NEW CASTLE —
It won’t be good.
It just won’t.
Playoff pressure has a way of turning even the most confident players to mush.
Now that the WPIAL basketball brackets are in place, our thoughts turn to who might become a hero for their district as their team marches toward the A.J. Palumbo Center.
And who might not.
For every buzzer-beater or incredible tip-in, there will be another player who leaves the floor hanging her head, weeping, wondering what could have been.
So, who will that be this year?
It won’t be good, you know.
Write it down now. There will be crucial plays that fans will be debating for weeks to come.
•Someone will get confused on a defensive assignment and give their opponent an easy bucket.
•Someone will miss a free throw.
•Someone will be overcome by intense defensive pressure and lose the ball.
•Someone will attack the basket and dribble off their toe.
I hope that someone isn’t you.
But, if it is, take heart.
If it happens with 6:40 left in the first quarter, no one will remember your mistake as the game progresses. It will be just one of a hundred plays that occur in the course of 32 minutes.
Most fans will forget those early errors and, instead, dwell on the missed free throw with three seconds remaining. They’ll replay the game-tying shot that glanced off the rim as time expired.
Don’t you fall into that trap. As your playoff opener nears, I want you to focus on your FIRST possession down the court. Focus on the FIRST free throw. Focus on the FIRST time your team assembles in the half-court trap.
Visualize being successful as those plays unfold.
Then remind yourself that EVERY play counts. EVERY possession counts. EVERY action you take on the court has consequences.
Whether it’s the first play of the game — or the last.
Do you want to spare yourself the agony of missing a game-tying free throw with no time left on the clock?
Then take care of business early. Take care of business often. Every play. Every possession.
And remember that the plays you make in the first quarter count just as much as those in the closing seconds.
Even if most other people don’t.
Tim Kolodziej
Related Photos
-
About Tim Kolodziej: Tim is director of new media at The News. His blog appears each Thursday.
Discussion
Tim Kolodziej: As WPIAL playoffs arrive, take care of first things first
- Tim Kolodziej
-
-
Tim Kolodziej: Five lessons from the ‘gas pump karaoke’ couple (with video)
Consider this a warning. Your cheeks are going to ache from smiling so much. You’re going to be humming these songs until you go to bed tonight. You might even bust a dance move in your office. But that’s OK. Watch the accompanying video anyway.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Want true gratification? Then delay it
Whether you are an athlete, an entrepreneur or a stay-at-home mom, you will be faced with dozens of temptations today. For better or for worse, your life depends on your choices.
-
Tim Kolodziej: You know, this isn't my day — and it's not yours either
“This isn’t my day.” I’m going to step out on a limb and guess you’ve heard that statement before. You may have even uttered it a time or two yourself. Maybe just this morning.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Just one word is keeping me — and probably you — from excellence
We all need to take a good, hard, scary look at exactly what it is we’ve been created to do. The thing that makes our heart race and brings a smile to our face. The thing that not only YOU can’t live without — but neither can WE when you are doing it.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Yes, I do have a ‘nice team’ — and I'm OK with that
“You have a nice team, Coach.” I used to HATE hearing that while shaking our opponents’ hands following a game.
You may as well question my manhood. Or insult my mama. Or try to take my lunch money. Them’s fightin’ words, you know.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Horror, and plenty of heroes, at the finish line
Man, do I miss running. All the miles. All the smiles. Even the personal time trials. There’s nothing like lacing up the kicks, cranking up the music and losing yourself, stride by glorious stride, for the next hour or so.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Some lessons we can learn from the Final Four
So, what’s your excuse? I mean, what do you tell people when they ask why you’re still stuck in the same (fill in the blank)? Enough, already. You’re busted.
-
Tim Kolodziej: Now THIS is why I coach!
I don’t normally ask this of you, but I have a favor. Please watch the video I've attached before you read my blog today. Mere words can’t begin to describe what you’ll see, so it’s better to sit back and allow the visuals to invade your senses.
-
Tim Kolodziej: As Easter nears, I must ask: why me?
Why me, Lord?Why? What did you expect me to do? Who, exactly, did you expect me to be? How, exactly, did you expect me to act? How did you expect me to have the strength to deal with THAT?
-
Tim Kolodziej: We were watching, 'Canes, and we’re so glad we did
To all the moms and dads who lugged their kids to all the games, through all the snow and sleet and road construction, be heartened: The lessons your children learned by watching New Castle play are priceless.
- More Tim Kolodziej Headlines
-
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Today in History May 24
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Today in History May 23
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Today in History May 22
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Today in History for May 21st
Bank Shooting Rampage in Israel Kills 4
