Champions Today

In our program at Bob Jones University, we have focused our attention on becoming #ChampionsToday.  This mindset comes from a talk that Adam Bradley of the Hardwood Hustle gave to our team this past January as we were visiting Washington DC.  By focusing on building championship habits in everything we do, we began to see positive change within our team both on and off the court.

Our motto is "Live Christ."  We are a Christian university and our main goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in everything we do.  We want people to see Jesus through our daily actions and words.  The mindset of being #ChampionsToday has given everyone in our program an opportunity to give praise to Jesus by the way we do everything.  The way we workout, pay attention, study, behave in the dorms/hotel room, behave on the bus, practice, take notes, etc. are all indications of us being champions and living the way Christ would live.  As we bring the summer to a close and begin focusing our attention on academics and basketball, we are striving to carry out the mindset of being #ChampionsToday and ultimately bringing glory to Jesus through the way we do everything!

Follow our program on Twitter & Instagram @BJUBruinsMBB

Remaining Content During the Coaching Carousel of March Madness

Be content.  Every year, right around this time, I begin to dream my biggest dreams.  It seems natural for a basketball coach to do a lot of dreaming during March Madness, doesn't it?  I mean, every night there is a game on television that comes down to the buzzer when coaches & players run around like little kids, filled to the brim with excitement.  I can't help but think about what it will be like when I get to experience those emotions someday.  The emotions of winning a conference championship and earning a birth in the NCAA Tournament.  The emotions of celebrating with young men who worked so hard for so long to achieve something together.  The emotions of climbing a ladder and cutting down a small piece of net that symbolizes you are the best.  The emotions of going into the locker room and realizing that we just accomplished something that very few people ever have the chance to do.  I want to experience that someday!  What coach doesn't?

It's no secret that I want to be a division 1 coach someday.  In fact, I often times hold imaginary timeouts and pregame talks in my living room (when my wife isn't home) preparing myself for that moment when the game or our season is on the line.  As seasons are coming to an end there are so many coaches on the move.  Whether it's a promotion to a new job or getting fired from an old job, the coaching carousel at every level of college basketball is spinning fast this month.  Who will get what job?  Who do I know at that school?  Who do I know that knows someone that knows someone?  How can I break into this business?  Be honest coaches - you all ask those questions trying to figure out how you could land a position.  I'm guilty of it, especially this time of year. But I know that having a mindset of "what's next" isn't always the best one to have and I have learned (and continue to learn) how to deal with those emotions of trying to get the next job.

Currently, I am an assistant coach at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.  It's a small school that is in only it's 3rd year of intercollegiate athletics.  I have been here all 3 years and have enjoyed my part in building this program.  I make a decent salary.  I work for a great head coach.  Our staff is wonderful.  Our facilities are some of the best (if not the best) in the state of South Carolina.  But I always find myself at this time of year asking, "what's next?" questioning if I truly am content in my current position.  Why is that?

It's a constant battle to remain content.  I have found that reading through Philippians 4 every March helps me understand God's call for me as a coach.  I would highly recommend reading this regardless of your position, level, or circumstance in coaching.  There are so many great things that Paul encourages us with as he writes.  The first verse that always pops out to me is verse 4.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"

- I'm reminded to find my joy in the Lord, not in my job, salary, or circumstance.

The second verse that always helps me and convicts me as a coach are verses 6-7.  Paul tells us not to worry, but instead to pray and be thankful.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- I'm reminded that I need to place everything in God's hands.  

Then in verses 8-9 he tells us a list of good things to think on.  If and when we think about these things he encourages us to put them into practice & God's peace will be given to us.  That is so encouraging to me to know that God is on my side.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

- I'm reminded that I need to keep my mind focused on things that are going to serve and help others around me.

The next section of the passage (verses 10-20) talk about how God will then provide for us.  I'm always uplifted and rejuvenated after reading this, especially verses 11-13.  The words in these verses make me thankful for a God who cares about me and always has my back.

