The foundation of a successful sports team is within the members of the team. Great teams have positive leaders and supportive teammates. In order to be a good teammate, it is vital to have trust within each other. Every team sets out to achieve a common goal, trusting your teammates and having their back is crucial. To be a winner, you must have the right mindset and understand how important your teammates are and how much you need them.
Every member of a team is an ingredient to its success! This is a fact that tends to be over-looked by everyone. All teams have different levels of talent and different strengths and weaknesses. Whether you play 1 minute or 32 minutes, you contribute to a win or a loss. Giving your best effort at practice to make your teammates better is part of being a good teammate. Always remember, “You practice how you play, you play how you practice”. If you are someone who doesn’t see a lot of time during games, do your best to make your other teammates better! Not giving your best effort is only cheating yourself and your team.
Being a good teammate means doing all of the little things. Little things such as boxing out every time a shot goes up. All it takes is one person to not box out and the rest of the team (who did box), did that work for nothing- don’t let your teammates down. Go hard after a loose ball; don’t be afraid to dive on the floor! One possession can be the difference between winning and losing a game; a good teammate will sacrifice their body for a loose ball. Make good passes on offense! Making a good pass is crucial in executing your offense. Don’t make a sloppy pass that is hard to catch or a bad pass to your teammate that will put them in a bad position. Set good picks for your teammate. Give up your own shot if someone else has a better shot. The little things make a big difference in a game. If every member of the team acts as a good teammate and conquers the little things as an individual, the team will have a lot of success.
Have the right attitude on and off the court. Being a good teammate means you must respect yourself, your team and your program. Come to games and practices on time, well rested, and ready to go. Practice good sportsmanship, trash talking and dirty play will get you nowhere. Always play hard, play with class and with enthusiasm. There are certain things in basketball that we cannot control- referees, the dynamics of the court, the ball you are using, and the gym you are playing in, the spectators, etc. Don’t let these things control the way you play! Play hard, play to win, and leave it all on the court!