Have you ever noticed that a team that is playing well begins to stop  doing the things that got them into the lead in the first place.  It happens in every sport.  The team that is winning begins playing too conservatively in order to protect its lead.

It has been said that ten percent of life is what happens to us and ninety percent is how we respond to what happens. Whether these figures are accurate is unknown, but what we do know is that many people have a propensity to turn bad situations into positive results while many others have a propensity to turn positive situations into negative outcomes.

The best teams often do not have a starting unit of their best individual players. Instead they have a unit of players who play together best. Basketball is a team game that requires many skills such as shooting, ball handling, passing, rebounding, defense and stamina.

I have often been asked whether it is better to begin specializing in one sport from an early age, such as ten years old, or whether it is better to play several sports and wait until high school or later to specialize. I feel, in most cases, it is best to learn to play several sports. An exception may be gymnastics, which generally attracts small children, and where the skills are very specific and not as transferable as other sports are to each other.

People love to talk about "grit," like it’s just grinding through pain. But real mental toughness is smarter than that. It’s learning how to reset after failure, how to stay focused under pressure, and how to believe in yourself when things aren’t going your way.

The best coaches aren’t just experts in drills or strategy; they know their players. They listen, they pay attention, and they care. I’ve seen firsthand how understanding what a player is going through off the court, family stress, school pressure, and self-doubt can completely shift how you approach them on the court.

Basketball has always been more than just a sport to me, it’s a classroom, a mirror, and sometimes, even therapy. The mental side of the game is where real growth happens. Confidence after a missed shot, focus when the pressure’s high, or learning to stay calm when the ref misses the call - these moments shape not just athletes, but people.