DAVE COWENS

On what it takes…

“I was convinced that working harder than most others was necessary to succeed.”

KOBE BRYANT

It’s always about the work…R.I.P. Mamba…

LARRY BIRD

On giving your best effort at all times…

MICHAEL JORDAN

The greatest basketball player in the history of the game on self-motivation…

E-Mail: SteveFinamore@yahoo.com

LARRY BIRD

“When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.”

E-Mail: SteveFinamore@yahoo.com

BROOKLYN’S IN DA HOUSE

Outstanding story on Gerard Trapp. GT and I are from the same neighborhood; he was my idol growing up. Proud to call him a friend.

Brooklyn was the best recruiter for Gerard Trapp

ALVIN GENTRY ON A 25 POINT LOSS TO THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

“It’s the most disappointed I’ve been in 34 years in the NBA. We didn’t play hard. We didn’t compete. That performance was absolutely ridiculous. We gave up 19 offensive rebounds. We didn’t guard the ball. We didn’t guard screen and rolls. We didn’t follow the game plan. It’s the most disappointing game I’ve been involved with. No competitiveness whatsoever. We didn’t move the basketball. We didn’t stop their drives.”

Always play the right way…

-Coach Finamore

E-Mail: SteveFinamore@yahoo.com

NICK SABAN

“The process is really what you have to do day in and day out to be successful, we try to define the standard that we want everybody to sort of work toward, adhere to, and do it on a consistent basis. And the things that I talked about before, being responsible for your own self-determination, having a positive attitude, having great work ethic, having discipline to be able to execute on a consistent basis, whatever it is you’re trying to do, those are the things that we try to focus on, and we don’t try to focus as much on the outcomes as we do on being all that you can be.”

STEVE NASH ON PATTY MILLS

“His spirit is unbelievable. His motor and the way he approaches the game is so pure.”

E-Mail: SteveFinamore@yahoo.com

THE TEAM

Bill Parcells once said, “great people are special simply because they do more for the team than the rest.”

When you play on a basketball team regardless of level, it’s about one thing; THE TEAM.

As I look around at the game I see many “team-first” guys. But I also see selfish players who think it’s about them and their numbers. Scoring is important, don’t get me wrong but there are many other things you can do to help the team win and bring value to your game.

Let’s face it, winning is what it’s all about. It’s a bit different at each level but let’s not kid ourselves and say it’s not. When the 5 players on the court come together and play as one, your chance of winning is high. When guys are selfish and refuse to give up the ball or struggle at the defensive end, your chances of winning are low.

A poor attitude also contributes to losing. I have seen (and coached) many players with outstanding attitudes but again, I have seen some guys with awful attitudes.

I often wonder where the selfish attitude comes from? Or like Pat Riley said, “the disease of me.” I think I know where it comes from but I will save it for another blog entry.

The four greatest basketball players of all-time, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson won a combined 18 championships. Those guys are winners who were all about the team. Bill Russell was another guy who was a winner (11 rings) and a great team player. You can play the right way and win. It’s not that hard. But for some reason people make it hard. Here’s Russell on winning:

“Winning is the only thing I really cared about because I found that when I left the cocoon of my childhood I came into the world and found that individual awards were mostly political. But winning and losing, there are no politics, only numbers. It’s the most democratic thing in the world. You either win or lose. So I decided early in my career that the only really important thing was to try and win every game because when I got through no one could say, ‘well, he was the best at this or that.’ The only thing that really mattered was who won. And there is nothing subjective about that.”

Jordan once said, “winning has a price,” and he was correct. That price is sacrifice. You have to be able to give up the me for the we. (WE > ME)

I can sit here and name many selfish players who refused to buy into the team; they wanted and got their numbers but are without a championship. There’s nothing more satisfying in basketball than winning a championship.

Being a great teammate is one step to becoming an outstanding basketball player. We need to teach our kids how important this concept is, especially at the middle school level. Here’s Jordan from the Last Dance series:

“You ask all my teammates. The one thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn’t f—ing do. When people see this, they are going say, ‘Well, he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant.’ No, well, that’s you. Because you never wanted anything. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win to be a part of that as well. Look, I don’t have to do this. I’m only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don’t want to play that way, don’t play that way.”

Be an outstanding defender, passer or rebounder. Sprint the floor hard in both directions. Cheer for your teammates on the bench during the game. Practice as hard as you can. Work on your game in the off-season. Hit the weight room. Stay in great shape. There are multiple things you can do to help the team.

And oh yeah, don’t complain. Stop making excuses and don’t make a big deal out of things.

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

When Magic was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979, this is what he said before joining the Lakers:

“I hope I can come in and be a floor leader. Get everybody to work as a unit. That’s what it takes to win – team basketball.”

E-Mail: SteveFinamore@yahoo.com