“If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
That pretty much sums it up.
As the season progresses you naturally get deeper into planning your basketball practices, scouting your opponents, and keeping your players healthy. In all of that energy, don’t forget to emphasize vision.
Don’t just assign them drills. Don’t just study them up with film. Teach them to long for… (insert your team’s vision here).
Oh, you haven’t figured out what your team’s vision is?
Oh, you know the vision, but you haven’t shared it with the team?
Oh, you have a vision and shared it at the pre-season meeting, but haven’t mentioned it since?
If you want your team to build a ship, first teach them to long for the sea, then don’t let them forget about it in their labors.
Excellent foundation with a very practical reminder.
Too many of us coaches forget this as a regular part of the game.
When we focus too much on our drills, our offense, our defense, our plan, the kids are being taught that its our team and not theirs.
They lose ownership of the vision and that is not a positive outcome for any team.
Basketball must endeavor to reach into the unknown and not shrink back from it, if it is to operate to its fullest