NEW CASTLE —
Psst! Want to know the secret to a long and successful basketball career?
There are no secrets.
There are no magic pills.
There’s you. There’s your ball. And there’s your dream.
Go get it.
What? You were expecting a quick fix? Sorry to disappoint you.
Know what the difference between you and Ray Allen is?
About 500,000 practice shots taken.
And about 300,000 practice jumpers made.
That’s it.
“If you really want to do something, you'll find a solution. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.” — Brian Kramer
If you’re a high school player and the only way you got into a WPIAL playoff game was to buy a ticket, you better rethink your offseason workouts.
They’ve started already. Whether you have or not.
Someone, somewhere is draining step-backs, floaters and pull-ups.
Someone, somewhere is sweeping and ripping and dripping ... with sweat.
Someone, somewhere is skipping rope.
Someone, somewhere is filled with hope.
Preparation breeds confidence.
She’s going to be all-section.
Because she’s putting in the time.
That’s why.
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he's always doing both.” — James A. Michener
Ever heard of Kobe Bryant?
He’s often on the court, doin’ work, before the sun comes up. Conditioning, shooting, lifting.
He’s 34 and has been in the NBA since 1996, and he’s still dunking on youngbloods.
After thousands of practices.
After hundreds of regular season games.
After dozens of playoff games.
After five NBA titles. And two Olympic gold medals.
Kobe is still hungry.
Even better, he still LOVES the game.
How about you?
Have you ever really thought about why YOU play?
You won’t have trouble getting up shots if you’ve got the love.
You won’t even realize you’re working on your game because it’s just what you do.
You wanna be a starter? Work harder.
Wanna be the best? There’s no time to rest.
Get focused. Get busy. Get buckets.
Just get your butt to the gym and get to work.
There’s you. There’s your ball. And there’s your dream.
That’s all.
Go get it.
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About Tim Kolodziej: Tim is director of new media at The News. His blog appears each Thursday.
Discussion
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