WEBVTT 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.100 Welcome back to It's More Than a Game podcast, 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:26.980 powered by Elite Fit Connect, and I'm your host, 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:29.239 Jalen. And if you've been rocking with me for 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:31.460 the first couple episodes, first and foremost, 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:35.380 I appreciate you. I really do. Whether you're 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:39.219 watching or listening to Spotify, or if your 00:00:39.219 --> 00:00:42.179 thing is Apple Podcasts, I appreciate you. Make 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:44.380 sure you follow so you can get the weekly updates 00:00:44.380 --> 00:00:47.359 as we drop these episodes. If you prefer the 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:49.799 video format... Make sure you check out the YouTube 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:53.159 channel, right? Elite Fit Connect. Again, this 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.060 is video, same podcast, but just in video form. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:57.939 So if you enjoy that, please go check that out. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:02.119 For those of you who are new here, the first 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:03.880 thing that I want to tell you is that this is 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.620 more than just a basketball podcast or a sports 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:09.760 podcast for that matter, right? We have to understand 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.840 that someday the basketball is going to stop 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:15.280 bouncing. Whether you stop playing before you 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.379 get to college or you have a 5, 10, 15, 20 year 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:21.319 career in the game, at some point the ball is 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:23.239 going to start bouncing, stop bouncing. Right. 00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:27.219 So it's important that you use basketball as 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:30.760 a tool. Right. It's such a great game. And really 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:33.200 anything that you learn, the skills that you 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.659 develop, whether they're, you know, the intangibles, 00:01:36.739 --> 00:01:39.680 right, like hard work, leadership, things like 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.920 that, that can transition into. anything else 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:46.319 in your life, right? So I want to make sure that, 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:50.159 especially if you're a young player today, as 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:52.799 you continue to develop your game and work on 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:56.260 your craft, to make sure you work on everything 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:58.760 else with that, because it's going to help you 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:00.620 on the court and it's going to help you off the 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:03.819 court, right? This is also about leadership, 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.719 because I truly think that it's important for 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:09.990 individuals who have been through the game. whether 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:12.409 you played for a long time, whether you're coaching, 00:02:12.550 --> 00:02:16.229 whether you're training, whether you're some 00:02:16.229 --> 00:02:18.689 kind of organizational owner, you own an academy, 00:02:18.849 --> 00:02:21.409 whatever it may be, it's important for us leaders 00:02:21.409 --> 00:02:25.590 to make sure we bring back ethics and integrity 00:02:25.590 --> 00:02:30.689 to the game. And we truly, you know, put focus 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:33.870 on the younger generation of hoopers, right? 00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:36.250 Making sure that everything is being done the 00:02:36.250 --> 00:02:40.550 right way. We are 100 % tuned into their player 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:43.050 development and to help them reach their goals 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:44.889 and get to where they want to in life, right? 00:02:44.969 --> 00:02:48.569 Because again, at the end of the day, it's more 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:50.590 than a game and it will always be more than a 00:02:50.590 --> 00:02:54.849 game, right? This is about life, preparing for 00:02:54.849 --> 00:02:58.969 life. This is about leaving a legacy, okay? What 00:02:58.969 --> 00:03:01.969 you do as a person does not stop when you leave 00:03:01.969 --> 00:03:05.009 the floor. And I find that a lot of players... 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:07.789 kind of lose themselves once they stop playing 00:03:07.789 --> 00:03:10.569 the game, okay? And they find themselves lost, 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:14.569 right? They don't know what to do. It's a tough 00:03:14.569 --> 00:03:16.870 thing. We all go through it. But I want this 00:03:16.870 --> 00:03:20.530 platform to have that, you know, community, right, 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:23.650 for players, whether they continue playing or 00:03:23.650 --> 00:03:25.550 they stop playing, right? I want to make sure 00:03:25.550 --> 00:03:27.750 that the younger generation understands what 00:03:27.750 --> 00:03:31.169 to expect, okay? Today's episode is about leadership, 00:03:31.349 --> 00:03:34.789 right? Not just on the court, but... in the locker 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:38.150 room as well, in your community, and more importantly, 00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:40.849 in your life, right? And I want to talk about 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:43.330 something that's way bigger than the points that 00:03:43.330 --> 00:03:46.150 we score or the wins that we tally up, right? 00:03:46.289 --> 00:03:49.689 It's how leaders in this entire basketball ecosystem, 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:54.090 right? And that includes players, past and current 00:03:54.090 --> 00:03:57.229 players, trainers, coaches, parents, anyone involved 00:03:57.229 --> 00:04:00.009 in the game. How can we guide this next generation 00:04:00.009 --> 00:04:02.810 of hoopers to see that it's more than just playing 00:04:02.810 --> 00:04:05.509 basketball? It's about knowing the game. It's 00:04:05.509 --> 00:04:07.789 about understanding the game and letting the 00:04:07.789 --> 00:04:10.969 game teach you about life. So that's what we 00:04:10.969 --> 00:04:13.969 want to talk about today. Again, if you're not 00:04:13.969 --> 00:04:15.590 following, if you're not subscribed, make sure 00:04:15.590 --> 00:04:18.189 you do so. I'm on most platforms, I think, if 00:04:18.189 --> 00:04:21.509 not all, right? I have Instagram, EliteFitConnect. 00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:25.230 I have Facebook, again, EliteFitConnect. TikTok, 00:04:25.610 --> 00:04:28.149 come check me out on TikTok. It's more so for 00:04:28.149 --> 00:04:31.839 the players, but I try to... provide valuable 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.139 information, tips, guidance, whatever it may 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:37.620 be for the younger generation of hoopers. It's 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:39.180 more personable, right? I don't have to worry 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:44.779 about editing short -form content because we 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:47.740 know that, you know, young hoopers, just kids 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:49.680 in general that have short attention spans. So 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:52.680 really just try to be direct and personable on 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.920 TikTok. Also, I have Twitter. I'm not too active 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:57.699 on Twitter. Also, I have LinkedIn. But anyways. 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:00.490 Long story short, just trying to build this community 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:02.730 for the reasons that I mentioned earlier, right? 