READ: LOSING YOUR BEST PLAYER
REACTION: THE TEAM BEGINS TO WIN
The example I’m pulling from is a team that was in their third year of running the Read & React. This team’s leading scorer, leading 3-point shooter, and 5th leading scorer in their conference goes down for the season with an injury. The injured player is everything you hope for: great kid, hard worker, dedicated, talented, great sportsmanship, competitive, intelligent, the list could go on. I suspect that it’s going to be hard for the team to recover from this loss.
But then the team wins three games in a row. That strikes me as unusual. Just like any other coach, I would rather have my most talented player than not! So, what possible dynamics could be going on?
- Is the ball being shared more?
- Could it be that the team is now motivated to work together and not depend on one particular player to “bail them out” or carry too much of the load?
- If they are motivated to work harder together, then is this a case that illustrates “the sum is greater than the parts?”
- Are there any other teams out there that could benefit from this lesson without losing a key player to learn it?
These are just some theories that first come to find. Have you experienced this turn-around with your team after losing a key player? We’d love to hear your story, share below!
