Honor the Game and the Game Will Honor You

Season 2, Episode 9 of the Discipleship Hoops Podcast is a solo episode centered around a powerful principle:

“Honor the Game and the Game Will Honor You.”

In this episode, I dive into what it truly means to respect basketball the right way — through discipline, preparation, consistency, sacrifice, and mindset.

This conversation goes beyond wins, highlights, and exposure. It’s about understanding how the game can shape your character, open doors, build relationships, and impact your life both on and off the court when you approach it the right way.

We discuss:

Why discipline still matters in today’s basketball culture
 The importance of preparation and daily habits
 How the game exposes weak mindsets and poor habits
 What it means to truly respect the process
 How basketball can create opportunities far beyond the court
 Why today’s athletes are chasing attention instead of development
 The life lessons basketball teaches when honored correctly

This episode is for athletes, parents, coaches, and anyone who understands that basketball is bigger than just the game itself.

If you honor the game the right way, the game has a way of giving back.

Subscribe, share, and help us continue building leaders through the game.

For sponsorship opportunities and partnerships, visit our website.

Discipleship Hoops Podcast

Hebrews 12:11

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

What's good out there, y'all? Welcome to the latest and greatest edition of the Discipleship Hoops podcast. I'm your host, Jimmy, back at you once again. Again, I am solo again for the second time this season. I may be beginning to like this a little bit. Uh no, I'm just kidding. I love sitting down with these coaches across the uh, these, I mean, phenomenal, wonderful coaches. I've had the pleasure of meeting, sitting down with, chalking it up with, and it's been an honor uh that they've taken time out of their busy schedules. I know we're in recruiting season, we in summer season, we in AAU ball. Like it's probably probably more busier now than they are during the season. So all the coaches out there, I truly, truly appreciate uh your time. And if you are a coach or you know a coach, a trainer, uh a basketball, uh, someone that's just been around the game and has a wealth of knowledge that they would like to come on here and disciple, uh hit me up. All right, hit me up, let's get them on, let's get them hooked up. I will come to you. All right, wherever you are, I'll come to you, and we can get this thing going. But anyway, this is season two, episode nine of the Discipleship Hoops podcast. Back at you again. And today, uh really, my purpose of today is really just to talk to you about honoring the game. Right? Just on this little round ball right here, right? And how if you honor this thing right here, if you honor, if you say you love the game of basketball, if you say you want to be great at the game of basketball, if you say you want to go to the next level, to the next level, to whatever that level is, you have to honor this little thing right here, all right? Because number one, if you honor it, it will honor you, but if you dishonor it, it will also expose you very, very quickly, all right, by dishonor. So that's what we're about to get into right now, man. Sit back, get your popcorn, buckle in, let's walk through this thing and what it means or what it will produce if you honor the game with basketball. Let's go. Welcome to Discipleship Hoops Podcast, where basketball meets purpose. This isn't just about mastering skills on the court, it's about developing the complete athlete. We're here to help young players grow stronger, smarter, and more skilled while deepening their character and strengthening their faith. At Discipleship Hoops, we believe basketball is more than a game. It's a platform for transformation, teaching discipline, teamwork, and resilience. Together, let's empower the next generation of leaders to excel both on and off the court. Next, Discipleship Leafs through basketball. From the moment I first started playing outside at Terry Park, uh running neighborhood to neighborhood, uh, outside goal to outside goal, like the dirt courts where we had to spray the the water holes uh just to try to keep the dirt down, uh with the with the basketball goal on the light pole. Like that's where it all started, you know, to uh bomb high school, to my time at MILSAPs, to overseas, and to like just still playing it uh today. Uh basketball has changed my life. It's um, I mean, it's not just because of the wins, like basketball hasn't changed my life because of the stats, um, not even because of the recognition, but the reason why the game of basketball has changed my life is because of what it taught me. It has taught me discipline, it has taught me structure, it has taught me accountability, it has taught me resilience, and most importantly, it's taught me leadership. As a point guard, you had to be uh the lead, you have