PROGRAM PRINCIPLES
BUILD A FOUNDATION
PLAY THE BEST
RESPECT THE GAME
BUILD A FOUNDATION
Our main goal in the Spartan basketball program is to make our players better by giving them a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of basketball. We believe that in any endeavor you must have a solid base in order for success and we hope to provide this to the players in our program. Basketball is the most over-coached and under-taught game in the world today. I see so many coaches and teams so concerned with running this offense, that play, this defense, etc. that they neglect teaching the fundamental skills needed to succeed in the long run.
PLAY THE BEST
Many players believe they are destined for a college scholarship because they are the best player on their team/in their league/in their area. That is, they live in their own little section of the world and do not realize how much talent is actually out there, competing against them. This leads to a false sense of entitlement, laziness as it relates to preparation and practice, and the feeling that one does not need to get better. One of the goals we have in our Spartan program is to expose ourselves to and play against the most talented players and teams in the immediate Triad area (local tournaments), the state of North Carolina (state tournaments), the Southeast (regional tournaments), and the entire United States (national tournaments). Through this exposure we hope to motivate the players in our program to get better every day. We want you to know what is out there and what you must do to be the best. Knowing the type of competition we will be facing, we keep our third principle in mind.
RESPECT THE GAME
People in the Spartan Program want to win, just like every other program out there. However, we try and not compromise our standards just to win. That is, we are not going to go out and try to get the best possible athletes we can get from anywhere, then put them all on the court at one time and see what happens. If you come into our program, understand that we are trying to teach the right way to play first. We are teaching how to win games, but also how to act when you lose games. It is not that we don't want to win, it is simply the fact of going through the experience of learning to win, learning to lose, and learning to play. At this point, we do not want to place TOO MUCH emphasis is on just the wins and losses. We are most concerned with developing better basketball players and improving each practice, game, tournament, and season. We may not win right away, but we want to learn right away. We believe there is a lot to be said for going through the process of preparation, competition, and the way in which you deal with the results. We want our Spartan parents and players to stay around and stick it out through the rough time, until we start seeing the rewards of going through the learning process. We hope that if we do lose early, we will get better and in the long run, when our players go into their high school careers, they are better players and they are more prepared for the level of competition they will face once they arrive. We want our Spartan players to use this club basketball experience to strengthen themselves physically and mentally for their high school basketball experience. Sure there is an exception here and there, but for the most part, that is the case with our team. This thought is to help all of our new parents and players each season, as they try and decide what to do with their kids throughout their club basketball careers.
FOUNDER'S PHILOSOPHY
I believe the game should be played hard, played smart, and played together.
First and foremost (like the original Spartans) having a predisposed, already exceptional ability or capability for greatness on the basketball court helps. If you have that, be thankful.
Second, having a positive attitude (being coachable) and a strong desire to excel are essentials in our program. We are all here to become better. Some of this you will bring to the program already, the rest we will foster and build. *This is where our Spartan Club Basketball Program begins by educated training in offensive and defensive fundamentals, which are the very core of our program. Using this philosophy, our program will educate, train, grow, and advance you to become more skilled and become more disciplined in the fundamental skills of basketball at a younger age than anyone you will play against.*
Last and certainly not least, we will develop you and your teammates to become players who understand the true concept and work of a team. To play and move as a single unified force. Together, as a team, we will be better than any individual.
Finally, I acknowledge and applaud the great support of all our parents who sacrifice, work their schedules, and provide financially to allow their boys to participate in this program.
We all want to win. However, early success in winning games doesn’t translate into future success. Teams that enjoy early success with winning often do so because of the natural athletic abilities of a few key players. The key players do understand their superior abilities and take the opportunity to score again and again. Everyone is pleased with the winning outcome and athleticism over fundamentals and teamwork is unwittingly reinforced. As teams mature, smart opponents learn more ways to shut down the athletic player and the athletic player becomes increasingly frustrated because what used to work, doesn’t any longer. At this later age, it is a hard transition for kids to make.
Again, our program’s approach is to grow and instill the boys in the fundamentals and teamwork at an early age which we understand may come at the expense of winning some games early on. However, the skills learned, practices and refined during this critical time at this younger age, will provide our boys with a mechanism for success in the competitive years that are to follow.
- We have these goals for the individual players in our program.
They develop and further their love for the game - They become the best basketball players the are capable of becoming
- They appreciate the value of hard work and commitment to a cause
- They value the friendships and camaraderie with their teammates
- They are exposed to/compete against the best players in the state and nation
- They understand how to conduct themselves with class in victory and defeat
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