Today’s Wisdom from Coach Marques

I love learning from a great coach. I had several amazing coaches while growing up and to this day, at least a few of them had a lifelong, positive impact in shaping who I am. Through sports, I learned the value of setting and pursuing goals, the thrill of accomplishment, the importance of teamwork, and I developed a strong work ethic. I’m a huge fan of any activity that teaches these important skills, sports or otherwise.

So I’m lucky that my son is on an amazing basketball team. A few years ago, when he wasn’t having a positive experience on his select basketball team, he actively researched and sought out a new team. He chose the team based on the coach, Marques Chinn. We didn’t know Marques at the time, but let our son pursue his goal to play on Marques’ team without knowing anyone.

And what a fantastic choice it was. Our son chose incredibly well. Marques is one of those coaches – rare, from what I’ve seen in select basketball – who pushes each kid toward excellence and marked improvement, encourages character and integrity on and off the court, and creates an environment that fosters positive teamwork. Now my son’s teammates are some of his best friends, a few of his school friends have joined the team, and it’s one of the most formative experiences in his life.

Today he had two basketball games. This is relatively common for a week-end and we love to watch him play, chatting with the other families, and cheering on the boys. And, I also love to watch Marques coach. He is an incredible basketball coach, but he has a few traits that make him exceptional in my book. He has tremendous charisma – the boys are glued to him. He has the perfect coach’s voice – the boys listen and respond. And he teaches life skills alongside basketball skills – reinforcing respect of authority, the importance of following directions, and requiring total effort and teamwork. I love to listen to the after-game coaching, where he builds them up, or encourages areas to work on, and always ends with a hug for a kid who is down, or a fist bump for someone that did well. He sees each kid on the team and knows who needs that little extra each game. Phenomenal.

Today I picked up three life lessons, applicable anywhere:

1. If a teammate falls down, you pick them up. Always. Such a great lesson. One of the boys got knocked down and his teammate didn’t reach down with a hand quickly enough. Before he commented on the play, Marques says, “Pick him up. Always. You always pick your teammate up.” I love that – you play hard, but you take care of your teammate. Always. In life, do we do this enough? If someone we love, or just someone we see frequently, has a bad day, do we reach out enough to pick them up? Such a great lesson – whether at school, work, activities, or just day-to-day living, wouldn’t the world be a better place if we always picked people up?
2. Never be casual. I love this one too. In the basketball game, it meant play hard. Throw sharp passes. Make smart plays. Go hard. Play your heart out and leave everything on the court. Again, what if we brought this same passion and intensity to life? Life is too short to be casual about things we care about. Whatever we choose to focus on – whether it be work, family, friends, hobby, or whatever – shouldn’t we bring our A game? If we’re too casual, we aren’t doing our best at what we care about most. Instead, we should play hard – at life.
3. The competitor is us. Another really profound statement. This wisdom was shared at the end of a game that was lost. The opposing team was much larger and the boys played a bit intimidated at times. Marques wise summary? “The competitor is us.” We play hard for ourselves. We improve so we get better. We play as a team to be great together. The competitor is us. To see how good the team can be – and how great each player can become. So smart. And again, so relevant to life. How much happier would we be if we focused on the competitor in ourselves? Focusing on what makes us happy? Not worrying about what others have, or which family seems perfect, or who is moving forward in life at a perceived faster pace. If the competitor is ourselves, we show up for our own happiness, we achieve to reach our own goals, and we define joy on our own terms. 

Such wisdom from Coach Marques today. Luckily we have another game tomorrow!

*For any aspiring basketball players, Marques recently formed his own company, Northwest Coastal, if you are interested in your child joining an awesome program.

Author: Lisa Gurry

Defined as a Writer. Creator. Mom of 3. Runner. Fashion lover. Traveler. View all posts by Lisa Gurry