All American Jessica Fisiikava

Received a surprise phone call from former UCC great Jessica Fisiikava tonight. After graduating from UCC in 2005 as one of the school's all time leading scorers, Jess turned down some bigger schools and accepted a basketball scholarship to Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California so she could be closer to her father. Even though it's been close to a year and a half since I've spoken to Jess, I think about her almost every day when I see her Kodak All American plaque hanging near my desk.

Jess called me tonight to tell me that she was recently recognized by her employer, Kaiser Permanente, for her work ethic and for being the only person in her entire department to have perfect attendance for the past year. Then Jess told me that as she was receiving her award she realized that it was the habits that she developed while playing at UCC that have helped her be successful all these years. She thanked me for adamantly insisting that she and her teammates go to class every day, that they go on time, and that they give their very best effort - no excuses.

Especially during this playoff time of year, when everyone's focus is on winning, winning, winning, it's great to hear that regardless of the score, lessons are being learned and lives are being changed!

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!!

Every Team Needs A "Go To" Player

One of the things that basketball has taught me is that the best teams at all levels and in all walks of life have a “Go-To” player, a person who is not only capable but willing to step up and make the big play when the game is on the line. Regardless of their fame or team or status or gender, “Go-To” players all have one thing in common – they find a way to get it done!

Countries, businesses, families, etc. all need “Go-To” players at one time or another and being a “Go-To” player is as much about attitude as talent.

One of the best stories I’ve ever heard or read about a “Go-To” player centered on a soldier named Rowan in the Spanish –American war. Here is an excerpt from that story, “A Message to Garcia,” written by Elbert Hubbard almost 100 years ago.

“In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion. When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba—no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly. What to do!
Someone said to the President, "There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan who will find Garcia for you, if anybody can."

Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How "the fellow by the name of Rowan" took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, & in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail.

The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?" By the Eternal! There is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing- "Carry a message to Garcia!"

General Garcia is dead now, but there are other Garcias.”
(In our world, “Garcia” can be individual workouts, summer conditioning, weight training, and even homework and/or class projects.)

Hubbard goes on to write, “Put this matter to a test: You are sitting now in your office—six clerks are within call. Summon any one and make this request: "Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio". Will the clerk quietly say, "Yes, sir," and go do the task? On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions:

Who was he? Which encyclopedia? Where is the encyclopedia? Was I hired for that? Don’t you mean Bismarck? What’s the matter with Charlie doing it? Is he dead? Is there any hurry? Should I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself? What do you want to know for?
And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia.”

Does this sound familiar? Do you know anyone like that? Are you like that?

Years ago the Boston Celtics called a timeout when they were behind with only seconds left and needed to score to win. With everyone gathered around the bench, Larry Bird boldly demanded that when the game resumed they give him the ball and “Get the hell out of the way!” KC Jones stepped in and reminded everyone that he, not Larry Bird, was the coach, and that he would design the final play. With the whole team intently staring at him, KC Jones smartly said, “Danny, you take the ball out and throw it to Larry and then everyone get the hell out of the way!” The strategy worked and the Celtics won. Larry Bird could take a message to Garcia!
Can we?

They Keep Score For A Reason! Part 2

That day at Siglar Park I learned that there’s another very simple reason why they keep score – to measure results and determine who wins and who loses. Basketball, much like many other areas of life, is extremely result oriented. The scoreboard is brutally honest as there are no points awarded or displayed for either style or effort. Only results are recorded.

You can’t try to work hard. You can’t try not to drink and drive. You can’t try to be honest. You can’t try to rebound or to play good defense. As the famed philosopher Yoda once said, “Do or do not. There is no try."

Results matter and that is why they keep score!

They Keep Score For A Reason!

I’ve learned a lot through basketball over the years, starting with the very first basketball game I ever played in when I was seven years old. The game was played at Siglar Park in Westminster, California early one Saturday morning. Simply put, my team was thrashed 44-6. Even before I left the park that day I realized two very important things: From that day on, I knew without a doubt that there was a huge difference between average and excellent and maybe even more importantly, that winning is a lot more fun than losing! Thankfully, I’ve never forgotten either one!!

Some people don’t want to admit that there is a difference between average and excellent, between losers and winners, between failure and success whether it’s on the court, in the classroom, or in the workplace. Whether we like it or not, there are differences, but unfortunately many do not learn this until well into adulthood.

We live in a time where parents and other well meaning adults want to protect the fragile self esteem of their children at all costs. One of the ways they try do this is by refusing to “keep score” whenever their kids are involved. After all, if there is no score then there are no winners. If there are no winners then there can’t be any losers. Everyone is the same in the land of mediocrity!

During the last three years, our daughter Taylor has played on six different grade school soccer teams (one in the Fall and one in the Spring) where possibly the only rule that is ever enforced is the one that prohibits keeping score. During one game when nine year old Taylor and one of her teammates kept announcing the score after each goal, the opposing coach pulled his team off the field and refused to play the rest of the game. Unbelievable!! That guy never would have survived at Siglar Park!! What was he teaching the members of his team? That if you ever get behind you should quit? That not playing is more fun than playing and keeping score? Why not view the situation as the perfect opportunity to teach his team the value of persistence or bouncing back from adversity? Why not use it as a springboard for his players to improve their skills, fitness level, or teamwork? Why not just let the kids come to the realization that keeping score is a fact of life?

Keeping score is a big part of life and the sooner we all realize that the better. Teachers keep score and call it grades. Banks keep score and call it credit report. Businesses keep score and call it profit. Armies keep score and call it death toll. Politicians keep score and call it votes. Even American Idol keeps score.

In all walks of life, keeping score should motivate us to do our very best and to get better results. Keeping score lets us gauge our progress and then make any necessary adjustments. Without keeping score it’s easy to assume that everything must be going well, that we are doing everything right, and that all performances are the same. Knowing the score helps us get better.

I hated losing that very first game when I was seven years old, so much that I’ve remembered it all these years, and I’ve hated losing ever since. But once I knew they were keeping score I had a couple choices to make – I could either improve my skills, become a better teammate, compete harder and win or I could continue to lose. I’ve tried to apply that lesson to nearly everything I’ve done since then. The very first thing I ever learned through basketball was that they keep score for a reason!