Beyond Basketball Read online

  A key question in leading, and particularly in parenting, is: how do I discover what my child is passionate about? My advice would be to allow a young person to try as many things as they can: science, history, sports, music, art, writing. Allow them to attempt a number of things and then simply watch for their eyes to light up. I knew my daughter Lindy had a passion for theater from looking into her eyes after her first play, just like I knew Steve Wojciechowski’s passion for leadership after watching him in one of his high school games. It is vital that you allow people to discover their own passions.

  My passion has been for teaching and coaching, from the days when I organized my buddies into teams in a Chicago schoolyard, to acting as a player-coach on a post basketball team while serving in the Army, to having the opportunity to coach some of the world’s elite athletes as the United States National Team coach. One of the reasons I have been able to achieve some of these things is that I never kept my passion to myself. I told my parents what I loved to do early on in life, and as a result, they were supportive of the decisions I made, even when they did not completely understand. Additionally, I have always shared my goals with my wife, Mickie, and she has been my most important teammate throughout our marriage and career. Sharing your passion with those who love you can provide you with the support you need to overcome obstacles along the way. Likewise, it is vital that you be supportive of the passions of those whom you love, particularly your spouse and children.

  Additionally, in putting together a team, it is important that the leader not be the sole passion-provider for that team. You have to find others who feel the same way you do. This is one reason I surround myself with assistant coaches who are equally motivated. During videotape sessions and scouting reports that often last all night, my assistants and I continually find strength and inspiration in each other’s drive toward our common goal. Surrounding yourself with other passionate people can help keep you motivated and driven.

  PASSION IN ACTION

  No one who has heard one of his broadcasts can deny Dick Vitale’s passion for the game of basketball. I was surprised when I learned that Dick had begun his career as an accountant following his graduation from Seton Hall with a business degree. But for him, accounting was his job, not his passion. So he took a great risk in pursuing a coaching career and was initially met with many letters of rejection. However, because he never stopped listening to his passion and had the support of his family, Dick eventually landed a coaching spot at an elementary school. His passion continued to lead him to the high school coaching ranks, then to college, and even to the NBA before he became a broadcaster with ESPN. Dick has indicated to me that the reason behind his success in broadcasting is the fact that he’s never really felt like a broadcaster. He approaches the game with the passion of a player and a coach, and as a result he feels the necessary empathy for those he discusses on television. His contagious passion, quite frankly, is why he is the best in the business.

  My friend Jim Valvano was one of the most passionate people I have ever known. College basketball fans may remember his celebratory run, arms extended, across the court after North Carolina State’s last-second victory to win the National Championship in 1983. But Jimmy’s legacy extends well beyond the boundary lines of the basketball court.

  When Jimmy was diagnosed with incurable cancer in 1992, he started his passionate crusade to discover a cure for the disease. Jimmy knew that he could not be saved, but he was not stymied by this fact. His passion became to beat cancer, even though he knew the victory would come after his death. He enlisted the help of many of his good friends, including myself and Dick Vitale, and he acted on his passion along with the passions of his teammates by starting the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. To date, the foundation has raised over $50 million and is now fully endowed. Jimmy V’s legacy is a legacy of passion. And now it is up to those of us on the foundation board, contributors, and those doctors and scientists who are passionate about what they do to finish what Jimmy started.

  Anytime I need to put in perspective what passion is really all about, I watch the tape of Jimmy’s speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards. When he finishes with the amazing words, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” I get chills remembering what true passion can empower someone to do.

  Poise

  Poise: keeping your composure in spite of the circumstances.

  Poise requires maturity. It’s about remaining mentally and emotionally balanced all the time, no matter what is taking place around you.

  In competition, the element of poise can make you appear much stronger in the eyes of your opponent than can your talent alone. I tell my players that you never want to show your opponent a weakness through your words, facial expressions, or body language. No matter what they are saying to you, no matter what the crowd is chanting, if you can show poise, you demonstrate to your opponent that they cannot rattle you. Just keep your mind on what you’re doing and maintain that inner balance. Act like you have been there before and that you expect to do well.

  When one of our bigger players is positioned on the offensive end of the court, near the basket, we say that he is “in the post.” Many times when this player receives the ball, he is instantly guarded by two defenders who are trying to double-team him. Being double-teamed creates quite a challenge and it is hard to keep your wits about you. On our teams, we continually use the expression with our post players that they must show “poise in the post.” This means that if you get double-teamed, you must remain composed. Remember your training and make a choice. Ask yourself: What do I do? Do I pass the ball out to a teammate? Do I make a move to the basket? Do not panic. Make a play.