to be the leader of the team. You have to be that coach on the floor, and that discipline, again, uh it will carry you or it will it will expose you. But the one thing that I've learned over the years is that like I said in the in the in the beginning, is that if you honor the game, the game will honor you back. The problem is today a lot of people want the rewards of basketball. They want the NIL, they want the gold ball, they want the the the followers, the clicks, the likes, the ha ha and hoo-hoos. Like they want all that stuff, right? But they want it all without respecting the process that comes with it. And and and and and that's a very, very that's a tough space to be in when all you care about is is the results and you don't care about the work, right? You have to put more care and more emphasis on the work than you do, then the results become a by byproduct, uh byproduct of the work. See everybody wants exposure, right? Everyone wants rankings, uh uh uh uh scholarships, right? Um followers, of course, right? It's just and then most importantly, what comes with all these things is attention. But very few people truly honor the game anymore. And the thing about it is that honoring the game is bigger than playing hard on game day. Like it's so much more. Uh it's it's it's just so I've been fighting this to get kids to understand that the game is so much bigger than game day. Because when game day comes and the clock comes starts counting down and the buttons are full, and everybody's hollering and screaming and yelling, and whistles are blowing and shoes are squeaking, like it's fun. That's why it's a game, because that's when it becomes fun, because you've already done all the hard work up until that point. So now you're just out there just hooping and having fun. But um um um young people today, they miss uh honoring the game because they miss how they train, they don't uh miss how you prepare, right? Miss uh how you respond to adversity, uh, how you treat teammates, like how you handle coaching, like how you carry yourself when nobody is watching, right? The game, it sees it sees all of it, right? The game sees all of that, and eventually the game gives back accordingly, right? Right. How you uh cherish and take care and and handle those things right there, the game will give it back to you good or bad. And so that's what we're talking about uh today. Is uh okay, so uh let's let's let's jump into it, right? Like what does it mean to honor the game? All right, when you honor the game, you do things like you respect fundamentals, right? I'm gonna get my notes so I can make sure I don't miss anything. You respect fundamentals, you respect preparation, you respect coaches, you respect teammates, you respect opportunities, and too many players only love basketball when just like we just mentioned, when it's attention, when it's uh scholarships, when it's scoring, when it's uh stats, when it's uh uh when when uh the shots are falling. But that's not honoring the game. That's loving the game, right? That's loving moments uh about the game, or that's not honoring the game. Because real hoopers, hear me out now, real hoopers respect conditioning, they respect film study, like they respect the grind, they respect the work they put in when bleachers are empty, they respect repetition, they respect sacrifice, and you know what else they respect? They respect uh the repetition of doing the mediocre, well not mediocre, but doing the small thing, yeah, small mediocre things over and over and over again. Right hand crossover, left hand between the legs, like just those little small details you have to do over and over and over and over and over and over again, rip after rep after rep. And I've trained and I've worked with enough kids that's like, coach, we're tired of going between the legs, when can we play? That's all they want to do is get to playing. Just like John Wooden say, basketball reveals character, basketball doesn't build character, and because the game of basketball will expose you. Um I I I I tried playing football one time, uh, back when I was like eighth grade, and they had me at what they call scat back, and they pissed the ball out to quarterback, pissed the ball out to me, and I ran around the line, and this guy, linebacker, hit me so hard in my chest that I hit the ground, my shoulder pads came unbuckled, my helmet, chin strap came up to my nose, and my helmet was sitting like right here. Uh my face mask was sitting like right here. And I remember just like doing like this, laying on my back, taking those shoulder pads off, flipping that helmet off, and got up right then and walked back up to the field house and never put on another pair of pads. Um, because football, right, football is a game uh to where I've I've as much as I love watching college football, right? You can have a kid uh uh and and and put them on the scout team, put them on uh kickoff team, put them on punt return team, right? You can have a kid like that because you know you