Adversity

One of the toughest things in life is overcoming adversity.

Have you ever been in a situation with so many things against you, you wanted to quit?

Have people told you that success would come easy without roadblocks? That you wouldn't have to battle and scratch and fight for everything you earn?

The amazing part about adversity is the blessing that it can be. How is that? Because as Kelly Clarkson would say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" There will be times in life and the game of basketball in which the ball does not fall your way. Every shot they take goes in and nothing you do seems to work. Basketball is all about adapting and find ways to overcome adversity. It may be a pregame or halftime adjustment. Just like life, sometimes your game plan needs to change on the fly to get your desired result. DON'T FEAR CHANGE!

As a freshmen coach, I have encountered adversity with my teams. From not being mentally strong to being physically overwhelmed by teams. Being mentally tough is a continued growing point, especially with my current team. I have a great group of kids this year and at times we struggle to keep ourselves in games due to mental lapses. The toughest thing for me, when thinking of ways to overcome our adversity, is the fact that we create our own adversity. To often has been group been told they are not good enough, wont win games, cant accomplish their basketball goals. Getting rid of that stigma is very difficult. Jumping a mental hurdle is far more difficult than a physical one.

I recently started coaching an additional team, in my crazy amounts of free time.... 7th grade travel basketball, a crossover of mainly Western Middle Schoolers and Leslie Middle Schoolers. This past weekend we won our first tournament at the Middle School at Parkside. This win did not happen without some adversity however. Our initial trouble was playing on a court that was undersized. It threw off all of our spacing both Offensively and Defensively. This team is big time defense that thrives on turnovers and fast breaks. With less space, it caused a lack in turnovers and fast break points. We struggled early, losing back to back games, being seeded 4th in a 5 team bracket. We won the first game with no issue. Second game was against an opponent that had beaten us by one. This goes back to mental toughness. You must compose yourselves in games that have previously been close. Stick to the game plan and DO YOUR JOB. Long story short, another very close game that we hit a game winning jumper from the baseline to win by 1! MENTALLY TOUGH! With that win, we move on to the finals. Coming off a huge win and 4 games in a row, we are both exhausted and rejuvenated (if that makes sense). This goes right back to mental toughness yet again, you must lock back in and play your game. Bringing yourself down from the high of a game winner isn't always an easy task. At this point, we are starting our 5th straight game, coming off a game winning shot at the buzzer, and playing the number 1 seed of the tournament. Pushing through those obstacles to win by 25 points was incredible. They stuck to the game plan, stayed in their lane, did their job and overcame!

Adversity is never easy to overcome. It is not something that you take lightly. There is a reason for the adversity. It will make you stronger, build character, and potentially push you to heights at which you did not know.

Don't be afraid of adversity, learn from it, adapt from it. Teach yourself to face adversity and go through it! Nothing can stop you except you!