December 12, 2011

Diary Series: Craig Carter, Asst. Coach - Siena

Well, the 2011-12 season is in full swing and off once again to an amazing start. As always we have seen upsets, teams that surprise us all and young players who we may have never heard of emerging as impact players and possible stars. It is why we all love college basketball. We have come to "expect the unexpected".

But, of course, as coaches we must always have a plan. Our steps and actions must be measured with a purpose in mind. I am always reading books on leadership and coaching trying to find new ideas and methods to effectively teach and lead our kids to help them reach their full potential.  Right now I am reading a book by one of my favorite authors, John C. Maxwell. He has written a number of books on leadership and personal growth and has broken it down into a number of different categories. I want to use my blog entry this month to focus on his take on ATTITUDE and how it affects the team dynamic and its success.

Attitude is defined as:

"a settled way of thinking or feeling, typically reflected in a person's behavior".

In recruiting, we always try to recruit the best possible basketball players of course but that isn't the only quality that we look for. Talent only doesn't dictate success. Nothing hurts a talented team more than bad chemistry and the unwillingness to buy into the "WE" instead of the "ME". When describing attitude in his book, "The Winning Attitude", Maxwell defines it as such..

It is the "advance man" of our true selves.
Its roots are inward but its fruit is outward.
It is our best friend or our worst enemy.
It is more honest and more consistent than our words.
It is an onward look based on past experiences.
It is a thing which draws people to us or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of our past.
It is the speaker of our present.
It is the prophet of our future.

Every day, we try to dictate and shape the mindsets of our respective teams. We look for the right buttons to push to help them perform at their highest level possible. So as leaders it is through our actions and interactions that our team attitude is shaped and molded. But at times we need not be the molders and shapers. Some of us are blessed to have players who can dictate a winning attitude which will be adopted by other team members.

This season we have been unfortunately hit with a lot of adversity early on. You name it from season ending injuries, surgery, etc., this team has been behind the eight ball from the very beginning of the school year. But this didn't stop our guys from continuing to work hard every day and fighting to improve. They could have had the mindset that we had no chance to compete and had given up and no one would have blamed given the situation we are in. We only have eight healthy bodies!! Anyone would have understood if these kids had decided to just go through the motions and give it the ol' college try this season and start all over next season with a full complement of players. But they didn't, they have all done just a little bit more, bore down dedicated themselves and have become a more cohesive unit who competes on a daily basis. This approach, mindset or ATTITUDE has allowed us to compete and win games we may have not been able to if not for this team's positive approach to our situation.

In his book, "The Winner's Edge", Denis Whatley describes the winner's edge as follows:

"The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, in a high IQ or in talent. The winner's edge is in the attitude not the aptitude."

Our attitude is deeply rooted in the incredible leadership exhibited by our senior class and co-captains, Owen Wignot, Brandon Walters and Kyle Downey. These guys have done so much to help lead this young inexperienced team. They all could have selfishly measured their steps and actions to ensure that their own personal goals are met for their senior year. Instead they have all chosen to instill a work ethic and dedication that will sustain us throughout the season and for years to come.

Our young players have only been exposed to Kyle Downey being the first one in and the last to leave, working on his shot and watching film even on days off (which if you have seen our early schedule haven't been too frequent).  Owen Wignot has never missed a day of practice although he has had to miss significant time with an early season head injury or Brandon Walters who, since the end of last season, has transformed both his body and mind becoming more fit and agile and stronger and in the process more confident in his ability and impact on our success.

These examples of professionalism will be what our freshmen and other underclassmen use to fuel their own careers and legacy here at SIENA. But we have already seen early evidence of the impact our seniors ATTITUDE has had on our younger players.

Evan Hymes, having to be thrown into the fire and assume the role of starter from day one at probably the toughest position to play - point guard - has handled himself with the poise and presence of a seasoned veteran. Davonte Beard a combo guard known more as a scorer and play-making slasher, has had to for the sake of the team and some continuity, play more point guard than anyone has ever envisioned which has taken him out of his comfort zone to an extent, but he has never complained nor whined about it, he instead has handled it with grace and humility and taken on the challenge of contributing in other ways for the sake and well being of the team. Rob Poole, a big time shooter, has had to play more physically than he has ever imagined, having to help rebound from his position and has exceeded expectations and even having five offensive rebounds in one game. Marcus Hopper, although he has seen limited minutes and action, he remains steadfast in his approach to transforming his body and he improvements are daily encouragement which is paving the way for him to make some key contributions this season as he becomes more comfortable with his role and our system.

Maxwell writes, "People become inspired by their peers. People have a tendency to
adopt the attitudes of those they spend time with - to pick up on their mindsets, beliefs, and approaches to challenges." Our guys have inspired one another to achieve goals no one would expect from a young team lacking depth and significant experience.

This couldn't have been more evident, than in our recent rivalry game versus The University of Albany. No game in any season draws more attention and fanfare than this crosstown rivalry game. Every year anywhere from 9,000 to 12,000 fans will fill the Times Union Center to determine bragging rights and the owner of the coveted Albany Cup. Having gone down by 19 points early in this game, I would love to say coaching adjustments alone paved the way for our epic comeback. No, it was fueled by inspired play of our team. It was their never say die resolve and belief in eachother -- that it could and would get done. In the last 30 minutes of the game you could see their "settled way of thinking or feeling" definitely was "reflected in their behavior" on the court. The execution, the hustle, the attention to detail with which they performed was something that I will always be proud of.

It is moments like these that we all as coaches and players sacrifice and work hard to achieve and hope our guys can add to their college experience. I would only say to our team, let's not get down by 19 again to experience it..LOL.

Good luck to my coaching brethren with the remainder of the season. May you and your team stay happy and healthy! And as always thanks for our wonderful SIENA SAINTS fans! GO SIENA SAINTS!! See you at our next game!

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