00:05:02.769 --> 00:05:05.569 I want to build this community, make sure that 00:05:05.569 --> 00:05:08.350 there are trusted leaders within this space for 00:05:08.350 --> 00:05:12.509 the younger generation of hoopers, okay? At the 00:05:12.509 --> 00:05:15.649 end of the day, right, we need to understand 00:05:15.649 --> 00:05:18.029 what leadership truly means, right? What do you 00:05:18.029 --> 00:05:20.430 think of when you hear about leadership, okay? 00:05:21.089 --> 00:05:23.769 Through the game and outside of the game, okay? 00:05:23.829 --> 00:05:26.319 It could be your favorite player. It could be 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:28.620 some of the best players in the game today. It 00:05:28.620 --> 00:05:30.720 could be your coach. It could be, you know, trainers. 00:05:30.899 --> 00:05:33.600 It could be players that are doing it right now, 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:35.319 whether they're playing high -level basketball 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.959 at the college level or professionally. It could 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:39.699 be your trainers. It could be parents. It could 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:44.139 be anybody, right? Who do you see or who do you 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:47.699 look up to as a leader, okay? We often think 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:51.160 that being a leader is about being the captain 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:53.560 or having the loudest voice on the court, but 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:55.829 that's not necessarily the case, right? Sure, 00:05:55.970 --> 00:06:00.250 most of your captains on a team, they're essentially, 00:06:00.350 --> 00:06:02.970 you know, the leaders of the team. They're an 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.910 extension of the coach on the floor. But at the 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:09.670 end of the day, leadership is just being able 00:06:09.670 --> 00:06:14.670 to influence, right? As a person, right, if I 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:16.949 can relate to someone or if someone is where 00:06:16.949 --> 00:06:19.370 I want to be in life, right, I'm going to look 00:06:19.370 --> 00:06:22.680 up to them and I might go to them. and maybe 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.980 ask them to be a mentor or look up to them as 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:28.680 just a leader, right? That person will have an 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:30.879 influence on some of the decisions and actions 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.259 that I take, right, currently. Because I have, 00:06:34.259 --> 00:06:36.399 like, interests, I have, like, goals, you know, 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:38.639 things like that. So leadership is influence, 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:42.259 essentially, right? For players, really, it's 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:45.399 about you showing up daily, right? Are you setting 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:48.100 the example for your teammates and for anybody 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:51.980 else that's watching you, right? It's going to 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:55.660 involve your effort, your attitude, right? Are 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:58.540 you showing respect to your coaches and other 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:01.079 people that's involved in the game, right? For 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:04.319 your coaches, it's the example you set. Are you 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:07.800 enforcing accountability? Are you making sure 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:10.899 that your kids are doing everything the right 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:15.060 way? However you teach that, right? That's another 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:17.100 conversation, but are you ensuring that your 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:20.970 kids are following? a set of expectations and 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:23.769 the standards that you place on your team or 00:07:23.769 --> 00:07:26.430 in your organization, right? It's about communication. 00:07:26.970 --> 00:07:29.769 Are you speaking appropriately? Are you speaking 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:32.069 in a way that your kids can understand? Because 00:07:32.069 --> 00:07:35.089 a lot of people just talk. They just like to 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:37.709 talk. Sometimes it don't make sense or sometimes 00:07:37.709 --> 00:07:41.829 it's not catered for the audience in front of 00:07:41.829 --> 00:07:44.670 you, okay? So communicating appropriately is 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:48.509 a big factor in being a leader, okay? And it's 00:07:48.509 --> 00:07:50.490 also setting the right values, right? Because 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:53.810 again, you're teaching these kids more than just 00:07:53.810 --> 00:07:56.290 what's in between that rectangle on the court, 00:07:56.370 --> 00:07:58.730 right? You're teaching these kids life, okay? 00:07:58.810 --> 00:08:01.949 And if you truly care about them and if you care 00:08:01.949 --> 00:08:04.709 about their overall development, you're going 00:08:04.709 --> 00:08:06.689 to help them. You're going to build them up into 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:10.769 becoming great people in this life, in this world, 00:08:10.850 --> 00:08:14.149 okay? For trainers, are you training with integrity? 00:08:14.550 --> 00:08:17.509 Are you setting the standards? Are you training 00:08:17.509 --> 00:08:20.230 with structure, with purpose, with a clear vision? 00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:24.310 Are you teaching your kids for growth, right? 00:08:24.410 --> 00:08:26.910 Same thing, very similar to a coach, right? Are 00:08:26.910 --> 00:08:30.129 you allowing them room to grow? Are you setting 00:08:30.129 --> 00:08:32.309 those standards, those expectations up front 00:08:32.309 --> 00:08:35.269 so they know what they can get out of the training 00:08:35.269 --> 00:08:37.429 session? There are also some trainers out there 00:08:37.429 --> 00:08:40.490 and coaches who are in it for the complete wrong 00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:43.490 reasons. And we'll touch on that. But it's important 00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:46.970 as athletes that, you know, again, We have leaders 00:08:46.970 --> 00:08:49.490 in this community who are doing everything right, 00:08:49.590 --> 00:08:52.490 not necessarily by the books, but doing everything 00:08:52.490 --> 00:08:57.110 for the best interest of these kids. I see a 00:08:57.110 --> 00:08:58.649 lot of trainers out there who are just in it 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:01.029 for the money, especially when I talk to them. 00:09:01.970 --> 00:09:05.889 There's some red flags that I can gather when 00:09:05.889 --> 00:09:08.009 I talk to some of these trainers and coaches. 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:13.549 But it's very clear to see who are the ones that 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:15.529 actually care about these kids the right way. 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:18.490 And then for parents, right, leadership might 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:22.850 look like just, you know, how you parent. Like, 00:09:22.889 --> 00:09:25.429 are you modeling resiliency in your kids? Because 00:09:25.429 --> 00:09:27.049 there are going to be days when these kids come 00:09:27.049 --> 00:09:30.649 home ready to quit. You know, they're discouraged. 00:09:31.669 --> 00:09:33.809 They went, maybe they had a bad practice. Maybe 00:09:33.809 --> 00:09:36.190 they had a bad game. Maybe the coach yelled at 00:09:36.190 --> 00:09:39.049 them. Maybe they made a bunch of mistakes, right? 00:09:39.649 --> 00:09:42.590 How are you teaching your kids to go through 00:09:42.590 --> 00:09:47.289 moments like this? Because these kids don't just 00:09:47.289 --> 00:09:48.990 handle moments like this on the court. It's going 00:09:48.990 --> 00:09:52.909 to occur in the classroom. It's going to occur 00:09:52.909 --> 00:09:55.970 in life, when they go to school, college, in 00:09:55.970 --> 00:09:59.009 the professional world, when they get a job. 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:02.889 How are you building them for resiliency when 00:10:02.889 --> 00:10:05.870 they get cut, when they lose their starting spot, 00:10:06.110 --> 00:10:09.889 when they lose that job or get passed up on a 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:13.009 promotion? Again, it's more than just a game. