Players and parents “Enjoy, embrace, and embellish the journey”
There’s an old saying, “Patience is a virtue,” and speaking from experience; players and parents at times have little to no patience.We want everything to happen now, happen immediately. Sometimes, we just don’t trust the process. In today’s youth basketball culture, it’s all about going to the highest level. Getting that scholarship is the ultimate goal, or is it' Too often players and parents get caught up in the “now” and not the big picture. While basketball is just a game, it offers more than just that. Basketball can provide opportunities; scholarships, life lessons and in a few instances, a select few can take their game to the next level and make money. That’s the real goal for the majority of players playing the game today. However, it’s more than just that.
Too often, people get caught up in the things they can’t control. They stress, worry, and agonize over each and every game. Each game is scrutinized, critiqued, and gone over countless times. In most cases, it starts on the return ride home immediately after a game. There, many young players are told what they did wrong, what the team did wrong, and what the coach did wrong. A lot of negative vibes are echoed throughout each player’s head. Pressure and anxiety mounts, the game is nearly not as fun. It becomes a challenge, a chore, with a tremendous amount of work put into it. That should never be the case. It should always be fun!
No matter how hard one works at his game, it’s so important that each player and parent enjoy the process. The road is not always easy. It’s filled with ups and down, just like life itself. The game can teach us a tremendous amount of life lessons, discipline, work ethic, facing adversity, and most of all gaining new friends and building lifetime bonds. In most cases, whatever happens is meant to happen. Whether one enjoys success on the court, it’s the participation that counts. Basketball is a team sport, we all have to be good teammates. Isn’t that just like life itself. We all need to be good teammates, working together for the common good of humanity. A successful team is the one that works all as one; isn’t that again like life itself. We all need to work together.
One thing is for certain, no matter how good you are, the ball will stop bouncing one day. You have heard me repeatedly say, ” Make sure you get an education that lasts a lifetime.” The game of basketball is just like life itself. For the 98% of players that won’t play college basketball or beyond, and even for the 2% that is fortunate to play at the next level, please just enjoy, embrace and embellish this wonderful opportunity. For me personally, the game has opened so many doors, gained lifetime experiences, and gained new friends and acquaintances along the way. Just remember, enjoy each and every game and each and every moment. It’s over before we know it.
