Coach Geno Auriemma reveals what the secret is to always being on a basketball team.
A lot of athletes start out loving the sport they play, and then, at some point, the stress around athletic performance can take away the fun of the game. Coach Geno Auriemma believes there is one really important aspect to being a good player and that comes from being a good teammate.
His advice to parents with kids who enjoy basketball? He believes,
"The first thing you should teach them is how to be a good teammate."
When he is recruiting, something he looks for in a player is how they act in certain situations. He says,
"The first thing I look at is, how do they act when things aren't going their way? How do they act when they get taken out of the game? How do they act when they throw a pass and their teammate bounces it off their head? When the official makes a bad call?"
Seeing how an athlete reacts in these instances gives him insight into what type of player they are.
And what is the secret to always being on a team? Coach Geno Auriemma claims,
"...if you're a great teammate you'll always be on somebody's team. Otherwise, you're only gonna be on the team as long as you can shoot. Or as long as you're the most athletic, as long as you're the most talented, or the tallest, or the...whatever the case may be, but if you're a great teammate, you will always have a team to play on."
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