The A-Team

Anything is possible! Kevin Garnett infamously exclaimed this phrase after he got the "bully off his back" in 2008 when the Celtics won their 17th NBA title. It was the pinnacle of Garnett's Hall of Fame career. KG solidified himself as one of the all-time great power forwards once the buzzer sounded to end Game 6 and he hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy for the world to see. Despite having never won a championship as a Head Coach, I've had a couple of these KG moments where I have truly felt like "anything is possible."

One of the most difficult personalities I've ever had to work with is Lanky. Authority doesn't exist in his world. He's stubborn as heck and is one of the cockiest guys I've ever coached. Despite all of this, it's very clear that he comes from solid stock. As a result of this, through the bad times I kept the faith that at some point I could possibly break through to him. Last season, on a team where our leading scorer had a 2.2 GPA, Lanky posted a 1.9 GPA. At one point, he had even told me that school wasn't for him.

When he decided to return for a second season, I had a strong sense that he would emerge as our "leader" this season. With that in mind, I spent a lot of time this past summer talking to him (and other returning players) about the importance of strong leadership. I explained that incoming players are usually followers, and that it was incumbent upon the four second year players to create a winning atmosphere. During one exchange, he expressed strong reservations about taking on the role I was asking of him.

Lanky: The role you're asking me to play ain't easy.
Me: Why's that? It's who you are. You're a fearless guy. Your teammates look up to you.
Lanky: Yeh but that's during games.
Me: If you're a leader during games, you can be a leader in practice and in other ways too. That character trait doesn't just come and go.
Lanky: I hear you, but I'm just not comfortable speaking up to dudes when stuff is going wrong in practice.
Me: Why?
Lanky: They're gonna think i'm a suck up, like I'm kissing the coach's ass.

He finished the semester as our leading scorer and rebounder (18.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg). He also had a 2.85 GPA, the highest in his three semesters with me thus far. His teammates, many of whom came in with sub 2.0 GPAs from high school, fell in line with a cumulative 2.67 as a group.