Relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else can demand, knowing every time you stop, you can still do more.” -Tim Grover
Last week I led my first practice as a Head High School Boys’ Basketball Coach for the first time in 23 years. After 20+ years as a Head College Coach and College Scout, last Monday was my first official practice with high school players in a very long time.
In my former blog “A Diary of a Mad Coach”, I wrote early on about what this time of year does to me. The leaves have changed colors and are falling from the trees. There is a cool, dampness in the air. There is a blackness that overcomes early mornings and early evenings. The smell of the combination of sweat and pine floors. The constant bouncing of balls. The cockiness of hope wrapped in doubt and fear. All of these amazing senses reinvigorate my soul like Pavlov’s dog. I know my treat is coming. I know it is basketball season.
My theme for this first week of practice has been “relentless”. I thought there was no one better to quote about being relentless than the guy who trained and motivated Michael Jordan. To be the guy who took on the task of motivating the most relentless athlete in the history of sports is an unenviable challenge, and one very few human beings would have had the ability and wherewithal to take on, let alone excel. Michael Jordan was the wonder, but Tim Grover was the wunderkind.
I chose being relentless as our overture for the season because I am teaching the boys how to run The System. As someone who characterizes himself as a pure Westheadian (see Paul Westhead, Loyola Marymount), I am also a lover of all that David Arseneault Sr. (See Grinnell) has given to the game of basketball. The common denominator in both cases is chaos…relentless chaos. Now, both Coach Westhead and Coach Arseneault will tell you that chaos is only an external perception to the untrained eye. The System is art in motion. Unknowing people will call The System “run and gun” and “undisciplined” when it is actually the exact opposite.
The System takes all the good of the game of basketball: team work, team defense, egoless sharing of the ball, rebounding, spacing, attention to detail, reading, reacting, adapting, and then adds constant pressure and multiplies it by 100. A true System team relies on discipline to be significant. To truly play the game at the highest level, a System team must run exquisitely defined routes. They must pass and catch the ball at high speeds with balance, strength and precision. They must pressure their opponent with an animalistic desire with complete control of their bodies, senses and emotions. A true System team must become a dedicated group of wild, starving wolves who never forget that their sole purpose is to first feed the pack before filling their own bellies. It’s a lot to ask of a group of teenagers, but I know that the reward is exceptionally greater than the sacrifice. It is my job to convince them that the reward will continue to give long after their careers are over.
In the end, to be relentless is convincing your brain that the body has more to give after the body says it has enough. When it is over, it is over, but will you push and drive that beast inside of you until you have no more to give?
I know I am ready. Are you?
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