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:15.720 We also go through injuries, something that I 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:19.559 battled during my college career. How do we build 00:10:19.559 --> 00:10:24.679 these kids to be resilient? The truth is leadership 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:28.259 is about showing others what matters most. Simple 00:10:28.259 --> 00:10:31.340 as that. And in basketball, what matters most 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:34.240 isn't just the stat line, how many points we 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.080 put up, how many assists we get, how many wins 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:40.059 we get. It's the lessons the game teaches you 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:43.769 if you are willing to listen. And again, this 00:10:43.769 --> 00:10:47.070 kind of goes back to what I said earlier. It's 00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:49.450 about communication. Are we communicating the 00:10:49.450 --> 00:10:53.750 right way? A good leader knows how to communicate 00:10:53.750 --> 00:10:56.529 effectively, right? And they understand that 00:10:56.529 --> 00:10:59.230 communicating with one player might look different 00:10:59.230 --> 00:11:03.750 than communicating with another. There's no one 00:11:03.750 --> 00:11:06.750 size fits all here. Every person is different. 00:11:07.029 --> 00:11:10.350 Every athlete is different. Every player will 00:11:10.350 --> 00:11:14.210 be different. Even the way you train, right? 00:11:14.250 --> 00:11:16.149 There's one thing, the one thing that I harp 00:11:16.149 --> 00:11:20.009 on is for trainers is to understand that you 00:11:20.009 --> 00:11:22.730 cannot do the same exact workout with one kid 00:11:22.730 --> 00:11:28.990 and with another kid. They're just totally different 00:11:28.990 --> 00:11:31.450 players. Maybe if you're doing like, you know, 00:11:31.470 --> 00:11:35.470 skills or positional training, right? But if 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:38.210 we're talking like true player development, skills 00:11:38.210 --> 00:11:41.230 development, you need to train based off of, 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:44.950 where that kid is at in their own journey, what 00:11:44.950 --> 00:11:48.049 are their goals, and what skills do they need 00:11:48.049 --> 00:11:50.809 to develop. That's not going to be the same for 00:11:50.809 --> 00:11:52.850 the next kid and the next kid and the next kid. 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:55.409 That's why it's so important for these trainers 00:11:55.409 --> 00:11:59.169 to really be dialed in to their athletes, right? 00:11:59.230 --> 00:12:01.629 Some of the best trainers I know, they are always 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:03.649 in the gym watching basketball. They are watching 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:05.889 their players, whether it's through film, going 00:12:05.889 --> 00:12:10.139 to their actual games, going to their runs. Or 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:13.419 they're hosting their own pickup runs with some 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:17.159 selected athletes or players so they can visually 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:21.879 see what needs to be worked on. That's just watching 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:24.440 film. Players should be doing that too. But as 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:27.340 a leader, in the perspective of a trainer, you 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:30.559 absolutely need to be completely tuned in to 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:33.480 what your player is doing. There's a comment 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:35.360 that I saw the other day on one of my TikTok 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:38.149 videos saying that Like trainers don't need to 00:12:38.149 --> 00:12:40.129 do that. They don't have time to watch film, 00:12:40.210 --> 00:12:44.350 to watch video. If you're not doing that, then 00:12:44.350 --> 00:12:48.370 what is your purpose? Are you truly developing 00:12:48.370 --> 00:12:51.230 as players? Are you just doing random drills 00:12:51.230 --> 00:12:53.710 out there, random workouts with a group of kids, 00:12:53.730 --> 00:12:56.490 hoping that it sticks with no real explanation, 00:12:56.789 --> 00:13:02.210 with no real purpose or vision, right? These 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:04.129 kids have no idea what they're doing, but they 00:13:04.129 --> 00:13:08.250 look up to you as a leader. Just because they 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:12.490 don't know, right? And that's the issue to me. 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:14.730 That's a problem that I see in the game. And 00:13:14.730 --> 00:13:17.230 that's why I say we need to bring back, you know, 00:13:17.230 --> 00:13:20.649 ethics and integrity into the culture of basketball. 00:13:21.009 --> 00:13:25.470 It's important, okay? And then this is where 00:13:25.470 --> 00:13:29.649 community comes in. Community, right? A leader 00:13:29.649 --> 00:13:32.929 in the basketball community isn't just the one 00:13:32.929 --> 00:13:34.909 drawing up plays or running the drills, right? 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:39.440 A real leader is the one explaining why. Why 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.679 are we boxing out? Why do you need to box out 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.600 every play or every time the shot goes up? Why 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:50.480 does your attitude define your character? And 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.840 then why is it even more so important for you 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:56.279 to check your attitude when you make mistakes 00:13:56.279 --> 00:14:00.659 and when you lose, okay? Because everybody's 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:02.120 watching, especially if you're trying to get 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:03.980 to the next level. If you have a poor attitude 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:06.080 in certain situations, coaches are just going 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:08.159 to write that off. They're going to cross your 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:09.799 name out and then they're going to move on to 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.940 that next player. So this is where leaders come 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:17.000 in within that community to really teach these 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.899 young kids how to process certain situations 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:24.179 and how to develop not only as a basketball player, 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:27.740 but just as a human being. Why do we need to 00:14:27.740 --> 00:14:32.389 watch film? What's the purpose? What are we watching 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:36.049 for? You know, because you're not going to sit 00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:38.509 in a film session, you know, watching everything 00:14:38.509 --> 00:14:40.230 at once. You're probably going to watch the same 00:14:40.230 --> 00:14:43.970 film a few different times, looking at different 00:14:43.970 --> 00:14:48.509 things each time you look at it, right? Why is 00:14:48.509 --> 00:14:51.850 watching film sometimes more important than being 00:14:51.850 --> 00:14:54.850 on the court working on your jump shot? Okay, 00:14:54.870 --> 00:14:58.129 these kids need to know the why, not just... 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:00.960 You telling them what they need to do. They need 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:05.899 to understand why. Because there's going to be 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:09.419 a day when they might not have anyone, but because 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:12.080 you were a great leader and you set that foundation, 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.340 the standards and the expectations, you built 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:18.679 them through resiliency, they have a great foundation 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:23.759 to work off of, okay? Playing the game and knowing 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:27.039 the game are just two different things. Completely. 