  The opposite of poise is panic, and if your opponent sees that, they will double-team you time and time again. If you can maintain composure, though, your opponent’s best efforts are foiled. They will see that they have not succeeded in robbing you of your poise and they will know that they cannot dictate your reaction.

  Likewise, as a guard, you can find yourself facing full-court pressure defense, or being trapped by defenders in one of the corners of the court. Do you let panic set in and turn the ball over? Again, remember your training and make a choice. Do you call timeout? Or can you see past the trap to an open teammate who is prepared to score?

  In moments of doubt, I tell my players to listen to that voice inside their head and to be sure that the voice is always positive. It’s the one that says things like, “I’m good” and “I can do this.” Tune out the voice that says things like, “Oh no” and “I’m really in trouble, here.” If you make a habit of this, that negative voice will eventually disappear entirely.

  When you are able to show poise as an individual, you set an example for others of how to handle a tough situation. This is why, even in stressful game situations, I try to never let my team see fear or defeat on my face. I want to show them, through my own actions, the path to success. I want to show them that I’ve been there before.

  There come times when it is necessary for you and your team to show poise together. When the game is on the line and one play will decide whether you win or lose, the team that exhibits maturity and poise has the greatest chance of coming out victorious.

  I believe that sport is a tremendous venue in which young people can develop poise. The value of sport is in using the lessons learned on the court or the playing field to help you in other aspects of your life. Poise is not about winning and losing—you can show poise and still lose a game. However, you will have a much better chance of winning if you learn how to keep your composure in spite of the circumstances.

  Pressure

  Pressure is a compelling influence. It can be suffocating, stifling, and can cause individuals to resort to negative action or no action at all.

  When you are attempting to deal with pressure, there are some things that you can do to ensure that it does not overwhelm you and that you become better as a result of the experience.

  The ability to h
andle pressure is all in how you look at it. I look at being put under pressure as an opportunity to show how strong and capable you and your team really are.

  Preparation is key if you hope to operate well under pressure. Hopefully, during the course of your training, you have done enough thinking about what it is like to feel pressure. If you think about the potential for pressure in advance, you can use repetitions and simulations in practice to help you feel as if you have been in that spot before.

  Another way to help cope with pressure is segmenting. I try to divide the situation into manageable steps rather than considering the imposing big picture. It seems much more simplistic. When it becomes a task-by-task process, the big picture will not cause overwhelming pressure. When one of my basketball teams goes into the NCAA Tournament, we do just that. If I went into the locker room and said, “Okay, here is what we need to do. We need to win six games and become National Champions,” that would put an undue amount of pressure on the team. Instead, I tell them to focus on one game at a time and to segment the NCAAs into three two-game tournaments. If we win our first two games, we go to the Sweet Sixteen, if we win our next two, we go to the Final Four, and if we win the next two, we are National Champions. Each of those segments becomes a four-team tournament that we have to win in order to advance, and that is much less intimidating.

  In addition, if you have built a great support group around you, you know that the pressure is not yours to deal with on your own. Therefore, another part of segmenting is dividing up responsibility among members of your team. This past year, we had an end-of-game pressure situation on our home court against Virginia Tech. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock, we were down by one point and needed to go full-court and score in order to win the game. Josh McRoberts’s responsibility was to get the ball inbounds. Sean Dockery’s part was to catch the ball and shoot. Our staff had put the play together. The players on the bench and students in the stands needed to provide support and keep the level of intensity high. That way, each member of the team was able to focus on a specific task rather than on the big picture, which was: we had a heck of a lot to do in a very short amount of time in order to win. But everyone maintained the understanding that we are a part of a team, and in this pressure situation each player just had to do his part and trust that the others would do the same. As a result of this segmenting of responsibility, Sean Dockery was able to hit a three-pointer from just across half-court and we won the game 77–75!

  Ultimately, having pressure on you is a healthy thing. If you are never put in pressure situations, you are not testing your limits and you will never see how far you can go. You are just playing it safe. And remember, for those times you do not succeed under the pressure, if you do not hit that last-second shot, you should never consider yourself a failure. You should feel proud that you have done your very best in a tough situation. Even when it feels like the pressure is on, never fear the result of your best effort. Just concentrate on making the play.

  PRESSURE IN ACTION

  In all my years of coaching, no player has handled pressure more gracefully than Christian Laettner. A two-time National Champion, one of the only players in history to play in four Final Fours, 1992 National Player of the Year, and the all-time NCAA Tournament leader in points scored, Christian hit more pressure shots than anyone I have ever coached: a last-second shot against Connecticut his sophomore year to send us to the 1990 Final Four, two free throws against UNLV his junior season that led us to the 1991 National Championship, and the incredible last-second shot versus Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional final that will live forever in the memories of basketball fans.