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

- I'm reminded that even if I want to be coaching at a higher level - I need to be content where God has me because he is shaping me and growing me to become a great coach in the future.  He gives us strength to be content.

It is so easy as a coach to always be looking for the next best thing, the greener pasture.  My challenge that I place on myself is to focus on God and the list that Paul gave us to think about and let things fall into place.  It is so easy to worry or be anxious about moving up the coaching ladder.  Instead, I have learned to focus on being the best I can be in the current position that God has placed me in.  It's not always easy, but it's necessary.  Embrace the current process and do things daily that will continue to make you better.  I'm confident that if God wants me in another position he will open the door, but until that happens I need to continue to be content where I'm at.  I'm thankful that God has placed me at a great university with great people.  

If you are a young coach looking for a job, a current coach looking to move up, or an old coach that may have just been fired - read Philippians 4 and meditate on the truths and promises that God gives us when it comes to being content.  It's powerful and I truly believe that God blesses us when we find contentment in Him!

Happy March Madness.

Who Can Lead?

"Leadership is the ability to get individuals to work together for the common good and the best possible results while at the same time letting them know they did it themselves.

Some people are automatic leaders.  Some can never be leaders.  But many who don't think of themselves as leaders have the potential to become such if they understand the fundamentals of getting individuals to work together."

An excerpt from "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" by John Wooden

Eight Suggestions for Succeeding

If you are wanting to be a great leader and a great coach, the first book you should read is "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" by Coach John Wooden.  This was the first book that I read while in middle school that really ignited the passion for me to coach.  In it, there are so many valuable nuggets that represent wisdom and knowledge of not only basketball, but every aspect of life.  One of the lessons in the book is a list of his "Eight Suggestions for Succeeding" and it reads like this:

1. Fear no opponent. Respect every opponent.

2. Remember, it's the perfection of the smallest details that make big things happen.

3. Keep in mind that hustle makes up for many a mistake.

4. Be more interested in character than reputation.

5. Be quick, but don't hurry.

6. Understand that the harder you work, the more luck you will have.

7. Know that valid self-analysis is crucial for improvement.

8. Remember that there is no substitute for hard work and careful planning.  Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.


Buy this book here.

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The Bridge Builder

An old man going down a lone highway
Came in the evening cold and gray
To a chasm vast and deep and wide
Through which was flowing  a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
That swollen stream held no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm deep and wide --
Why build you this bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This swollen stream which was naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

Are You Strong Enough To Handle Critics?

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt; 26th President of the United States 

What Is Class?

"Class never runs scared.  It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along.

Jacob had it.  Esau didn't.  Symbolically, we can look to Jacob's wrestling match with the angel.  Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal "angel" and won a victory that marks them thereafter.

Class never makes excuses.  It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.

Class is considerate of others.  It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices.

Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money.  The most affluent blueblood can be totally without class while the descendant of a Welsh miner may ooze class from every pore.

Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down.

Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.

Class can "walk with kings and keep its virtue, and talk with crowds and keep the common touch."  Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class - because he is comfortable with himself.

If you have class, you don't need much of anything else.  If you don't have it, no matter what else you have - it doesn't make much difference."

An excerpt from the book "The Edge" written and published by Howard E. Ferguson.

Follow Me

Coaching is leadership, and leadership is influence.  Therefore, coaching is influence.  Our players will be influenced by many things throughout their lives, so it is vital that we make a positive impact on them while we have the opportunity.  Billy Graham once said, "One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime."  Knowing the influence we possess as coaches, we need to ask ourselves regularly how we are impacting the lives of our players.  We can simply yell, scream, and tell them what to do, or we can just sit back and let them figure it out on their own.  Either way, the players we coach will be influenced by our leadership.  We can win every game on our schedule and tell our players they are successful, or we can lose every game and make them feel worthless.  How we lead our players is crucial because they will remember our influence for the rest of their lives.  But if coaches are supposed to lead and players are supposed to follow, who is leading the coaches?

Matthew 16:24-27 says, "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?  Or what shall a man give in return for his life?  For the Son of Man is going to come with this angels in the glory of the Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.""

