Act Like You've Been There Before

This is my opinion and of course it is debatable at best. Many years ago the Chicago Bears professional football team had a Hall of Fame running back named Walter Payton. This was, as any of you that still watched professional sports knows, an era of "free expression." Players signaling the crowd when to cheer. Players dunking a basketball and beating on their chest or flexing their "pipes." Trash talking promoted as being a form of bravado. Walter Payton never spiked the ball when he scored. He never showed any emotion when he reached the end zone. When Walter was asked why when he scored he simply handed the ball to the nearest official, he said, "My Dad always told me that when I scored I should act like I had been there before! Man I like that!

If I was coaching today, I would be considered even more of a dinosaur than I was when I was actually coaching. We asked our players to shave, wear their hair short enough to not interfere with their play. (I told our players we were not going to ask them to cut off anything that would not grow back!) We did not allow head bands or wrist bands on the floor. We expected them to wear both pairs of sneakers that matched. We all wore the same practice gear tops and bottoms. Seems like I was a control freak. Right! Why all the restrictions? You can spin this anyway you want, but I was concerned not with individualit, but I was concerned with fostering a philosophy of team. I told our players I wanted them to gain the respect and attention of others by HOW they played not by how they looked or dressed. I know. I know. Times have changed. Before, or after the season, players could do what they wanted but during the season we wanted your play and appearance to reflect a team attitude.

I always believed the biggest battle we had in team building was to get our player's attention off themselves. I don't mean to beat this to death but take some time and do two simple things and then analysis what that may mean in terms of the young people you are teaching. First, when you are watching television, ask yourself what the marketing people are trying to do to appeal to their audience. Phrases such as .... "Have it your way" ... "You deserve a break today". And of course the list could go on and on. I have always wondered why a beautiful woman in a slinky dress has anything to do with selling tires? Oh well, I regress. The second thing I suggest you do is listen. I mean really listen to the conversation of your players, especially after a game. From my research, the younger the players the more often the word "I" is spoken in the conversation. "I blocked that guy's shot!" "I shut him

down when I guarded him!" "Did you see how I dominated him!" This guy

cares a great deal about three people .... me, myself, and I.

I have a real issue with professional football players urging the fans to increase the noise. I have an issue with a professional basketball player flexing his pipes after a dunk. Fortunately, colleges have started to penalize

players for "taunting." It is about time. You certainly don't have to agree with anything I have written but I appreciate the player that acknowledges the pass or play that lead to them scoring. I respect the player who can control his emotions to the point you don't know if his/her team is up 20 or down 20.

I remember one year I was coaching and we had a player who like to push some limits. We were playing a game and one of the officials came over to me and said your player is using the f-bomb on the floor. My response was simple and direct. Then why hasn't he been given a technical? Somewhat ironically, this same player did get a technical in another game. He "earned" the technical after less than two minutes were played in the game. He never saw the floor again in that game. I did not yell at him. I did not ream him out in front of the team. I said nothing to him until the next day.

"I have no idea why this person is standing on a basketball while on a tennis court?"

You have to decide as the leader of your team what you will allow and what you will not. Players will challenge you to find out whether you mean what you say. (Yes, I had player(s) shaving in the locker room before the game at times.)

We believed in have standards that would reinforce a positive team attitude. We explained what we expected and put it in writing.

If you expect your players to play with poise, then you better model it. I fortunately, never had an issue with profanity so I could with all honesty tell our players you can use profanity when I use profanity. I did not argue often with officials and our players seldom questioned officials. We talked about behaviors that would "win the officials." Hand the ball to the official. Don't react to the officials call even when they are wrong.

I am not sure I can define the term class or a classy program but I think it starts with having respect for yourself, your teammates, the officials, fans, and your opponents. It also is about understanding the privilege of playing

and how brief the experience will be. Does this take some degree of maturity? Certainly. But remember, you set the standard and IF your players understand where you are coming from and why they will almost always respect them.

There is a reason it is called "trash talk." I do not know a better way to put this. Your players need to understand they are NOT the "straw that stirs the drink." None of us, and I mean none of us, is irreplaceable.