Feeling Better But Not Taking Any Excuses

After our second scrimmage, I was able to calm down a bit. Just a week ago, I was on a rampage seeking out the competitive nature of the team. I felt I had to reach down inside their chests and pull it out of them. I was exhausted from the strain of pulling and I'm certain they were pooped out from having to give more than they believed they had.

While we didn't perform awesome in our second scrimmage, we did manage to look better and to compete. This was what I wanted--passion. I wanted to see it on their faces and feel it coming out of their pores. I wanted to smell it on their breaths and hear it in their voices.

I know this: if we will compete as if our hearts would break in half without the victory then we will win games. If it means so much to them they will go outside of who they are to play, then we will be champions.

Often times they want to tell me this is not who they are as if that excuse will mean something to me. I see it for what it is--an excuse not to be better. If they tell me they cannot shoot outside, then I tell them to work on their shot. They can shoot outside if they practice it. If they tell me they are not fast enough, I tell them they are smart enough to appear fast. If they tell me it is not in their nature to talk loudly on the court, I tell them then winning doesn't mean enough to them to change.

I believe they can do whatever it is they really want to do IF they get rid of their fear about it. They fear failure too much. If they have an excuse, then they can rationalize why they can't get it done. If I don't accept excuses, then they must face themselves. This is scary!

Cruel aren't I?

I've seen players get outside of themselves to become amazing. Two years ago, we had a player named Kika Carman, a quiet person who barely spoke loud enough for us to hear her when standing right next to her. When she was a freshman, we always had to ask her to speak up during positive circles. Nobody could hear what she said. By the time she was a senior, she was a no-nonsense captain who told teammates what they needed to do, when they needed to do it and how. She wanted to win. Her leadership took us to a 26-7 record.

So, no I don't accept their excuses. I know they all can be better than the players I see today on the court. I've seen others come before them who became more. They can too.

ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.