BOB COUSY ON CHARACTER

“There are some people who think they are more important than anyone else because they have some God-given talent – maybe they’re athletes, maybe artists, maybe stage or screen people, maybe writers. But no matter how big a person is, no matter how many championships his team has won, there’s never an excuse for his having a big head.”

Along my journey I have met many good people – I have also met many bad people. Meet enough people, it’s going to happen.

Never understood why someone feels the need to be a problem. Whether at work, school or on the basketball court. Everyone can be nice, it doesn’t cost a thing.

Why it needs to be all about them and if things don’t go their way, they have to rock the boat? What’s up with that?

These people crave attention, they want everyone to notice them. Maybe they’re hurting inside? Who knows?

They feel they have to be the center of it all. Jealousy. Bitter. Anger.

Just be nice.

Be a good person.

Get along with your teammates and coaching staff.

Treat the custodians in the building with respect. If you attend school, treat teachers and administration staff with respect. Have integrity. Stay out of trouble.

I have witnessed many talented and gifted basketball players ruin their career because they lacked character. Have also seen adults ruin relationships because of their behavior.

Listen to your coaches. Allow your teammates to correct your mistakes without getting upset. Accept the coaching. Be coachable. Listen to your boss at work. Do the right thing.

Stop blaming your coach for lack of playing time. Stop blaming the co-worker for your lack of progress on the job. Cut out the gossip. Stop talking behind someone’s back. Not cool.

Students, stop blaming teachers for your low grades in school. Study for exams, ask questions when you don’t understand something. Show up to class and on time.

Make sure you are treating people with respect and you are always doing the right thing. It all starts with your character. And for the most part, it starts at home. Hopefully parents are teaching their children to do the right thing. It’s difficult for a teacher and coach to be dealing with a person who lacks character.

Build your character starting today. Make sure you are always doing the right thing. Don’t be high maintenance. Do your job. Be nice and stay positive.

MASON PLUMLEE

“I’ve got to get here and lift and work out before everyone else gets on the court or else I won’t get my reps. But I’ll be good. I’ll be O.K. In practice, I’m not on the floor half the time.  But when my number’s called, and it will be called, I can’t say, ‘Well, I didn’t practice.’ There’s no excuse.”

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS

“Winning is a mindset. And it’s not easy. And so, you have to kind of figure it out. Everybody wants to win. It’s a great thing to do. But is everybody committed to doing what it takes to actually win? It’s really hard to do. Some of our talks with guys today were, who is actually willing to go through what it takes to go through to win?”

JASON KIDD

“Being a championship team you have to fight through times of being tired.”

IMAN SHUMPERT

“We got to take care of the little things. We got to hold each other accountable.  Little things like not playing hard should never come into play.”

LARRY DREW

“In dealing with today’s player, it’s important to have a player-coach relationship that has some stability to it.“

SAM HINKIE

“We believe in guys who have winning characteristics. Guys who care about winning, are competitive and want to play, practice and get better. Guys who don’’t want to take plays off and want to consistently help their teammates by doing the little things that every coach in basketball wants their team to do. Things like sliding over and taking a charge, making the extra pass, getting out and running in transition even if you’’re not the one who gets to score, making the right defensive rotation, and just sort of consistently following our game plan.”

KEVIN DURANT

“I’ve got to be aggressive. It’s not always aggressive to score but aggressive to make the right play. If I do that we’ll be fine.”

JOHN GIANNIANI

“Not everyone can be a great player, but they need to be a great kid.  That means totally coachable, consistent in effort, persistent in tough times, unselfish.  What we have to do is difficult, and we don’t need good kids; we need great kids.”

SHAQ ON TIM DUNCAN

“Unbreakable power forward. No [elbow] could break him. No loss of a championship could break him. Nothing could break him. You know how I played: I tried to intimidate guys and ‘bow guys, but none of that ever fazed him. As far as giving me problems, he’s right behind Hakeem Olajuwon. Not because of his moves. Because of his mind.”