A wise man once told me the following: Arrive 5 minutes early, you’re on time. Arrive at start time, you’re late. Arrive after start time, go back home.
This is the philosophy we’ve established within our high school basketball program.
Although basketball is the subject matter, this philosophy is applicable to all-things life. We want kids to value time (especially other people’s).
Last year, I encouraged kids to arrive early, or face not getting into practice. Sure enough, the next day, a couple kids arrived late (1 minute after start time). Unbeknownst to them, when they arrived, the door was locked, and they were asked to go home.
After this episode, suddenly, every kid arrived at least 5 minutes early (at all subsequent practices). The student/athletes started taking themselves more seriously, grades improved, and team camaraderie exploded.
This is what Youth Hoops (www.YouthHoops.com) is about: self-improvement, self-accountability, and self-awareness. Because, at the end of the day, we are more interested in developing a kid’s character more than anything else.