  Christian thrived under pressure. He loved it. And now, years later, talking to him about those shots reminds me of how I must continue to coach my future teams to operate under pressure. When I asked him how he was able to handle pressure so well, he said to me, “Because I had a responsibility to the people around me to do my best. I always knew that the only people I had to answer to were the people in the locker room. That was my responsibility and that is why I wanted to succeed.” He told me that the staff at Duke had taught him that he could be successful if he gave of himself to be a part of the team. His team was his primary motivation when he was, what he called “blessed,” to be put in those pressure situations.

  I marvel when I listen to Christian, because what seems so plainly simple to him is nearly impossible for others to see. But if more players can look at it the way Christian did, perhaps they can find enough strength in those around them, in their team, and in their preparation to realize that these situations really are blessings. Then they can confidently give their all and never, ever fear the result.

  Pride

  Pride can come from many sources, but ultimately it can be defined as self-respect and a feeling of satisfaction over an accomplishment. It can also be a feeling you get from being a part of something bigger than you.

  There is a dignity that comes from doing something well or being a part of a group that does something well. Pride means having an understanding that you put your signature on everything that you do and ensuring then that what you do is done in the best manner possible.

  The first person to ever teach me about pride was my mom. She told me, “Michael, everything you do has your personal signature on it. You should take pride in it because it’s yours.” As I have grown older, I have come to develop a better and deeper understanding of what she meant. You do not have pride in something because it earns you accolades or because someone gives you a trophy or tells you it’s great. The pride comes not in the recognition you receive for something, but merely in doing that thing to the best of your ability. Whether you are playing a basketball game, painting a portrait, or cleaning your house, you should take deliberate pride in it because it is a reflection of you. It will always carry your signature.

  But my mom didn’t merely teach me pride by telling me what it means, she taught me by being an example of pride in everything she did, right down to the way she made chocolate chip cookies. No matter what day it was or who the cookies were for, she always made them the exact same way: the very best way she could. She put the utmost care and paid such attention to detail that each cookie would have an equal number of chocolate chips. When we couldn’t afford much, there were three chips. Later, there were four. But they were always the same because they were always the best chocolate chip cookies she could make. After all, they were hers. Anything that Emily Krzyzewski did was going to be the best.

  That type of pride is individual pride and it is vital to have in every aspect of your life. But the greatest pride of all comes from being a part of something that you could never do alone—being a part of a team. Players on a basketball team, members of a great family, troops serving in the military: those people have the potential to feel the greatest pride of all. Then, in everything you do, not only do you sign it with your personal signature, but with that of the group as a whole: Duke, the Krzyzewskis, the United States of America.

  One of the proudest days of my life was when I was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. While standing at the podium that day, I could not help but think of my dad. When my parents were young, times were difficult for an immigrant family with a distinctly Polish name. In order to avoid the inevitable ethnic discrimination he would experience, my dad actually shortened his name to the more acceptable William Kross. This helped him in applying for jobs and when he served as a private in the United States Army during World War II. The pride I felt at my induction was multiplied by the pride I knew my father would feel were he still living. Now the name Krzyzewski would join some of the greatest names in basketball: Erving, Russell, Knight, Smith.

  To think that at one point my dad had to change his name, and now—his real name, our family name, the name we are all proud of—would be looked upon with honor and distinction. What an amazing moment!

  It was the concept of collective pride that inspired my staff and me to br
ing our team together the evening prior to a home conference game in 2006. Typically, we all meet in the locker room for our standard pre-game meeting. This time, however, I asked them to join me on the Cameron court where the center circle is painted with the large “D” that is our Duke Basketball logo. We vowed that the next day, each of us was going to do our very best to represent ourselves with pride as individuals, the Duke team, and as defenders of our home court. Giving each member of the staff and each player a permanent marker, we all signed the “D” at center court, thus agreeing to the terms we, as a team, had established.

  In signing the court that evening, we symbolized how everything we did on that court, as members of this team and as individuals, was going to be done with pride. And now it, most literally, had our signature on it. We were going to hold ourselves accountable to take care of what was ours. Nobody had the right to come into our gymnasium and take away our pride. Our house, our tradition, our Duke name meant too much to us. We would play to the best of our ability, we would uphold our standard of excellence, and we would do it together. We won that night, and in his post-game interview, Duke senior guard Sean Dockery said, “It was something where you look down there and it’s your house. Today I saw my own signature down there and said, ‘Come on, you have to play hard.’”

  Pride means ensuring that anything that you do, anything that has your name on it, is done right. So for my team, anything that Duke does should be done to the highest level. I want myself, my players, and my staff to have as much pride as my mom and dad did. Remember, the effort that you use to do this is rewarded tenfold by the feeling you get from your actions.

  Respect