Kelvin is an assistant coach with the NBA's Milwaukee
Bucks.
St. Patrick's Day has
arrived and April showers will soon dampen spirits. Such are the
signs that it's that time of year again. It's the time of the
year that coaches live for. It's the madness of March and the
2009 NCAA Tournament is officially underway.
It can be dissected and examined countless times, but in the end
it will be discovered that this is ultimately why coaches get
into the business. It's for the opportunity to be a part of the
biggest show in sports -- The NCAA Tournament.
And to make a difference
Every once in a while someone would comment to me that they
wouldn't want my job. That really bothered me because I couldn't
imagine wanting to be involved in any other endeavor.
The coaching profession affords you the opportunity to help mold
young kids into men. The relationships, the competition and the
satisfaction of accomplishment are beyond compare.
Just like any coach in America I thoroughly enjoyed the
victories, but I enjoy even more when a former player comes to
visit me and tells me about his job, his new car or the house
that he and his wife just purchased.
It's those things that make this profession so great. It's a
reward that is very fulfilling.
Not everything should be measured in terms of simple wins and
losses. Only one coach and one team can walk away at the end of
the season with the knowledge that they were the only group to
win its last college game of the season.
Does that mean that 64 other teams were not successful? That
doesn't even warrant a response.
The NCAA and NIT tournaments are all about competing. They are
about being part of something special.
25 years from now the kids at Binghamton and Morgan State can
say they were a part of the 2009 NCAA tournament. One team
scored more points than the other, but they will both walked
away as winners. Those kids can boast that they were part of
history. This is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for both.
And how about Stephen F. Austin? It’s also the first-ever
appearance in the dance for that program. SFA has been among the
top teams in the Southland Conference over the past few years
and this season they finally broke through.
Then there is the curious case of North Dakota State, a program
in its’ first year of eligibility for the tournament and they
are dancing. The senior class had a vision when they decided to
attend NDSU and it was to end their careers in the NCAA
Tournament. Mission accomplished.
The experiences that those players and coaches have are
something you cannot place a value on. Ask NDSU coach Saul
Phillips, SFA coach Danny Kaspar, Morgan’s Todd Bozeman or
Binghamton’s Kevin Broadus why they got into coaching.
They will talk about things like competing, relationships with
players and being a part of something special.
And ask them if they got into coaching for the riches, which are
so well publicized today.
We do not choose this profession with the idea that perhaps one
day we could make high six-figure salaries. And anyone that does
get into this business solely for the potential monetary gains
will not be around for long.
Sure I have benefited from success with a nice contract, but
that's not why I decided to become a graduate assistant at
Michigan State.
I was making $280 per month and when I took my first head
coaching position, at Montana Tech, I was given a stipend of
$1,000. I made $16,000 in my first year as a head coach. Even
back then that was not a significant amount of money.
For many years I had to supplement my income, with odd jobs,
just to make ends meet. But I did it because I loved being a
coach.
Look at Mike Krzyzewski, who started as the head coach at Army,
or Bob Huggins, who has been at places like Walsh College. And
how about Bruce Pearl and Bo Ryan, who both built power house
programs at the division II and III levels respectfully?
They are all considered amongst the tops in this profession and
they all have been rewarded with lofty contracts. But none of
them got into coaching for the chance that one day they might be
financially secure.
They chose this profession for the opportunity to do something
they truly love. They made sacrifices for the rewards of
teaching, building relationships and for the love affair with
competing.
That's what this business is all about.
In the coming weeks, Cinderella stories will emerge, players
that people never heard of will become household names and one
team will be crowned the champion of college basketball.
But every coach will walk away that they had been a part of it.
Ask any coach in the tournament and they will tell you that
there is nothing better, there is no greater reward and there is
nothing they would rather be doing.
There is nothing quite like the NCAA Tournament.
Effort is Non-Negotiable
by Kelvin
Sampson
Kelvin is an assistant coach with the NBA's Milwaukee
Bucks.
One of the biggest
challenges facing every coach is trying to convince their team
that they can still improve. It’s something that every coach,
regardless of record, deals with on a regular basis. But often
overlooked is the ability to convey that message to a team that
is already doing exceptionally well.
Take coaches like Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams. Every season
their programs are among the top ranked teams in America.
Their teams always play well from November through January, but
they get even better in February and March.
Success is often short-lived and in the world of college
basketball is -- at best -- a temporary thing. Even Mike and Roy
will tell you that the yesterdays are ancient history. It’s
always a matter of the now and the immediate future.
During a recent conversation with a friend I was reminded of how
John Thompson’s Georgetown teams always seemed to elevate to a
higher level in February. Coach Thompson’s teams, which were
among the nation’s elite in the early-to-mid-1980’s, always took
it to another level down the stretch. That is what made them so
special.
John, Mike and Roy may vary in their approaches, but there is a
common thread. The goal was to make the players believe that as
good as they are today they can still be much better tomorrow.
I have always believed that it begins with effort and
maintaining that through practice. It’s relatively simple -- You
don’t negotiate effort.
There is such a thin red line between being good and being great
that something as elementary as effort is often the difference.
Think about those old Georgetown teams. Can you ever remember
one of John Thompson’s teams losing because of a lack of effort?
When was the last time you heard someone say that a Mike
Krzyzewski coached team didn’t play hard? And I got a close look
at Roy Williams’ teams -- when he was at Kansas – so I can tell
you that effort was never an issue.
A lot of things -- both good and bad -- can happen in February
and March. As coaches we deal with the bad because it’s part of
the process. Sometimes you are going to lose. It’s part of the
game. What we can’t deal with is a lack of effort.
As I alluded to above, approaches to maintaining that level and
convincing a team they can improve vary. This time of year I
have always tried to create more upbeat and intense practice
environments. It’s a long season so it’s important to not wear
your team out, but you also don’t want them to become
complacent.
In February we will engaged in highly competitive practices that
will last from ninety to an hour-and-forty-five minutes, rather
than an extended three-hour practice. Sometimes less is more.
Six months is a long season. From the first workout to the final
game, the goal is to improve. For everyone it’s a constant
battle, always fighting to move forward. The methods are
different, but ultimate goal is the same.
Championships are never won in January, but they can certainly
be lost before the calendar turns to February.
Effort is what is often the degree of separation. Everyone has
talent so it is quite often a matter of who has more effort on
that possession, that game, that month and that entire season.
