Teach UNITY

Use this page as a hand out to the players.  

U: UNSELFISHNESS:

-This is a team game. You play for the name on the front of your shirt, that’s why your names aren’t on the back. Points, rebounds and other stats don’t matter if it adds up to a poor effort. You should always look for the open teammate. You should always cheer for your teammates. You should always help a fallen teammate up off the floor. You should always point to a teammate when they give you an assist. Give credit to others; take blame when you are at fault. You should care about your teammates as much as you care about yourself. You are all equals whether you play every minute of every game or if you barely play in any games.

N: NEVER STOP PLAYING HARD

- As soon as you are in that gym you need to be working hard. You need to push your teammates to work hard. Together you will rise or fall, so you need to make sure that you all are playing your hardest. You should never leave the court feeling that you gave less than 100% of your effort. You should never accept your teammates working below 100% effort level either.

I: INVEST IN THE TEAM’S ATTITUDE

- Success starts in your head. If you believe you are going to lose, you probably will. Believe in yourself and each other. Be positive with yourself and your teammates. Never put yourself or a teammate down. Always lift them up. Cheer them on. Dive for loose balls. Take a charge. Hustle. Develop a winning attitude.

T: TRUST YOUR TEAMMATES

- Believe in each other. Never think that a teammate will let you down. Trust that your teammates will be there to comfort you if you fail. Comfort your teammates if they fail. Be worthy of your teammates trust. Don’t talk poorly about them on the court, in the locker room, at school or anywhere. Trust that the coaches are doing what they feel is best for the overall success of the team.

Y: YOUR ROLE – KNOW IT

- Not everyone can score every basket. Not everyone can even play in every game. Know what your role on the team is. Are you the defensive specialist? Are you the rebounder? Are you going to pout and be trouble if you aren’t scoring as much as you think you should? Are you going to cause problems if you aren’t playing as much as you think you should? Are you going to cheer for your teammates even if you don’t get to play a minute of the game? Take your role and become the best you can at it. If you don’t like your role, don’t complain about it. Talk to the coach and ask what you can do. Every role is important. We need someone who can score, we need someone who can rebound. We also need someone who is willing to shut down the other team’s best player, someone who is willing to go after every loose ball, someone who is willing to cheer for her teammates when they are on the bench and someone to push their teammates to improving at every practice.