“Remember that kid that played for us a few years back?”
I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard coaches talk about the players who have played for them in the past. I’ve done it mysel
f countless times. It’s certainly a common way of bringing up former players. And while it might seem like a trivial issue of word choice, I won’t be using that phrase anymore. The more I think about it, it isn’t a trivial idea. Players don’t play for me. I coach for them. They aren’t here for me. I am not here for me. I am here for them, and I want to teach them to be here for each other.
If you didn’t catch it on ESPN last weekend, here’s a 15 minute E60 piece that illustrates this extremely well.
Enjoy. Coach with purpose.