Forward Thinking

"Basketball isn't a matter of life and death. It's a lot more important than that."

Here's an excerpt from the foreword to "The Simple Guide to Girls' Basketball." It encapsulates what our coaching is about.

Lessons learned from sports apply to most of life’s endeavors, whether personal or professional. In fact, I always feel more positive about candidates whose resumes include sports as a personal interest. Great team players possess a myriad of skills necessary to success and they have what it takes to become great future leaders. 

• TEAM players have high integrity: they learn the importance of kindness, bravery, hard work and persistence.

• TEAM players learn collaboration, cooperation and negotiation skills. Especially important for women, they learn how to have each others’ backs.

• TEAM players learn strategy, planning and how to take calculated risks.

• TEAM players have a sense of urgency and are driven to win. 

• TEAM players learn to lose graciously without losing their spirit.

• TEAM players learn how to be assertive, cope with pressure and deal with conflict.

• TEAM players have empathy and emotional intelligence.

• TEAM players know the importance of having a great mentor and being a mentor. 

• TEAM players have confidence but are not cocky or selfish.

Reading over this list, it’s pretty easy to see how team sports build a foundation for one’s career, community, and personal life!  I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did, because there is much for all of us to learn from the teachings of Coach Ron.

Laura J. Sen

CEO, BJ's Wholesale Club