THE MAMMOTH WAY
Be Grateful. Players: be grateful that your parents and family are making sacrifices so that you can have this basketball experience. Parents: be grateful that your son has this opportunity and enjoy the experience of watching him play because some day the ball will stop bouncing. Players and Parents: be grateful that everyone associated with Mammoth Basketball is a volunteer who is making sacrifices in their own lives to provide this basketball opportunity for you and your family.
Be Coachable. Players: it is assumed that you have joined this program because you want to reach your full potential in basketball. You will be coached based on this assumption and, at times and in the moment, this may feel uncomfortable. You may not like what a coach says or how they said it, but understand it is coming from a place of caring and good faith. Parents: allow your son to be coached and during games don't "coach" from the stands. It is fine for a parent to have an opinion about a coach or another player, but please don’t share this opinion with your son. Allow your son to experience club basketball on their own terms and form their own opinions.
Growth Mindset. Players and parents: maintain a growth mindset and embrace the process of getting better and having new experiences. A player may have a different role on this team than their school basketball team and this team may play a different style of basketball. Embrace these differences as they are part of the growth process. You may learn through the club basketball experience that you are a better basketball player than you perhaps thought or perhaps the opposite. Either way, you are learning something valuable that can be put to good use in your life.
Control What You Can Control: Players: basketball is a game of mistakes – a missed shot, an errant pass, etc. Move on from your mistakes and have a “next play” mentality. Basketball is a fast-paced game and if you dwell on a prior mistake, you are likely to make another mistake. Poor body language, a bad attitude, lack of energy and hustle are not mistakes. These are choices you make and such choices will not be tolerated. Parents: you can’t control how your son plays in a particular game or how a coach coaches in a particular game. Mistakes will be made, discretion will be exercised in the moment, and the goal is always to best position the team for success. Players and parents: the club basketball scene can - at times - be a chaotic environment and club basketball is not necessarily known for superb officiating. Games are likely to be “called” differently than a typical school basketball game and issues involving officials, opposing players, and fans of the other team are outside of your control.
Play to Standards. Players: you will be informed of various standards of play and be held accountable to those standards of play. There are many ways to contribute to the success of a basketball team beyond scoring and playing time will be determined in part of non-scoring aspects of the game. While there may be exceptions, it is relatively common on a club basketball team (given the nature of games and the roster) for most players to average less than 8 points per game (regardless of how many points you average on your school ball team). After all, there is only one basketball. Standards of play apply regardless of the score of a game. The score is always 0-0 and what matters most are standards of play. Parents: recognize that your son will be evaluated based on more than just scoring. Celebrate his contributions in these other important aspects of the game.
Be Grateful. Players: be grateful that your parents and family are making sacrifices so that you can have this basketball experience. Parents: be grateful that your son has this opportunity and enjoy the experience of watching him play because some day the ball will stop bouncing. Players and Parents: be grateful that everyone associated with Mammoth Basketball is a volunteer who is making sacrifices in their own lives to provide this basketball opportunity for you and your family.
Be Coachable. Players: it is assumed that you have joined this program because you want to reach your full potential in basketball. You will be coached based on this assumption and, at times and in the moment, this may feel uncomfortable. You may not like what a coach says or how they said it, but understand it is coming from a place of caring and good faith. Parents: allow your son to be coached and during games don't "coach" from the stands. It is fine for a parent to have an opinion about a coach or another player, but please don’t share this opinion with your son. Allow your son to experience club basketball on their own terms and form their own opinions.
Growth Mindset. Players and parents: maintain a growth mindset and embrace the process of getting better and having new experiences. A player may have a different role on this team than their school basketball team and this team may play a different style of basketball. Embrace these differences as they are part of the growth process. You may learn through the club basketball experience that you are a better basketball player than you perhaps thought or perhaps the opposite. Either way, you are learning something valuable that can be put to good use in your life.
Control What You Can Control: Players: basketball is a game of mistakes – a missed shot, an errant pass, etc. Move on from your mistakes and have a “next play” mentality. Basketball is a fast-paced game and if you dwell on a prior mistake, you are likely to make another mistake. Poor body language, a bad attitude, lack of energy and hustle are not mistakes. These are choices you make and such choices will not be tolerated. Parents: you can’t control how your son plays in a particular game or how a coach coaches in a particular game. Mistakes will be made, discretion will be exercised in the moment, and the goal is always to best position the team for success. Players and parents: the club basketball scene can - at times - be a chaotic environment and club basketball is not necessarily known for superb officiating. Games are likely to be “called” differently than a typical school basketball game and issues involving officials, opposing players, and fans of the other team are outside of your control.
Play to Standards. Players: you will be informed of various standards of play and be held accountable to those standards of play. There are many ways to contribute to the success of a basketball team beyond scoring and playing time will be determined in part of non-scoring aspects of the game. While there may be exceptions, it is relatively common on a club basketball team (given the nature of games and the roster) for most players to average less than 8 points per game (regardless of how many points you average on your school ball team). After all, there is only one basketball. Standards of play apply regardless of the score of a game. The score is always 0-0 and what matters most are standards of play. Parents: recognize that your son will be evaluated based on more than just scoring. Celebrate his contributions in these other important aspects of the game.