For The Basketball Player, Part 3: On Education

During one class room session, I asked the kids to think of the best coach they ever had. They unanimously answered that the best coach pushed them to get better; he showed them how good they can be and inspired them to improve on their own. Then I asked them to think of the best teacher they ever had. They remarked that their favorite teacher was the one who just let them be, who was respectful, who was fine with whatever work they wanted to do. We all stop, 20-year-old and 14-year-olds alike, noticing the connotations: basketball is something to improve on, school is simply something to get by.

I then barrage them with questions: When did the NBA start? Why were there no black players in the beginning? What about the NBA lockout in 1998? What about the impending lockout next season? (WHAT? The campers gasp) Why do these players get paid as much as they do? The campers shouted out incorrect answers, showing their frustration at not knowing.

I ask: What subjects are involved in answering these questions?

One responds: History, Business, Economics, Culture.

I ask: So why aren’t you interested in these subjects in school.

Response: School is boring (translation: it seems trivial. They can’t find tangible reasons why they should care) Basketball is fun (translation: it is rooted in their identity. They receive constant feedback and praise for working hard).

So, what if basketball was eight hours of footwork drills and then we tested you on memorizing those drills? The kids thought about that for a bit, perhaps making the connection.

Kids are curious! They, basketball players especially, are eager, restless, and the footwork drills approach school takes doesn’t suit their style of learning. This is probably not changing anytime soon, so it’s no excuse to not utilize school for personal development. find teachers who push you intellectually in areas your passionate in (at the minimum, you can relate any subject to basketball). Do well in school not because of your teachers or your parents, but take a business like attitude in the class room for your OWN personal development.

On Priorities: a few of these kids were about to decide between a high schools in NYC that had great athletics and those that had great academics. Unless you have a chance to make a living from playing the sport, I would--now, I'm no expert!--choose the academic route, which will put you in a better place after you stop playing the game (which is sooner than you think). I would apply this logic to college choice as well. But I'll add the caveat: the quality of school may be less important than quality of the person going there for long term.

The Takeaway: Take your passion and curiosity for basketball and apply it to school subjects and other interests. They are more interconnected then you might think.