Embracing your Role

What’s up? 

We are posting our second podcast this week, I think that Trey and I are starting to get in the swing of things, a little bit more flow to the conversation, and we talked about some really important topics this week like: 

• Bones Hyland

• NIL Money

• Roles on Your Team 

• Your Coaches Systems 

Podcast Here: 

For this newsletter, I want to drill on this idea of your coaches systems. I think one of the most ubiquitous experiences as a basketball player is at some point, you will have a coach whose schemes differ from how you believe basketball should be played. 

A lot of the time, these differences are viewed as some attack on your skill or talent. They can even be seen as a loss of opportunity that will hinder future opportunities. 

If you are in that situation, here is something for you. 

Your coach built their schemes the way they did because they think it is the best chance for the team to win basketball games with the current roster. That is it. The only reason you would ever build a scheme as a basketball coach is to try and create a consistent advantage for your team, that over the course of 32, 40, or 48 minutes will result in more points for the good guys. 

When you are thinking about your role in the system, or how your skillset works within it, it is important to remember two things: It is your responsibility to figure out how to take advantage of the advantages the system creates, and that your coach is a human being too. 

Coaches make mistakes. Sure, they don’t throw the ball 30 ft out of bounds, or hit the side of the backboard on an errant three pointer from the corner. But they are still making small mistakes over the course of the game. 

So in the same way that you get pulled out of the game for a mistake, and getting yelled at only makes it worse, the same thing works in reverse. 

Ultimately, the purpose of any system is to make the desired outcome more efficient. The inverse can also be true, working against the system will make the desired outcome less efficient. 

When you are crafting your plan to win your minutes back or become the “guy” on your team, take a moment to reflect on the opportunities that you have within the current system to exploit the advantages that it creates. 

You will be surprised, it may just work. 

Let us know if you have any questions you want us to cover in the pod. Make sure to give us your name so we can give you a shout out. 

That’s it for this week, make sure to get out of your comfort zone, and live Atypical. 

Kyle