Facebook, Twitter and You

Last week I got a call from a coach wondering just how clueless kids are in regards to the stuff that they are posting, tweeting etc.  The particular kid they were talking about had been tweeting about cheating on a test during school and bragging about how they do it all of the time.  Not a wise choice... especially if you are someone who wants to be recruited.  As you've heard time and time again  - be careful about what you put out there.  


College coaches are checking out your profiles and doing their homework into what type of person you are off the court and whether you might be a good representative of their program.  Be mindful of the message you may be sending about yourself and your extracurricular activities.  Not to mention the fact that the things you are posting also reflect up on your high school program.  In the words of Coach K, ‎"Don't do anything that's detrimental to yourself. Because if it's detrimental to you, it'll be detrimental to our program and to Duke University."


If you're foolish enough to be doing some of that stuff - at least be smart enough not to post/tweet about it.  A good gauge might be - don't post anything that you wouldn't want your mother or father to see.  

Just Say No...

Once you have decided that you are no longer interested in a school, please please please communicate that with the coaches.  I know it is not an easy thing to do, and probably a little scary even, but it's not going to kill you.  While the coaches may be disappointed in your telling them you are not interested, they are used to rejection.  Trust me.  It is part of the recruiting game and coaches get used to being told no quite a bit.

Be honest with coaches as to where they stand with you and do not string them along if you are no longer interested.  They need to move on and pursue other kids to fill their roster.  Ever week I hear the continued frustration from coaches saying that a kid just suddenly stopped talking to them, and they aren't sure if the recruit is no longer interested or what the situation is.  Simply ignoring a coach's attempts to contact you is not alright.  Think of it this way... how would you feel if the person you were dating simply stopped talking to you and you didn't know what had happened or what was going on?  It's kind of like that.  You're ending a relationship and as much as it might be tough to tell them it's over - it's the respectful thing to do.

Failing Forward

A while back (before all of this recent chaos) LeBron James was being interviewed on 60 Minutes.  They were talking about a whole host of things, most revolving around his success.  The man conducting the interview asked him what his greatest skill on the basketball court was - and he said that it was his head - the mental approach that he takes to the game... and to anything.  He said that one thing he believes truly that you have to not be afraid to fail - or to fear failure.  His response didn’t really surprise me.  Just like his idol, Michael Jordan, he realizes that in order to grow and get better, at anything, that we must first suffer failures or set-backs.  Then, if we allow ourselves to learn from them, we can get better and move forward.  Author John C. Maxwell phrases it as “Failing Forward.”  Below is a copy of a speech I gave at a grade school athletics banquet last year.  It may seem like a strange concept at first, but I think we need to learn to welcome failure, or perceived set-backs. 

We live in a society where failure is frowned upon, and no one wants to fail - believe me I sure don’t want to either.  But if we embrace those any set-backs that we do encounter, and allow ourselves to learn and grow from them - we can be and do better!  It’s a skill that those who have succeeded most likely possess, and something that stops others from getting to where they want to be - that fear of failing.

Excerpt from the interview:  "But of all the weapons in James' basketball arsenal, he thinks the most powerful may be his brain.

Asked what the strongest part of his game is, James told Kroft, "The way I approach the game mentally. I think, team first. It allows me to succeed, it allows my team to succeed. Because I'm always thinking about, 'How can I help my teammates become better?' I've always approached the game that way, ever since, I mean, I was a kid." ...

..."Three years after joining the lowly Cavaliers, he led them to the finals of the NBA Championship with one of the greatest clutch performances in history. He single handedly scored his team's last 25 points in a double overtime victory against Detroit.

"The game was so magical. I mean, I still watch it to this day," James told Kroft.

"You didn't feel nervous taking those shots?" Kroft asked.

"No. You can't be afraid to fail. It's the only way you succeed - you're not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that. You have to be able to accept failure to get better," he replied."

Speech:  Failure - I can't accept not trying
Article from John C. Maxwell:  Failing Forward