The greatest coach of all-time was Jesus Christ, and his example is the one we as coaches should let influence our lives.  If we can deny ourselves daily of our pride, selfishness, greed, and worldly ambition, then Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him.  Matthew makes it clear that following Jesus is no easy task.  It is not a life that will necessarily lead to health or wealth.  It is not a life that will necessarily lead to comfort.  Jesus does promise, however, that it will be worth it.  Sometimes as coaches we believe we can figure it all out on our own.  We think that winning will come if only we work harder, watch one more game film, make one more phone call, or practice a little bit longer.  We are driven by the lie that says we can achieve success on our own power and strength.  The truth is that we can only be satisfied if we deny our self, take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Our players are hungry for leadership, so let's make sure we are feeding them influence from the greatest leader of all-time, Jesus!

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Readers Make Leaders

In 2010, I was challenged by one of the best coaches in the country to read 50 books in one year, a lofty goal!  Alan Stein (@AlanStein), the strength and conditioning coach at DeMatha Catholic High School and owner of Stronger Team, achieved this goal in 2009 and really made me want to accomplish it as well (Praise God, I did).  I've always loved reading, but that was really the first time in my life that I realized how much of an impact books would make on me as I develop into a better leader.  I was hooked.

In the past two years, I have also set goals to read a certain number of books throughout the year.  In 2011, I read 20 books and in 2012 I read 25 books.  This year I have decided to compose a list of books that I would like to get through, and will be adding more along the way.  Hopefully by 2015 I will back to the goal of reading 50 books in a year!

So far in 2013 I have finished two books from my list.  "The Energy Bus" and "Training Camp", both by Jon Gordon.  Through reading these two books alone, I believe that I have developed greatly as a leader and I am excited to read more by Jon Gordon and other authors as well.

As I continue to grow and mature into the leader God has called me to be, I anticipate reading to be an essential part of that.  Looking back over the years I would contribute a significant amount of my learning to reading books.  Although I enjoy reading books on leadership, business, basketball, and religion, my true joy is reading my Bible.  Jesus was the greatest leader of all-time, and if I only had one book in my possession, I would want it to be my Bible.  I am ecstatic to share my experiences with members of our basketball program at BJU (@BJUBruins) and hopefully this passion will rub off on others along the way!  I believe that every coach needs to become a reader if they are expecting to lead their team to success both on and off the court.  If you are interested in reading some books this year, here is my reading list for 2013:

1. "The Energy Bus" by Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11)

2. "Training Camp" by Jon Gordon

3. "The Explicit Gospel" by Matt Chandler (@MattChandler74)

4. "Date Your Wife" by Justin Buzzard (@JustinBuzzard)

 5. "Real Marriage" by Mark Driscoll (@PastorMark)

6. "The Fred Factor" by Mark Sanborn (@Mark_Sanborn)

7. "A Hole in Our Holiness" by Kevin DeYoung (@RevKevDeYoung)

8. "The Good Life" by Trip Lee (@TripLee116)

9. "One Word That Will Change Your Life" by Dan Britton (@fcadan)

10. "The Positive Dog" by Jon Gordon

11. "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect" by John Maxwell (@JohnCMaxwell)

12. "The 360 Leader" by John Maxwell

13. "No Complaining Rule" by Jon Gordon

14. "The Seed" by Jon Gordon

15. "Soup" by Jon Gordon

16. "Creature of the Word" by Matt Chandler

17. "Who Do You Think You Are?" by Mark Driscoll

18. "Underdawgs" by David Woods

19. "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" by Tullian Tchividijan (@PastorTullian)

20. "Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be" by Glade Curtis

21. "I Am Second" by Doug Bender

22. "How to Be Like Walt" by Pat Williams (@OrlandoMagicPat)

23. "Go For the Magic" by Pat Williams

24. "Dr. Jack's Ledership Lessons from a Lifetime in Basketball" by Dr. Jack Ramsay

25. "What the Dog Saw" by Malcom Gladwell (@MalcGladwell)

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