When the Little Things Become the Big Things
Edition 59
My sophomore year we lost in the state championship by 13. Even if we did all of the little things right, we still would’ve lost. We were outmatched.
My junior year, I believe we were a better team and that if we played them 10 times, we would win 8. But that’s not how championships work. We didn’t do the little things and lost by 3.
My senior year, we did the little things. We shot 10/10 from the free throw line. Got their two best players in foul trouble. Prevented them from scoring their inbound plays. And won by 4.
My sophomore year I learned that the big things are what get you there.
My junior year I learned that the small things are what you'll do if you don't want to be crying your eyes out on the bus ride home.
My senior year I learned that I much prefer winning than losing.
At first, you get the big things good enough to where the small things actually matter.
If no one on your team can dribble, then doing a little thing – like preventing them from scoring on their out of bounds plays – won’t matter as much.
Think of the big things as the skills you improve. Think of the little things as the decisions you make.
If you make it to the state tournament or March Madness, chances are your team is good.
You’ve got the big things. But, so do your opponents. As the postseason goes on, the big thing (skill) gap closes between teams.
As the season moves on, your margin of error decreases.
You can get away without boxing out when you’re up 40. But, when you’re playing for a title and it’s crunch time, the final score will reflect who did more of the little things.
The later in the season, it becomes the team that does the little things that wins.
Get good enough at the big things to where the little things matter. When they do, they become the big things.
If you never do the little things, you will never win a championship.
The big things give you a chance. The little things give you championship rings.
P.S. I will play college basketball next year. Mark my words.
...no doubt you will do it man...
Kurt - this is an insightful post. Applies to every aspect of life. I especially liked this:
“Think of the big things as the skills you improve. Think of the little things as the decisions you make.”
I also loved how compressed and essential the writing is.