A few years back, a kid I cut from my 4th grade basketball team is now starting for me!
Ya see, there is this kid, his name is Izek.
When his parents brought him to us, he was brand new to the game of basketball.
He found out about my AAU basketball program from another kid at his school, and decided to show up with his mom one day.
It wasn’t a big deal, because we offer our youngest players something called “The Academy.”
It’s where 2nd and 3rd graders join a team just to learn about the game.
They dont play in many games since most tournaments dont have a bracket for kids this young.
With this, they can be slowly taught how to play the game the right without worries of winning and losing.
It also gives me a chance to focus on teaching fundamentals instead of teaching plays and other things that dont matter.
Anyway, Izek was terrible at first!
He couldn’t catch the ball
He couldn’t shoot the ball with enough strength the reach the rim
Had no clue on what to do,
You get the picture.
Anyway, by the time he and the other kids “graduated” from the academy, he improved, but he still had a ways to go.
He later tried out for our 4th grade team, and I cut him…with no remorse….he just wasn’t ready.
The thing is, he didnt give up!
Since he still was in the Academy, I saw him making great strides to be better, even tho he was the “big kid” with a bunch of 2nd and 3rd graders.
And, unlike most kids, he would keep doing the drills at home to get even better.
I saw his improvement and invited him to practice with my team (yeah, the same team I cut him from)
He kept improving so I invited him to play in a real game.
I expected a train wreck when I put him the game, but he did alright.
He even scored a point!
I invited him to play with the team again the next weekend.
We ended up playing a much better team, and while even my best players were being timid, Izek showed out!
Grabbing rebounds, using the moves I had taught him to get to the basket, and playing without fear of making mistakes.
Yes, he still has a long way to go, and while the other team was able to take advantage of his lack of experience (and lanky frame), he still played like a champion!
Now because of his constant hard work, he now is in the starting 5!
Look, you can obviously see the lesson here, so I wont beat you over the head with it..
…so just be like Izek.
Dont let setbacks get you down!
Keep working on your craft, and never be afraid to fail when you apply what you have been taught.
Eventually it will pay off, I promise!