Coming back to your roots does not come easy for me. To me, these journeys entail a variety of feelings. And only because my daughter asked me to, we went and watched the women’s team of my former basketball club.
I had been a player at this club since I was 7 years old, and a basketball coach since I was 15. I had spend countless hours of my youth at the gym, practicing, coaching, hanging out. For a while, the club had become a second family; one where I was seen not as the little brother, but the person that led teams despite my young age. Luckily for me, one of the most experienced coaches would take me under her wings to teach me all she knew about basketball. Using this knowledge, as well as the insights of my mom’s wisdom on teaching, I was able to quickly understand what it took to form great teams, especially with kids between the age of 8 and 10.
Last weekend, while waiting in front of the gym, the head-coach of the male basketball team approached me. I knew him since 2010, when during my finale season, he started to work for our club as a volunteer, taking on his first steps in working with teams. One of his first tasks was to join my practice sessions in order to pick up some of my principles and methods. In his years to come, he had continued learning, taking extraordinary steps in becoming a great coach. So when a few years ago, when he was hired by a German Bundesliga club, I was thrilled - not only because I was happy for him, but because I knew how hard he had worked for it!
So standing in front of the gym, we started to chat; about his journey, the current job at the club, and former players we coached. At some point, he turned to me. In that moment, he said something that struck me:
“Do you recall when I first joined this club? You were the coach I was assigned to. And I remember one instance. After a few weeks, before practice, you pulled me aside and handed me a brand new whistle. Then, you looked at me and said: “You are a coach, now”. I remember those words, because they made me feel incredibly proud. And you might not know this, but it led to my career as a professional basketball coach.”
I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say.
Jim Valvano, a US college basketball coach once said: „My father gave me the greatest gift you can give to another person. He believed in me.“ With the holidays approaching, I’m still trying to grasp the story. But if there is one thing I would like to remind myself and you, the reader, of, then it is this: Believe in the people around you. You never know what they will grow into.
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