00:15:27.710 --> 00:15:30.029 Two completely different things. Now, it's one 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:32.269 thing if, you know, if you're just in the game 00:15:32.269 --> 00:15:34.870 just because you enjoy playing, right? And you 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:36.570 just, you know, want to go play pickup, play 00:15:36.570 --> 00:15:41.049 for fun. People call them civilians, right? But 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:44.970 in order to really thrive in the game and be 00:15:44.970 --> 00:15:47.129 successful and get to the next level and reach 00:15:47.129 --> 00:15:49.529 your goals, you absolutely have to know the game 00:15:49.529 --> 00:15:52.029 through and through, right? And that's one thing 00:15:52.029 --> 00:15:55.620 that I kind of wish I focused on more. Coming 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:58.019 up in the game is like really and truly being 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:00.080 a student of the game. I played a lot of basketball 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.460 and that's kind of how I built my IQ and my skill 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:06.860 set. I played a lot of basketball. I trained 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:10.019 and then I used that training to test it out 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:13.759 in live basketball and pickup runs and in environments 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.559 that forced me to grow, you know, with bigger 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:19.240 and better players, smarter players who have 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:22.399 done it before. So that just forced me and that's 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.139 one way we can do it. I do wish that I spent 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:28.159 more time, you know, on the X's and O's and the 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.179 theories and the concepts and things like that, 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:33.440 right? Because that stuff makes a huge difference. 00:16:33.539 --> 00:16:36.879 You know, you can go watch LeBron James' podcast, 00:16:37.220 --> 00:16:40.720 you know, he had one a while ago with J .J. Redick, 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:42.679 now with Steve Nash, but the way they talk about 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:47.720 the game, you know, they don't skip a beat. They 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:49.759 understand the game through and through, okay? 00:16:51.049 --> 00:16:54.090 I think last episode I mentioned that I was talking 00:16:54.090 --> 00:16:57.350 with a local football trainer and he played, 00:16:57.350 --> 00:17:00.389 you know, divisional football, mid -major, I 00:17:00.389 --> 00:17:04.529 think. Pretty successful as a player and now 00:17:04.529 --> 00:17:07.650 trains, right? He does pretty much anything and 00:17:07.650 --> 00:17:10.549 everything in between from, you know, skills 00:17:10.549 --> 00:17:12.369 development, strength training, conditioning. 00:17:12.609 --> 00:17:15.829 My guy here, he takes kind of a holistic approach 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:18.269 to, you know, personal and player development, 00:17:18.369 --> 00:17:21.529 right? And this is the bio. for his account. 00:17:21.910 --> 00:17:25.009 Those who see the invisible do the impossible. 00:17:25.410 --> 00:17:29.950 The internal change awaits, right? Involution 00:17:29.950 --> 00:17:33.930 of the athlete, soulful, purposeful, enlightened. 00:17:34.769 --> 00:17:37.910 Doesn't say anything about sports or football 00:17:37.910 --> 00:17:39.829 for that matter, but he's talking about just 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:43.490 building yourself wholly, holistically, okay? 00:17:44.470 --> 00:17:46.450 And then, you know, if you scroll through the 00:17:46.450 --> 00:17:49.069 page, right, you see, you know, clips of workouts. 00:17:50.169 --> 00:17:52.589 players that he's worked with that have gone 00:17:52.589 --> 00:17:55.670 to the next level. So, you know, he's verified, 00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:58.170 you know what I'm saying? Like, he's legit. He's 00:17:58.170 --> 00:18:03.970 done it before. So this is Storm Woods with Atholite, 00:18:04.089 --> 00:18:08.849 right? So this is, you know, obviously football 00:18:08.849 --> 00:18:11.130 jurors and whatnot. He also trains, you know, 00:18:11.150 --> 00:18:15.569 older folks, right? Just for, you know, personal 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:19.849 health, personal development, right? I think 00:18:19.849 --> 00:18:22.009 that's a great thing. So if you want to go check 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:24.130 this out, I'll say it anyways, and I'll just 00:18:24.130 --> 00:18:28.329 let them know. But it is Stormwoods with, at 00:18:28.329 --> 00:18:32.329 the, at the light, T -H -E -A -T -H -E -L -I 00:18:32.329 --> 00:18:35.390 -T -L -I -G -H -T, I can't spell. I'll put it 00:18:35.390 --> 00:18:38.049 on the screen too. And then, you know, I'll call 00:18:38.049 --> 00:18:41.890 out some other local, you know, trainers specifically 00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:46.390 for basketball that I thoroughly, you know, enjoy 00:18:46.390 --> 00:18:49.299 and I believe in, right? So yeah. BTY Basketball, 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:57.440 also known as TPA. The thing about this group 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:02.259 here, or my guy here, I've known him for quite 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:07.900 some time. And I want to say he coached for Texas 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:14.180 Hardwood Prospects way back when. And that was 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:16.299 an organization, an AAU organization that my 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:19.390 dad put together. I'm kind of started with my 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:22.829 last year of summer ball with ATX boys. But with 00:19:22.829 --> 00:19:26.369 that team, we, we kind of separated ourselves 00:19:26.369 --> 00:19:31.329 from the original ATX boys. We had, you know, 00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:34.009 my dad, but our main coach was coach Tim Farley, 00:19:34.109 --> 00:19:38.609 RIP. One of the best coaches I had as far as, 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:42.230 you know, caring for players and really, really, 00:19:42.390 --> 00:19:44.809 you know, putting all he had into us and getting 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:50.069 us to that next level. Zach, with B2Y Basketball 00:19:50.069 --> 00:19:55.089 right here, I think he does a great job at really 00:19:55.089 --> 00:20:00.089 showing the amount of work it takes and pouring 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:05.109 into every athlete that he touches. And this 00:20:05.109 --> 00:20:07.130 is someone that I would love to partner with, 00:20:07.170 --> 00:20:09.430 that I'm trying to partner with, right? And I 00:20:09.430 --> 00:20:15.769 think he does a tremendous job at really showing, 00:20:17.689 --> 00:20:20.049 Kids, obviously, depending on what level they're 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:24.150 at, but, you know, showing them the right way. 00:20:24.369 --> 00:20:27.910 Right. When it comes to skills development, you 00:20:27.910 --> 00:20:30.029 know, he posts a lot of clips on here. And the 00:20:30.029 --> 00:20:32.289 thing about social media can get a little tricky 00:20:32.289 --> 00:20:35.390 because a lot of people just like to throw highlights 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:38.049 and like, you know, the sexy and the fancy stuff. 00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:40.589 But when you look through this guy's account 00:20:40.589 --> 00:20:44.309 or, you know, this academy's account, you see 00:20:44.309 --> 00:20:47.440 some legit training on here. some really, really 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:51.440 good training on here. And, you know, some of 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.339 the segments that they have, and his brother, 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:56.539 you know, started making some clips on here too, 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:59.940 but just the thought process, the thought leadership, 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:04.619 it's awesome. And, you know, they're paving out 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:08.059 to be one of the better, if not the best, you 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:11.819 know, academy group of trainers in our area, 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:14.970 right? Simply because of... all that they pour 00:21:14.970 --> 00:21:16.789 into, the amount of work and effort that they 00:21:16.789 --> 00:21:20.470 pour into it. And, you know, it shows that they, 00:21:20.529 --> 00:21:22.470 you know, they truly love the game for one, but 00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:27.390 they also truly love player development, okay? 00:21:27.549 --> 00:21:31.130 And I think they could care less about anything 00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:33.890 else, really. As long as their players are getting 00:21:33.890 --> 00:21:37.309 better, developing as athletes and people, and 00:21:37.309 --> 00:21:40.769 helping them achieve their dreams, right? I'll 00:21:40.769 --> 00:21:44.509 give you a couple more that I really... So I 00:21:44.509 --> 00:21:47.529 talked about Tim Farley the last year, my AAU 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:51.130 team. One of my old teammates on that team, Malk, 00:21:51.269 --> 00:21:54.509 Malcolm Canada. One of the best players I've 00:21:54.509 --> 00:21:58.630 ever played with as an athlete and just as a 00:21:58.630 --> 00:22:00.730 person, as a human being, right? So locked in 00:22:00.730 --> 00:22:06.690 Malk, right? Really good guy. The homie. Someone 00:22:06.690 --> 00:22:09.650 that, you know, I look up to greatly because 00:22:09.650 --> 00:22:13.579 I think his story tells a lot. His story is remarkable, 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:17.019 and I'm not going to tell it here, but understanding 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:20.859 his story, and if I was a basketball player, 00:22:20.940 --> 00:22:23.799 a young basketball player trying to get better, 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:27.019 trying to get to that next level, Malcolm would 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:29.480 be the guy that I'd be looking up to, right? 