March/April 2019 - 13

done correctly. That way, the team left the gym on a
positive note.
Staying positive
Ending practice on a positive note is important, but so
too is being positive at all times. Eliminating negativity is
essential to improving team attitude.
To keep a positive attitude, highlight your players' roles
and strengths on the team. Let every player know why he
or she is critical to your team's success. Everyone has a
role, so stress how important that role is.
Also, try using a compliment before and after a
criticism. It provides some much-needed padding to the
constructive criticism. And, if you have any internal
disagreements, deal with those immediately and keep
them within the team.
You need to target positive thinking toward the end
of the season. For us, we did an exercise where we
took all of our players out to the track on a rainy day
before starting postseason tournament play. The players
thought we were there to run. But, instead, we sat them
on the track 10 feet from the finish line. We placed a
trash can at the finish line. Then, we asked them why we
play the game.
Some players mentioned winning a state championship,
so I asked who won the title five years ago. No one knew.
I asked them who won last year. No one knew.
This led into an explanation that there is much more to
the game than simply " winning it all. " If everything was
about winning, only one team in the state would have a
successful season. I wanted them to know that ending
the season with a loss doesn't make the entire process
unsuccessful.
We then had every player write down any negative
thoughts or fears they had on a piece of paper. We had
them file, one by one, to the trash can and throw their
paper into it before crossing the finish line. As they did
this, we had them say, " I pledge to finish this season
strong. "
Total commitment
No endeavor succeeds without a strong commitment.
Too often we make grand plans but then do not see them to
the end. Make sure your players know that finishing strong
is a commitment and a part of the honor of being on your
team. Have your players sign a contract prior to the season,
including a commitment to completing the season with
their best effort.
Throughout our season, we often exited huddles or
ended practices by saying " finish! " We wanted this idea
ingrained in their heads. The commitment to finish must
endure to the end of the season. Sure and steady, a strong
commitment is the last leg of the plan to complete the
season the right way.
Our plan worked. We showed marked improvement
from one regular season to the next by boosting our win
total by 14 games. Instead of being bounced early in the
postseason tournament, we defeated some higher ranked
teams and ended the year as one of the top 16 teams in
the state.
WINNINGHOOPS.COM 13
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March/April 2019

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