Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:
I am constantly looking for a way to get an edge. How can we improve as a team? How can we recruit the next GREAT player? How can we improve every individual on our team? How can we be more prepared for every opponent we play? Ultimately, the one question that encompasses them all is, "How can we set ourselves apart from everyone else?"
I'll never forget the day I was told that showing up to work on time, telling the truth, and being respectful and kind to the people around you, will put you ahead of 90% of the people you work with. The lesson is this, mastery of the "little things" will set you apart from everyone else.
If you follow sports closely at all you have undoubtedly heard an announcer and analyst refer to someone as a "clutch player". The term is used to described a player who consistently performs at a high level when the game or season hangs in the balance. These players seem to find a way to hit a shot, grab a rebound or take a charge at the most critical times of the game to swing things in their favor. Wikipedia defines a clutch player as someone who performs well under extreme pressure.
The thing that has always baffled me about the idea of a "clutch shot" is that at the end of the day, it's just a jump shot. I mean, when Michael Jordan hit the game-winner over Byron Russell in Game 6 to win the NBA Championship, all he did was hit a 20 foot jump shot. Sometimes we dramatize and romanticize these moments to the point that we forget that the act of hitting a jump shot is nothing fantastic. In fact, Jordan has taken a million 20 foot jumpers through his playing career.
What set Jordan apart? His was so phenomenal at the fundamentals, that when the light shined brightest, the pressure was on, and the game was on the line, hit just rose up and made a simple 20 foot jump shot. Hitting a game winning shot, grabbing the game sealing rebound, or icing the game at the free throw line is nothing more than the mastery of the little things. Clutch performers simply MASTER the LITTLE THINGS. You want to set yourself apart? Master the little things.
Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!
Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach
