Sport and the Growing Good

Sydney Storey (formerly Sydney Smallbone) was an exceptional basketball player at South Bend St. Joseph’s High School and the University of Tennessee. She went on to coach at St. Joseph’s, where she led her team to another Indiana state basketball championship. Sydney, who later earned an executive MBA from Notre Dame and transitioned fully into the business world, joined the SGG podcast to reflect on her experiences playing for one of the all-time great coaches, Pat Summitt. We discussed:  1. The first time she saw Coach Summitt at a summer tournament: “When Pat walked in, I think the gym pretty much went silent…She really was a show stopper…I instantly wanted to play for her.”  2. How Coach Summitt carried herself, her charisma and demeanor.  3. Why Sydney and her teammates referred to Coach Summitt as “Pat.”  4. “She really took the time to get to know you individually…She wanted to know about our daily life and not just our life on the court.”  5. Where Coach Summitt held individual players.  6. Coach Summitt’s emphasis on communication, something you can always control: “A noisy gym is a winning gym.”  7. Coach Summitt’s excellence in teaching: “Her practices were long, intense, and intentional. Everything we did had a purpose.”  8. “We were held accountable on every drill. Everything mattered. Instant feedback was something we always got.”  9. How Coach Summitt communicated roles to players, many of whom were challenged to accept supporting roles after having been stars in high school: “We all got treated the same.”  10. “She always had a pulse on how you were doing and how you were handling any given situation…Everyone bought in.”  11. The time Coach Summitt made the team managers run sprints.  12. How Coach Summitt handled losses. “She was really good at judging where we needed to go to work.”  13. “It truly was her life… So when we lost, she took it on her shoulders really heavily.”  14. Coach Summitt’s limitations: “Because she cared so much, it was hard for her to dial that down.”  15. How Coach Summit addressed the team at halftime when they trailed Rutgers by 22 points at halftime: “We’re going to win this game.”  16. How she developed her own coaching identity, know what to draw from Coach Summitt and what was not reasonable to expect of high school players.  17. Her emphasis on developing her team’s “knowledge of the game” while coaching at the high school level.  18. Sharing coaching responsibilities with her assistant coaches.  19. Why she chose to not continue on the coaching path (for now).  20. Leaning on and learning from her athletic director, former Notre Dame volleyball coach Debbie Brown. “I confided in Deb Brown, as my mentor, every day before practice.  21. Her favorite memory of Coach Summitt: “I just remember her walking up to me, gave me a big hug, looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Thank you.’ And that was all she had to say…Those two words meant the world to me coming from Pat.”

Ty-Ron Douglas is an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. He is also actively engaged in his community – as a pastor, parent, entrepreneur, and leader. Dr. Ty, a native of Bermuda, was an accomplished athlete as a youngster who continues to see sports as vehicle for individual and community improvement. He is an inspirational leader, teacher and author whose work has been profiled at the highest levels. Dr. Ty joined the SGG podcast to discuss: 1.  Growing up playing soccer and cricket in Bermuda. 2.  Hitting a ceiling in sport. 3.  Lessons from his barber and mentor. “From him, I learned how to be a teacher.” 4.  The black barbershop as an educational space. 5.  “He saw me through the various stages of my journey. He literally gave me my first haircut. He saw me in boyhood. He saw me in my teenage years. And he was always there…For those of us who know of the transience of life, it is beautiful to have constants. He was a constant.” 6.  “From him I’ve learned how to have joy.” 7.  Finding joy in sports. 8.  Athletic spaces as “sanctuaries.” 9.  “Homophily”: finding commonality with others through sports. 10.  “I have a theory that our athletes are probably and perhaps the most underutilized educators in the world.” 11.  Border crossing – moving from space to space and building bridges. 12.  “Where we come from experiences how we see things and how we engage the world.” 13.  Thinking of “integration” instead of work-life balance. 14.  His “So Amazing Life” perspective that permeates all that he does. 15.  When things are broken, where do I go? 16.  “Broken crayons still color.” 17.  Where do you find your wholeness? 18.  “Our brokenness is a platform for our purpose.”

Rich Halverson is a professor and associate dean in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A native of Manitowoc, WI and former school principal, Professor Halverson is a scholar, author and international leader on technology, leadership, and learning. In this episode of the SGG podcast, he addressed a key question facing many coaches: How can I use technology to help members of my team learn and my team get better?  In our conversation, we discussed: 1.  His early interest and work in technology. 2.  Adapting technology to a pre-existing practice. 3.  A big problem: When technology developers don’t have a sense for the settings where practice occurs. 4.  William James: “People change their practice when they have a felt need.” 5.  Technologies must answer questions that people cannot answer on their own. 6.  “Human centered design.” If you’re trying to change people’s practices, you must understand those practices. 7.  “Old-school” coaches and leaders accepting and adapting to innovation and technology. 8.  “Sometimes you can measure things that you can’t see. Sometimes you can see things that you can’t measure. Good leadership is hybrid leadership.” 9.  Relationships still matter the most for learning and trust-building. But relationship-building creates closed networks. Combining relationship networks with technology can deepen and enrich networks and practice. 10.  How to better use video: The key is formative feedback. Specific, just-in-time feedback. As soon as possible! Video has the power of immediacy. 11.  The learning principles that can be found in TikTok videos. 12.  Technology does not replace work. 13.  “If I was a coach or a principal at a school, I would liberate the tools that are in kids’ pockets (phones)…The machinery is absolutely accessible.” 14.  Kids’ expertise with technology – and how we can better tap into it. 15.  “Our obstacles are social, not technological. The delivery mechanisms and the technologies are fully available to solve all these problems, but it’s our beliefs that hold us back.”

Sidney Moncrief was an NBA superstar with the Milwaukee Bucks, earning countless awards and accomplishments, including the ultimate honor of being selected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Sidney’s successes are not limited to the court, as he’s also emerged as a leader in business, coaching, writing, and consulting. In our conversation in the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  What he learned from his high school coach, the legendary Oliver Elders: “He placed a very high emphasis on being a quality person. That superseded anything you did on the court… He made us realize that life was much more than just basketball.” 2.  “We knew he cared about us as people.” 3.  “Your impact lasts beyond those three or four years that you have with those players. It’s going to stay with them for a lifetime. If you instill just selfishness and you caring about being a winning coach without caring about them academically or as people, that’s what they’re going to spill out for the rest of their life. If you show them love, you show them compassion, you show them that accountability matters, that being a good teammate matters, being a good person matters, character matters, that’s what they’re going to show for the rest of their lives.” 4.  The critical time that Coach Eddie Sutton offered compliments to Sidney and his teammates – an occasion that built their confidence and spurred them on to the Final Four the next season. 5.  The importance of Coach Sutton’s assistant coaches giving him advice to instill confidence in his players… and Coach Sutton’s willingness to listen to them. 6.  What it felt like to get “called to the coach’s office.” 7.  “Greatness was not even part of our mindset. He interjected that greatness theory.” 8.  The importance of timing in coaches’ conversations with their teams. 9.  His wake-up call to the physicality of the NBA – and how Coach Don Nelson guided him to playing defense at the highest level. 10.  The thing that really makes you a great coach: Maintaining high expectations of players. 11.  “Players today need to know why they’re doing certain things.” 12.  The influence of his upbringing on his development as a tenacious competitor. 13.  The importance of having experienced players as models for younger ones to learn from. 14.  Discipline as an everyday part of life. 15.  His new book. 16.  Exercise, rest, rejuvenation, and personal care: “There’s only so much film you should be watching…The players don’t get the best you when you’re constantly watching film and are constantly stressed out.” 17.  Knowing and respecting the different motivations that players bring to the table. 18.  What he means by “tenacity” in his new book. “Pace, aggressiveness, focus, determination…” 19.  “Love what you do and do what you love…and change the world!”

Jay Bilas authored the book Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court. He provides a detailed analysis of specific aspects of toughness, including what it looks like in a sports setting and how it can be developed. Jay draws upon his experiences as a Duke basketball player, as an attorney, and as a commentator for ESPN to shed light on multiple dimensions of toughness. Coaches of all levels can find meaningful insights in Jay’s book. In this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  The impact that a drama teacher had upon him: “He was as influential upon me as any coach I’ve ever had.” 2.  What he learned through public speaking and forensics competitions as a high school student. 3.  The role his mom played in requiring him to take on uncomfortable challenges – including ballroom dancing. 4.  John Ebeling, “the toughest guy I ever played against…When I played against him I realized, ‘that’s what I should aspire to be.’” 5.  Growing in toughness through your teammates: “toughness is contagious.” 6.  Duke teammate David Henderson’s competitive spirit: “You were going to try to match him because of the amount of respect you had for the way he went about things…You didn’t want to let him down in that regard.” 7.  “Whether you’re the best player or the last person on the depth chart, you can raise the level of your organization by your performance and by the way you do your role.” 8.  On former Duke player Grant Hill: “You can be incredibly tough and incredibly nice at the same time…He had a wonderful balance of being a cut-throat competitor when he was playing and then being the nicest, most thoughtful, and polite person you could ever meet.” 9.  Being smart about playing – or not playing – through pain. 10.  The importance of saying no: “Sometimes the most important word in your life is no. And in order to say yes to your priorities, there are times you need to say no to other things.” 11.  “Sometimes it’s the tough thing to do to sit out and take care of yourself the right way.”

Pat Rice is a Hall of Fame coach at Waunakee High School. Coach Rice’s teams have won six state titles and his overall winning percentage is among the highest in state history. More importantly, Coach Rice has positively impacted countless lives over the course of almost 30 years as head coach. He’s recognized as one of the best coaches in state history and as a leader from whom young coaches can learn. On this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  How coaching is different from when his dad coached at McFarland HS: it’s a year-round process. 2.  “My dad always put kids first…It starts and ends with the kids.” How Pat’s tried to model this lesson in his own coaching life. 3.  Being a “coach of coaches” – using the curriculum for player development and coaching development. 4.  How technology has changed coaching – and how Coach Rice views “techy young guys” as important members of his staff. 5.  The development of pillars and identities on the team. 6.  Getting buy-in on the offensive line by developing the “Hogs” and making the offensive line a high-profile position. 7.  Staying on the trending, forward-thinking side of the game and not lagging behind in innovation. “You have to stay in front of the curve.” Continually learning and not being satisfied -- including making the change to the spread offense even though the team was in the midst of a long streak of great success. 8.  Not going half-way in making changes – being fully committed to changes that are made. (including the example of Nick Saban making the change at Alabama) 9.  “My staff knows that their thoughts and opinions are respected and we’re in it together.” 10.  The nuts and bolts of end of season meetings on “where can we get better.” 11.  Working with a neighboring school to evaluate each other’s programs. 12.  “If you’re going to make changes, you’ve got to be willing to listen to other people.” 13.  Having a staff that is passionate, committed, loyal, and knowledgeable. 14.  The positive, meaningful role created for parents via the booster club. “Make the parents part of the equation…We’re all trying to move this forward together.” 15.  Keeping interactions with parents positive and fun. 16.  “We don’t want football to be the pinnacle of their life…We want football to be a part of their life. Something they can build from.” 17.  End-of-practice conversations with the team that center on bigger life issues and developing into better young men. 18.  Focusing on the journey and appreciating it. “Once Friday night comes, the hay is in the barn and we’re going to give it our best shot…If you aim completely at wins and losses, then you’re missing the mark.” 19.  Always staying together, getting up, and bouncing back together. The opportunities provided by setbacks – “that’s when they need you the most.”

Diana Hess is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a leading expert on productive classroom discussion. As many coaches in and beyond Wisconsin are regularly challenged to lead their teams through challenging issues, Dean Hess presents a range of research-supported, practical insights on listening, learning, and moving forward together. We discussed: 1.  Coaching gymnastics at the YMCA and at Downers Grove High School, and the lessons she learned from coaching. 2.  Her research on how middle and high school teachers can help their students discuss controversial issues. 3.  Disagreement about issues is not a bad thing. 4.  Distinctions between “topics” and “issues.” 5.  Live controversies vs. settled topics. 6.  “When students learn how to participate in discussions of controversial issues, they learn an awful lot about how to think, how to articulate their views, and how to listen to people with whom they disagree.” 7.  “We want our students to learn how to talk with people they disagree with.” 8.  Asking students to prepare in advance of discussions about controversial issues – but not necessarily to have a firm opinion about them. 9.  The importance of getting everyone to participate in discussions – and how to do it. 10.  If you want everyone to participate, preparation is the best way to do it. 11.  Sports provide us a wonderful opportunity to learn with and from others who are different from us in a number of ways. 12.  “It is important that the coach sets a really high standard for how we’re going to respect one another.” 13.  Listening. 14.  “What I want on my leadership team is genuine disagreement about what we should do...But at some point, we have to make a decision.” 15.  “There are some times when a group makes a decision that, for whatever reason, you just can’t support. And then, you really have a hard decision to make. Do I stay with this group or not?”

Chris Span is Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Professor Span also serves as a Faculty Athletics Representative to the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA. Chris is a prolific scholar – a historian of American education – who is widely regarded as one of the leaders in his field. Notably, he is the author of the acclaimed book From Cotton Field to Schoolhouse: African American Education in Mississippi, 1862-1875. Originally from Gary, Indiana, Professor Span is also an elite pocket billiards player who learned the game as a youngster in Chicago and went on to travel the country competing at the highest levels of his game. He shares rich research and life-informed insights for coaches on history, knowing context, mentoring, and parent involvement. In this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  His “accidental” journey to becoming a professor – including the advisor at Illinois (JoAnn Hodges) who supported him at a key juncture…And why he still shovels her driveway all these years later! 2.  How another mentor, his former professor Paul Violas, encouraged his trajectory to graduate school: “Maybe you should have a little more confidence in yourself because there seems to be people who have a lot of confidence in you.” 3.  Why JoAnn Hodges made a difference: “She spoke to me like we were family… I had never met anyone in college who spoke to me like a family member.” 4.  “I believe that maybe she saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself at that point in my life.” 5.  How he became an elite pocket billiards player – and the relationships he formed along the way. 6.  What his mentor, Bugs, “the Michael Jordan of pocket billiards,” said to Chris when Chris considered leaving school to pursue billiards full time. 7.  The importance of knowing the history and context of the places we work. “How am I a part of this larger narrative?” 8.  “No matter your station of life, you should be able to relate to people at their level.” 9.  The danger of hubris when coming into a new place or a new position. 10.  “Don’t shy away from the past, but don’t let the past guide you to the point where you are debilitated by it.” 11.  Mentoring by showing and listening instead of speaking. 12.  Dean James Anderson’s mentoring by storytelling. 13.  The kindness and compassion of his wife, another important mentor in his life. 14.  Being flexible and adaptive. 15.  “All young people need to grow into adulthood through trial and error.” 16.  “If parents lay the foundation for their kids, it will bear fruit.” 17.  “I’ve learned far more from my failures than from my successes.”

Bob Enright is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the founding board member of the International Forgiveness Institute, Inc. He pioneered the social scientific study of forgiveness and is the author of over 120 publications, including seven books. Professor Enright is not just a leading scholar, but also a world leader in fostering forgiveness in conflict zones such as Belfast, Athens, Liberia, and Galilee. Many of the coaches we’ve learned from on the SGG podcast have noted the importance of overcoming conflict on teams and developing trusting relationships. Forgiveness is at the heart of this trust and Dr. Enright shares some insights on forgiveness that can greatly help coaches and team. We discussed: 1.  How he came to the study of forgiveness…and the risk he took in doing so. 2.  When you forgive, “you get your life back, your energy back.” 3.  Why forgiveness is important in competitive settings, like team sports. 4.  The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is a “moral virtue that we offer when we are mistreated.” It is unilateral. Reconciliation is “when two or more people come together again in mutual trust.” It is dependent upon both parties. 5.  When we forgive, we seek justice. 6.  Forgiveness is not an acceptance of injustice or an excusing of injustice. 7.  Why it is important for leaders of teams – coaches in particular – to model forgiveness. 8.  Forgiveness is a counter to resentment that can linger for many years. 9.  Aristotle says you grow in any virtue through three things: “practice, practice, practice.” How do sports help us with this practice of forgiveness? 10.  One who forgives on a team is saying, “This is a human being and a teammate who is more important than what just happened.” 11.  Preparing for the injustices that are to come for us…and still being committed to ending the injustices. 12.  Forgiveness deals with the effects of injustice. The effects themselves are often worse than the injustice itself. The injustice may be one particular act in time (or even numerous acts), but the effects go on and can be passed on through generations. 13.  Coaches can play a role in stopping the hurt of injustice. 14.  Bob’s experiences working on forgiveness in Palestinian communities. 15.  Aristotle: “Never practice a moral virtue in isolation from the others.” 16.  Why just “fixing” an injustice does not bring about healing. 17.  Eight Keys to Forgiveness and the Forgiving Life as tools for coaches to begin learning about how to cultivate forgiving cultures on teams. 18.  Self-forgiveness is harder than forgiving others. One step to begin: forgive someone else first, then apply the same process to yourself.

Thom McDonald is the Commissioner of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference and the Director of Basketball at Championship Productions. Thom was a successful high school and college coach before becoming one of the game’s important shapers of teaching and learning through innovation. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  The value of growing up near coaches and being an elementary school teacher. 2.  Becoming known as a “camp guy” as a high school coach and at Drake. 3.  What Rudy Washington saw when he watched Tom at the state tournament: “You don’t know who’s watching you, when they’re watching you, or why they’re watching you.” 4.  Gene Keady: “The first thing you should do every day is shave. Because you never know who you’re going to meet. And that person could change your life.” 5.  His trip to Philadelphia with Rudy Washington to learn from John Chaney and how it made so many future opportunities possible. 6.  Being willing to “take steps backwards in order to move forward.” 7.  How he went about building huge camps: hard work and getting the best people to come. 8.  Camps: “It made me a better coach and it gave me instant credibility.” 9.  “If you’re in the profession but not with someone who can help you, it’s not worth it.” 10.  Being offered the Florida State position from Leonard Hamilton. 11.  Making the decision to leave coaching. 12.  How championship productions has changed the ways coaches learn. (Pat Knight example). “We have the best authors on the planet.” 13.  Bill Bergan as worthy of being a Hall of Famer: “He’s a pioneer. For what he did, when he did it, and how he sustained it.” 14.  Bob Knight: “When you watch his videos, it’s pretty basic. It’s about expectations and imagination. Some of the most successful coaches on the planet are the most simplistic and demanding coaches on the planet.” 15.  “The coaches who stand out are the ones that know how to teach.” 16.  “Video is really important, because video does not lie.” (even when it comes to communicating with parents – you have all those factual things you can go to) 17.  Using both “gut” and analytics. 18.  The many “peripheral” people who make a living off the game of basketball: “They’re all needed, all wanted. You’ve just got to find what is best for you and go from there.” 19.  Webinars and the future of learning as coaches: accessibility and sharing. “I think the future is here. This is the new normal.”