Larry McKenzie, the only coach to win four back-to-back state titles in the 99 year history of the Minnesota State Boys Basketball tournament is sharing his success strategies for "winning" on the court and in life. Much More than just a Game is a must read for young athletes and their parents navigating the game. Incorporating 10 life lessons, Coach McKenzie shows why Basketball is merely a metaphor and a tool that can be used to transform lives.

BASKETBALL

MUCH MORE THAN JUST A GAMEBy LARRY A. McKENZIE

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Larry A. McKenzie
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-3753-4

Contents

Foreword............................................xiiiPreface.............................................xvAcknowledgments/Gratitudes..........................xviiIntroduction........................................xixChapter 1 Business..................................1Chapter 2 Appreciate................................13Chapter 3 Student-Athlete...........................21Chapter 4 Knowledge of the Game.....................31Chapter 5 Enjoy.....................................39Chapter 6 Teachable.................................47Chapter 7 Believe...................................53Chapter 8 Attitude..................................59Chapter 9 Love to Live..............................65Chapter 10 Live to Love.............................69About the Author....................................75Bibliography........................................81

Chapter One

Business

With all the hoopla and excitement, one topic that is often lost in the discussion of the game of basketball is its economics and the fact that it is a business. Like many of this country's early inventions, it has experienced many transformations.

As a young man growing up, basketball for me was just a game, no different from duck-duck, goose or rock, paper-scissors; it was something that brought friends together for fun and laughter. It was something that I could do alone, always imaging hitting that winning shot or free throw as the clock was winding down: five, four, three, two, one!

It was an opportunity for bonding with my dad, who always shared his old school tricks, or my younger brother, by playing one on one, and, of course, I always won.

We played two on two, three on three, four on four or five on five, always on asphalt or concrete and without adult supervision. We played half court or full court, and we organized the games and called our own fouls.

My greatest childhood memory is playing hustle, or twenty-one, as it is known today, on a dirt patch next to a train track surrounded by mulberry bushes with a bike rim nailed to a light post. That could never happen today.

It was about having fun, competing, playing hard, and just simply trying to be the best player I could be. Your reward was respect and being picked first when you returned to the court. Traveling basketball for me growing up was going from Liberty City to play a team in Overtown on Dorsey Park.

Modern basketball is played with uniforms and always in a gym with two or more courts, organized by youth sports organizations and supervised by adults, who decide when, where, and who can play.

We picked teams by the first two players making a shot from the top of the key; today teams are picked by moms and dads, who usually include their son or daughter, their kid's best friend, and three others that can afford to pay the fees.

The game that I once played for fun has blossomed into a multibillion dollar industry where kids are used like chess pieces so that adults can be crowned kings or queens.

The business of basketball includes selling sneakers, specialized training, traveling basketball, recruiting services, youth associations, and more, but it strides on selling pipe dreams through the magic of smoke screens.

The 5th Dimension used to sing, "You don't have to be a star to be in my show." Today everybody has to be the star!

Most recently I was reminded by a mom that her son was ranked as one of the top players in his class and that he averaged thirty points a game on his other team, so "if he wasn't going to be allowed to shoot when he wanted to, he wouldn't be playing anymore."

It preys on adults who live vicariously through their kids; "I didn't make it, but you will." Those whose careers were ended by that vaunted knee injury, or otherwise they would have played in the league, believe that their son or daughter is the ticket that will allow them to escape poverty or simply upgrade their lifestyle to that of the rich and famous. They believe that their son or daughter is the next Big Ticket (KG) or Candace Parker. Finally, it's a chance for them to redeem the injustice of the coach who said they couldn't play or weren't good enough, and to lay down the burden that they've had to carry over the years.

It begins with the innocent mistake of purchasing that Nerf ball and the minihoop that many of us proud fathers buy within months of our children's birth. We proudly watch and proclaim the great potential exhibited by our sons and daughters.

For me it started with the purchase of a pair of fifty-dollar Jordan shoes for my three-month-old son. It continued with anything advertised or worn by Orlando Magic and Penny Hardaway.

Like so many parents with dreams of their kids getting a free college education or playing at the highest level, we begin to invest thousands of dollars in chasing the dream. You eagerly spend money on personal training, tryouts, traveling expenses, and summer camps. But so often the return on your investment is not what was hoped for.

The business of basketball sucks us in, just like the bright lights of the big city. No matter what age or level you are playing at, make no mistake, it is all about business.

Look around your community, and you will find some type of youth sports organization or association. They operate under the premise of promoting good sportsmanship and quality athletic programs, but what they really are, organizations run by youth sports entrepreneurs, and every entrepreneur I know is focused on market share and making a profit. Many of them have salaried staff and require membership fees.

They are the creators of pay to play, organizing leagues and tournaments or private teams, through which they generate millions of dollars. These major events become our family vacations, which generate dollars not only for the organizers but increase revenues for hotels, restaurants, and malls. It was reported that one small town in California hosting an AAU event generated a million dollar windfall, and the event sponsors made $45,000 in just tournament fees from one hundred teams.

When was the last tournament your child participated in a program that offered workshops on the ACT or SAT? Maybe it included a seminar on the ends and outs of recruiting or on how to deal with the media?

Let's really ask the question. Are these organizations about benefiting kids or about turning a profit?

But it doesn't stop there. What city or town doesn't have a gym or facility that is run by a former player or coach who also is a sports entrepreneur offering specialized training?

No doubt they realize that parents are willing to spend thousands of dollars in the pursuit of creating that superstar. They offer weekly sessions one to three times a week at a rate of twenty to one hundred dollars an hour; some willingly set up sessions for kids who really have little chance of ever being more than a recreational player.

I once witnessed a coach laughingly say to a parent that his son " was getting better," only later to describe him as his automated teller machine (ATM) and admit that the kid had about as good a chance of playing high school basketball as he did of walking on water. Of course there are some benefits in specialized training. As a coach and parent, I certainly see value in specialized training and have been...