JORDAN & PRACTICE: FIRST & LAST

"When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic Team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave."

-Steve Alford

ARE YOU IN OR OUT

“There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.”

-Pat Riley

ABILITY MAGNIFIED WITH TEAM

"Each individual player has much greater ability than he thinks he has.  Particularly when he uses that ability in a committed team effort."

-Woody Hayes

ADVICE FROM THE NBA LOGO

Thanks to Alan Stein for passing along these thoughts from http://blog.strongerteam.com/. As Alan said: "Jerry West is the NBA logo... I mean literally. So when he speaks, you need to listen!"

Jerry West is a living legend.


Yeah, he is in the NBA Hall of Fame.

Sure, he was voted one of the 50 greatest players of all time.

For crying out loud… Jerry West is the NBA logo!

When he speaks, you need to listen.

Jerry West is friends with the father of a basketball player at Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC. A couple of weeks ago he stopped in to address the team after a pre-season workout. He spoke from the heart and gave sound advice:

· "If you want to be a great player, you have to learn how to compete. Competing is as important as any technical skill… shooting, ball handling, or passing. Great players compete every workout, every practice and every game."

· "Basketball can help you develop friendships you will have for the rest of your life. Don’t take it for granted."

· "Younger players should find an older, more experienced player on the team to look up to and to emulate (for Jerry West, it was Elgin Baylor). Watch how they conduct themselves during practice and how they prepare for games…study their work habits. You can learn a lot by watching those ahead of you. And if you are an older player, it is your job to be a role model for the younger members of your team. Take that responsibility seriously."

· "Use basketball, don’t let it use you. Basketball can take you to some special places and can provide you with an education."

· "While everyone loves to win, you learn more about yourself and your teammates when you lose. Life is easy when you are winning. A person’s true colors come through during times of adversity."

· "Take advantage of every opportunity you have to get better. Every practice is important."

BE COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

"Be committed to excellence. You must be willing to work extremely hard and make whatever reasonable sacrifices are necessary to achieve the organizational goals that have been established for the team. At all times, the focus must be on doing things properly. In reality, the talent level of most NFL teams is relatively even. As such, one of the critical keys to success is execution. Players making plays is what wins football games. More often than not, the primary catalyst for the occurrence of such plays is an unwavering commitment to excellence."

-BILL WALSH