Individual Excellence

Our society, at the present time, seems to have sympathy only for the misfit, the ne'er-do-well, the maladjusted, the criminal, the loser. It is time to stand up for the doer, the achiever, the one who sets out to do something and does it. The one who recognizes the problems and opportunities at hand and deals with them. The one who is constantly looking for more to do. The one who carries the work of the world on his shoulders. The leader. We will never create a good society, much less a great one, until individual excellence is respected and encouraged. Vince Lombardi Jr. in What It Takes To Be #1.

The Secret

Years ago, long before club, summer, and AAU teams dotted the land, a young boy lived in Westminster, California. One day that boy went to his father and asked him how he could become a basketball player. Without saying a word the father got into the car and of course the boy followed. In silence they drove the three miles to Huntington Beach, where they parked and walked out towards the ocean. Upon reaching the water, the father, who was 6'7", walked out into the surf until the water was up to his waist, and of course the boy followed, but the water came up to his chest. Still, not a word was spoken.

Without warning the father grabbed the boy and pushed him down under the water and held him there until the boy thought he was going to drown. After drinking a huge amount of the Pacific Ocean, the boy was pulled up out of the water and immediately started sputtering, gasping, and gulping for air. 'What are you doing?" he finally screamed. "All I asked you was how to be a basketball player and you almost killed me!"

The father responded by asking, "When I was holding your head under water and you thought you were going to drown, what's the one thing you wanted more than anything else?" "Are you serious? Air! I wanted air!" screamed the boy.

Then the lesson. "When you want to be a basketball player as much as you wanted that one breath of air, you won't need me or anyone else to tell you how to do it."

As the years unfolded, the boy realized that relentless desire not only applied to playing basketball, but also to coaching, winning, getting an education, finding a job, etc.

Thanks Dad! Happy Father's Day!!

Crab Bucket

Crabbers on the Oregon coast know that if you put one crab in a bucket it will quickly climb out. But put two or more crabs in a bucket and they will stay they forever. Why? Because everytime one crab tries to climb out of the bucket, the other crabs will reach up and pull it back down. Unfortunately, this happens with people too. Many times, as soon as someone begins to separate themselves from the group (usually as a result of much more work and dedication), and sees a little more success or gets a little more attention, others quickly become jealous and offended. Instead of celebrating this success or trying to elevate themselves to reach new heights, these "crabs" choose to react by sulking, criticizing and blaming others. As a result, feelings are hurt and relationships are damaged and much more harm is done than good. But what a lot of "crabs" don't realize is that they all started off in the same bucket and all had the same opportunities to climb out. It's what they do with those opportunities that makes all the difference!

Dr. Jim Kraby - 20 Wins Or Else!

I was working in my office today when the sound of a familar voice made me get out of my chair and walk out into the hallway where I immediately saw Dr. Jim Kraby, the former President of UCC who hired me several years ago. Dr. Kraby retired eight years ago and even though he is now living in Arizona with his wife Pat, his heart is evidently still in the UCC gym.

We walked back into my office and the first thing Dr. Kraby said to me was, "What happened in the Skagit Valley game? You played so well all year but then couldn't make a shot those first six minutes!" He knew our record, all the players names, important stats, etc. and was truly disappointed that we didn't get that one more win. Dr. Kraby walked straight over to a picture of one of our championship teams, the one where he is standing in the front holding the championship trophy with a big smile on his face, and said, " I have this picture hanging in my house in Arizona!"

I couldn't help but thinking back at the first time we met; when he interviewed me right before he offered me the coaching position that I still have today. "All you have to do to keep your job," Kraby told me, "is to win 20 games a year and make sure your players stay out of trouble!" (Of course I told him that my goals were much higher than just 20 a year.) To this day I still don't know if he was dead serious or not, but every year, on the morning after our 20th win, I would get a call or an email telling me that I could sign another contract and stay on for one more year.

Even though he's been in Arizona for eight years, I STILL get an email each season the morning after our 20th win telling me I deserve to stay on one more year. I'm already looking forward to the next one!!