100 Pages

 Yes. I’m typing this out on my phone.  (I’ll explain why I point that out in a few moments.)

I just read over 100 pages in a book.  This is a book that I started a few months ago.  It’s a book called What Drives Winning by Brett Ledbetter.  His stuff was recommended by a podcast guest we had a few months back (Chris Mongilia).  After watching some videos by Brett I was hooked on what he had to say about sport and life.  He sees the world of sport, competition, winning and more in much the same way I do.  

So, I started his book.  And I liked it. 

Then I stopped reading his book.  It sat for months on my coffee table. 

Before I left for this trip to NY/NJ (this is a travel blog….sort of), I packed the book.  

I started reading the book on the way out here.  Then I stopped.  I told myself, “See?  This is what you do.  You start things and don’t finish them.”  Sounds like a kind thing to say right?

But it’s often true.  What I then did was went to guilt and shame.  Those are fun emotions.  Lump in some judgment and then I’m really cooking. When I’m there, I’m stuck.  And when I get stuck, guess what:  I have more evidence that I don’t finish what I start, and so the carousel of my own creation continues.  And make no mistake, I’m the creator of all of it.  

Before I left La Guardia I picked the book back up out of my backpack.  I had about 45 minutes before my flight boarded so I started reading. I was hooked again.  I was seeing things that were inspiring to me.  Synapses were firing in my brain that felt good.  I was learning. I was reading.  I was connecting with material.  And I know that about myself:  when I’m reading I feel good.  I feel empowered.  I feel like I can do anything.  

But what do I often do?

I pick up my phone.  I check my email.  I check Twitter.  I may even check the news.  And to be honest:  I get sucked in.  Yes, there is plenty of information out there that has proven how addicting it can be to pick up the phone.  

It’s really as if books have no shot when it comes to competing for my attention.  But why is that?  

When I read, I feel great.  I feel accomplished.  I learn.  

When I zone out with my phone, I feel lethargic.  I feel soft.  

Where’s the balance?  I have a job.  I live in a connected world.  I have to check my email.  I have to check social media.  Right?

I think the answer is yes.  But what I just re-learned is that it really comes down to parenting myself.  Telling that part of me that just wants to zone out on my phone, “Hey, I hear you.  How about read for an hour and then you can look at your phone if you want?”  Not always easy for me to do, but I think that’s where the freedom is.  

Because, let’s be honest, my phone and even social media can be a GREAT thing.  It can provide connection to the world that I love, ESPECIALLY when I travel.  And yes, it has allowed to compose this post.  

What I’m seeing for myself in the near future:  a more intentional planning of my time.  Creating a curriculum for coaches and kids that will invite them to an inquiry around sport and their beliefs/behaviors in that area. Creating clarity for more things that I want in my life.  

I'm also seeing this for myself:  Being kind to myself.  Because, hey, I'm going to slip.  I'm going to get sucked into my phone.  I'm going to blow through those boundaries I set around my time.  And, yep, I'm going to be tempted to beat myself up.  What I want for me is to, as my good friend says, turn on the stream of compassion when I'm doing things that I wish I wasn't doing.  Because then, and only then, will I be able to actually SEE that I'm not doing what I really want to be doing.  (That's the insidious thing about technology....When I'm engaging in screen time it actually FEELS like I'm doing what I want to be doing, but oftentimes I'm not.  Check out The Social Dilemma on Netflix for more information on WHY it feels so good to be staring at a screen).

Here's the bottom line:  I want to engage more with life.  With people.  With the activities I want to be doing.  And I can.  It's up to me to do it.

As for the trip:  It was a blast.  Thanks to Kris and his family for another good time in the greater NY and NJ area.  

Peter Bradley Adams:  Great show.  City Winery was a great concert venue.  

The Greatest Games Podcast Crew:  WOW! What a great time that was Thursday night. Thank you all so much for coming out and connecting with all of us.  What a privilege it has been to get to know you.  Looking forward to more interactions in the future. 

Dr. D:  Great comedy show Friday night!

Mr. and Mrs. D:  Congratulations again on a beautiful place.  I’m so happy for y’all to be traveling and living the life you have.  Thanks for always being so real, genuine and welcoming to me.  

