Commitment

If you've coached competitively at any level, you've probably heard that infamous question that gets raised as your season goes along:

"Coach, what do I need to do to play more?", or "What do I need to do to get better?"

Sometimes a difficult question, but usually a simple answer, and that answer is one word...COMMITMENT.

Now certainly commitment doesn't come as easy as it sounds, but it is the absolute truth. And I think all too often kids think they're committed, but they're more confused than committed. You've probably all heard the old saying "Be the Pig" at some point. You know the cliche'....both the chicken and the pig played an important role in breakfast. The chicken helped with breakfast by laying the eggs, but the pig was truly committed. Teams that end up underachieving have too many chickens, and not enough pigs. Too many kids who know how to say all the right things, but don't follow through and do them.

Once you've reached high school age, and sometimes earlier, you can probably identify your biggest weaknesses as a player. If you can do that, then you already know what you need to do to get better. The problem is, many players can identify that weakness, but they spend most of their time working on their strengths. Think about how many times you've watched a player and thought, "Wow, he/she would be really good if they could do _____." You know that player. It's the kid you watch that can flat out shoot it, but can't go left if their life depended on it. Or the kid that's a one man pressbreaker with the dribble, but can't throw a ball in the ocean from the shore. Well why is it that those players have such glaring weaknesses? Because they haven't committed to getting better. They're content to be as good as they are, with no drive to take their game to the next level.

So what is true commitment? It sounds crazy, but it takes a daily effort and a drive to get better. You'd be hard pressed to find a coach at any level that wouldn't agree that 20 minutes of ballhandling everyday will make you a much better ballhandler. Every day. Not every other day. Not once a week. Not "I went swimming instead" days. Not "I didn't feel good that day" days. And we all know the basic 1 ball and 2 ball drills that you could do if you truly wanted to get better at it, but how many do? I know a few, and they're usually the kids that other kids watch and wonder how in the world they got to be that good at it. And they end up being the kids that got what you wanted...playing time, wins, scholarships, etc.

Think about shooting. I can remember a coaching colleague of mine that was telling us a story about trying to help a player re-tool the mechanics of their shooting form. This player in particular was shooting below 30% from 3 point range and around 35% from the field. The player was very resistant to the coaching that was taking place, and the player's only response was "that's the way I've always shot the ball". So it's not just enough to get repetitions, whether it's shooting, dribbling, or lifting weights. It takes repetitions, but more importantly it takes repetitions done the right way.

We tell our players every off season that if they want to earn more playing time the following year, then their most minimum task is to bring at least one skill to the table the following season that they didn't have last season. So if you're not committed to improving your overall game, pick one task in particular and get immensely better at it. Extend your shooting range, develop your off hand, develop counter moves off the dribble, step up defensively and take the charge....but even bringing that one extra tool to the court next season won't come by updating your status on Facebook, or texting your friends, or catching up on your DVR.

We talk daily about our goals as a team, which includes winning a league title, winning a district title, etc. etc. Everyone knows the commitment it takes to get there, and we have a core group of players who are truly committed. But like a lot of teams, we also have those who think they're committed, and we have those who just flat out aren't committed. For every player you have in those last 2 groups, your task becomes more and more difficult. I think every kid on your team would love to win a league title, or a district title, or even a state title, but as the old saying goes, "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone is willing to die to get there." Take it upon yourself to not be one of the players that costs you and your team a chance at reaching your goals.

So whether or not your basketball "heaven" includes a team goal or an individual goal, there's only one way to get there. And you shouldn't have to ask your coach how to get there, because deep down you already know.

Time to start "dying".

Chad Little is the varsity girls head coach and athletic director at Bloom Carrol High School. Chad also coaches the Ohio Express 14U team.