Coach Trying to Break Players of Bad Habits
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the latest addition to the Utes' intense practice sessions:
Boxing gloves.
Yep, they sit there on the scorer's table, two pair -- one with "Right" written on the top of each glove and the other with "Wrong" written there -- that coach Jim Boylen uses to try to break his players' habit of making excuses for their mistakes.
"Everybody wants to be right," he said. "They'd rather be right than win. They'd rather have their stance validated than win. They want to have somebody tell them they're good for what they do than win. So if you believe you're right that much, tell the guy that you think is wrong. Put the gloves on and let's ... go at it, if you really think being right is that important, to put it above the team."
Indeed, having his players deny accountability for their missteps and resist his emphasis on the team over the individual has been one of the ongoing frustrations for the new coach. He grew so angry at forwards Kim Tillie and Morgan Grim during practice last week that he yanked the gloves off the table and threw them at the players, screaming a dare for them to lace 'em up.
Both refused, and none of the players have thrown down with the gloves so far (though guards Tyler Kepkay and Chris Grant did get into a brief fight during a scrimmage drill that same day).
Boylen wouldn't mind seeing it happen, though, especially if the player insisting he's right is the one whose opinion supports the team over the individual. "The day that happens, we're going right to the top," he said.
"It might not make sense to everybody ... but it makes sense to me," Boylen added. "If you believe in your stance so much, fight for it."
Boxing gloves.
Yep, they sit there on the scorer's table, two pair -- one with "Right" written on the top of each glove and the other with "Wrong" written there -- that coach Jim Boylen uses to try to break his players' habit of making excuses for their mistakes.
"Everybody wants to be right," he said. "They'd rather be right than win. They'd rather have their stance validated than win. They want to have somebody tell them they're good for what they do than win. So if you believe you're right that much, tell the guy that you think is wrong. Put the gloves on and let's ... go at it, if you really think being right is that important, to put it above the team."
Indeed, having his players deny accountability for their missteps and resist his emphasis on the team over the individual has been one of the ongoing frustrations for the new coach. He grew so angry at forwards Kim Tillie and Morgan Grim during practice last week that he yanked the gloves off the table and threw them at the players, screaming a dare for them to lace 'em up.
Both refused, and none of the players have thrown down with the gloves so far (though guards Tyler Kepkay and Chris Grant did get into a brief fight during a scrimmage drill that same day).
Boylen wouldn't mind seeing it happen, though, especially if the player insisting he's right is the one whose opinion supports the team over the individual. "The day that happens, we're going right to the top," he said.
"It might not make sense to everybody ... but it makes sense to me," Boylen added. "If you believe in your stance so much, fight for it."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 12:35 PM |
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