criticism Feat. Geno Auriemma, we defined outside criticism as criticism coming from people who aren’t in your inner circle.  Who’s in your inner circle?

1.) Family
2.) Teammates / Friends
3.) Coaches
4.) Teachers
-Essentially the one thing all of these people should have in common is: They should all want to see you do great – if they don’t, maybe they aren’t as close to you as you think they are.

So, as all of this outside criticism surrounded Russell Westbrook, his coach, Scott Brooks said this to him, “Don’t worry about what they say, you are my point guard, not theirs.”

Why is this so important?

Where is Scott Brooks?  Russell’s inner circle.

So when Scott Brooks comes to his defense and says focus on what I’m telling you – that reassures Russell of what he’s doing.  And I believe that’s why Russell said the best way to deal with criticism is to, “Follow your heart and listen to the people who are in it with you.”

When you do that, you’re focused on the process and not distracted by all of the things that don’t matter.

- 7 National Championships
- Gold Medal
- 90 Game Winning Streak (Longest Ever)
- 86% Career Winning Percentage

Despite all of the success, he’s faced a lot of Outside Criticism.  We are going to dive into the two affects it can have on you and how he’s found the most effective way to deal with it but first, let’s define outside criticism.

Outside Criticism = Criticism that comes from people outside your inner circle.

Who’s in your inner circle:

1.) Family
2.) Coaches
3.) Teachers
4.) Teammates / Friends

The typical rule of thumb – people who are in your inner circle are those that want to see you do great.  That is a simple thought but can be profound.

So, outside criticism comes from people outside this category and according to Geno can have two effects on you:

1.) Give you an I’ll-Show-You Attitude
2.) Can Make You Bitter

What’s the best way to deal with it?

To focus on…

“The struggle that you and  your team go through every day to get better.”

When Geno Focuses on this, what’s he focused on?  The process.  Things he can control.

If you rely too much on the I’ll-Show-You attitude, you give the outside people power over your emotions because your satisfaction is controlled by whether or not you prove those critics wrong or not.  If you do, you feel satisfaction temporarily and then you set out to repeat the cycle.  When you don’t you become bitter.

The problem then becomes why are you doing what you are doing?

People that handle criticism the best trust their inner circle and focus on the process, so they don’t allow people from the outside to distract them.

1.) Every year his team won more.
2.) There was a big gap between years 2 and 3
(Year 3 – Russell Westbrook, James Harden, & Kevin played together for the first time)
3.) He lost 122 games his first two years.

The fact that he struggled so much his first two years stuck out to me the most, why?  Because, this was the first time in his entire basketball career that he was on a team that struggled.  We talked about that.

He told me the way he thought when he first came into the league. Here was one of his thoughts:

In our Film Session, Entitlement vs. Appreciation with Shaka Smart, he defined entitlement as follows:
Thinking you deserve something because of:
1.) Who you are
2.) What you’ve done

Do you see with the above thought from Kevin, how there was a level of entitlement.  Well, he quickly learned from that and was able to transform his thought process.  Here’s an example:

Now, what does, at the right time mean to you big picture?  Let me ask you this…How many game winners do you think Kevin missed those first two years?  Why would I ask that?  All of those mistakes he made, he didn’t look at them like results – he looked at them like guide posts.

What’s the difference?

Result = Final
Guideposts = Directions for Growth

Did he hit big shots on the way to the NBA finals this year?  His struggle allowed for him to succeed…at the right time!

Coach Cal won his first championship with Anthony Davis and they went 38-2 during their run.

I asked Anthony, “Do you think Coach Cal emphasizes the process over wins and losses?”

His response, “Coach Cal really doesn’t care about winning and losing, he just wanted to know how his team played.”

Do I think Coach Calipari cares about winning?  Of course – for two reasons:

1.) If he loses, he gets fired.
2.) He wrote a book entitled “Refuse To Lose” (Oh, the irony)

I do think that Anthony Davis is on to something.  Here’s why:

It’s possible for for Kentucky to play bad and win.  How?  They had 6 guys drafted to the NBA.

So, I do think that this question meant more to Coach Calipari than winning does -

How did my team play? 

I spent some time with Josh Pastner (Head Coach: Memphis) the other day and he reflected on his time as an assistant for Coach Calipari.  He said, “Coach Cal is a genius in the area of motivating players.”

By focusing on the question, How did my team play? Coach Cal emphasized the process to get the result that he wanted.  And, it worked!

