22 Lessons From 2022
Keeping the tradition alive Jack Fleming, thanks again for getting the ball rolling.
Some are basketball related, some are not, but all go hand-in-hand with eachother — transferrable skills if you will.
I am not a writer, nor a philosopher — these thoughts/words are my own opinion, not advice or anything of the sort… just a personal reflection, shared (not in any particular order of importance).
Back to it.
1. Celebrate the little wins
It wasn’t until the last day of work, the best Friday beer of the year, where my colleague/friend/boss, Nathan Geer, said, “geez mate, it’s been quite the year for you”, and proceeded to elaborate on all of the little steps I had taken in 2022, did I realise I never really stopped to smell the roses..
- Completed my bachelor degree in business.
- Became part of an NBL1 coaching staff with the Knox Raiders.
- Granted the opportunity to work with South East Melbourne Phoenix.
- Moved out of the comfort of home with two of my best mates, though shoutout to Rach Quirk for being my new roomie! Hell of a human if you ask me..
- Met Shaq, he’s tall.
- Moved into a new program at the McKinnon Cougars.
- Started going to the gym, and valuing my health.
It’s okay to admit you’ve done well and give yourself a pat on the back every now and then.
2. Do the best you can in your current role.. you never know what opportunities will arise
We tell athletes all the time things like, “you never know who’s watching” and “the whole season is a tryout” — turns out it’s not so different for coaches either.
3. “This too shall pass” — Tom Hanks
Just watch.
4. “Do what makes you happy”, but not at the detriment to others..
We have entered the days of ‘take care of yourself first’, though sometimes we forget to be compassionate in the process. We can only do what we think is best in the current moment, but we are not alone — remember to respect the existence of others.
5. Country tunes
Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, that is all.
6. Value family
I’m the first to admit, it’s something I’ve never really been good at. For a multitude of reasons, our family wasn’t super close. But family is an immovable rock that will always be there to keep you grounded and the sturdiest safety net imaginable.
7. “Being comfortable in your own company” isn’t an excuse to be lonely
Find a way to be social. You spend time on yourself, to feel comfortable in your own skin and love yourself — “if you don’t love yourself, then how do you expect anyone else to?” A phrase that spent a lot of time in my head in 2022. But once you’ve done the work, you need to show off the end product (or forever a work in progress) that you’ve worked so hard to create!
8. Relationships with your players are super important
Ball is not life — it is a part of it. Respect that your players (assistant coach and other coaches included) all have a life outside basketball, that is much more important in the grand scheme of things.
9. Be present
Put down your phone when you’re spending time with someone. Don’t just hear them when they’re talking, listen — listen to understand, not to respond. Give someone your energy when they’re giving them yours. Remember their name when you meet them, not just their face. Coach what’s in front of you, not the missed call 3 minutes ago or the missed shot last posession — “next play”.
80–10–10 (David Stiff) — 10% energy, acknowledge the past / 80% energy, be in the present, the now / 10% energy, prepare for the future, though appreciate we can’t control it
10. “Don’t wait until shit hits the fan to ask for help” — Gino Gianchino
Thanks, Dad.
11. Find your happy place, outside your obsession
Last year I really started to enjoy a hobby, albeit another sport, outside of basketball. My happy place outside of a basketball stadium. I always dabbled in golf, but in 2022 I really started to find the value in doing something else with my team, for me, in order to not burn out.
Yes, I know, my swing isn’t ideal yet, but hell of a photo, right? #NoFilterNeeded
12. “Defend through your logo”
A phrase I picked up (apologies, I can’t remember where from and who to give credit to!) and have started to use when teaching 1 vs 1 defence. Often, on training and playing singlets, the club logo is smack-bang in the middle of the chest. Explaining to the athletes that “they (the offence) have to go through us, all of us”, defend with your chest / your club.
I love this phrase because it can be used in whatever setting you’re coaching in (club, association, state etc.)
