3 Steps to Turn Players into a Team
I love watching good coaches in action because they get their teams to buy into the system and concept of a team. As much as I enjoy watching Duke lose I still have to admit that Coach K is a genius at this and the best in basketball at doing this. Here is a coach who has to turn McDonald’s All American talent into unselfish players in a short period of time and he does it with very little turnover within his program. Coach K gets those kids to buy into the concept of team by getting players to accept the role that gives them the best chance to be successful. It is great to watch. I’ve broken it down into 4 real methods/steps for making this happen.
1. Clearly explain the roles to the team. Each players need to have his/her clearly defined for them. What is to be expected and why. This conversation needs to be completely blunt and honest with the selling point of the team’s success behind it. The love for the player must be shared and the direction must be portrayed that for the team to be successful this player needs to accept the role that is outlined. Explain that the role could change and if it does then another conversation will take place.
2. Believe: This is the most difficult of all the steps but the player needs to believe that his/her role is vital to the success of the team. This can take a while because players don’t always buy into the role they are given. This is when parents and outside influences step in and can hurt the psyche of the player. Every good coach should have an open line of communication with the players because this stage is crucial for the success of the team. Get the player to believe that they are important and you’ll be on your way.
3. Acceptance of the role: When the players have truly bought off on the roles that are given them then the team is ready to go. This is where most teams will go on winning streaks and play in the zone. One of the best examples of this recently was watching Illinois in 2005 with Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head. Those 3 could’ve fought for the ball and points but instead they accepted the roles they were given and it led to an incredible run of success that season. You can’t tell me that Deron Williams couldn’t have scored 25 a game in college.
Just some ideas for coaches to help their teams buy into the program.
