Today's Post is written in Assistant Coach Tyrone Jones:
Recruiting is a very exciting process for the women’s basketball program. I love being able to sit down with prospects and their families and talk about what Missouri Southern has to offer. One thing we always stress to potential players and their parents is that we not only want to make them better basketball players, but more importantly, better people. So you may be asking yourself, what does it take to be a Lion? What kinds of things do they look for when they go to recruit players? There are 5 things that are crucial to being a member of our family.
(1.) TALENT: As a basketball team our main objective is to win games. In order to make that happen we have to make sure we have the best possible player for each position. Our goal is to train our players to be extremely skilled and talented basketball players.
(2.) WORK ETHIC: In this generation, "work" is often a four letter word. Getting to work is a gift. We are looking for players who are willing to work. Basketball is not a season-long sport; it is a year-long commitment. Players have to push themselves at weight lifting, individual work-outs, practice, and games. It is not the amount of time you spend in the gym, but the amount of work you get done that is important. Hard work is the foundation of this program.
(3.) TEACHABILITY: We all have something to learn. We have players come in from all different programs but when they come to Southern, it is imperative they learn the MOSO Way. Our players have to be open to constructive criticism and make improvements based on that criticism. The goal is to make the individual player better in order that the team as whole can reach its goals.
(4.) MOTIVATED: Every person is motivated in different ways. It is crucial that players be internally and externally motivated. As a coach, it is important to be able to motivate your players. Coach Mitts often says that it doesn’t matter how you are motivated….just that you can be motivated. As coaches, we push our players on and off the court every day, but their ability to motivate and push themselves will tell the story of their true success.
(5.) OVERACHIEVER: It is easy to be average; that’s why it’s called “average”. We strive to be above-average. In order to do so, we must be overachievers. In order to grow as a player and a person, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You never know what you can achieve until you try. Being an overachiever means you’re willing to go those extra steps, to do those extra things you weren’t asked to do just because you know it will make you and your team better.
So, the next time you see someone from our staff out recruiting, you can rest assured that we are looking for players that have these 5 things. Once these players are a part of our program, it is crucial that they continue to display and push themselves in these 5 areas. Our best teams here at Southern have been full of players who excelled in all 5 areas.
Until next time…It’s a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Tyrone Jones
Assistant Coach
