*Adapted from my basketball blog
Coach Ralph Labella would tell the girls, "I want to see good basketball. Show your parents good basketball." Fans want to see good volleyball.
My nurse practitioner's husband was a carpenter and craftsmen. When workers were in a tight space that he couldn't inspect, he told them that the work should reach the quality such that they could "put their signature" on the work.
Robert Pirsig addressed quality in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. “Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares. A person who cares about what he sees and does is a person who’s bound to have some characteristic of quality.”
Quality is elusive and like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
In The Mamba Mentality, Kobe Bryant writes, "If you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness."
Quality play starts with quality attitude. Cecilia Kay will enter her sophomore year at St. Joseph's soon. She said that her closest teammate at American University last year went to practice to give her best every day seeking a chance to succeed, knowing she might never play. That's quality.
Quality volleyball includes preparation, effort, good decision-making, toughness and avoiding critical mental and physical mistakes such as violations, poor shot selection, and careless errors.
Lagniappe. AI commentary on Quality from the DeepSeek application...
Robert Pirsig’s exploration of Quality in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (ZAMM) offers profound insights that can be applied to basketball coaching. Pirsig argues that Quality is the fundamental reality that precedes intellectual distinctions—it is the immediate, pre-rational experience of excellence that unifies subject and object. For a basketball coach, cultivating Quality means fostering an environment where players and the game itself merge into a seamless, dynamic flow. Here’s how Pirsig’s concepts apply:
1. Quality as the Foundation of Coaching
- Pirsig suggests that Quality cannot be strictly defined but is felt—like the difference between a well-executed play and a forced one. A great coach recognizes and nurtures this intuitive sense of "rightness" in players.
- Application: Instead of overloading players with rigid systems, prioritize cultivating their innate feel for the game—spacing, timing, and unselfishness. Drills should emphasize flow (e.g., read-and-react offenses) over robotic repetition.
2. Classical vs. Romantic Understanding of the Game
- Pirsig distinguishes between classical (analytical, technical) and romantic (aesthetic, experiential) approaches. Basketball coaching often leans too far into classical—playbooks, stats, set plays—while neglecting the romantic beauty of improvisation and joy.
- Application: Balance structured strategies with opportunities for creative play. Encourage "streetball" elements in practice (e.g., unstructured scrimmages) to develop instinctive decision-making alongside set plays.
3. Overcoming the "Gumption Trap"
- Pirsig describes how frustration (e.g., a player’s slump, a team’s losing streak) drains gumption (motivation + confidence). Coaching must address psychological blocks as much as skill gaps.
- Application: Use mindfulness techniques (e.g., brief meditation, reflective journaling) to help players reset. Focus on process over results—Pirsig’s "care" as attentiveness to the present moment.
4. The Metaphysics of "Stuckness"
- When systems fail (e.g., a play breaks down), Pirsig advises leaning into the problem rather than forcing old solutions. "Stuckness" is a chance to reevaluate assumptions.
- Application: If a strategy isn’t working (e.g., a press defense getting beaten), involve players in diagnosing why. This collaborative problem-solving mirrors Pirsig’s mechanic who listens to the motorcycle.
5. Quality in Team Dynamics
- Pirsig’s Quality arises when there’s no separation between the doer and the deed. A team operating at Quality moves as one—think the 2014 Spurs’ "beautiful game."
- Application: Build chemistry through shared experiences (film study, team dinners) and emphasize *empathy* in play (e.g., passing up a good shot for a teammate’s great shot).
6. The Coach as a Zen Mechanic
- Pirsig’s ideal mechanic doesn’t fight the machine but works with it. Similarly, a coach must adapt to their players’ strengths rather than impose a foreign system.
- Application: Like tailoring a motorcycle’s carburetor to its engine, design offenses around your personnel (e.g., Princeton sets for high-IQ players, dribble-drive for athletic guards).
Final Thought:
Pirsig’s Quality in coaching is about removing barriers—between mind and body, planning and instinct, individual and team. The best coaches don’t just teach basketball; they create conditions where the game "teaches itself" through the players. As Pirsig writes, "The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands." For a coach, that improvement starts by recognizing Quality—and getting out of its way.
Lagniappe. Do you love the game? If you don't, then how can it love you back?
