Let's Go Team!

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."
- Ryunsuke Satoro

***
Rick Pitino is considered a successful and well respected basketball coach. He has coached at both the collegiate and professional levels. 1n 1996 he led the University of Kentucky to a national championship. Currently, Coach Pitino is the head basketball coach at the University of Louisville. Throughout his coaching career, Rick Pitino has demanded that his players understand the true meaning of teamwork.

The following story speaks to Coach Pitino’s teamwork philosophy. In 1985, Pitino accepted the head coaching job at Providence College. Many of his friends and colleages attempted to talk him out of taking the job. Because of the basketball atomosphere at Providence, many thought he was committing career suicide. The basketball program at Providence had struggled for years. There was no winning attitude, no sense of pride and no spirit of teamwork. Pitino set out to change all that.

During one of his initial meetings with the new team, Pitino wrote four words on a blackboard: basketball, academics, work ethic, and family. He told his players that these 4 variables were critical to the success of any basketball team.

After finishing writing on the chalkboard, Pitino turned to his players and asked, “How many of you want to be play in the NBA after college?” Immediately, each player raised a hand. Pitino responded, “You had a losing season last year and not one of you averaged more than 10 points a game. He erased the word basketball and told his players, “None of you would not be considered a success in basketball.”

Next, he said, “I've seen your grades, it's also obvious you aren't successful in your school work either. With that he erased the word academics.

He turned to the team’s trainer and asked the trainer how many players had been in the gym every day since the season ended to work on their game. "'Not one, Coach,” the trainer said. Pitino sternly admonished his players about their work ethic. He erased “work ethic” and said, “It’s apparent you don’t have a good work ethic.”

Coach Pitino said, “Let’s see, you would not be considered successful in basketball, you don’t apply yourself in the classroom and none of you have what would be considered a good work ethic… Hopefully, you're a close team and you care about each other.” With that a player by the name of Harold Starks quickly stood up and declared, “We're a close team, coach”

Pitino then asked Harold Starks, if his teammate, Steve Wright had any brothers. He followed that question with what does Billy Donovan’s father do for a living. Starks had no answer and responded, “Coach, I really don’t know.” He posed the questions to all of his players and not one player could answer his questions.

Pitino admonished his players by saying, “You really don’t know your teammates. You’re not a team, you‘re really just a collection of individuals pretending to be a team.” With that he made each player stand up and talk about himself and his family. Throughout the season, Pitino continued to focus on the principles of teamwork. Each player was expected to get to know one another on a personal level. The players began to learn that they were no longer teammates simply by the virtue of being on the same team; they were teammates because they got to know one another beyond a superficial level, they learned to care about one another and they shared a common goal: win basketball games by putting the team first. Pitino’s philosophy paid off: twenty-two months later, Providence College made it to the NCAA Final Four.

Rick Pitino knows that a successful team is a team with members that not only care about the mission of the team, but the members also care about one another. When Pitino inherited his players at Providence, they knew nothing of teamwork. Instead, they focused on what was best for themselves and as a result they were neither successful as a team, nor as an individual players. Once they grasped the true meaning of teamwork, the team became better, they became better teammates, they became better players, and, more importantly,they became better people.

How about you? What teams are you on? Remember, any number of individuals with a common purpose can constitute a team. Think about your family, friends, work, clubs, and organizations. What type of team member are you? Do you genuinely care about your team members? Or, are you on the team for the sole benefit of what best suits your needs. Rick Pitino’s first year at Providence should teach all of us a lesson in teamwork. In order for a team to be successful, each member must be committed to perfecting their talent, pursuing knowledge, displaying a solid work ethic and caring for and supporting one another.

The next time you get together with your team, embrace Pitino’s philosophy for team success. I can't guarantee success on the level of a national championship, but I can guarantee that both you and your team will be better off for trying.

Let’s go team!

It’s your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD