Quick Five: What Kind of Person, What Kind of Player Do You Want to Be?

Be ready to perform at a high level when called. Gary Washburn explains Blake Griffin's mentality, "Griffin said he has accepted his role in Boston, which is whatever coach Joe Mazzulla asks. There are going to be nights when Griffin contributes to a win and others when he doesn’t leave the bench. He’s at peace with that." 

1. "Always do your best." This is the fourth agreement from "The Four Agreements." It won't always be THE best or our personal best, but it leaves no regrets. 

2. Show up. "90 percent of success is just showing up." One basketball player came to ninety percent of offseason workouts, often alone, often in searing heat. And she worked. She never "cheats the drill." She's been All-Scholastic twice and has a lot of D1 interest. Because she shows up. 

3. Be coachable. "Have the soul of a poet and the hide of an elephant." 

4. You write your narrative. A coach told me of a Melrose volleyball player. "She is ferocious the way she attacks practice." Be a great competitor. 

5. Be a great teammate, like Blake Griffin. Everyone can't be a great player but everyone can be a great teammate. Jane Goodall discussed chimpanzee mothers. They are there fully for the first five years of an offspring's life or until they have additional children. They are affectionate and supportive, but not overly supportive. But if they sense a threat from an overly dominant mother, they rush in and protect their child. Teammates have each other's back.