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:32.480 Because he's been through it, all the ups and 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:35.359 downs in his personal life and on the court. 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:39.970 He's seen success. He's seen failures. And he's 00:22:39.970 --> 00:22:41.609 just a great person through and through. So another 00:22:41.609 --> 00:22:44.890 great person. And then lastly, someone else that 00:22:44.890 --> 00:22:48.529 I really enjoy keeping up with and someone else 00:22:48.529 --> 00:22:50.849 that I'm trying to partner with is with Zach 00:22:50.849 --> 00:22:54.269 with B2Y Basketball and Malk with Locked In. 00:22:55.450 --> 00:23:00.930 It is JWE, and this is Josh Washington Elite. 00:23:01.190 --> 00:23:04.750 This is a former Texas Tech player, but he is 00:23:04.750 --> 00:23:08.480 a player development coach. elementary, all the 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:11.460 way up to the NBA, right? He runs this whole 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:14.799 program, his whole academy. He's a faithful man, 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:19.180 follows God, husband, father, as are, you know, 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.000 the other individuals that I mentioned. But, 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.220 you know, some of the best conversations I had 00:23:25.220 --> 00:23:27.140 around the game have been with this dude right 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:29.880 here, okay? And he is super busy, right? He's 00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:34.380 managing a ton of athletes, a ton, different 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:38.000 leagues. again, from the youth level to the professional 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:41.740 level. And he is doing some good work, some really, 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:45.839 really good work. He is partnered with Under 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:49.119 Armour, which is great, right? But again, someone 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:52.059 that when you check him out and you peep his 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:54.400 page and learn a little more about who he is 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:57.640 and his philosophy and his vision, someone that 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:01.500 I would follow easily. So huge tangent, huge 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:05.109 tangent. You know, I felt... I felt it was right 00:24:05.109 --> 00:24:07.029 to shout out some of these people just because 00:24:07.029 --> 00:24:09.569 they're, again, like these are great leaders 00:24:09.569 --> 00:24:12.450 in the game that I personally know and that I 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:15.029 even look up to currently. So where were we? 00:24:15.269 --> 00:24:18.890 I definitely got lost. So I introduced Storm 00:24:18.890 --> 00:24:21.609 with Athlete. And again, he's a football trainer, 00:24:21.750 --> 00:24:24.890 right? But he reminded me how powerful it is 00:24:24.890 --> 00:24:28.049 when leaders can create spaces where young athletes 00:24:28.049 --> 00:24:30.490 can not only learn the skill, but also process 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:32.049 the journey, right? And I think that's the most 00:24:32.049 --> 00:24:35.809 important part. Not every kid that you, you know, 00:24:35.890 --> 00:24:39.049 interact with or have the opportunity to train 00:24:39.049 --> 00:24:41.950 and coach, they're not all going to make it. 00:24:41.990 --> 00:24:45.190 You know, and that's just being 100 % honest 00:24:45.190 --> 00:24:49.950 with yourself, okay? But knowing that, right, 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:52.789 what else can you do to further their development? 00:24:53.230 --> 00:24:56.490 Yes, it's all centered around the sport. It's 00:24:56.490 --> 00:24:58.690 all centered around basketball. But, you know, 00:24:58.710 --> 00:25:01.390 the things that you teach. Right. Your values 00:25:01.390 --> 00:25:05.109 and your standards. Right. All those should be 00:25:05.109 --> 00:25:08.950 able to, you know, that should be implemented 00:25:08.950 --> 00:25:12.009 into real life. Right. And I think if if you 00:25:12.009 --> 00:25:14.029 come with that perspective and that mindset, 00:25:14.150 --> 00:25:16.609 you're going to be an amazing leader in the game. 00:25:16.690 --> 00:25:18.710 And kids need to understand that this journey 00:25:18.710 --> 00:25:23.730 isn't always rainbows and sunshine. OK. Right. 00:25:23.829 --> 00:25:25.509 Like the teammate that I mentioned that I had 00:25:25.509 --> 00:25:28.670 locked in. Right. I'm out. Right. He went through 00:25:28.670 --> 00:25:33.069 hell and back. But now he's in a place where 00:25:33.069 --> 00:25:35.829 he's using his experience to give back to the 00:25:35.829 --> 00:25:39.410 game, right? The kids need to hear these stories. 00:25:39.690 --> 00:25:42.630 They need to understand that you are going to 00:25:42.630 --> 00:25:44.109 go through failures. You're going to go through 00:25:44.109 --> 00:25:46.710 a lot of downs. We talked about the law of thirds, 00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:48.849 right? A third of the time, it's going to be 00:25:48.849 --> 00:25:52.309 great. Another third is going to be just boring, 00:25:52.509 --> 00:25:56.809 repetitive, mundane. And that final third, it's 00:25:56.809 --> 00:26:00.029 going to suck. You know, it's going to make you 00:26:00.029 --> 00:26:02.130 want to quit. It's going to question everything, 00:26:02.369 --> 00:26:05.029 right? But you have to expect that and be ready 00:26:05.029 --> 00:26:06.930 for that and understand that when you go through 00:26:06.930 --> 00:26:11.109 that chapter in your life, we're going to get 00:26:11.109 --> 00:26:14.849 through it. And it's up to the leaders to guide 00:26:14.849 --> 00:26:17.369 these kids through that and teach them how to 00:26:17.369 --> 00:26:20.269 overcome all these obstacles. And it's just that, 00:26:20.349 --> 00:26:22.450 right? They need to hear that adversity is part 00:26:22.450 --> 00:26:24.849 of it. That's part of the game. There's no way 00:26:24.849 --> 00:26:28.849 to get around any of that. There's no way, okay? 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:33.779 Politics exists, right? It's more than just what 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:36.839 you do on the court. Your skill and your success 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:39.579 on the court is going to open doors for you and 00:26:39.579 --> 00:26:43.279 it's going to get you those looks, right? You 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:45.839 have to be good to play at the next level, but 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:49.660 everything else matters just as much, right? 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:52.799 And that's your character. That's how you are 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:57.359 as a person. It's your community. It's your network. 00:26:58.009 --> 00:27:00.349 And that's why it's so important to build your 00:27:00.349 --> 00:27:04.490 community or find that community with great leaders 00:27:04.490 --> 00:27:07.589 so that they can help you get through those doors. 00:27:08.569 --> 00:27:10.490 They're going to put you in the right environment. 00:27:10.569 --> 00:27:11.970 They're going to put you in the right situation 00:27:11.970 --> 00:27:16.470 where, you know, you can go off and let your 00:27:16.470 --> 00:27:19.309 game speak for itself. And then you have people 00:27:19.309 --> 00:27:21.450 to back you up and pound the table for you and 00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:24.529 be like, hey, I got a kid for you. He's a great 00:27:24.529 --> 00:27:27.970 kid. He takes care of his schoolwork. but he 00:27:27.970 --> 00:27:30.509 can also ball. This is someone that you need 00:27:30.509 --> 00:27:33.630 in your program. That's what people in your network 00:27:33.630 --> 00:27:35.910 are going to do for you, okay? And that's why 00:27:35.910 --> 00:27:40.289 I harp on the need for a solid network to have 00:27:40.289 --> 00:27:43.410 a solid circle around you, and that community 00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:46.250 is going to help you get to that next level. 