The Preseason

 

It is finally basketball season! It is middle of October, the weather is starting to change, and all you see on social media is basketball highlights (at least the pages I follow). Youth basketball, College and Professional seasons are all underway as they are entering or just finishing their preseason. One thing about every basketball preseason that never changes is, it sucks.

The preseason sucks because it is tough. It is designed to be tough and to put athletes in more demanding situations than they would experience in a game, so when they are in a game, the “tough” situation would be easier. If you know me at all, then you know this story, but the worse thing I have ever had to do in my life was run a timed mile while I was at Kent State. This was our conditioning test and the time for guards to make it was 5 minutes and 30 seconds. That was by far the toughest thing I had to do in my basketball career. However, I learned a lot about mental toughness, and fighting through adversity.

Another reason the preseason sucks, is it is a season of waiting. Waiting on the main events, which is the actual games. One thing I have realized in my spiritual life is, God likes to put us in a season of waiting to prepare us for our next point in our life. Waiting is not easy, waiting is not ideal, waiting sucks sometimes.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

During our season of waiting, God tells us to be obedient in His word. Growing our knowledge in His word will allow God to show us more about ourselves. Once we know how God wants us to act and what He wants us to do, then we can act on it. We must put ourselves in position to receive things from God.

I coached a fall league recently with my AAU team, and I caught myself trying to explain and coach them like we were in our regular AAU schedule. I had to take a step back and focus on the goal of the fall league, and that was to get better. The fall league was created to give players and teams the opportunity to play games out of the normal season. Wins and losses do not hold as much weight, how many points a player scores do not matter as much, and the objective of playing was just to prepare them for the upcoming season.

During our season of waiting, it's important we understand the process. Being obedient and staying rooted in what you are doing is crucial. It is easy to try and take things into your own hands and control the situation, but that is not what the preseason is meant to do. Teams and individuals who understand how to properly operate in their season of waiting are the ones who can best prepare themselves for the next phase of the process and put their self in position to receive the gifts God intended them to receive.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Follow Through!

Over the past year, I have taken on a new role and transitioned into coaching. This role was different for me because I was so used to the competitiveness of physically being on the court trying to do whatever I could to perform well for my team and myself.  If you know me, you know I never planned or wanted to coach, it was too hard for me to sit on the sidelines. However, one thing I found out quickly was that coaching involves constant communication, which is something I liked. Being on the same page as a coaching staff and as a team only improves the level of each player/coach because the expectations are laid out right in front of you. 

 God has given us access to Him. As a believer, He has equipped us with tools and weapons to fight off evil. Prayer is simply communication with God. Prayer gives us access to what God is trying to reveal in our lives and through His word. To properly pray, however you should pray according to God’s written word, not just for specific wants and needs.

 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” – Ephesians 6:18

 One of the best basketball tips I received came from my trainer and coworker at a basketball training facility called Just Hoops. We are a basketball training facility that specializes in teaching proper technique and shooting techniques to help players. I learned there are four different ways you can miss a shot. Missing to the left or right of the rim, missing short hitting the front of the rim, or missing long on the back of the rim. If you shoot the ball straight each shot, it eliminates two of the four ways to miss. All good shooters are straight shooters, meaning they rarely miss left or right. To execute this properly, hand placement and a player’s follow-through plays a big part of one’s shooting ability. The follow-through is the release of the ball from the hands.

 The more I thought about shooting, one of the most important skills in basketball, I started to think about how a simple tactic as far as one’s follow-through can help guide the ball exactly where you want it to go with proper control. In our spiritual life, God is asking us to follow-through. It is important to follow through with the plan Jesus has set and laid out for our lives. God’s word tells us to surrender to Him daily. 3 principles to surrendering to God:

1.  Being a living sacrifice.

2.  Give none of ourselves to the world.

3.  Renew the mind daily.

When shooting a basketball, just because you shoot it straight, does not mean you won’t miss. However, it does increase your odds of succeeding. In James 1: 2-8, He lays out that in your spiritual life there will be trials and tribulations. Even during trials and tribulations, you’re supposed to have joy in it and persevere through it because the plan God has set is perfect. A surrendered life means Gods-will, will flow and find you while He works in you. I encourage you today to read Ephesians 1:2-8 and follow through with the plan that God has set over your life!