NCDS: Chris Kreider, Asst. Coach - Georgia Southern ("Adversity - Get to the Next Play")

(Courtesy Georgia Southern Athletics)

NCDS: Chris Kreider, Asst. Coach - Georgia Southern

I guess it has been a few weeks since my last entry, but I assure you that it does not seem like it.  Time flies when you are having fun!
 
Southern Conference play is in full swing and we are getting to the point in the season where a few teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack as it becomes "winning time".  As we continue to fight and scrap in the remaining weeks, we will continue to remind our guys that we want to be playing our best basketball in March.  No matter how the season has gone up until this point, it is crucial that we gain momentum going into the Southern Conference Tournament in Charlotte, NC.  Every year there is a team that sticks together and fights it out until the end and makes a run that very few thought was possible.  WE WANT TO BE THAT TEAM! 
 
Throughout the season, we as coaches are constantly in "self-evaluation mode" as we try to learn from things we have done that either have or haven't worked.  I personally enjoy this time of reflection, when many analogies between basketball and life come out and I am reminded once again of the true reason I love coaching.  As we look back at our season up until this point, the overwhelming thought and emotion that comes to mind is that of "adversity".  In our first year at here at The Georgia Southern University, we obviously anticipated the typical first year "growing pains" that occur when taking over a new program.  As was expected, as a basketball family we have experienced our fair share of adversity both on and off the court this season: an injury, a loss, a bad call, an academic issue, a tough schedule, etc. 

The temptation for our team has been to allow one mistake or setback to influence the next opportunity.  As far as I know of, there is rule no that states that because you lose one game, you automatically will lose the next game (which sounds silly but at times seems to be believed).  As a coaching staff, we have specifically attempted to coach against this contagious form of mental weakness in demanding that we learn from experiences, both good and bad, and "get to the next play." 
 
Without question, our basketball season and the things we have experienced together have taught our team a lot about life.  In basketball, we can practice for three hours a day, lift three times a week, get in the gym and get extra shots and watch film but at some point along the way it is very likely we will miss a shot, turn the ball over and even lose a game.  In life, no matter who we are, where we live or what we do, we can be sure that similar adversity will come.  In basketball and in life, the important issue is not the adversity but the response.  As a team, heading into the tournament we know adversity is coming but as coaches, players, trainers and managers on this team we are choosing to do one thing: Live like a Champion.  Sure enough, as the saying goes, "Adversity does not build character, it reveals it." 
 
Go Eagles!

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