Much is being made of Butler's buzzer beating upset of Gonzaga at Hinkle Fieldhouse last night. It was a great game. But much is also being made of Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens' reaction to the last shot. You can see the final possession in the clip below. Coach Stevens is standing on the sideline at the top of the screen. Coach Stevens' reaction was the same as when Butler defeated Marquette on a buzzer beater earlier in the season, and when the Bulldogs' win over top-ranked Indiana came down to the last possession...he didn't react. In the Marquett win, he barely took a glance at the winning shot. In the Indiana win, he was putting away his clipboard as the final possession unfolded.
How could a head coach react in such a way? In the most results-oriented business in our country, how could a head coach seemingly not care about the outcome? While thousands in attendance hold their breath, and thousands more at home sit on the edge of their couches, how can the guy with the most on the line be so calm? The answer is found in identity. When who you are is not defined by what you do, you can lead from a secure identity. Insecure leaders need the results to affirm who they are as people. Failure crushes them and success inflates them. When you lead from a secure identity, results and performance do not dictate mood and emotions. One shot, make or miss, does not determine your worth as a human being. When you lead from a secure identity, the process is greater than the outcome; the root is more important than the fruit. This doesn't mean you are less interested in winning. It doesn't mean you don't work as hard or prepare as thoroughly or pay as close attention to details. In fact, the leader with a secure identity works just as hard to perform just as well. The difference is the identity has already been affirmed and the outcome has no bearing on that truth. So, make or miss, you are still the same person tomorrow. You are still the same spouse, the same parent, the same friend, the same coach, the same leader. When you lead from a secure identity, the shot, make or miss, is just a shot.
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We, as people, have a natural tendency to float from one extreme to another, from highs to lows, from left to right, from absolute to absolute, searching for truth and maximum performance. But as the pendulum swings, we most often find perfection when we strike perfect balance. This is why "opposites attract" and we piece together teams with complementary pieces.
Enter the role of the leader or coach. The leader of a team must always feel the pulse of the group and its individual members, and provide whatever is necessary to bring them closer to equilibrium. When a player makes a terrible mistake, it's likely he knows it. The coach doesn't need to scorn him more, sending him farther from centered. Likewise, when a player hits a game winning shot, he doesn't need to be celebrated publicly. It's likely he's already high enough. And so it is true of a leader's demeanor. When the team is discouraged, he should be encouraging; when panicked, calm; when anxious, reassuring; when lackadaisical, pressuring; when content, demanding; when devoid of passion, inspiring; when lost in emotion, present and rational. The list goes on. The point being, a leader must always be in tune with the pulse and rhythm of the team, be aware of how his/her words and actions impact that flow, and provide the correct antidote to move the group or individual closer to center. What is pressure? Where does it come from? Why do we feel pressure?
We experience pressure because of the potential consequences or rewards of the results. We create pressure on ourselves by placing great value on the things that may come later, things completely out of our control. We let future possibilities add a heavy burden to the task at hand. They aren't even guaranteed to happen, just possibilities concocted by our imagination. The thoughts that this made free throw will win the championship and make me a hero and cement my legacy. That's a lot of potential burden on one free throw. Thoughts that each made shot will get me on the team or each dropped pass will get me cut; that this bad game will cost me a scholarship or this great game will solidify me as a star. All potential, possibilities, imagination. Who knows, you may get cut anyway. You may have a legacy regardless. You may still get that scholarship or that contract extension. Whatever it is, it's out of your control. The only thing you can control is this task; this shot, this pass, this stop - the right now. And thus, there is no pressure because you have done it a thousand times before, just like this. Unless, of course, you haven't. And then you walk to the line knowing you don't belong, knowing you have cut corners and cheated your way to the moment. So then the only pressure you should feel is the other 364 days. The pressure that there may come a time you're in that moment. And that pressure gets you out of bed each day, into the gym each day, disciplined to your routine each day, focused on your work each day. So when that moment comes you are fully prepared, you've already overcome - already eliminated - the pressure. I was in high school and on our family's almost-annual trip to the NAIA National Tournament. My dad is a Hall of Fame coach at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., and my sister and I were more or less raised in the gym and around NAIA basketball, highlighted most seasons by a "family vacation" to the national tournament.
