Just Give Me The Ball

Performing in the Clutch and Leadership is One in the Same

You have two players:

Player 1 - Your best player
Player 2 - That kid who thinks he's the best player.

You are up by 2 with 30 seconds left with the ball out of bounds.  They are trying to foul you.

Player 1 - The player you want with the ball in the clutch, the player you draw the play for, shies (hope that's how you spell it) away from the ball in the clutch.
Player 2 - Always seems to end up with the ball in the clutch because he thinks he should have it.

Who do you give the ball to with the game on the line?
I give it to the guy who wants it.  Player 2 will get the ball on my team.  I want somebody with the audacity to think they should have it because I know they won't fold under pressure.

Developing Leadership Skills
Wanting the ball in the clutch is like leadership - we can develop it, we can try to grow it, we can try to put guys in the situation to where they can thrive in it, but you either want the responsibility or you don't.

You can't make a guy be a leader and you can't make a guy want the ball in the clutch.  When you force guys into roles of responsibility when they aren't ready, they often wilt under the pressure.

Now what you can do develop leadership skills with guys who have the potential to be great leaders, is develop the skills-set  that they need to be a leader.  Here are a few examples of ways I cultivate leadership in someone.

-  When I'm ready to start practice, I'll tell player 1 to get everybody together, tell them to get their minds right and ready to work, and tell him to tell everybody to be prepared to get better that day.  I tell him what to say, when to say it, and how to say it, because a lot of that is just not natural in a lot of people, especially young people.
-  Anytime that I need guys to get together to get ready to leave, like getting ready to go to the locker room to get dressed before the game, or getting ready to leave after the game, or I need the guys to meet me in the classroom to watch film, I tell Player 1 to tell the guys for me so that he can learn how to find his voice in a non-threatening environment.
-  If I'm having a conference with a kid about his behavior or his effort, I'll bring Player 1 into the meeting with us.  I'll tell him beforehand what the meeting is about and what I am going to say.  I'll tell him that when I'm done speaking, I'll ask Player 1 if he has anything to add.  Before we go in, I'll ask him if he's comfortable speaking at that time.  If he is, great, if he's not, I'll give him a couple sentences that he can easily say and that will be comfortable for him.  Something like, "Hey man, we really need you.  This team needs you.  We need your energy and your [insert skill set, i.e. rebounding or toughness].  But, we need you on time everyday because we are in this together.  What does it look like if we are here everyday, but you aren't?  We sometimes feel like you're not in this with us."  That way, his setup to succeed.

Teaching The Skill-Set of Performing In The Clutch
The same approach of putting a kid in situations to be successful in practice to develop leadership skills is the approach that I would take in instilling the skill-set need to be successful with the ball in the clutch.  I would recreate the first scenario in practice, and tell the team, Player 1 has to get the ball, or you lose.  I would tell them the losing team has to run.  That way he is in a position where he has pressure and responsibility placedskill-set of making multiply cuts while running towards the ball with your arms extended.  Meet the pass.  Immediately square up strong, ready to get fouled.  Talk about when he needs to pass and when he needs to aggressively dribble the ball up the court.  Talk about when its okay to pick his dribble up, and when it is not okay.  I would break down the process for him, because he doesn't know, to teach him the skill-set he needed to be successful with the ball in the clutch.
on him.  I would let it play out, then I would coach him up, 1 on 1, on how to mentally prepare himself, and how to physically perform.  Teach the

We, as coaches, are teachers first.  We have to teach them how to be successful before we can expect it out of them. 

 If you have anything more to add to that, leave me a comment.  Iron sharpens iron.