So, a few hours up the road in Nashville, Tennessee was a coach by the name of Don Meyer who coached at Lipscomb University.  Pat Summitt leaned on Coach Meyer saying, “He taught me how to teach others how to play.”

Here are both’s records:

Don Meyer: 923-324
Pat Summitt: 1098-208

What am I trying to say?  Don Meyer’s reach on basketball is deep and he could flat-out coach!

He doesn’t like goals…why?

1.) They add pressure
2.) They focus on the wrong things
- Result oriented vs. process
- Based around individual performance vs. Team needs

Back when I was in high school, I used to write a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish before the game on a piece of paper and then I would fold it up and put it in my sock.  I found one that read:

1.) Score 35 points
2.) 5 Rebounds
3.) 5 Assists
4.) Shoot 100% from the Free-Throw Line

At half-time, I’d pull out the list to see where I stood and to see what I need to focus on in the second half.

What’s wrong with this?

What’s my whole focus on?  Me.

What’s my focus not on? The team needs.

When Don Meyer first told me that he didn’t believe in goals, I was shocked!  He was the first person in my life that said that goals aren’t a good thing.  In our world, most would say that goals are very important.

After I processed things, it makes sense to me why Don Meyer won at the level he did.  He focused on the things that he could control and allowed the results to take care of themselves.  Don’t make the same mistake that I did and allow your goals to get in the way of what’s best for the team!

Year 1: Drafted 2nd (Out of High School)
Year 5: Still not a full-time starter (Chicago Bulls)
Year 6: Traded to New Orleans (For next 3 seasons)
Year 7: Best statistical year
Year 9: Traded/Injured
Year 10: NBA Championship
Year 11: NBA Defensive POY / USA Gold Medal (Starting center)

As you can see, Tyson’s faced a lot of ups and downs with his career.   How did he maintain consistency?  He set process goals.

In our Shaka Smart Film Session, Process vs. Result, we looked at the two types of goals and we concluded the following:

Process Goal - Something you can control
Result Goal - Something that’s out of your control

It’s unsettling to think that your results are out of your control.  Why is it important to understand this concept.  Here’s Tyson’s Timeline again.

Year 1: Drafted 2nd (Out of High School)
Year 5: Still not a full-time starter (Chicago Bulls)
Year 6: Traded to New Orleans (For next 3 seasons)
Year 7: Best statistical year
Year 9: Traded/Injured
Year 10: NBA Championship
Year 11: NBA Defensive POY / USA Gold Medal (Starting center)

How would you feel in years 2-5 about yourself?  If you’re like most, not good.
How would you feel in year 7 about yourself? If you’re like most, good.

So when your satisfaction comes from results you have no control over the way you feel about yourself.  However, when you focus on the process, you don’t ride the waves and you are able to stay consistent with your mindset and work ethic – which is the key to long-term success.  So, we gave an example of both a result goal and a process goal in the Process vs. Result feature, here it is:

Result Goal: Shoot over 42% from 3 point range.
Process Goal:  Wake up early before school, 4 Days a week, to get an hour of situational game-shooting drills in.

Giving your everything to the process may or may not get you the results you want in the short-term but eventually you will get to a successful place where it will makes sense and you’ll learn to trust the ride.

We asked our Academy this question in our Film Session this week.  If you would have asked me this question when I was in high school, my goals would have read like this:

1.) Mr. Missouri Basketball
2.) Earn A Division I Scholarship
3.) Win A State Championship

That being said, here’s what Shaka Smart said about goals, “We like to set process goals vs. result goals.”

What’s the difference?

Process Goal – Something you can control
Result Goal – Something that’s out of your control

What’s interesting is, over 90% of the goals that our Academy set were result goals.  I was no different.  Let’s look at mine:

1.) Mr. Missouri Basketball – I can’t control who votes for me.
2.) Earn A Division I Scholarship – I can’t control which college offers me a scholarship
3.) Win A State Championship – I can’t control all of the variables that go into winning a championship

Think about this, when you don’t hit your goals are you disappointed?  Do you think that you failed?  Most answer yes.

Now, think about this, do you set result goals?  Most answer yes.

If you answered yes to both of these questions, you are allowing other people to determine whether or not you are satisfied with your efforts.  How can you change that?  Set process goals.  Set goals that you are in control of.

For example:

Result Goal: Shoot over 42% from 3 point range.
Process Goal:  Wake up early before school, 4 Days a week, to get an hour of situational game-shooting drills in.

See the difference?  You can control the process, you can’t control the result.

What are your goals for the up-coming season?