Blas:  Thanks for being there for me over the years.  It’s amazing to have a friendship that goes back so many years and so fun to have it continue.  

Hey Basketball, Thanks

I was a sophomore in college. I was pretty lost. I wasn’t involved in anything on campus. I had a few friends (or is it "I had few friends?"). I played a ton of video games.

At a camping trip, my friend mentioned that he heard the Men’s basketball team was looking for managers. I felt something shift inside of me. And I remember saying, “I’d kill to be able to do that.”

I didn’t kill anyone.

However, I did reach out and apply for a basketball student manager position, I interviewed (next time we talk remind me to tell you the story about Coach Fogler coming to the waiting room with a toy parrot on his shoulder), and I got the job.

Those last two and a half years as an undergraduate student at USC were heaven. I was around the game that I loved, people that I loved and it was new experience after new experience after new experience....and it was really fun. I was doing what I loved to do. I was meeting people. Working in the trenches with great folks. I was waking up early. I was filling up water bottles. I was wiping up sweat.

Yes, sweat.

And I loved every minute of it.

Because of that experience as a manager, I was able to get an opportunity as a graduate assistant two years later. I was living the dream again. Traveling, meeting people, working. It was another experience that I wouldn’t trade the world for.

During that time I worked with a fellow GA, Brett Carey. He came in my second year as a GA, and for that year I had a ball being around him and the rest of the crew. (Writing a book about all of the guys and experiences we had that year is long overdue. Trust me.)

Once I finished my time as a GA, I decided to pursue high school coaching. The following year when Brett’s time was up at USC, he went the college route and landed a job at his alma mater, UNC Asheville.

Most of the years during his time there I would make the drive up to watch a game and hang out for the weekend getting to be around the team, the coaches, the staff and even the team doctor (shoutout to Dr. Bob Boykin). I was having a blast. Those trips to Asheville were always life-giving and kept me around college basketball and all of the personalities that come with being around the game. Everyone I met at UNCA always made me feel welcome and cherish the times I had around their programs.

Brett then took a job at Indiana State in Terre Haute, Indiana four years ago. A quick peruse of this blog will show my love affair with Indiana, so needless to say my annual trips continued to visit with Brett.

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more welcome at a place that is not my home than I do in Terre Haute. I’ve always loved the people of Indiana, but the people of Terre Haute have taken that love to a whole new level.

The coaches and staff members that I encountered during my time in Terre Haute welcomed me with open arms, and Greg Lansing (more on him later) treated me like I was one of their own.

Heck, even the Women’s Golf coach is the best. (G. Towne, I look forward to chatting with you more about growth and helping kids)

I even got to know some members of the community and they always me feel so welcomed.

And then there is Greg Lansing. Where do I begin with this one? What are a few of the words I would use to describe Coach Greg Lansing? Real. Honest. Caring. Engaging. Compassionate.

College basketball is an interesting landscape. I suspect it is similar to the landscapes of other industries. My experiences with coaches at the Division I level tells me that some of them are truly genuine souls that care deeply and that others of them are not. It’s a spectrum, and I’m not here to talk about other coaches. I’m here to talk about Greg Lansing. He is one-of-a-kind. Players love him. Coaches love him. The community loves him. And it’s easy to see why all of the above is true if you ever have the great pleasure to be around him.

I am incredibly grateful to him for the access he gave me to his program over the years. Being around him, his staff and his guys will forever be one of the greatest thrills of my journey throughout basketball. I am sad that his time in Terre Haute is over, however I am fully confident that the best is ahead of in life (with his wonderful wife Kristi) and his career because of who he is as a person.

So, basketball, thank you. Thank you for what you continue to provide this me through the relationships you have brought into my life.

BC, thanks for everything and for great times.

Let's Go Peay!

Yes, it's been over a year since I've posted to my blog. This past year has been a challenge. I love to travel, and the halt of the world because of The Great Pause and COVID-19, has certainly shown me how much I miss traveling. The above post was surrounding my trip to the 2021 Final Four in Indianapolis and the subsequent hanging out in Terre Haute, IN. Special people. Special place.