One Mind

Weird thing happened at the game today.  I was walking down the hallway on the way to the restroom and I heard a fan from the opposing team say"what does that mean on the back of tier jersey, 'one mind'.  That's not their name is it."  I smiled and stopped momentarily to answer her but before the words came out a thought came to my mind.  Do I really know what it means?  I continued down the hallway with that thought in my mind and it lingered there the rest of the day.  Along with that was the thought, 'do my players really know what that means?  They wear it on their jersey every game.  Some even tweet about it before or after games, but my guess is they really don't have a grasp of what it really means.  They all know that it comes from the verse that out teams were build on.  1 Corinthians 1:10, "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."  Now those of you familiar with Scripture will know that Paul wrote this to a church that was struggling because they all wanted to do their own things and follow a way.  What they didn't realize is when it came right down to it, they were all still following God they just didn't see it because they were too busy arguing about how to follow God correctly.  What Paul wanted them to understand was that the important part was that they JUST followed God NOT how they did it.  So how does that fit our basketball team.

One Mind -- That is what we were built on.  That means that we as a team and as an organization  agree to the purpose of why we are there and why we do what we do, that is to bring honor and glory to God win or loose.  That is the surface matter.  However its the underlying matter that I am afraid that so many of our players have missed.   This takes me back to the last post about commitment.  I'd like to repost a part of that here as it fits perfectly.

Basketball is very much a team sport.  Each player, coach, parent, fan, etc.  must all be committed to the game in order for it to work properly.  As a member of the team, each player must also commit to the good of the team rather than self.  Once a player breaks that commitment and turns to self, they have no place on the team and if that player isn't soon dealt with the entire team suffers.  This is a hard job as a coach.  Probably one of the hardest but its something that needs to be done.  I usually try and give people the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to commitment, there is no room for that because with commitment you are either in or out there is NO in between!!!!

So what does that have to do with having one mind?  Well lets say a player stays up into the wee hours of the morning just goofing off and having fun, knowing full well they have an early game the next day.  The next day comes and the rest of the team is dependent on that player to do well but because that player stayed up late they have no energy and play horrible.  Because this player is seen as a leader it brings the rest of the team down.  Now when that player decided to stay up all night were they being of "one mind" with the rest of their team?  NOPE!!!  They only thought of themselves and what they wanted and didn't think about how it would impact the team.  See when we are a team we MUST be committed to the team and we must be of ONE MIND.  That doesn't mean that we just say we are up front and then go about our business, that doens't mean that we only are when our teammates or coaches are watching or around.  It means that EVERYTHING we say and do 24/7 is for the team and that we think about how it will impact them.  You see when you are a part of a team you have others that depend on you even if you don't want them to.  That's what being a part of a team means.  ONE MIND ISN'T JUST ABOUT TALKING THE TALK, IT'S ABOUT WALKING THE WALK!!!  It all effects the team 24/7/365...ONE MIND = NO EXCUSES!!!!

 

Commitment

Been so busy didn't realize its been 2 weeks since last post.  So here you go.

Over the last week or so an issue has come up that just irritates me to no end.  So much so that I can't get past it even days later so for what it is worth here is my rant on that issue... COMMITMENT

To me commitment is HUGE!!!  I am a firm believer that once you make a commitment to someone or something that you should stick to it no matter what.  I know things don't always go how they are promised and yes I have been in situations where I was promised something and then that person did not come through BUT does that mean we are to not follow through on our commitment?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

See there is something I believe goes so hand in hand with commitment that the two cannot be separated, integrity.  Now if I think commitment is huge then integrity is not only the foundation of that commitment but also the frame that holds it all together and the roof under which it sits.  To me, my word is just as good as a contract on paper.  If I tell someone I will do something, it is as good as done.  Problem is not everyone is that way but I feel they are.  If my word is gold then I tend to believe everyone else's is as well and tend to get upset when I find out different. It is hard to explain just how important commitment is to me. 

If you look the word commitment up in the dictionary one of the words used to define it is obligation which then is define as the act of binding or obliging oneself by a promise, contract or a sense of duty.  Simply put it is something you MUST do.  So to me if you say you will do something, I take it to mean you WILL do it.  I really don't think that is too much to ask.  

When my husband and I stood at the front of friends and family in a small church in Alabama, we made a commitment to love each other for the rest of our lives.  Now there are times we get mad at each other and may not like each other for one reason or another but NOTHING would keep us from loving each other because that is a commitment we made and we both take not only that but all our commitments seriously.  

Unfortunately too many people today are very flippant in their commitments.  Too many times they say they will do something knowing full well they have no intention of doing it.  I am sorry to say I have no place for these people in my life and to put it more frankly they have no place in team sports either.  I have seen it too many times.  A player says they want to be a part of the team and wants to play but when it comes right down to it all they really care is themselves.  They have no desire to be part of a team but only want the glory and recognition for themselves.  Basketball is very much a team sport.  Each player, coach, parent, fan, etc.  must all be committed to the game in order for it to work properly.  As a member of the team, each player must also commit to the good of the team rather than self.  Once a player breaks that commitment and turns to self, they have no place on the team and if that player isn't soon dealt with the entire team suffers.  This is a hard job as a coach.  Probably one of the hardest but its something that needs to be done.  I usually try and give people the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to commitment, there is no room for that because with commitment you are either in or out there is NO in between!!!!