It is amazing how a few months can fly by in what seems like minutes and then a few weeks can last forever. Since the beginning of preseason, time has been elusive floating by us like dead wood in a flooded river. It has been so hard to grasp or hold. Recently, though, after we've suffered a couple of injuries, time has slowed down and it feels as if time is now an enemy rather than a friend. We need time to stop, to slow down, to let us recover and catch our breaths.
In the game against Seton Hill, time seemed to stop when one of our starters suffered an injury early in the game. When she went out, our timing got disrupted. We felt off kilter, a little bit rough as balls were passed to the wrong team, lay-ups were missed, and plays were forgotten.
This is our second major injury in the past two weeks which is why we could believe we need more time--time to heal, time to get other players ready, but time is not going to stop. We have to keep going. We have to find answers and we have to continue believing we can still have our dreams.
As a team, we could call it quits. We could convince ourselves we now have a solid reason for losses. We could tell the story we lost to Seton Hill, because a starter was out of the game. However, the coaching staff doesn't believe in telling this story. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game. We made a three pointer to go ahead and all we needed was a stop. When we failed to get the stop, we had a chance to score to tie it up and we didn't make it. We lost the game because we failed to execute, not because a starter was on the bench.
The difficulty now is to make certain our players can distinguish between fact and fiction. We can still tell the story we want. We can still create the outcomes we want. We don't have to buy into a pity party. Self-pity is always an enemy and never a friend.
In order to get the point across, we played a game called fact or fiction. Each player was given a card which had printed on one side the word "Fact" and on the other side the word "Fiction". We came up with 41 statements which the players had to decide were fact or fiction.
Some of the statements were meant to be funny:
Coach Winn's eyes increase in size by three inches when she is mad.
(FACT)
Coach Testa dresses fly for the games. (FACT)
Others were meant to make teammates think.
Lauren is too slow to get on the ball stops. (FICTION)
Tianni's biggest opponent is her own mind. (FACT)
Tianni cannot overcome her self-imposed limitations. (FICTION)
Frenchy isn't competitive enough to become a great basketball player. (FICTION)
Mo is a big defensive stopper. (FACT)
Mo is limited to being only a defensive player. (FICTION)
Encouraging each other and sticking together is overrated. (FICTION)
We are not a comeback team. (FICTION)
When we lose, we never learn from the experience. (FICTION)
We wanted them to realize we get to tell our story and whatever story we tell is the one we create. If we want to chose to believe we can no longer win with injuries, it will become our story. If, however, we are strong enough to tell a different story like winning with the challenges we face, then we will make that story come true.
I have faith in our story-telling abilities.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Imagine me taking a sandwich size baggie into the locker room and telling the players this was what we were going to use to pack for our upcoming three day trip. They laughed, of course, but waited to see if I was joking. After all I had made them take a single carry-on bag on our trip to Hawaii. For those of you who don't know me, I am a minimalist.
I can pack for a month in a single bag and am happy if I don't have to make clothing choices. It is one of the perks of being a coach. I can wear the same colors day after day after day and nobody questions my attire. It eliminates so much hassle when I can open a drawer not having to think if it matches.
I was joking though about packing their essentials in a baggie. Well, actually the essential part wasn't a lie. We were going to take the most essential thing we would need in a small plastic bag.
We were going to take our strengths along with us. On this trip I couldn't risk leaving any of them at home.
We had every player write something she wanted each teammate to take with her. It was supposed to entail something not so obvious or maybe a little more detailed than a simple line about whether she was a good shooter or a great rebounder. We wanted 18 different notes. This was done on small slips of paper which were then deposited in a player's "luggage bag." Each player received 14 notes from teammates plus four notes from the coaching staff. We sealed the bags and I took them with me for safe keeping.
When we got to our destination, we sat down in the locker room and gave out the bags. Each player was allowed to blindly grab five of her notes to share with her teammates. We went around the room sharing the funny, heartfelt, compassionate, positive and loving notes. As players read the notes, high fives and smiles were given to the players who had sent the essential messages.
This exercise defines this team--devoted to one another, full of loving kindness and a willingness to share joy, pain, laughter, wins and losses. This is not just team chemistry; it is a group of players who truly admire one another. It is deeper than the simple act of working together. It is bond which will not stop when the games do.
I love this team because they exhibit such love for one another. This is why they survive tough games and why they find a way to win when the odds are against them.
I am proud to be associated with them and am basking in every second I get to share with them.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
I can pack for a month in a single bag and am happy if I don't have to make clothing choices. It is one of the perks of being a coach. I can wear the same colors day after day after day and nobody questions my attire. It eliminates so much hassle when I can open a drawer not having to think if it matches.
