On Winning Championships

Pro hockey and basketball decided their championships this weekend and it got me thinking about winning and being part of those experiences. I was part of back to back championships in little league as a youngster and coached two championship teams in basketball. I was also an all state tennis player in New Jersey in the late 80s. The individual accolades were nice but I'd have given them up for a team title any day. We finished second three of my four years of high school. There are always different types of championship teams. There are teams that are "supposed" to win, teams that get hot at the right time, and surprise teams that come from nowhere. I've watched a lot of great teams also. The 1986 Boston Celtics are still the best basketball team I have ever seen. The 1998 Yankees are the most dominant baseball team I've seen along with the 1984 Detroit Tigers. These are teams that were supposed to win and did. I coached a basketball team, my first year, that fell into this category. As a coach, I knew it as it was happening, which I suppose is the way big time coaches experience it. By about the 5th game, I thought they could be something special. It was an "off" day for my better players and a couple of other players picked up the slack. It did wonders for their confidence to carry the team in the scoring column. We only lost two games that year, and played with a target on our backs, as the team to beat. The second basketball championship was a little sweeter. That team finished third in the regular season and got hot in the playoffs, much like the New York Giants did on their Super Bowl run in 2008. The key to that team was that my "star" player and top scorer finally bought into my defensive philosophy. When he focused his energy on defensive play as well as his scoring, that team took off and squeezed out a one point victory in the finals. I'm given too much credit for those two teams. Bill Cowher said "coaches coach and players play." This is definitely the case here. Too much credit is given at times to coaches, particularly in basketball, which is probably the most over-coached sport there is. There are strategies and motivators coaches use, but the teaching aspect is often overlooked. My goal at the beginning of each season is for each player to develop their game. My successes have been because of a defense first philosophy and because the kids have bought into what I'm selling. Until next week, keep learning.