13. Coaching philosophy — JOY
14. Film is so damn important
Thankful as ever for the opportunity to work with SEM Phoenix, but goodness me it has taught me the value of watching film. Yes, the editing is fun and definitely a skill I’m thankful to learn for this role and future ones, but just learning through watching, annotating, asking yourself ‘why’ certain things happened, but also asking others (coaches and players) can really help you understand how the game is being played. Now, for someone that didn't grow up playing basketball, it’s mighty hard to ‘feel the game’, but boy does film play a big part learning to do so.
Thank you to Simon, Craig and Lucas for the opportunity to work with you all, and Liam!
15. “Happy to be here”
Enjoy the little things. Enjoy putting in the work. Enjoy the pursuit of perfection, because if we fall just short, the result is pretty damn good anyway.
16. Screening angles
An extremely important, sometimes forgotten detail when teaching. Something I will try and focus on more this coming season.
17. “Play quick, not in a hurry”
Another phrase I adopted this year — the ability to play with controlled pace, at a level that you are capable of. Yes, it’s important to push boundaries in order to develop, but I don’t it’s beneficial to play with pace if we cannot see what is in front of us.
We’re seeing it currently in the NBA with two of the leagues leading MVP candidates, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic — both often referred to as ‘slow’, because of the pace they play the game. Now, there’s a reason there’s only two of them in the world, they are masters of their craft. But I think athletes (and coaches) can take a leaf out of their book when we talk about playing with pace.
18. Thank you Knox Raiders
It was a hell of a journey to begin my coaching ‘career’, with so many experiences that all started with Knox Basketball. A heap of mentors (pictured, and not) friends, and life-long connections made through the sport. In 2022 I was able to partake in the VJBL coaching a beautiful group of girls, as well as the BIGV and NBL1 competitions, assisting some great coaches and leaders with mens groups.
Thank you for creating the platform for me to continue on my path.
19. Write it down!
I gave journalling a crack. Lasted for a few months, and tapered off after I was ‘feeling better’. Though journalling and writing doesn’t have to just be a mechanism to assist with your own mental health. Ideas, thoughts, plays, teaching points, vocal cues, a great phrase/saying/quote that may resonate with you — write it down! You never know when you’ll be prompted by life to pick up something you had put down.
20. Value your own health
Find your own way of looking after yourself — phyiscally and mentally. We’re all human, in all different shapes and sizes. Find what works for you, that keeps you healthy, relatively fit and makes you happy to look at in the mirror in the morning. It’s okay to indulge in the great things life has to offer, feel sad and let it out, but learn to know what your limits are and when to reign yourself back in (or ask for help to do so!)
NOTE: I still struggle at this, a lot, but the lesson I learnt was the importance of it and to make an effort to better on both accounts.
21. Make a plan
I’ve been preparing session plans for a little while now, but on a few occasions I found myself ill-prepared and planless. Did I manage? Sure. Were those sessions up to standard? Absolutely not. There were also times that the session plan went almost completely out the window, but I always had a reference of what my points of emphasis were for the session that I could refer back to.
The crew at Basketball Victoria put out an episode on the Talking Split podcast on planning, well worth a listen:
22. Be YOU
I recently watched and listened to The Deep Game of Kobe Bryant. Firstly, incredible watch, highly recommend.
But my biggest take away was this — there will never be another Kobe Bryant. Even he didn't try to be Michael Jordan, he just wanted to be the best version of himself. There’s a reason there isn’t more dudes like him (and Michael for that matter). To have the perfect concoction of drive, skill, athletic ability, physical literacy, where you were born in the world, your upbringing, access, luck, the stars aligning and whatever else to be able to be Kobe Bryant… insane, and likely unrepeatable.
Sure, you can try to emulate others with the aim to build a better you, but don’t lose yourself in the process. The same way athletes are more than just basketball players, so are we. Have players want to play for you, the person. Be the type of coach you want to be, that emulates who you are off the court.
So just be, you. Because there won’t be another one of those either.
Resolution for 2023 — don’t stop.
The journey has just begun and I’m super excited for what’s next. I will take the time to rest, recover and not burn out (and look after myself), but I’m happy with the direction my life is travelling in and the opportunities to come.
Thanks for reading! See below info if you wish to continue the conversation on any of the above — be good and stay safe!
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