I was joking though about packing their essentials in a baggie. Well, actually the essential part wasn't a lie. We were going to take the most essential thing we would need in a small plastic bag.
We were going to take our strengths along with us. On this trip I couldn't risk leaving any of them at home.
We had every player write something she wanted each teammate to take with her. It was supposed to entail something not so obvious or maybe a little more detailed than a simple line about whether she was a good shooter or a great rebounder. We wanted 18 different notes. This was done on small slips of paper which were then deposited in a player's "luggage bag." Each player received 14 notes from teammates plus four notes from the coaching staff. We sealed the bags and I took them with me for safe keeping.
When we got to our destination, we sat down in the locker room and gave out the bags. Each player was allowed to blindly grab five of her notes to share with her teammates. We went around the room sharing the funny, heartfelt, compassionate, positive and loving notes. As players read the notes, high fives and smiles were given to the players who had sent the essential messages.
This exercise defines this team--devoted to one another, full of loving kindness and a willingness to share joy, pain, laughter, wins and losses. This is not just team chemistry; it is a group of players who truly admire one another. It is deeper than the simple act of working together. It is bond which will not stop when the games do.
I love this team because they exhibit such love for one another. This is why they survive tough games and why they find a way to win when the odds are against them.
I am proud to be associated with them and am basking in every second I get to share with them.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The End Is Just The Beginning
As I watched the Golden Eagles perform in our last two games, I was dismayed at their lack of . . . well everything. They were slow to recognize defensive rotations, forgetful when it came to calling screens, incapable of running an offense, and their shooting was abysmal. While they won the games, it was not their talent but sheer will power that pushed them through their weak moments. They were not themselves.
How can a team forget who they are? How can one week they appear to be invincible and the next week look as if they have just recently begun playing the sport?
If it were simply about techniques or tactics, we could resolve the issue quickly in a couple of practices. I knew this was not the case. They were not playing anywhere near their talents. There was something more going through their heads.
As the coaching staff discussed the issue, we came to realize we were getting near the end of the season. While this happens every year, this particular year we have six seniors who have been friends and teammates for four long years. Rather than anticipating the joy of every game, they have been wanting to extend every moment, to delay the inevitable. They do not want their collegiate basketball careers and friendships to end.
While we cannot stop time or rewind the clock, we can assist them through this process and help them know this is but one chapter of their lives. On Monday, we had each player write down five goals for the next year, five goals for the next five years, and five goals for the next 10 years. We then went around the room sharing our goals. We wanted them to see they had much more in life to enjoy, much more to experience and much more to love.
This first step was a solid one in assisting them with thinking about the future. The next step was much more difficult. We needed them to confront what they didn't want to think about--the end of the season. Gathering the seniors only, we sat in a circle and spent 45 minutes in a powerful discussion. Our first topic was to discuss what each of us would miss from our experiences at UC. The rules were that no repeats were allowed, no discussion and no comments. We went around the circle ten times. There were some tears and some quiet moments when some of us had to find our voices.
Using the same rules, we then spent time sharing what we could take with us from UC. Each player had a jar with a lid and a label which said, "Bottle It Up. UC." When a player said something she wanted to take with her, she wrote it down on a slip of paper and put it in her jar.
Hopefully our exercises have moved them beyond their concerns and fears about the future. It is hard to be in the moment when you are steeped in worry and anxiety. I want them to love each second and be fully present in it so they can play with all their talents.
It is far better to enjoy each second than to waste it on the future. If we will focus on the moments we have, we will be the talented team we are.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
How can a team forget who they are? How can one week they appear to be invincible and the next week look as if they have just recently begun playing the sport?
If it were simply about techniques or tactics, we could resolve the issue quickly in a couple of practices. I knew this was not the case. They were not playing anywhere near their talents. There was something more going through their heads.
As the coaching staff discussed the issue, we came to realize we were getting near the end of the season. While this happens every year, this particular year we have six seniors who have been friends and teammates for four long years. Rather than anticipating the joy of every game, they have been wanting to extend every moment, to delay the inevitable. They do not want their collegiate basketball careers and friendships to end.
While we cannot stop time or rewind the clock, we can assist them through this process and help them know this is but one chapter of their lives. On Monday, we had each player write down five goals for the next year, five goals for the next five years, and five goals for the next 10 years. We then went around the room sharing our goals. We wanted them to see they had much more in life to enjoy, much more to experience and much more to love.
