“I think the biggest thing for young players now is to ask, “why”?”- Kobe Bryant 

This was Kobe’s answer when he was asked about air-balling four shots in a row during overtime in a playoff game. He explained that he asked himself why he air-balled those four shots. The answer to his “why” was “my legs were tired”. He didn’t make excuses like “it wasn’t my day” or “ I just couldn’t shoot  today” , instead he figured out what he needed to improve on. That off-season, Kobe worked on his leg strength and conditioning so that next year he could make those shots. 

The last few weeks you may have participated in tryouts for your school’s basketball team. If you didn’t make the team ask yourself “why?” If you know what your “why” was, you know what you need to work on to improve your chances of making the team next year. If you don’t know what your “why” was I know someone who does… the coach! If you are serious about wanting to make the basketball team next year, ask the coach why you didn’t make the team this year and what you can do to improve. One of the keys to improving is knowing what you need to improve on. You can improve all of your skills, but it is important to improve your weaknesses first. That way your weaknesses can catch up with your strengths.