A Coach's Diary

“I don't run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run towards it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot.” - Nadia Comaneci Do you run towards or away from challenges? A lot of people in basketball say you can learn a lot about someone’s character by the way they play. You can tell if someone is selfish or unselfish, a leader or a follower, confident or fearful, bold and willing to take on difficult challenges or not. Sports can bring out the best and worst in you. It reveals your character. If you play sports long enough, you will run across a competitor or team that you have no business winning. There is always someone out there who is bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than you. When you come across that person, what will you do? Will you fight and give it all you have, or will you back down? Nadia Comaneci was a 5-time Olympic gold medal gymnast from Romania. She once said, “I don't run away from a challenge beca...

“Take those chances and you can achieve greatness, whereas if you go conservative, you'll never know. I truly believe what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Even if you fail, learning and moving on is sometimes the best thing.” - Danica Patrick Do you take chances and risks? I heard someone say, “Kobe Bryant learned from Michael Jordan how to take the difficult shot and learn from the experience.” Success often comes from getting out of your comfort zone and taking risks, and even if you fail, you can learn valuable lessons for next time. However, too many people avoid taking the risks they need to get to the next level. Danica Patrick broke gender barriers in auto racing by being the first woman to win an IndyCar championship event. She once said, “Take those chances and you can achieve greatness, whereas if you go conservative, you'll never know. I truly believe what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Even if you fail, learning and moving on is sometimes the...

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” - Wilma Rudolph Do you believe in the power of your dreams? What if you knew that what you dreamed and wrote down would come true? What if you believed that you had all the potential in the world inside of you, and you had the power to live the life you wanted to live? Wilma Rudolph was a sickly child who had to wear a brace on her left leg, but she overcame her disabilities to compete in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games, and in 1960, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics. Rudolph later formed the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics. She once said, “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” This is an inspiring r...

“Well, the first quality of being a good leader is that you have to be able to follow. See, a good leader can't just be the leader all the time, I have to be able to follow.” - Lisa Leslie What kind of leader are you? The best leaders I know talk the talk and walk the walk. They have something special about them that makes you want to follow them, that makes you feel confident, and they model what they preach. Great leaders are also great followers who know how to listen, learn, and support others. Lisa Leslie is one of the best female basketball players of all time, and four-time Olympic gold medalist was the first female to dunk in a WNBA game. She was also a great leader who coached a men’s team in the BIG3 professional basketball league. She once said, “Well, the first quality of being a good leader is that you have to be able to follow. See, a good leader can't just be the leader all the time, I have to be able to follow.” A strong leader knows when to step back, list...

“I feel like I play better when I'm calm. There is an inner peace I can tap into sometimes during my matches.” - Naomi Osaka Do you know how to stay calm in the face of pressure? One of the most important things that I have learned is how to stay calm in big moments. When I look at the best coaches and athletes, they seem to have a balance between fiery competitors and calm and present when it matters most. They are able to find and use the right energy at the right time. Tennis star Naomi Osaka is a good example of this. Naomi is the first Asian player to hold the number one ranking in women’s tennis, and after winning a major tournament victory, she started displaying visible signs of intense irritation, frustration, and anger that hurt her performance. Naomi worked on managing her emotions, and her increased focus led her to more victories. After winning the Australian Open, Naomi said, “During the US Open, I didn’t show any emotions most of the time. But then after that, I...

“Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect.” - Shaquille O’Neal What is one thing you wish you could change about yourself? Nobody is perfect. Everyone has their flaws; the key is not letting your flaws hold you prisoner or hold you back. I played college basketball, and my biggest flaw was that I was short. I was often the shortest person on the court, and I spent too much time hoping, wishing, and praying that I was taller. If I could do it all over again, I would have better leveraged my height as a strength, focusing on getting quicker and faster so that my taller opponents wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. I would have focused on finding ways to turn my flaws into strengths. Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant basketball players in the history of the sport. At his peak, no one could stop him, except that he couldn’t make free throws. Teams would do what was called Hack-a-Shaq, where they would foul him and put him on the f...

“Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it.” - Andre Agassi Are you committed to working out to prove to yourself that you can do it? Nothing can replace hard work. I see it all the time: Two athletes might have the same talent and potential, but the athletes more willing and able to keep showing up and pushing themselves past their comfort zone are the ones who make it further. Aliyah Chavez won the Gatorade Player of the Year as the best high school basketball player in the country, but her own father who trained her since she was a kid said she was never the best athlete - she just worked harder than everyone else. Andre Agassi was one of the best tennis players in the history of the sport. He once said, “Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get ...

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” - Jesse Owens Are you willing to do what it takes to achieve your dreams? Most people don’t really know what it takes to make their dreams come true. It takes a lot of courage and discipline, and the ability to push yourself harder than you want, longer than you want. Most people like living and working within their comfort zone, and they don’t want to go harder than they need to. Jesse Owens was an American track and field star who made history at the 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history. Owens once said, “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” This quote highlights the difference between w...