00:27:46.289 --> 00:27:47.630 It's going to help you reach your goal. It's 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:49.849 going to help you become a better person, a better 00:27:49.849 --> 00:27:53.750 player, okay? That's where leaders in this community 00:27:53.750 --> 00:27:56.829 come in, like I said, right? You just don't prepare 00:27:56.829 --> 00:27:58.970 kids for the next game. You prepare them for 00:27:58.970 --> 00:28:03.630 life through the game, okay? And I bring up adversity, 00:28:03.849 --> 00:28:06.589 right? Adversity for players, but, you know, 00:28:06.609 --> 00:28:10.450 that adversity is going to turn them into leaders, 00:28:10.609 --> 00:28:14.809 right? Clear example of, you know, my old teammate 00:28:14.809 --> 00:28:18.650 Malcolm, myself, right? I went through much adversity 00:28:18.650 --> 00:28:21.369 through the game from, you know, being the smallest 00:28:21.369 --> 00:28:26.619 one on the court, not being the strongest. What 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:30.079 else? You know, just people kind of doubting 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:34.000 me and my success as a basketball player. Not 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:36.400 being, you know, put on varsity as a freshman 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:38.660 when I thought I should have. Right. I had all 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:41.559 these expectations for myself, you know, and 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:44.839 some I didn't meet. Right. You know, me not finishing 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:47.039 my college career, me getting hurt and injured, 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:49.180 me not having a great relationship with my college 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:53.289 coach. All that's adversity. Right. But. I would 00:28:53.289 --> 00:28:54.890 not change any of that for the world because 00:28:54.890 --> 00:28:58.269 I am who I am today. And I have this platform, 00:28:58.690 --> 00:29:01.150 have the experience. I'm able to provide for 00:29:01.150 --> 00:29:03.210 my family. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful 00:29:03.210 --> 00:29:05.750 kids, right? Very thankful for where I'm at today 00:29:05.750 --> 00:29:09.210 because of the game of basketball. When I got 00:29:09.210 --> 00:29:11.930 hurt at West Point, right, I questioned everything. 00:29:12.089 --> 00:29:13.950 I questioned my career. I questioned basketball. 00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:17.589 You know, I fell out of love with the game. And 00:29:17.589 --> 00:29:21.750 I quickly realized that it's okay. It'll be okay, 00:29:21.829 --> 00:29:23.990 but it's how you respond to those situations. 00:29:24.230 --> 00:29:26.190 And I learned that leadership isn't about how 00:29:26.190 --> 00:29:29.009 high you can fly or how athletic you are or how 00:29:29.009 --> 00:29:31.970 good you are. It's about how steady you are when 00:29:31.970 --> 00:29:34.410 everything goes sideways, right? And that's the 00:29:34.410 --> 00:29:36.869 biggest takeaway. That's the biggest growth that 00:29:36.869 --> 00:29:40.069 I went through as a hooper, okay? It took some 00:29:40.069 --> 00:29:43.470 time. Don't get me wrong. It takes time. And 00:29:43.470 --> 00:29:46.990 the best players are the ones who can, you know, 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:50.559 reflect. but then move on quickly and grow from 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:53.279 it and use that as just, you know, stepping stones 00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:56.460 to get to that next step or that get over that 00:29:56.460 --> 00:29:59.019 next hurdle, right? It's all about learning. 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:02.019 It's all about growth, okay? For players specifically, 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:05.059 like I mentioned, right, how do you respond when 00:30:05.059 --> 00:30:07.039 you get benched, when you lose your starting 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:09.700 spot or, you know, you get injured? For coaches, 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:12.380 how do you respond when your team loses 10 games 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:15.480 in a row or you don't make the playoffs or you 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:18.269 lose your key players? For trainers, how do you 00:30:18.269 --> 00:30:20.529 respond when your athletes quit or don't show 00:30:20.529 --> 00:30:23.910 up? For your parents, how do you respond when 00:30:23.910 --> 00:30:25.710 your kid comes home frustrated and wants to give 00:30:25.710 --> 00:30:28.549 up, right? So those are key things that you have 00:30:28.549 --> 00:30:31.950 to be, you know, willing to go through and address 00:30:31.950 --> 00:30:35.869 and respond appropriately, you know, not only 00:30:35.869 --> 00:30:38.930 for you, but for everyone that looks up to you, 00:30:38.990 --> 00:30:41.470 right? That's when true leadership shows up. 00:30:41.549 --> 00:30:44.049 And that's the moment where leaders guide, not 00:30:44.049 --> 00:30:46.089 just with words, but through example. Right. 00:30:46.170 --> 00:30:49.910 Because, again, if you're not walking the walk, 00:30:50.109 --> 00:30:53.890 but you're talking it at some point in that in 00:30:53.890 --> 00:30:56.549 your own journey. Right. You're going to get 00:30:56.549 --> 00:30:58.930 called out and you are going to fail and it's 00:30:58.930 --> 00:31:00.650 going to be really hard to come back from that. 00:31:00.750 --> 00:31:02.430 Right. Because that's something that you can 00:31:02.430 --> 00:31:05.250 control. OK, so so make sure you're doing you're 00:31:05.250 --> 00:31:08.690 doing it right. OK. We talked about the law of 00:31:08.690 --> 00:31:10.690 thirds again. Right. And this is something that 00:31:10.690 --> 00:31:13.829 every leader needs to really and truly understand 00:31:13.829 --> 00:31:16.960 is. You're going to have your highs a third of 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:19.519 the time. You're going to have the boring, the 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:21.880 mundane a third of the time. But then you're 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:25.500 also going to have the sucky times, right? Again, 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:29.259 you have to expect that. And as a leader, sometimes 00:31:29.259 --> 00:31:31.960 some people just don't want to follow you, right? 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:36.779 They just don't align with your vision or whatever 00:31:36.779 --> 00:31:38.980 it is that you do, right? They might not align, 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:41.740 but that's okay. That's completely okay, right? 00:31:42.109 --> 00:31:45.390 You're not doing this to be liked, right, or 00:31:45.390 --> 00:31:48.130 to have a popular following. You're doing this 00:31:48.130 --> 00:31:50.670 because, one, you love the game, but you also 00:31:50.670 --> 00:31:52.950 love seeing the success of these young kids as 00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:55.490 they navigate the ins and outs of the game of 00:31:55.490 --> 00:31:58.789 basketball, okay? And as long as you keep that 00:31:58.789 --> 00:32:01.950 perspective, the ones who are going to show up, 00:32:01.990 --> 00:32:03.849 they're going to keep showing up, and they're 00:32:03.849 --> 00:32:05.109 going to keep trusting you, and they're going 00:32:05.109 --> 00:32:07.410 to keep believing that you're going to help them 00:32:07.410 --> 00:32:10.930 develop as a player and as a person, okay? And 00:32:10.930 --> 00:32:13.490 it's going to be up to you just to keep going, 00:32:13.769 --> 00:32:17.829 keep pushing them, but also allow them the space 00:32:17.829 --> 00:32:20.849 to grow, right? You can't force them, but as 00:32:20.849 --> 00:32:23.670 long as you give them that space to grow, sometimes 00:32:23.670 --> 00:32:25.690 that's the best you can do. For those of you 00:32:25.690 --> 00:32:28.369 who don't know, which I'm going to keep it real, 00:32:28.430 --> 00:32:30.250 if you don't know who this is, then shame on 00:32:30.250 --> 00:32:33.410 you, but John Wooden, right? He has a book on 00:32:33.410 --> 00:32:36.980 leadership. And within that book, He talks about 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:38.819 the pyramid of success. And the reason why this 00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:42.319 is so important, because in this pyramid, there 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:45.460 are blocks that he focuses on that kind of, you 00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:49.140 know, build upwards and are going to help you 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:51.700 reach a level of success in whatever it may be. 00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:53.279 