VALUES OF THE GAME

Below are listed the core values of our basketball program. In the coming weeks and months we will discuss each value and how it relates to our basketball family.


Commitment: According to the dictionary commitment, as it relates to a team and to basketball, is: “A pledge or promise to do something.” We feel like true commitment is transforming. It transforms talk into reality. It transforms words into action. It transforms fatigue into tirelessness. It transforms obstacles into ideas and questions into answers. Coaches must be committed, players must be committed, and teams must be committed and they must be committed to the same things…that is, if they are striving for excellence. How good do you want to be? How hard are you willing to work? How much do you care? How much are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goals? How committed are you? These are the questions we ask in recruiting and of our team. Our players leave our program understanding what level of commitment it takes to succeed on the court and off.

Pride: When Nike makes shoes or other athletic gear, they want to make sure they produce something of top quality. They are going to place a swoosh on that item and they want it to be representative of the name and the logo and what people have come to expect. We want our players to represent our institution and our basketball program in a first class manner. Everything we do, every pass we make, every shot we take, every transition we make from offense to defense, we should imagine that we are putting our names on that thing. Whatever the situation, we should have enough pride that we perform the task well enough that we are willing to put our name (or collectively our names) on it. Obviously, in class our players must do that. When they turn in a paper, it should represent the best job that they could do. We tell our players: "Pride is a personal commitment. Pride is the honest self-respect for having done your very best. Pride is an attitude that separates excellence from mediocrity."

Toughness: So many times people immediately think of physical attributes and actions. Being physically tough in this game is important. However, mental toughness is one of the most vital factors necessary for success for anyone, or any group, in any endeavor. The ability to handle, fight through, deal with, adjust, adapt, process, accept, perform, and navigate all of the things one must face (in this case members of a basketball team) is in direct proportion to how much success is realized. Doing what is required of you at all times requires a degree of toughness. Doing it with your absolute best effort requires more toughness. ( I have this thing about 110% or 150%...nobody can give that. Everybody has 100% to give. Too few people give that on a consistent basis.) Giving your best effort toward whatever task is at hand, and doing so everyday requires mental toughness. Doing this despite a bad call or non-call by an official, a nagging injury, or just getting out of an extremely hard exam is even more difficult. Mental toughness requires you to do what is needed, when the alternative is easier.

Selflessness: Selflessness is one of the most valuable, and sometimes most difficult, values a team needs to develop to achieve success. Understanding ones role, while always working to improve and upgrade that role is a part of this. A player who is not a starter is always trying to work his way up the ladder, but while doing so he must help those who play ahead of him prepare for competition, ready himself for the role that he will play in the game, and do this with a positive, selfless approach. Some in the starting line-up may want to shoot more or score more, or play some role other than the one they have. They need, while developing and improving, to undertake the role they play and do it to the best of their ability to help the team reach it's potential. The guys who are getting the most attention, the guys with the statistics that people talk about, need to make sure they keep things in perspective. They need help from their teammates all the time...in practice, in games, on offense, and on defense. The sum total of the teams parts is always stronger than any individual. The old saying about playing for the name on the front of the jersey is absolutely on the money...and everyone in the program needs to understand that.

Accountability: Those involved in our program must be accountable. Their actions must be responsible and appropriate. We must act, on and off the court, and be able to give satisfactory reasoning or explanation (or accounting) of our actions. We are collectively responsible and accountable to each other. We owe each other our best effort and the commitment to have each others back. We all must do what is right for the good of the team and the program, and we must hold each other accountable.

Honesty: Honesty is an absolute must in our program. We each need to be honest with ourselves, about our commitment, our effort, and all that we do. Because we are responsible for so many things and responsible for each other, as part of a team, it is vital that we are honest with each other and therefore can communicate and trust each other. Each person in our program must be accountable for their duties and their actions. Without honesty, trust deteriorates, and the effectiveness of the squad is diminished. Ultimately, there must be blind trust in one another that each person will carry their job, will always do their best, will cover each others back, and will tell each other the truth. When an entire team functions this way, great things are possible. When you live this way, everything is easier

Integrity: One of the first definitions of integrity is "complete, unbroken, whole." Further, it is described as, "honest, sincere, sound, principled." Both of these are key when you are part of any team. As we discussed above, honesty is a must. We must be sincere with each other and be able to trust each other. If we are all sound and principled, this all becomes easier. The "complete, unbroken, whole" part of this is intriguing to me. I think, in terms of the definition, it is really talking about being trustworthy and solid. Great points...but beyond that, as the old saying goes "We are only as strong as our weakest link." If we are complete as a team, if we are whole and unbroken...and if we remain that way through good times and bad...there is a chance for us to be special

Responsibility: This is an absolute must, to be responsible. To be ready to assume your obligations and to be reliable and dependable when it comes to fulfilling those obligations. Responsibility is closely connected to accountability. Every player on our team is held accountable for all of his actions. In a game he is held accountable for every play that he is on the floor. We look for, recruit and try to develop players who have a mindset where they take that personal responsibility very seriously. Responsibility means that you can distinguish between correct or incorrect action and willingly accept that you are accountable for your decisions and behaviors. Whether you are on or off the court, this value has a tremendous bearing on your potential success. We want players who are good decision-makers, not excuse makers

Trust: Trust has already been alluded to in previous sections regarding honesty and integrity. However, I believe it deserves an entry all to itself. When you are involved with a team, each team member must know that the others have their back and that they themselves have the backs of all the others. A simple example of this would be a defender on the ball, applying pressure, knowing that he had teammates on helpside who were there for him if he were beaten on penetration. They must know this. Not hope it or think it. They must know it. They must also know that they will always provide and get instant and absolute honesty. An example here would be, a player telling a teammate that he wasn't working hard enough and needed to push himself. When this type of environment exists there can be true trust. When there is true trust it makes each member free to play without fear and without holding back. It enables the team and each of its members to play to its full potential. No agendas, no fear, only unbridled effort, energy, and enthusiasm. This leads to maximum performance

Respect

Work Ethic

Perseverance

Discipline

Friendship

Love