Belief in Self Changes the Outcome of Games

I have seen the Golden Eagles develop over the course of the season from a team which struggled against opponents who were inferior to winning against good teams. What is the difference? I'd like to say coaching, but the truth is the talent has always been there. What has not been there has been the belief in self.

It reminds me of a few years ago when we were able to win 29 games while only losing five games. About half way through the season, one of the Eagles, Laura Kinsler, came up to me after a game we had won and told me that we were good. I answered that I knew we were good, but she was truly amazed at our talent level. She was having a hard time getting herself to come to the realization that we were a very good team. The team changed after that realization. It became a team who knew they were going to win a game long before the opponents knew. They knew they had the talent, the heart, and the intelligence to become one of the best teams in the nation.

While this Golden Eagle team is still lingering in the stages of realization, they are becoming more aware of their talents. More players are looking to score and using their offensive skills. Last night in our victory against West Liberty, we were able to get 27 points from our substitutes. Not only did they score, but they keep the momentum in our favor, played solid defense, and showed heart and determination.

Early in the season, we didn't have scoring options. In fact, we didn't have much of an offense. We forced shots, turned the ball over every other possession, gave the ball up when we had open shot, and overall just didn't appear to have talent. Luckily, the team and the coaches didn't give up but continued to work and continued to believe.

It was actually after a defeat against the University of the Cumberlands, that we began to feel better about ourselves. It was a game that we lost by one point but that we began to let the game flow through us. The day after that game, I was not upset but bursting with enthusiasm. I was thrilled we had a breakthrough and we were finally to the point where we attacking within the offense. In fact, we were so thrilled with their efforts we took our players out to half court the next practice and had them sign the center circle with permanent markers.

The last time we had a team sign the court, it was the 2006 team which ended with the best record a UC team has ever posted at 31-3. We had them sign both end lines, a gesture which was meant to assert that we owned the court. It worked as we won the East Regional Tournament that season on our home floor.

While this Golden Eagle team is not the same kind of team as the 2006 team, it is a team with talent, good team chemistry, positive leadership, and a determination to learn. It is a team whose future is only limited by their belief system. Confidence is the difference between a team who ought to be good and a team who is good.