And How to Ensure Things Turn Out Best for You!
In Australia, club ball permits 4, (sometimes 5) total teams (or divisions) per age group. In American high school basketball, it’s similar in that you have C-Team (Freshman), JV (Junior Varsity) and Varsity. And generally speaking, we all know the better the level, the better the coach.
When I was in 7th grade of my junior high years, I was chosen to play up a grade for the 8th grade Los Alamitos Lady Buccaneers Basketball Team. Then, when I got to 8th grade, I was good enough to not just skip the 8th grade basketball team, but also the Freshman and JV teams to play for the Varsity team at my local high-school.
There was just one problem… the administration (ie. the principle of my junior high) was completely against it. Everyone else was for it- the coaches and my parents included.
Now, I don’t tell you this to get into any type of debate (believe me there was debate enough around the topic!) But after some deliberation, it was determined that “the best thing for me” was to hold me back and keep me at my junior high – playing 8th grade basketball for a second year in a row.
Just take a second to imagine yourself in this scenario… The head coach of the Varsity high school team wants you to play for him, but administration determines you’re not allowed to. In Australian context – this would be like getting selected for the U18 Champs team as a top age U14, but not being allowed to move up because of the age gap.
How does that make you want to react? Well, I was certainly disappointed to say the least, but naturally, of course! What competitor wouldn’t be?
Did I allow that disappointment to dictate my basketball journey head in a negative direction? No way. What I did do was accept my situation and decide to make the best of it. Here are a few examples on how you can do that too:
Embrace Your Teammates
I remember, the week after the decision was solidified, I presented a letter to my team…(because I’ve always felt best expressing myself through writing;)
In this letter, I explained my hope that all the drama around the debate of me moving up to Varsity didn’t impact them and that I wanted to reassure them I was excited to go out to battle with them that season.
This was necessary for me because my relationships with my teammates have always been extremely important to me and I wanted nothing to get in the way of thriving together on and off the court!
Embracing teammates helps you get outside yourself and enjoy the relationships around you. The only other option is to resent everyone and resent coming to training every day and who wants to do that?
So ask yourself, are you willing to pout about your situation at the detriment of your team and the potential life-long friendships you otherwise could create? I sure wasn’t.
Embrace Your Coach with Respect
Same principles apply with my coach as with my teammates… I wasn’t going to allow any disappointment to impact how I treated my coach that season. Rather, I chose to treat him with as much respect as I would’ve the Varsity coach.
And you know something? I ended up absolutely loving my 8th grade coach and now know that he was extremely impactful to my basketball career with the incredible truths he spoke into my life and disciplines he instilled into my game.
Thanks Coach Baca!
I believe (and have a life-time of experimenting with this) that embracing whoever your coach is with respect and an acknowledgement of believing in them will help whatever situation you find yourself in.
Even if it’s as simple as helping you build great character!
Avoid Complaining
I can tell you one thing that won’t help build great character – complaining! In fact, complaining will most likely result in the exact opposite.
Do not compare and then complain about anyone who may have gotten selected for a higher team than you – this literally does nothing for you. What will do something for you, on the other hand, is putting your head down to work hard and get better.
Comparison is the thief of joy and there can sometimes be reasonings beyond our understanding as to why we did not get picked for a team while someone else did.
I have a multitude of examples of this throughout my basketball journey -they already had someone in my position; I didn’t match the coach’s style of play; they didn’t have enough money in their budget; I was one inch too short; just to name a few…
Yes, these are real reasons I either heard in the moment of selections or after the fact. Are they frustrating? Of course, but I’m a firm believer in all things working out for my good, and no “missed opportunity” is going to destroy the purpose God already has laid out for my life.
So why complain when I can pray and ask God to help me make the best of however things turn out..
Remember Who Things Turn Out Best For
The Winningest Coach of NCAA History – John Wooden – once said, “Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.”
Obviously, we all would love to play at the highest level possible and receive the best coaching possible and not making your dream team can be disappointing. But, however things turn out for us, we essentially have two choices:
- Throw a fit, complain, pout and ruin ourselves by destroying any chance of continuing on the basketball path we would otherwise have continued to progress on. Or,
- Make the best of the way things turn out with a positive growth mindset!
You may be thinking “All this is good and all and I know you’re right, but… it still hurts!” I get it. And believe me, that is a GOOD sign – it means you care! So, if this is still where you’re at, here are a few things to consider and help you try to make the best of the way things have turned out for you:
Being in a lower level team can actually be very beneficial for you in your development for two reasons:
- Game Day Development: You may think you’ll develop more playing against higher competition, but what if you never get the opportunity to play significant minutes at that level? If you have an honest assessment and feel you should have been selected for the level above what you were selected for, then you most likely won’t have to worry about playing time in the level you were chosen for. And when it comes to game day, there’s nothing that can help you develop your game the way actually playing a game does. So, make the best of not having to sit on the bench as much.
- Leadership Development: Leadership is an extremely valuable quality to coaches and if you have an honest assessment and believe you’re more skilled than the team you were selected for – what a great opportunity! Take ownership and try your best in stepping up and helping your teammates develop their skills and basketball IQ during games. Believe me, you will never regret sharpening your leadership skills.
And when it comes to getting placed with a coach who isn’t very basketball savvy – this can also be another opportunity for leadership development. Make sure your input to the team never contradicts the coach, but step up and lead by being the voice of direction.
“Bad teams, no one leads. Average teams, coaches lead. But elite teams, players lead.” – PJ. Fleck
Leadership skills, resiliency, work ethic, respect, being a team player… Can you believe the opportunity for character building being presented to you right now? It’s pretty incredible and if you choose to take John Wooden’s advice to heart, I believe you’ll look back at this moment one day and thank yourself for doing so.
It’s silly now to think I could’ve reacted any differently to my 8th grade basketball situation, but things could have been drastically different for the worse. I’m thankful they aren’t.
Sure, maybe you don’t get to add that varsity letter to your letterman jacket; maybe you don’t get to practice/play on court 1; maybe you don’t get to play for that coach; maybe you will one day. Or maybe one day you’ll get to do something even better!
Regardless, remember who things turn out best for and you’ll have a pretty good chance of being included in the bunch!
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