On this occasion the four of us - my mom, dad, sister and I - were eating dinner in the hotel lobby. During the course of the meal I caught eyes with an older man sitting alone across the room. He was backed into a corner booth, able to survey the entire dining room and I noticed he kept careful watch on specifically our table. He was a burly man with his shirt opened at the top button, gold jewelry around his neck and wrist and a gold briefcase sitting on the table. As a cautious teenager it was a bit creepy but I tried to ignore it and enjoy the time with my family. When we finished eating and stood to leave, the man cut us off on our way out the door. He offered a brash greeting, briefcase in hand, and off he went: "Hi, my name is Ian Naismith, grandson of the man who invented the whole thing. Just wanted to say it is great to see a family eating together. We don't get that enough these days." The words came out of his mouth so fast they went in one ear and out the other. My parents looked stunned when he walked away and I eagerly asked them to translate what just happened. "Who was that?" Ian Naismith (pronounced "Yon"), grandson of James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, passed away last week at age 73. The Kansas City Star wrote a nice obituary here worth reading. This was my first of several encounters with the man who traveled the country promoting the values of the game with his grandfather's original hand-written 13 rules of basketball handcuffed to his wrist. The NAIA National Tournament is played in one location, all 32 teams and all 31 games over the course of a long weekend from 9 a.m. to sometimes past midnight that evening. I was a bit disappointed that my tied tongue in the hotel restaurant cost me a chance of a lifetime to interact with living history, but the next day I learned Naismith had a booth set up at the arena to display memorabilia from the Naismith Foundation's collection. When I arrived at the arena I immediately went in search of his station hoping to redeem myself. The planned redemption turned into a two hour visit with Ian about his grandfather, the history of the game, story after story after story, and Ian's mission to maintain the integrity of his grandfather's dream. He was hesitant to open the briefcase to show me the original 13 rules, but the more I watched him interact with tourists I understood it was just part of his mystique. He always opened it. An opened briefcase isn't quite as reverent as one locked and handcuffed to your wrist. Taking a picture with the rules required a bit more persistence - he was in negotiations to sell the rules to the Smithsonian, after all, and flash photography damages artifacts, of course - but he relented on that one too. He wasn't the gruff, burly man I labeled him as in the restaurant. He was always willing to share a story and seemed to give the most attention to kids, hoping to extend the legacy at least one more generation. I asked him about carrying the rules with him everywhere he went and he admitted it was a burden, hence his desire to sell them, but he also told me a story about the one time he nearly lost them. He thought he left them in a Hooters! We shared a laugh about the potential headlines regarding the mistake. I also told him about Dorsey Gymnasium, Columbia College's original gym - still standing - with the running track 10 feet above the floor where his grandfather nailed peach baskets. Before I left he pulled out his business card, wrote his cell number on the back and gave it to me, hoping to visit the gym someday on his travels. I still have that card today. I never did call his number and he never visited Dorsey Gym, but our paths crossed a few more times in subsequent years at the NCAA Final Four. Each time I made a point to visit his booth and remind him of our visit at the NAIA tournament. He always said he remembered. Good with faces but not so much with names was his explanation. Whether he did or not, I don't know, but he always engaged in conversation and baited visitors to ask about the briefcase. It took a couple years but I finally summoned the courage to ask him the question that had baffled me for as long as I can remember: How could his grandfather, the inventor of the game, be the only coach in the history of the University of Kansas with a career losing record? I had my own theory, but he explained that through the final years of his stint as head coach at KU, Naismith's wife was battling cancer and he missed most of the road games. I can't remember which Final Four I last saw Ian, but every time I saw him on TV or read about him in the paper he was presenting a character award or promoting sportsmanship and the original values of his grandfather's dream. It was something he felt strongly about and always brought to the forefront of conversations. My heart sank when I heard of his passing, partly over the heartbreak of death, but also over the fear that we are one more generation removed from the origins of this great game. I sincerely hope today's caretakers will continue what he spent much of his lifetime pursuing and pledge to be a part of that connection to the past moving forward. Welcome to B3Basketball! I hope that my dedication to and passion for the game of basketball will enrich your life in some way. Whether through the instruction of B3Development or the entertainment of B3Spinning, my hope is that you will not only catch a glimpse of basketball skills and knowledge, but you will be challenged to pursue something bigger than yourslef.
I've played the game of basketball for as long as I've been able to walk, but as I grew older and learned more, I realized it isn't just a game. The competitive athletic experience done appropriately can teach life and spiritual lessions in a way no other avenue can. Given the opportunity to work with you on your skills, I hope to not only address your desire to become a better basketball player, but help you understand that basketball is bigger than just a game, and life is bigger than you. Once you acknowledge those two concepts, basketball will be more fun than ever and you will be one step closer to achieving your success. And if you get the chance to experience a B3Spinning performance, I hope a world of endless possibilities will be opened for you. I was originally inspired by my dad who challenged me to spin a basketball on my finger, and later I saw Tanya Crevier's Enthusiasm show when she revealed to me skills I never even dreamed possible with a basketball. After seeing B3Spinning I hope you will be challenged to pursue your goals, large and small, and be inspired by something amazing! Thanks for visiting and I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future. Bret |
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