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You Need a Spark to be Explosive

My personal opinion as a basketball sister.

By Keesha M.Published 3 years ago 3 min read
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Basketball in Kentucky is like soccer in Spain. You grow up watching basketball, you play it and your dad coaches up until middle or high school, but he keeps his hands in AAU until college. You spend every weekend at tournaments and week nights in the backyard testing out your skills against the family!

For my little brother, this has been reality for his entire 16 years of life! He’s a sophomore now, but I remember that he could shoot a basketball with accuracy at 3. I remember when he played an elementary school game and moved the ball so effortlessly that even high school students asked me about him. When he picked up a football, people were equally amazed! It wasn’t until he was in middle school though that I noticed just how gifted he was. On offense he could flow like paint gliding across a white canvas. The ease was unmatched, and at the same time he could break down defenses like a tactition.

I was so excited to watch my brother this year. 6’1 and growing, barely 16 and easily dropping 30 to 40 points in AAU over the summer. I was all in, everyone was. The Broncos, on the other hand, don’t know him like we do. The coach never saw my brother. He never noticed every practice, strength training or film day my brother attended. Even optional ones were attended religiously. He didn’t see the pain in my brothers eyes during the first game against the Bulldogs when he could barely breathe he was injured so badly. He just asked him why he didn’t do more. He didn’t see my brother, but I did.

After that, it was time for the playoffs. With the senior Broncos charging full steam ahead, there isn’t much room for underclassman. As I sat and watched our team win over the Bulldogs tonight, I looked at the floor. I saw a team that had probably been good for years. I mean, every player had probably spent years practicing and training in hopes of making it this far, farther even. And in that moment I got it. The difference between the people out on the floor and the people on the bench isn’t always talent. Even Michael Jordan was underestimated at one point, right?

The coach can be a driving force in whether or not a gifted kid succeeds. The coach is a spark, a flame to his players and each time he ignites a player they have two options! They can be explosive on the court or fizzle out, but the spark must come first. If a coach doesn’t believe in a player or condemns them to the bench for the players he’s used to, how will he ever know what he’s missing. As a coach, you are meant to inspire, encourage, and bring out the best in players. Coaching has become so commonplace that it seems we’ve moved on from building players up to hand picking ready-made athletes. Maybe it’s favoritism, maybe it’s fear, but in my opinion anyone having an off day can be subbed out.

My advice to all coaches: don’t let politics or alliances keep you from igniting that player. The quiet one, the kid that just moved here, the ones you still haven’t gotten the chance to know can surprise you. In my brothers case, it would be well worth the wait!

basketball
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About the Creator

Keesha M.

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