March Madness and the Mentally Strong
We are now down to two teams for the national NCAA men's basketball championship game on Monday evening: Kentucky and Connecticut. There are probably a number of different story lines that could partly explain why these two teams have made it to the championship. But the one that intrigues me the most is the mental aspect of the game, and how the players on these two teams have mentally managed themselves.
Kentucky player, Aaron Harrison, stated that "you can't be scared to miss". In his three games to get to the championship , Harrison had only made 7 of his 26 three-point shots. Yet, it was his three-point shot at the end of the games against Michigan and Wisconsin that won those games for Kentucky. Another Kentucky player, Alex Poythress, was encouraged to stop thinking so much and just play. More specifically, he was just thinking of his mistakes and this was making him play timid. One of his teammates stated that when Alex would just play and not worry about the outcome he would simply play better. For Connecticut, DeAndre Daniels had stated that he wanted to "step up big time" for his team. He had informed several people that he wanted to come out and prove to all the naysayers that his team deserved to be in the national championship game.
If there is anything that determines who makes it to the final dance in March Madness, it has to be the teams who are mentally tougher and stronger than their competition. There is just something special and significant about those players who have a deep belief in themselves and their teammates to meet any challenge and to rise above it.
Playing Big With Shabazz
The Connecticut Huskies beat Kentucky 60 to 54 to win the NCAA basketball championship. And it goes without saying, that the Huskies won that game on the shoulders of Shabazz Napier. Besides scoring 22 points, creating turnovers and grabbing rebounds, Shabazz was probably the toughest player, mentally, on that court. You could see it in his eyes and the way he moved - with or without the ball. For most of the game, he seemed to be in complete control of himself; especially on a mental level.
It was reported that at different moments during the game, Shabazz would bring his players together to remind them what was at stake and that they would not be denied. You would have to believe that his mental tenacity is what kept the Huskies pushing forward; even when some of this teammates were struggling. He totally believed in himself and his team.
One interesting note - it was reported that at the beginning of the season, the coach of the Huskies brought the team to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and told the players this is where they could end up to compete for the national championship. Very smart move on the coach's part to create a visual for the players; something that they could mentally focus on as they played out their season.
Playing Big With Shabazz
The Connecticut Huskies beat Kentucky 60 to 54 to win the NCAA basketball championship. And it goes without saying, that the Huskies won that game on the shoulders of Shabazz Napier. Besides scoring 22 points, creating turnovers and grabbing rebounds, Shabazz was probably the toughest player, mentally, on that court. You could see it in his eyes and the way he moved - with or without the ball. For most of the game, he seemed to be in complete control of himself; especially on a mental level.
It was reported that at different moments during the game, Shabazz would bring his players together to remind them what was at stake and that they would not be denied. You would have to believe that his mental tenacity is what kept the Huskies pushing forward; even when some of this teammates were struggling. He totally believed in himself and his team.
One interesting note - it was reported that at the beginning of the season, the coach of the Huskies brought the team to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and told the players this is where they could end up to compete for the national championship. Very smart move on the coach's part to create a visual for the players; something that they could mentally focus on as they played out their season.
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