Leadership

An article I read today was titled "The Sports Guy" written by Bill Simmons. It talked about how "naked" the sport of basketball is. No player is shielded by pads or helmets, so we can easily watch every move they make. If or not they run up and down the court or just walk back on defense, if they're playing each possession with heart and passion, whether or not they are giving it their all, and also their facial expressions. Facial expressions are a big key in basketball especially if you're a leader on the team because a lot of the time your teammates, fans, and your coaches are watching your every move and seeing how you react to a play or a call. This will really put a sign over your head, either something good such as: "respectful and positive leader". Or if you have a lousy attitude, people will start to think of you more downwards like a "negative selfish player". Because basketball is so, as Bill Simmons calls, "naked", first impressions matter more than any other sport because they can predict how you will be viewed for the rest of your career. This article connects to my life because now that I am a Sophomore and part of the high school basketball team, I have responsibility not just to be the best player I can be and help my team win, but to do so in a positive way. Today before our captains practice the coaches took aside 2 Juniors and 2 Sophomores who have shown signs of leadership throughout the past year. Together with the 3 senior captains, they explained to us what it meant to be a leader. How it's  not all about telling people what to do and only playing basketball, but how you have to be one with the team and really connect with them on a personal level. Also if some teammates could be doing something differently in games and or practices and you advise them to start working on something else, well if your not a reliable source, meaning if you don't show the team you sacrifice a lot of your time and work on that skill, or show up to practice early to work on foul shots, why do you think they would do it? Because they want to listen to the captain? Well as nice as that sounds that's not reality. Life is not like that and I've SEEN juniors and seniors get into it with their captain because the right steps haven't been taken to help the team chemistry. I'm very glad I was apart of the meeting today. I am a point guard so already I am kind of forced into being a leader; telling guys where they need to be on the court as I bring the ball up and set up a play, etc.  I'm used to the pressure that comes along with being in big games and worrisome situations. I like to take charge and show I can handle these times in the game where it just seems we're doomed for. Everything I do, the attitude I have, and the words that come out of my mouth are all seen by players, coaches, and fans. I know, to continue to be a leader and maybe one day be a captain, I have to stay humble, stay composed in pressure situations, and most of all, stay respectful in my actions just like in the article.

Would you end your college sports career and go to the pros?

This past week I read an article in the ESPN Magazine written by Luke Cyphers. The article was called Massive Returns, and it’s about young basketball players and their choices whether to leave college early to play in the NBA, or to finish out their career in school and enter the NBA Draft when they’re ready. The article brings up many good “pro’s and con’s” for the choice whether to leave school early or not and it relates deeply to common talk around sport television shows such as; Sportcenter, ESPN News, Sports Reporters, Jim Rome Is Burning, and also Pardon the Interruption. Most kids, teenagers, and also adults who are into sports find themselves commonly checking and updating themselves with scores and highlights from previous games and matches they have missed. Others turn on these stations during an early morning breakfast, a mid-day at lunch, or even in the evenings to see and hear the “gossip” around sports. In our nation, there are many competitive people. Most include those surrounded by sports in their everyday life. I want to connect this article I read in ESPN Magazine with these shows because the same concepts and ideas around young gentlemen entering the NBA before their 20 is a big choice that will effect not only themselves for the rest of their lives, but the choice will also effect their families, friends, other players and teams, fans and most of all their college team. Competitive college basketball teams recruit in the offseason like CRAZY. Do you think they could be as successful without going around America finding players that would fit their team’s needs perfectly? Absolutely not. But for some of the best players in the nation who may be on their team for only one or two years, that may get scouted and pressured into entering the NBA draft and having a “set” future, is it fair for them to leave their team and organization who has put so much time and energy into them? Is it a selfish thing to do, not only for the team and coaches, but also for college students and fans around America? But then again you would be in the NBA! The big show! Who would pass up a chance for that? I can tell you from a basketball player’s perspective that would be extremely amazed and flattered to be picked to play in the NBA as a college student that it would honestly be one of the hardest decisions I would ever have to make in my life. The instant money, fame, and not to mention just the self pride of knowing all your hard work ended up paying off is adored by almost every teenager. Arguments for not staying in school found in articles and T.V. broadcasts all the time are mostly about if you were to stay in school and had a knee, ankle, head, or any other career ending or career “slowing” injury, would it be worth the chance you gave up? I’m not sure. But if you did stay in school, had the time of your life playing for an exciting and just overjoyed league of players who all had that pride and passion you had, and being the best, would you want to leave that early just to be some average player in the NBA?  Questions like these KILL me. I’m not even- and probably won’t ever be at that point in my life to feel these pressures young men are feeling everyday, and I can’t even start to think how hard it would be to make this decision. But that’s why we have sports writers for newspapers and magazines and T.V. reporters that give us this information each year isn’t it?