This week’s Sports Illustrated has an article on the prep schools and other organizations designed to get the teen basketball phenoms an opportunity to fulfill their intentions to play, not in college, but the NBA. All of them carry the “next stop NBA tag” imposed by the people around them. The jury is still out on how many will actually attain that level that the “experts” are predicting.

Granted, these NBA prospects are highly skilled young people for their age. However, it is also legendary the number of skilled basketball players who never made it. I am not talking about getting drafted and making some bonus money. Even if it is more money than the young man could ever have earned doing anything else, it hardly makes a career. Playing in college, learning, maturing and being able to be a grownup out in the world after a 10-15 year career is making it to me. There is so much that can’t be learned by taking a shortcut.

Las Vegas automobile magnate, Cliff Findlay, is founder of Findlay Prep. Cliff is also one of my former players at UNLV. His purpose was to take elite kids and give them a great shot at playing in the best college programs. Of course, you can’t ignore the NBA opportunities, so a fair share of his kids have made that jump to the NBA. What really bothers him is that there are so many “advisors” around these kids who have intentions to get their slice of the athlete’s pie and don’t have the perspective necessary to advise anyone. So much so that he is considering getting out of the Prep School game.

Here’s the bottomline as far as I am concerned … the consensus has always been that if an athlete is drafted there are people who think he has the talent. If he doesn’t make it, it is said to be mental. I say it is in that arena. Growing up takes going through stuff. Having successes and the failures that you surely are going to have. Everyone lives with other people in some form and our success is tied to our relationships with those other people.

Here is my take on this.

These are what the athlete needs to be working on:

  • Being able to be fully responsible for day-to-day living in a public world
  • Being able to perform at a high level regardless of the circumstances
  • Being smart enough to have people around them who have their best interests at heart
  • Creating a lifestyle that supports the desired longevity and continued stability after their career is over
  • Being able to be a true professional day in and day out

There is probably more, but this will do for now.

Remember …

Check Coach Todd’s books in the bookstore. They will support your efforts to be a pro.