LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
In his blog, Yahoo! Sports blog Jason Cole discusses Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Cam took the NFL by storm last season with his individual
performances, but his team was a disappointment. There were some questions about the way he handled his frustration due to losing.
“I was very immature,” Newton said. “I’ll be the first one to tell you, the pouting and the moping, I kind of overdid it. I know that. I was a bad teammate. I shut off to some people who gave unbelievable effort. … That’s where I have to mature.”
Hopefully, we all learn from our past and try not to repeat our mistakes and failings. I am impressed that Cam as a leader of his team realizes how important his attitude is to his team.
But as GI Joe used to say “knowing is half the battle.”
Veteran teammate Steve Smith offered his thoughts on Cam’s frustration in Jason’s story.
“Cam was angry because he thought he could and should make every play,” said wide receiver Steve Smith, who somehow may have met his match in the intensity department. Like Smith, Newton is unusually high-strung in a business filled with driven people.
“He has to realize you can’t do it all yourself. It’s like when someone drops a touchdown pass at the end of a close game. You can say that play cost the team a chance to win the game, but it didn’t cause the team to lose. As you get older in this game, you see how everybody has to do their job and how there are so many plays in a game that affect the outcome. As a competitor, you want the ball in your hands at the end to make the play, but you can’t do it all in football. You have to give other people a chance to make a play for you, to help you out.”
I underlined a great point from Steve Smith that is worth repeating, “As you get older…you see how everybody has to do their job and how there are so many plays in a game that affect the outcome.” Amen, Steve!
I think both Cam and Steve’s thoughts can help anyone coaching basketball. It’s always tough to try and get into the head of the ultra-talented player, and any insights straight from those type of players are invaluable!
Read the entire article here http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl–carolina-panthers-cam-newton-bad-teammate.html
Until next time, Coach ’em up!
Hal Wilson
After coaching and working with basketball teams at the college and high school level in a variety of roles for 18 years, I have returned to finish my Ph.D. in Kinesiology at The University Tennessee. This www.CoachingBasketballWisely.com website is a way to share the coaching tips, strategies, and techniques gathered in a career in coaching. See more info on me here. Please sign up for our free newsletter at the top right of the page.
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