This first step was a solid one in assisting them with thinking about the future. The next step was much more difficult. We needed them to confront what they didn't want to think about--the end of the season. Gathering the seniors only, we sat in a circle and spent 45 minutes in a powerful discussion. Our first topic was to discuss what each of us would miss from our experiences at UC. The rules were that no repeats were allowed, no discussion and no comments. We went around the circle ten times. There were some tears and some quiet moments when some of us had to find our voices.
Using the same rules, we then spent time sharing what we could take with us from UC. Each player had a jar with a lid and a label which said, "Bottle It Up. UC." When a player said something she wanted to take with her, she wrote it down on a slip of paper and put it in her jar.
Hopefully our exercises have moved them beyond their concerns and fears about the future. It is hard to be in the moment when you are steeped in worry and anxiety. I want them to love each second and be fully present in it so they can play with all their talents.
It is far better to enjoy each second than to waste it on the future. If we will focus on the moments we have, we will be the talented team we are.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Beating the Blues
Last week we almost lost to the worst team in the league. The team had only won a single game all season. Many people have asked me the question: "How could you almost lose to that team?"
Actually, it was really easy. The first step our players had to do was to not take our opponents seriously--to believe all we had to do was show up and the game was won. The second step was to not prepare ourselves mentally--to not get in that same mental place we did before every game. The third step was to panic when things were not going well and to start doubting ourselves.
Fortunately, our seniors didn't falter. All their panic was internally hidden and their words and actions were strong. We continued playing together despite not actually being mentally there on the court, and we believed somehow we were going to win.
After the game, the coaches were not mad. We didn't throw things in the locker room, nor did we curse out the team. We simply reminded them how important it was to arrive every game prepared and to take each game seriously. Then we walked out of the locker room and laughed until we cried. We were so bad it was comical. Of course, it would not have been funny if we had lost and it really wasn't funny then but the alternative was to be mad and angry.
The question, we asked one another, was how did we move the team off this performance and to the next one? We knew we didn't need to linger on this game. This was not who we were. After discussing the matter, we came up with a game plan.
The next day at practice, we gathered around in a circle and put the game tape on the floor in the center of us. We then purged ourselves of the game. Each player got to make a comment of what event transpired in the game that we never wanted to see again, and then that player got an opportunity to smash the game film. When we had gone around the circle and the tape was now in little bits of rubbish, we left the game behind. Then we went back around the circle and asked each player what was great about this team we wanted to keep.
We wanted to keep: great team chemistry, defensive intensity, the inside-outside game, the ability to push the ball, the fun on the court, the positive team leaders, the noise from the bench, our three point shooters, our hustle, and our love for one another. We knew this was who we were. The rest was already gone and vanished from our thoughts.
I believe if we would have lingered on that game, pushed how bad we performed on the players, got in their faces and yelled at them, the game would have impacted our next performance. Because we let it go, we were able to get back on track and find a way to win in our next two games.
I applaud our players for knowing who they are and not allowing a single performance to get them down.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
Actually, it was really easy. The first step our players had to do was to not take our opponents seriously--to believe all we had to do was show up and the game was won. The second step was to not prepare ourselves mentally--to not get in that same mental place we did before every game. The third step was to panic when things were not going well and to start doubting ourselves.
Fortunately, our seniors didn't falter. All their panic was internally hidden and their words and actions were strong. We continued playing together despite not actually being mentally there on the court, and we believed somehow we were going to win.
After the game, the coaches were not mad. We didn't throw things in the locker room, nor did we curse out the team. We simply reminded them how important it was to arrive every game prepared and to take each game seriously. Then we walked out of the locker room and laughed until we cried. We were so bad it was comical. Of course, it would not have been funny if we had lost and it really wasn't funny then but the alternative was to be mad and angry.
The question, we asked one another, was how did we move the team off this performance and to the next one? We knew we didn't need to linger on this game. This was not who we were. After discussing the matter, we came up with a game plan.
The next day at practice, we gathered around in a circle and put the game tape on the floor in the center of us. We then purged ourselves of the game. Each player got to make a comment of what event transpired in the game that we never wanted to see again, and then that player got an opportunity to smash the game film. When we had gone around the circle and the tape was now in little bits of rubbish, we left the game behind. Then we went back around the circle and asked each player what was great about this team we wanted to keep.
We wanted to keep: great team chemistry, defensive intensity, the inside-outside game, the ability to push the ball, the fun on the court, the positive team leaders, the noise from the bench, our three point shooters, our hustle, and our love for one another. We knew this was who we were. The rest was already gone and vanished from our thoughts.
I believe if we would have lingered on that game, pushed how bad we performed on the players, got in their faces and yelled at them, the game would have impacted our next performance. Because we let it go, we were able to get back on track and find a way to win in our next two games.
I applaud our players for knowing who they are and not allowing a single performance to get them down.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
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