In basketball, the players’ relationships during practices and games impact their individual and team performance.
A team working together towards the same goal needs a lot of opportunities to build that connection among teammates in preparation for that ever-sought time to play.
For the Lake Stevens Girls basketball team, they build their trust not just on the court, but also off the court.
They attend events such as watching previous teammates’ college basketball games, go out to grab a fun beverage after practice, and after their away games, they’ll go out and grab some dinner together.
Coaches play a major role in communication – making play calls and resetting players. Players need to be able to trust their coaches and vice versa.
“I’d say our coach is really transparent with us when it comes to really anything that’s going on, so that definitely helps a lot with trust,” senior forward Kendel Kuehl said.
Sometimes players get heated when playing, and that’s where most of the miscommunication begins, as it’s very common when there’s a rise of emotions to get distracted.
“I think a lot of us get hot-headed; we tend to make sure we all reset and we’re actually talking to each other and not just fighting,” senior forward Oluwadarasimi Olotu said.
Getting temperamental on the court can make the players lose focus. Losing focus creates distracted and poor execution throughout the game, resulting in fewer points scored for the team.
Players need discipline to improve teamwork and develop skills. If they do not experience discipline, there will be little to no improvement throughout the team.
Communication throughout a team isn’t always about talking through problems or misunderstandings that the team may have; it can also be about better ways to perform and helping each other, which could overall strengthen the team’s performance.
Teammates are the most helpful when it comes to giving positive advice or communicating with one another on tips on how to fix something, like a layup or a pass.
“We’re always talking about how we can improve in practice and what we can do better to be more focused for games. And I also think we’re super supportive of each other,” Kuehl said.
A supportive team builds confidence on the court, resulting in a better and stronger team performance.
