Most players believe they want to be great.  However, they fail to realize what it takes to reach greatness or they fear putting everything on the line and failing, so they never fully challenge themselves.  Few players put in the work wholeheartedly and do whatever they need to do to be great.  And, the few are ultimately rewarded with success, which legendary UCLA Head Coach John Wooden described as the "peace of mind obtained only in the self-satisfaction of knowing that you made the effort to become the best of which you're capable."

It is popular in the era of the Internet and And 1 Mix-Tapes to criticize players for their lack of effort and fundamentals.  However, players play as much basketball as ever; the difference is today's players are constantly in structured or semi-structured environment and these games oftentimes unravel into glorified pick-up ball.  Players go straight from the high school season to AAU basketball, work with personal trainers and shooting coaches, do plyo-metrics and lift weights, and through it all, many fail to develop into better basketball players.

They are more athletic, stronger and better conditioned, but they lack basic fundamental basketball skills and the understanding of how to play the game.

One reason is the failure to change, the inability to recognize and improve one's weaknesses and an over-saturation of games in the pursuit of a college scholarship, instead of striving for improved skills and ability in order to earn the scholarship.  Few players pursue greatness; instead, they strive for the representations of greatness:

And the ball said:  "Money doesn't equal greatness.  Cribs don't equal greatness.  Diamonds don't equal greatness.  Fame doesn't equal greatness.  Endorsements don't equal greatness.  Winning doesn't equal greatness.  Only greatness equals greatness.  Only greatness equals greatness.  Only greatness equals greatness."

As an assistant coach at the University of California, Santa Cruz, an athletic wasteland (except men's tennis) located amidst an enclave of hippie's and Green Party activists an hour's drive North from Pebble Beach, I worked with a freshman named Matt Glynn.  During the preseason, the staff pegged Glynn as the fourth point guard on a team without a point guard.  He was lightly recruited to the Division III University, and though paper thin, was a decent athlete who resembled a basketball player, though he shot around 30% in high school.  As Glynn sauntered into his first fall workout, nothing suggested greatness.  His willowy frame and shy demeanor belied a tough, hard working kid with dreams and a work ethic to make those dreams a reality.

Glynn struggled early with UCSC's demanding coach and the physicality and quickness of college basketball.  However, his drive and determination never relented, though his ability handicapped him, even on a team devoid of great basketball players.  However, the break Glynn needed occurred when his left arm was placed in a cast shortly before the season's tip-off and he showed the staff his resolve and work ethic.

Wooden said, "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."  Change is hard.  It takes effort.  If it was easy, everybody would do it.  However, frequently, change is necessary.  A player who shoots 28% from the floor can shoot a thousand shots a day, but he is reinforcing bad habits and failing to improve significantly.  As they say, "The definition of a fool is someone who does the same thing over and over expecting a different result."

With Glynn's left arm immobilized, he spent more time in the gym than the other players combined.  After his morning class, he shot a thousand shots with one-hand, re-learning proper shooting mechanics.  The break gave him time to work on his shot without the pressure of making shots in practice and games.  Without the focus on made baskets, he developed the feel of the correct mechanics.  He constantly analyzed his mechanics, demanding perfection.  After shooting, he lifted weights and ran on the treadmill to improve his conditioning before attending his afternoon class and evening practice, where he stood under a side basket and continued shooting.

As his form's consistency improved, he moved further and further from the basket.  Once his wrist started to heal, he used the left hand and re-learned to shoot with two hands on the ball.  Even at the end of the season, he barely touched the ball with his left hand on free throws, as he was so comfortable shooting one-handed shots from all his practice.

As he re-entered practice, he endured constant ridicule from other players because he had not developed three-point range, coordination and confidence with his new shooting mechanics.  As he re-learned his form, he failed to incorporate his lower body, concentrating on the upper body mechanics.  He resumed shooting on the move and incorporating his lower body into the shot when he was cleared to practice.  Initially he lacked the coordination between upper and lower body and his shots fell short.  So, he worked harder.

Not only did the work pay off with playing time, he started shortly after his return.  Then, he developed into the go-to player and ended the season by torching the All-League PG for 32 points and 9 assists, while making 16 of 17 free throws.

After a transfer to the University of Puget Sound, Glynn finished his career by leading the Loggers to the Division III Elite Eight, averaging 23 PPG as a senior, making forty free throws in a row at one point and earning the Pacific Northwest Conference MVP award.

Glynn was fortunate to land at UC Santa Cruz and more fortunate to play for Eric Bridgeland who helped mold Glynn into a superb player.  However, more than anything, Glynn's work ethic and ability to change led him on his path to greatness.  He understood his weaknesses and worked to improve them.  He embraced change, re-learned the proper shooting mechanics and dedicated himself to improving his strength, adding nearly thirty pounds, and ended as one of the best player's in UPS history.  [web editor's note - Glynn is now playing for the Bellevue Blackhawks in the ABA]

Basketball is a process and constant improvement is necessary.  Andy Dufrense (Tim Robbins) in Shawshank Redemption says to Red (Morgan Freeman) at one point, "Get busy living or get busy dying."  Living requires evolving and improving: Basketball players who fail to change or evolve never achieve greatness.  The best players are without a doubt the hardest workers; John Stockton, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, etc are notorious for their off-season workouts.  These players do not rest on their laurels; they do not say they are "good enough."  Good is never enough.  They constantly seek improvement, to change their game, to add a new move, or turn a weakness into a strength.  In doing so, they set records and win championships.

Published by Basketball Sense, Summer 2004.