A player’s development does not happen overnight, nor does it spontaneously occur in a drill. Development happens quietly and occurs over time through a player’s focused routine. Development is a choice not an option. A decision when no one is watching. A decision when a schedule is complex and time is minimal. A decision when the gym is empty. And before the player notices development occurring, their coach will have noticed. How? Coaches see the habits, the routines, and the decisions. Coaches see who shows up first, who stays after practice, who treats reps like it’s gametime and not because it’s on the practice plan.
Every year, players talk about wanting to get better. They say it in exit meetings, in preseason interviews, in conversations with teammates. But the gap between saying and doing is where most careers falter. The players who develop are the ones who understand that wanting to get better is not an option, it is a choice. And before the results show up, the choice must be made. In our program, one of our core values is commitment, doing what you said you were going to do, long after the feeling in which you said it has passed. That is a choice.
And I learned these same lessons long before I ever coached a player. My development began by keeping quiet and listening, studying how great coaches prepared, taught, corrected, and communicated. I worked under Russ Damhoff, who won 592 career games with a .602-win percentage, Gregg Marshall, the 2014 NCAA National Coach of the Year, and Luke Barnwell, the 2x Naismith National High School Coach of the Year. I learned film habits any way I could, mainly on borrowed accounts, watching clips late at night because I wanted to understand the game the way they did. My development as a coach came from the same stance I ask of players: the want to get better by finding every way possible to learn.
I also learned through the work that never shows up on a resume. As a student manager, I always made myself available. If a player wanted to get shots up, I said yes. If an assistant coach or GA was working a player out, I stayed to rebound, pass, or help however I could. I helped with scouting reports, organized film, and did the small tasks that kept the program moving. Those responsibilities taught me more about coaching than any title could. They showed me that development, for coaches and players, begins with availability, humility, and a willingness to do whatever the moment requires.
Those years shaped the standard I carry now. The same habits I built as a young coach are the habits I expect from the players I coach. Development is not something you talk about, it is something you prove. The same choices I had to make then are the choices I expect players to make now. That is why I coach the way I do, and why I believe the players who grow are the ones who choose growth every single day.
These players build their own structure, define who they are. They don’t wait for a coach to develop them an hour here and an hour there. They don’t wait for a coach to design a workout plan for them, they take initiative. They take ownership in their development. The reps, the film study, the playbook study. They respect the honesty that comes with it all and learn from it. They confront their weaknesses with confidence and willingness to be better. They understand development is a process not instantaneous.
These players get in the gym on their own time. No, not because it looks good on Instagram but rather because it is necessary for their team to win. From the outside, fans see the work (jump shots, footwork, pace, ball handling) as typical practicing. But for the players putting in the work, they treat those details as currency. Or better yet, as a bank of knowledge and skill strictly invested to earn their way onto the court. They understand confidence is built in empty gyms and showcased in front of crowded arenas. Confidence allows the ability to perform the skill, but to execute and sharpen such skill… that takes consistency.
These players not only care about their development, but they care about their teammates’ development too. How do teams build chemistry amongst themselves, especially when teams have multiple new players each year, especially due to the transfer portal? They play pickup. Pickup brings growth as a team and as an individual. Pickup exposes strengths, weaknesses, decision-making. But most importantly, pickup allows players to learn their teammates’ strengths and weaknesses. As a player, you learn how your teammate will impact the team. They learn who is the shooter, the scorer, the defender, the rebounder, the hustle player. Why is pickup so translatable? Because you can’t script pickup, like you can script a practice with a practice plan. Pickup reveals who wants to compete and who is there to say they are on the team. Pickup builds chemistry in ways practice simply cannot.
These players study film. They want to learn, grow, and see the bad. Film study is not a punishment, but rather a teacher that shows the truth. Film shows the players’ habits, body language, missed reads, missed opportunities to score or put a teammate in scoring position. Players that study film want to get better. Soon they become anticipators, instead of reactors by understanding why and how possessions develop.
These players learn the playbook, not just for their role, but from every position. Most players will memorize the actions, but these players understand the purpose behind the actions. These players understand where their teammates should be, the correct spacing in actions, and how timing and pace create advantages. Coaches trust these players.
Lastly, these players win drills. Win sprints. Win the day. Not here and there, but consistently. Winning drills is not about having an ego, but rather about urgency. Will. Determination. These players treat every rep meaningful like it’s a game. The players who compete and win drills are the ones who understand that competitiveness is not a switch that can just be flipped on. I hate to lose more than I love to win. Being on the losing side is painful. But I know I must improve in my role because the team needs me to be my best to succeed. That is the standard.
Across all levels (high school, college, professional) the players who rise are not always the most talented at first. They are the ones who decide that talent can be developed. They are the ones who understand that improvement begins with desire, and desire is proven through taking action. This is how winning habits form.
The first step in getting better is wanting to get better. The process that follows is evidence: the shots, the film, the pickup, the playbook, the drills.