Jim Burson

“It’s summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime, Sum sum summertime,
Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime,
Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime, summertime, summertime …”

If these lyrics immediately bring a melody to mind, then I know your age. If you’re not sure, check the bottom of the post for a link to this classic song by the Jamies. Actually, I knew it better when Jan & Dean sang it.

Summertime and the living is all about Nike. Yes, I know that’s a reference to a different song, but I just can’t help myself. Even though it’s still early May, for me it’s summertime because Nike summer basketball has begun again. I’ve already been to Minneapolis and Hampton, Virginia and will leave later this week for Dallas. At the end of the month I will go to Oakland.

The EYBL – Elite Youth Basketball League — is run by Nike for the forty teams that it sponsors and culminates in a summer national championship in Augusta, Georgia July 18-21. I’ve written about this before: 120 Games in 2 Days and Thoughts on My Nike Work. This involvement is tremendous for me as it keeps me in the game and also keeps me young.

Communication is talking and sharing

The word communication comes from the Latin communicatus, which means to share. In any aspect of life – work, friends, family – we must communicate. The amount of organization and communication it takes to put on one of the Nike tournaments is incredible. The ability to organize and, more importantly, to communicate what you want to do is one of the keys to success.

Can you imagine the Nike tournaments being run without officials, no scoreboard, no clock, no scorekeepers, no chairs to sit on? What about trainers, coaches, custodians, administrators? What about “details” like branding, shoes, shirts, travel and logistics arrangements? Then there are the concession stands and even the restrooms – cleanliness and maintenance. I think you get the point. All of this comes to life only through communication. There is a lot of communication necessary to put on these elite events.

You and I need to communicate with each other and all those around us to enrich and enhance our daily lives. We need to share information in an open and honest way with all those we come into contact with.

Communication is a two-way activity. You must first listen – really listen – and try to understand the other person’s problem. The real head coach and I communicate well because our first thought is, “How can I help you?” In working for Nike, my first thought is, “How can I make the tournaments better?”

Communication is one of Nike’s great assets because they are so thorough, pay attention to detail and most all, listen to others. This is a message we can apply to all phases of our lives – as a parent, as a spouse, as a co-worker, as a friend; we should always try to put the other person first.

Summertime and the living is easy – just listen and share and communicate well with everyone around you.

Quote of the Week

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Besop’s Thought

Most of you know by now that I have always enjoyed Aesop’s Fables – I’ve adapted them for basketball and named them Besops.

Talking

The Insight: I can’t get our players to talk on defense. It sounds like a morgue during practice. Demanding, yelling and screaming don’t seem to work. The players don’t communicate, they don’t anticipate – they just react. But I refuse to give up hope that it can get better.
The Pep Talk: Don’t demand the talk; instead, sell the concept. Put LEO on your team – teach your players how to communicate Loud, Early and Often. Communicating, not just talking, is a vital factor to your team’s success, particularly on defense. Players must be able to verbally direct their teammates in order to avoid screens and in defending against transition plays. Communication is also important for team morale, both on and off the floor.

This summer start all your communication with a smile and ask, “How can I help you?” See how warm and sunny your life will become.

If you like this blog, please share it on Facebook or Twitter or forward to a friend. Thank you.

“Sum Sum Summertime” by The Jamies (1958)
“Summertime” from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (1934), performed by Sam Cooke

Dr. James (Jim) F. Burson is a sought-after basketball consultant and motivational speaker. He is known as a “coach’s coach” for his lifetime commitment to improving the quality of the game at all levels.

Jim is writing a book, The Golden Whistle, and authors Jim Burson’s Solution-Based Basketball (www.jimburson.com), a popular blog about basketball and life. He is strategic marketing consultant for 94Fifty, a young company with revolutionary basketball technology.

Jim is a consultant for Nike and founded its Coaches Learning Academy for youth coaches. He also evaluates Nike’s prestigious Skills Academies and Elite Youth Basketball League.

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A year ago, my word for the year was [color]“finish.”[/color] I was bent on finishing the book I was writing. But after I finished writing I discovered that there was much more to do: editing, formatting, layout, cover design, then getting concerned with publishing – self-publish, tradition, hybrid – and marketing. To do it right, to accomplish my goal of sharing my ideas with others through this book, I had to go beyond my notion of the book being “finished” after the words were written.

I wasn’t “finished;” I needed to go beyond. My word for 2012 is [color]beyond[/color].

This brings me to solution-based basketball: never be satisfied with where you are today as a coach; always go “beyond” to the next level, the next game, the next season. There is always something more to learn, a way to get another edge, an opportunity for deeper understanding, the need for an even stronger, effective relationship with players.

As a coach you must be ready for the games and for the seasons, but you must also go beyond to new levels every day because you never know what you’ll encounter. Solution-based basketball gets you ready for the games, the seasons and for life.

Solution-based basketball allows you to discover who you are as a coach. You do this by learning, by growing, by reading, by studying, by preparing and by going beyond where you are. This allows you to go beyond being a coach to becoming a teacher, to strive always to become the best you can be. And to have your players go beyond just playing the game to becoming a player of life.

I have tried to capture the essence of solution-based basketball in my book, The Golden Whistle. Here is a summary of the story’s plot followed by the titles of the Ten Golden Nuggets that are contained in the book:

Coach Faylor has had a long and highly successful career. He is thought to be one of the great coaches in the history of the game. Legend has it that many years ago he received the Ten Golden Nuggets of coaching, that the wisdom contained in this book could turn a coach’s whistle to gold and that this has been the secret to Faylor’s success.

Faylor’s star student assistant, an eager and ambitious young man, asks if he can stay on after graduation as assistant. Instead, Faylor sends him to a coaching position at a nearby high school that hasn’t had a winning season in twenty years. Two years later, the young man is fired and returns to Faylor’s office with his head hanging. He is astonished when Faylor says that he wants to share the secrets of the Ten Golden Nuggets with him, explaining that he is far from a failure.

1. Change How You Learn the Game
2. The Love Chapter
3. Desire Deters Failure
4. Put the Beating Stick Down
5. I Can Choose to Increase My Value
6. Circumstances and Situations Be Damned
7. Do It – Do It Right – Do It Right Now
8. Opportunities In Disguise
9. I Will Mine Each Loss for Nuggets
10. Lord, I Ask That You Bless Me Indeed

You’ll have to read the book to learn about the young man’s experiences as a first-time coach and why Faylor would want to share cherished insights with someone who had just been fired.

In the meantime, I hope you will check out my blog and join the community of solution-based basketball coaches. I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll close this with a Besop’s Thought. These are based on Aesop’s Fables, which I love and which I’ve adapted to basketball.

[color]Pass It On[/color]

The Insight: Come on in and sit down. There are some things you need to understand.
You’re a good player.
You can get better.
Physically, you’ve got to push yourself harder.
Mentally, you need to increase your awareness of the game.
You need to think team first and me second.
But you must go beyond.
Your education must come first and you need to attend every class.
The Pep Talk: Can you do these things? My high school coach’s words still ring clear in my mind. He made a difference in my game and in my life. Well, I’m coaching now and I hope to make a difference. The best pass in basketball is to pass it on! Always go beyond.

Hope you’ll become as a good a coach as you can possibly be. See you at the blog. [color]Go beyond![/color]

JimBurson.com

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