“I Would Do Anything to Play High School Basketball?”

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When you talk about hard work, dedication, and being the best in your field, there is no one better than strength coach Mike Boyle. A pair of high school athletes shared with me what they felt was the best speech they ever heard. These football players were some of the best in the state. Boyle’s message was simple but had such a huge impact on the thinking of these players. Both went on to have successful college football careers and graduated with honors.

Below are some of the main points of the speech. The message is simple, but cannot be shared with young athletes enough.

Mike Boyle was sharing a discussion he had with the BU Hockey team: “How many guys would do anything to win the national championship?” For the case of this blog I have included make a high school basketball team.

Boyle shared had a long list of ANYTHING that he felt many of the players would not make a commitment to follow. On the list was three simple, but important things he felt were critical to athletic success.

We will analyze each one closely.

#1 “Getting up every day and eating breakfast.”

Proper Sleep: Sleep is so important to rest and recovery for an athlete. It is especially important for high school athletes who are continuing to develop mentally and physically. Sleep experts feel teens should get 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night. The athlete who commits to a sleep schedule will be best prepared for a practice, game, and / or season.

Getting up involves time management, getting proper sleep, completing school work, and limiting screen time.

Eating Breakfast: Boyle feels eating a healthy breakfast is one of the best ways an athlete can prepare for success. The act of eating breakfast may not seem like a big deal, but if student-athlete is running late for school or practice, nutrition will suffer. Players who plan nutritious meals will have the proper fuel for the body to function at the highest level.

Proper Nutrition & Fueling the Body: According to Boyle, a player saying “I don’t have time to eat breakfast,” simply means the player is prioritizing sleep over breakfast.

#2 “Avoiding alcohol and drugs.”

“Just Say No” was First Lady Nancy Reagan’s slogan to America in relation to drugs. It is simple but effective. Alcohol and drugs will not help an athlete succeed. In fact, it will end many athletic careers, especially in high school where players will be suspended for part or all of a season if they violate a state health policy.

Very simple, but not always easy for high school athletes to follow.

# 3 “Not Missing Workouts.”

Having a workout is a very important part of reaching the next level. So many athletes just play. They do not have a plan for how to improve. They do not record the workouts. So the 1st step for a player is to create an appropriate workout. Then a player must followthrough with completing the workout!

Other points Coach Boyle mentioned were:

The coach is always right. That’s like rule number one and when in doubt go back to rule #1.
Success is simple, but not easy.
“Written Goals – write them down.” – Sit down. Write down your goals.
“Show up for camp in shape.” Advice to an athlete trying to make a college team… Goal #1. It doesn’t take one out of town to get in great shape.
“Have a plan.”
Show up on time.
“Prepare the child for the path not pass for the child.”
Develop a GREAT work ethic.
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Do unto others. if you want to others as you would have them do unto you the Golden Rule they don’t cost that for nothing. If you want to get treated well, treat other people well.
Be a good teammate.
Anytime the ride gets easy check and see if you’re coasting downhill.
Sit up straight.
Say yes coach or no coach.
Get out of bed.
Eat breakfast.
Eat your vegetables
Bottom line: “The world does not owe you anything” believe it or not.
Talent only creates opportunity all right.