“It's better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret.” - Jackie Joyner-Kersee Do you focus more on the past or the future? Someone once told me, “There is a reason the windshield of a car is much larger than the rearview mirror. This is because your future matters more and what is in front of you is more important than your past and what is behind you.” Sure, we learn a lot from our past; this is where wisdom comes from, but we can’t do anything about our past. Jackie Joyner-Kersee won 6 Olympic medals, including 3 gold medals. She once said, “It's better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret.”  "Look ahead and prepare" means focusing on the future - planning, setting goals, and taking action now to be ready for what’s coming. "Look back and regret" refers to feeling remorse or disappointment over missed opportunities or poor decisions in the past. Instead of wasting your time and energy regretting a past you can’t do ...

“You can’t measure success if you have never failed. My father has taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. Focus only on getting better.” - Steffi Graf Do you focus on winning, losing, or getting better? I don’t want to lose, and I don’t like losing. Because of this, when I was younger, I would avoid some battles if I didn’t think I could win, or I wouldn’t try as hard, or I would joke around so people would think I wasn’t taking it seriously. I let thoughts of winning or losing hold me back, but then I learned how to focus on enjoying the battle and my effort instead, and that mindset helped me get the most out of every situation. Steffi Graf dominated women’s tennis in the 1980s and 90s. She once said, “You can't measure success if you have never failed. My father has taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whethe...

“The biggest lessons I learned were probably the times where I had the biggest setbacks and the biggest challenges - when I had the biggest jumps forward and lessons learned.” - Michelle Kwan What is something you are struggling with right now, and what can you learn from it? Life is full of ups and downs. Once you beat one challenge, it’s only a matter of time before the next one comes, so learning how to overcome setbacks and adversity is a big part of life, being successful, and being happy. I’ve learned how to appreciate challenges because challenges give me the opportunity to practice patience and grow my character. I have learned the most about myself through setbacks. Michelle Kwan was an Olympic figure skater. She once said, “The biggest lessons I learned were probably the times where I had the biggest setbacks and the biggest challenges - when I had the biggest jumps forward and lessons learned.” Setbacks and challenges aren’t usually fun, but they help us grow into the b...

“You've got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.” - Chris Evert Who are you when you are under pressure? I love Game 7s. In these moments, you get to see what people are truly made of. In the biggest moments, who are you? Don’t change because of the pressure, or do you double-down on who you are and what got you there? I know a lot of people who change who they are depending on the situation and who they are around, but I am fascinated by the people who know who they are and show up consistently that way no matter what is happening around them. Chris Evert was a Hall of Fame tennis player, known for her consistent, disciplined style that included her trademark two-handed backhand. She once said, “You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.” Know who you are and be confident in that, especially in the most important moments. I just told this to a group of young athl...

“A disciplined person can do anything. Dare to do what you don't want to get what you do want.” - Dawn Staley  Do you have the discipline you need to become who you want?  Discipline is your ability to do what you are supposed to, the way you are supposed to, when you are supposed to do it no matter how you feel, and it is your ability to not do the things you want to do when you know you aren’t supposed to. Championship Coach Dawn Staley once said, “A disciplined person can do anything. Dare to do what you don’t want to get what you do want.” Can you do that? When I was in college, I hated running miles and I hated running in the mornings, but that is exactly what we did. I would dread it and slop through my mile, barely making my time. But something happened: I realized there was nothing I could do about having to run them in the morning because that was our coach’s decision, but I could make the mile easier by running more throughout the week. I realized that if I ran ...

“Many times, I had to dig deep and perform. All of that adversity helped me and drove me to want to be the best.” - Hayley Wickenheiser When was the last time you were forced to dig deep and out of your comfort zone? How did you respond? What did you learn about yourself? Were you able to do it, or did you back out, cut corners, or quit? When you are forced to dig deep, that is when you find out who you truly are and what you are made of. Hayley Wickenheiser is a four-time Olympic gold medalist for the Canadian women’s hockey team. She once said, “Many times, I had to dig deep and perform. All of that adversity helped me and drove me to want to be the best.” Digging deep and getting out of your comfort zone is hard and uncomfortable, but it is necessary if you want to be the best you can be. On your journey, you will face tough opponents and situations that will force you to dig deeper than what you might want. Some people embrace those moments, and others run from them. What about you...

"You should never stay at the same level. Always push yourself to the next.” - Marnelli Dimzon Are you complacent and happy where you are, or do you have a desire to be and do more? There are few things better than having the peace that comes from being happy with who you are and what you have done, but there are always opportunities for you to learn, grow, and get better, so don’t stop. Marnelli Dimzon was a Filipino soccer star who became a coach. She said, “You should never stay at the same level. Always push yourself to the next.” There is always someone coming for your spot, and if you don’t keep working, they will catch you. There is an African proverb that says, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up knowing  it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.”  This proverb emphasizes the constant need for progress and adaptation to survive....