And it's not just about basketball. It's about 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:58.079 life, how to be successful in life with whatever 00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:00.859 you do. OK, and so for those of you who just 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:03.680 so happen to not know who John Wooden is, right, 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:07.089 he's a. a very well -known basketball coach, 00:33:07.309 --> 00:33:10.930 right? And he played way, way long ago, but he 00:33:10.930 --> 00:33:13.390 was nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood. He's won 00:33:13.390 --> 00:33:17.549 10 NCAA championships in a 12 -year period as 00:33:17.549 --> 00:33:20.789 a head coach for the UCLA Bruins, right? Remarkable 00:33:20.789 --> 00:33:24.910 coach, remarkable leader, right? And many coaches 00:33:24.910 --> 00:33:28.569 today, you know, built their philosophies and 00:33:28.569 --> 00:33:31.230 their teachings off of John Wooden, right? So 00:33:31.230 --> 00:33:34.940 with this pyramid of success, right, what it 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:37.480 looks like. And if you're watching a video format, 00:33:37.779 --> 00:33:40.920 I will throw it up on the screen so you can see. 00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:44.940 But we'll also talk about it, okay? So at the 00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:49.200 very bottom, you have certain blocks, okay? And 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:51.880 when you look at it, you see that he didn't put 00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:55.180 scoring. He didn't put athleticism, anything 00:33:55.180 --> 00:33:57.640 like that. At the very bottom of the block, you'll 00:33:57.640 --> 00:34:01.000 find industriousness, right? And I'll explain 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:03.460 what all this is too. So you'll find industriousness. 00:34:03.869 --> 00:34:07.829 friendship, loyalty, cooperation, and enthusiasm. 00:34:08.010 --> 00:34:10.889 So that's the very bottom layer. Okay, so let's 00:34:10.889 --> 00:34:13.750 go one by one, right? Industriousness. Industriousness 00:34:13.750 --> 00:34:17.309 is really just the way your hard work and your 00:34:17.309 --> 00:34:21.030 planning, right? It's dedicated, planned hard 00:34:21.030 --> 00:34:23.989 work, okay? Success travels in the company of 00:34:23.989 --> 00:34:27.909 the very hardworking people. There's no tricks. 00:34:28.090 --> 00:34:30.630 There are no easy ways. It's just hard work. 00:34:31.090 --> 00:34:33.050 Friendship, you know what friendship is, right? 00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:36.409 When it comes to building a basketball team or 00:34:36.409 --> 00:34:38.110 playing with the team, right, you understand 00:34:38.110 --> 00:34:40.889 the power of just that community, of that bond, 00:34:40.989 --> 00:34:42.650 right? And that's where friendship comes in. 00:34:42.889 --> 00:34:45.510 Some of the best teams, right, they're like this. 00:34:45.650 --> 00:34:48.329 You cannot tear them apart. Next one is loyalty. 00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:50.389 You know what loyalty is? Be true to yourself. 00:34:50.530 --> 00:34:53.630 Be true to those you lead, okay? Cooperation, 00:34:53.909 --> 00:34:56.530 having the utmost concern for what's right rather 00:34:56.530 --> 00:34:59.750 than who's right. Again, that's just having integrity, 00:35:00.050 --> 00:35:03.630 having ethics, okay? The last one on the bottom 00:35:03.630 --> 00:35:06.250 layer is enthusiasm. Your energy and your enjoyment, 00:35:06.349 --> 00:35:10.690 drive, and dedication will stimulate and greatly 00:35:10.690 --> 00:35:16.230 inspire others. Again, we don't see athleticism. 00:35:16.309 --> 00:35:20.349 We don't see scoring, anything like that. Why 00:35:20.349 --> 00:35:22.369 is that? It's because he knew that leadership 00:35:22.369 --> 00:35:25.409 was about teaching young men how to be men and 00:35:25.409 --> 00:35:28.170 how to live with discipline, humility, and purpose. 00:35:28.469 --> 00:35:30.670 And when you look at the top of the pyramid, 00:35:31.150 --> 00:35:33.929 I know we're skipping a few layers. You see competitive 00:35:33.929 --> 00:35:37.010 greatness at the very top. Competitive greatness. 00:35:37.309 --> 00:35:39.570 And that's to perform at your best when your 00:35:39.570 --> 00:35:43.050 best is required. And your best is required every 00:35:43.050 --> 00:35:46.889 damn day. Simple as that. Right under it, you 00:35:46.889 --> 00:35:48.889 have poise and then you have confidence. Again, 00:35:49.110 --> 00:35:52.630 right? These are key, key steps, key blocks that 00:35:52.630 --> 00:35:56.030 will lead to that competitive greatness. And 00:35:56.030 --> 00:35:58.030 that would lead to the overall success of whatever 00:35:58.030 --> 00:36:01.019 you do, right? And then under that, we have condition, 00:36:01.380 --> 00:36:04.780 skill, team spirit. And then again, under that, 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:06.699 we have self -control, alertness, initiative, 00:36:06.860 --> 00:36:10.719 and intentness. And it's clear, right? Again, 00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:13.019 you don't see athleticism. You don't see scoring. 00:36:13.199 --> 00:36:18.500 You don't see skill -related blocks within this 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:22.099 pyramid. That's what leadership is. Leadership 00:36:22.099 --> 00:36:24.969 is not about winning games. It's about preparing 00:36:24.969 --> 00:36:27.170 kids for moments in life when their best is needed. 00:36:27.269 --> 00:36:29.630 And that can be anything on or off the court. 00:36:29.829 --> 00:36:32.309 And that's on us, the leaders in this community, 00:36:32.309 --> 00:36:37.449 to teach and to mentor and to guide, okay? So 00:36:37.449 --> 00:36:39.610 exactly why I'm doing what I do, right? Through 00:36:39.610 --> 00:36:42.489 this podcast, through my social media channels, 00:36:42.590 --> 00:36:45.329 it gives me the platform to kind of speak what's 00:36:45.329 --> 00:36:47.289 on my mind and talk about the experiences that 00:36:47.289 --> 00:36:49.809 I went through, through the game, on and off 00:36:49.809 --> 00:36:53.699 the court. But it's all tied to it, right? this 00:36:53.699 --> 00:36:56.400 allows me to kind of be a voice, right? And I'm 00:36:56.400 --> 00:36:58.760 not saying I'm anyone special. I've just played 00:36:58.760 --> 00:37:00.780 the game for a very long time and I've experienced 00:37:00.780 --> 00:37:03.139 quite a few things through the game, okay? And 00:37:03.139 --> 00:37:05.920 so for people that can relate to me, why not? 00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:10.039 Why not have a voice, okay? And then on top of 00:37:10.039 --> 00:37:11.960 that, you know, with my business, EliteFit Connect, 00:37:12.019 --> 00:37:15.960 a digital platform to streamline all the back 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:18.739 office operations, the admin tasks, the headaches 00:37:18.739 --> 00:37:21.840 through scheduling, keeping up with the calendar. 00:37:22.460 --> 00:37:27.679 collecting payments, invoicing, messaging, everything, 00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:32.579 everything and everything, all that, right? Content 00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:34.880 creation, content management, things like that. 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:40.380 This platform alleviates all of that. It takes 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:42.519 that off the plate of the trainer or the coach 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:46.219 so that way they can buy back time, right? So 00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:49.980 they can be on the court more to train and develop 00:37:49.980 --> 00:37:53.150 their players. Instead of being tied up in all 00:37:53.150 --> 00:37:56.869 the admin tasks, right? Because their main priority 00:37:56.869 --> 00:38:00.389 is to, you know, develop their players skillfully, 00:38:00.550 --> 00:38:05.650 help them grow into amazing people with great 00:38:05.650 --> 00:38:09.130 character, okay? Because that's what it's all 00:38:09.130 --> 00:38:12.150 about, growth, right? EFC isn't just a tool for 00:38:12.150 --> 00:38:14.090 business. It's a tool for leadership. It's built 00:38:14.090 --> 00:38:16.469 to free up time and energy so coaches can be 00:38:16.469 --> 00:38:19.630 present when they're needed most, okay? on the 00:38:19.630 --> 00:38:21.469 floor, in the huddle, in the conversations that 00:38:21.469 --> 00:38:23.750 matter, right? And that's true leadership in 00:38:23.750 --> 00:38:28.929 my eyes, okay? Yes, it is a tech platform. Sure, 00:38:29.110 --> 00:38:32.530 yes. But at the same time, it's built to help 00:38:32.530 --> 00:38:35.610 coaches and trainers spend more time on the court 00:38:35.610 --> 00:38:37.769 doing what they love most, okay? And that's the 00:38:37.769 --> 00:38:40.469 impact that I'm trying to create with EFC, along 00:38:40.469 --> 00:38:42.429 with building this community of trusted coaches 00:38:42.429 --> 00:38:44.710 and trainers to get back to the game the right 00:38:44.710 --> 00:38:51.650 way. As always, okay? I like leaving actionable 00:38:51.650 --> 00:38:54.389 steps or some kind of takeaway at the end of 00:38:54.389 --> 00:38:58.050 the podcast of each episode to make sure that 00:38:58.050 --> 00:39:02.309 we're getting better, we're developing, right? 