WINNER GOES ON; Loser Plays Baseball

Just days ago there was a field of 65 teams in the NCAA tournament. Kansas was the overall No. 1 seed and now they’re headed home to face angry Jayhawk faithfuls whose brackets are busted. So instead of the Sweet 16, those players eliminated from the tournament are officially eligible to run track or play baseball. Off-season is upon some and delayed for others but either way, it’s inevitable – off-season plays no favorites. But the upside is that you get to breathe again, heal from injury and plan how you intend to improve. That is, if you don’t frantically began filling your time with something else to do instead of preparing for the next season in your field of expertise.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from basketball, it’s that you can’t get better pretending like next season is light years away. Haven’t you done that? My freshman year in high school I played basketball and when the season ended the track coach asked me to triple, long and high jump. I literally said, “Cool, I was lookin’ for something to do when basketball season ended.” What the heck was I on? If I could go back and talk to myself from the future it’d be 1989 and I’d say to myself, “Self…don’t you know that basketball season never ends homie? You can’t control scholarships and recruiting trips but you can put the time and effort into being a competitive basketball player. Just because you can do other things doesn’t mean you should.”

I wonder how that would have landed in the world of a 14 year old freshman. At any rate, think of where you are right now and whether or not you’re in an off-season. I am. I’ve spent the last 3-4 months developing vital components of a mission to infiltrate all levels of basketball development and rid the environment of arrogance. What else could I be doing? I could be substitute teaching, job hunting, blogging, etc. Well I’ve done one of the three and toyed around with the second item. But I’ve feverishly looked at this time in my life as a season of development. I’m looking for vision, confronting the brutes who detract from character on the basketball courts. I’ve sought out the cheaters making a mockery of athletics and sparked conversations with high level representatives of the NBA because the moment someone wants to hire me to consult, it’s time to move.

Could it be that the nemesis of opportunity is unpreparedness? That’s what the off-season is for – to prepare. So if you can apply the metaphor, once Duke or one of the high seeds bounces you from the tournament, show some respect for the off-season and get about ya business. Fill your time with the activities that put you in a position to be an impact player in your MAIN field.