00:39:03.010 --> 00:39:06.869 Especially if you're a young player, okay? Whether 00:39:06.869 --> 00:39:09.150 you're a leader on the court, on your team, you're 00:39:09.150 --> 00:39:11.750 a coach, you're a trainer, whoever you are, right? 00:39:11.909 --> 00:39:13.769 I think this will help tremendously. And these 00:39:13.769 --> 00:39:15.730 are some things that I do on a daily when it 00:39:15.730 --> 00:39:18.159 comes to leadership. You're always going to have 00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:21.739 to teach the why. It's never always what you're 00:39:21.739 --> 00:39:25.059 doing, but it's why you're doing whatever it 00:39:25.059 --> 00:39:27.460 is. So if you're a leader, don't just tell someone 00:39:27.460 --> 00:39:31.460 what to do. Explain why it matters. And that's 00:39:31.460 --> 00:39:34.099 how you build understanding. Why is it so important 00:39:34.099 --> 00:39:37.199 to watch film? What are you watching? Why are 00:39:37.199 --> 00:39:40.179 you watching? That's what a true leader does. 00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:43.059 The second thing is start applying these blocks. 00:39:43.659 --> 00:39:46.420 the John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Apply these 00:39:46.420 --> 00:39:49.280 blocks and maybe focus on one block maybe for 00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:52.079 a week. And then the next week you focus on another 00:39:52.079 --> 00:39:54.400 block. So this week, maybe start with loyalty. 00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:57.579 And then the next week it's self -control, right? 00:39:57.860 --> 00:40:02.199 And you practice living that and then you teach 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:05.260 it, okay? You live it, you model it in your everyday 00:40:05.260 --> 00:40:08.619 and then you teach it to your kids, okay? The 00:40:08.619 --> 00:40:11.340 third and final thing is, remember, you're not 00:40:11.340 --> 00:40:14.139 just coaching. You are a mentor. You are a guide. 00:40:14.960 --> 00:40:18.440 You are someone that these kids look up to. So 00:40:18.440 --> 00:40:20.480 it's more than just about teaching the game, 00:40:20.619 --> 00:40:23.340 okay? Think about different ways that you can 00:40:23.340 --> 00:40:26.260 guide someone beyond the game this week. I think 00:40:26.260 --> 00:40:28.920 that's an easy thing to do. Maybe it's talking 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:31.980 about just life off the court, right? Maybe it's 00:40:31.980 --> 00:40:35.699 about school. Are we putting emphasis on the 00:40:35.699 --> 00:40:37.420 work that's needed in the classroom? Because 00:40:37.420 --> 00:40:39.619 at the end of the day, if your grades aren't 00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:41.579 right, you're not going to go play college ball. 00:40:42.059 --> 00:40:43.699 Simple as that. I've known plenty of players 00:40:43.699 --> 00:40:45.340 who were great at what they did on the court, 00:40:45.400 --> 00:40:48.059 but never played a single game in college because 00:40:48.059 --> 00:40:51.619 their grades sucked, right? So are you just coaching 00:40:51.619 --> 00:40:53.659 the game or are you guiding them through life, 00:40:53.780 --> 00:40:56.019 right? Talk about the character, some things 00:40:56.019 --> 00:40:58.519 that they can improve as a person, as a leader, 00:40:58.659 --> 00:41:01.840 okay? That's leadership in action, all right? 00:41:03.079 --> 00:41:05.079 And the truth of the matter is, right, playing 00:41:05.079 --> 00:41:08.199 ball is great. Like it brings, it has brought 00:41:08.199 --> 00:41:10.980 such a joy to my life. It's opened so many doors 00:41:10.980 --> 00:41:14.210 in my life. Like, I cannot imagine life without 00:41:14.210 --> 00:41:16.809 basketball, even now, right? I just go play pickup 00:41:16.809 --> 00:41:21.070 and some controlled runs, right? And it still 00:41:21.070 --> 00:41:25.210 brings me joy. That's just the game. That's the 00:41:25.210 --> 00:41:28.670 beautiful thing about the game. But again, you 00:41:28.670 --> 00:41:30.630 have to know the game if you truly want to get 00:41:30.630 --> 00:41:32.769 to that next level. You have to understand it, 00:41:32.809 --> 00:41:35.489 right? You have to go through all these lessons. 00:41:35.570 --> 00:41:37.570 You have to go through all the ups and downs 00:41:37.570 --> 00:41:41.860 and expect that and be ready for it, okay? be 00:41:41.860 --> 00:41:43.900 willing to learn and grow from those lessons, 00:41:44.099 --> 00:41:46.920 right? Because that's where true leadership comes 00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:49.860 in. That's where your community comes in to help 00:41:49.860 --> 00:41:53.059 you through those times, okay? It's important 00:41:53.059 --> 00:41:56.739 for us who have been through it to serve, right? 00:41:56.880 --> 00:42:00.400 We got to give back in one way or another, right? 00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:02.840 We were fortunate to play the game for so long. 00:42:02.940 --> 00:42:05.780 So why can't we just give back and pour into 00:42:05.780 --> 00:42:07.980 the younger generation? Whether you're a player, 00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:10.940 whether you're a coach, Whether you're a trainer 00:42:10.940 --> 00:42:13.420 or a parent, whether you're someone like me going 00:42:13.420 --> 00:42:15.539 a different way, you know, it's a podcast, social 00:42:15.539 --> 00:42:20.320 media, a tech platform, right? We need you. We 00:42:20.320 --> 00:42:24.139 need us, right? Because it's important for us 00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:28.019 to guide, to mentor, and to model, right? These 00:42:28.019 --> 00:42:31.659 kids, whether it's through basketball or life 00:42:31.659 --> 00:42:33.500 in general, right? It's not always about the 00:42:33.500 --> 00:42:36.159 highlights or the clout. It's about learning 00:42:36.159 --> 00:42:39.010 who they are through the game. and who they can 00:42:39.010 --> 00:42:43.170 become from the game, okay? This was It's More 00:42:43.170 --> 00:42:45.969 Than a Game podcast powered by Elite Fit Connect. 00:42:47.030 --> 00:42:49.610 The third episode, again, we're making movement. 00:42:49.650 --> 00:42:51.829 We're making waves. I think this is awesome. 00:42:52.989 --> 00:42:55.130 And I get really nervous. I'm not going to lie. 00:42:55.190 --> 00:42:58.250 I do get nervous. And that's just me, right? 00:42:58.309 --> 00:43:00.469 That's just me. But I think it's because I'm 00:43:00.469 --> 00:43:03.429 passionate about the game. I still am. And I'll 00:43:03.429 --> 00:43:08.389 always be, right? Again, like I want to make 00:43:08.389 --> 00:43:11.210 sure that we build a community of just solid 00:43:11.210 --> 00:43:15.829 leaders to give back to the game. OK. And, you 00:43:15.829 --> 00:43:17.989 know, you know, maybe next time we can talk about 00:43:17.989 --> 00:43:21.130 like, what does talent look like? What does good 00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:24.230 talent look like? We can talk about what does 00:43:24.230 --> 00:43:26.429 hard work look like, because those aren't necessarily 00:43:26.429 --> 00:43:29.309 synonymous. Those are different. Right. And they 00:43:29.309 --> 00:43:32.309 can both lead to different things. But I will 00:43:32.309 --> 00:43:34.730 say, right, I do think hard work is always going 00:43:34.730 --> 00:43:36.590 to tip the scale. That's always going to put 00:43:36.590 --> 00:43:39.090 you over the edge. OK, because your talent can, 00:43:39.190 --> 00:43:41.389 again, can get you the looks. It can open the 00:43:41.389 --> 00:43:44.750 doors. But the hard work and all the other intangibles, 00:43:44.949 --> 00:43:48.010 you know, when we look at John Pyramids or John 00:43:48.010 --> 00:43:49.849 Wooden's Pyramid of Success, right, when we look 00:43:49.849 --> 00:43:52.250 at all those blocks, those are the things that 00:43:52.250 --> 00:43:55.650 actually matter. That's going to help you reach 00:43:55.650 --> 00:43:57.570 that level of success that you're looking for. 00:43:57.710 --> 00:44:00.570 OK, so again, I really appreciate you tuning 00:44:00.570 --> 00:44:03.239 in. Check us out on all platforms, social media, 00:44:03.480 --> 00:44:06.880 Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, this, that, 00:44:06.920 --> 00:44:09.519 and the third. And until then, right, stay consistent, 00:44:09.840 --> 00:44:13.260 stay hungry, keep working. Let's continue to 00:44:13.260 --> 00:44:15.699 build this legacy, right? Continue to build your 00:44:15.699 --> 00:44:18.820 pyramid, and I promise you, you will reap the 00:44:18.820 --> 00:44:22.400 rewards. And again, it's been a pleasure. This 00:44:22.400 --> 00:44:24.119 is It's More Than a Game podcast, and I will 00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:25.400 catch you next week. Peace.