have so many specialty positions, wide receiver quarterback, you know, uh uh left tackle, um, uh edge rusher, you know, all those types of positions like that, those skill positions, then you have those uh in-between positions that you just need to fill a roster, or you need to put 11 people on the field. Thank you for this season's sponsor, Power Financial Group. The mission of Power Financial Group is to glorify God by helping their clients be good managers of the resources entrusted to them. Whether it is investing for the future, planning for retirement, getting out of debt, or becoming a generous giver, their desire is to be your trusted partner on your financial journey. The team at Power Financial Group strives to serve their clients with integrity and execution. Getting to know them, building a strong relationship with them, and helping them pursue their goals is the top priority. They take seriously their God-given responsibility to faithfully serve those families God entrusted to their care. As Power Financial Group, they can be reached at 601-790-1180 or send them an email at info at powerfinancialclaims.com. Thank you again, Power Financial Group. Yeah, and so, but in basketball though, right? Like in basketball is only five people, right? There are no helmets, there are no pads, uh uh, there are no shields. Like you are in the open, fans are on top of you. Usually, sometimes you go to these gyms, they're sitting right behind the bench, and it will expose you. It will expose selfishness, it will expose laziness. Uh, the game of basketball with the game of basketball will expose if you have weak handles, uh, if you have lack of discipline, and if your ego is, if if you think your ego is bigger than the game, it'll humble you real, real, real, real, real, real quick. Um, basketball will expose fake talent, right? It will expose like, yeah, coach, I've been in the gym, and I go back and watch, and yeah, you was in the gym, but you was heaving up half-court shots for 30 minutes. And that's that's the only work you put in, right? Or you were standing behind a three-point line and just jacking up threes, three after three after three, and you like, yeah, coach, but I hit uh, I was seven for 20 from threes when I went in the gym today. All right, but how many, first of all, how many of those threes was game situational shots? Like, how many threes did you take when you ran up and down the court uh doing defensive slides and then took a three-point shot? And so the game will expose all that. The game will expose who works, right? The game will expose who prepares, who studies uh uh, and who stays disciplined. The game will expose all those things. And the other side to that is the game will also reward that reward those that do it the right way. I I mean, I remember like I was never the uh I mean I'll f I you know I've I've been 5'11 since 12th grade. Um and uh so I was probably never the tallest person on any basketball court that I've been in in the world. Uh, but I always say that uh there is nobody out there that's that that's gonna outwork me. And I take that even today to old man 3 on three on Tuesday mornings. I say, hey, I'm still I'm not the tallest one out there. Uh I'm not the fastest one out there, I'm not the best shooter out there, but I but there is not one person still to this day that's gonna outwork me. Uh, you may score on me, but I'll be when you leave there, you're gonna be like, man, that dude, Jimmy, tough. Uh so yeah, so I mean that's just been my thing. Like, you're just not gonna outwork me when it comes uh to this game. Because the way the game works is like, like it's it's it's a it's a it's a balance. It's like when you hear people say uh a referee calls a bad call and the team goes down and turns the ball over. What everybody yells out, ball don't lie, right? It it does not, you don't even talk, but it don't lie. It's quiet, but it speaks volumes and it speaks loudly because this ball will not lie. The game will even itself out if you just keep playing. Maybe not in that game, right? You there there are gonna be games where you know you've put the work in, uh uh you you've done everything to honor the game. And game nights show up and you shoot, you have a three for 24 night. Because again, right? Because the the what the what the game does is says Let's see if you can stick to it when times are hard. Let's see how disciplined you are when things aren't going your way. Let's see how devoted and how committed you are when you've lost four games in a row, when you've missed ten shots in a row, right? When you've turned the ball over four times and the coach is yelling at you, and and you're sitting at the end of the bench. Let's that's when the real test becomes. And if you overcome that test, or when you overcome that test, and you continue to honor, you continue to work on your craft, you continue to to to to um to show up every single day before practice, after practice, on weekends, at night, like that's that's give it a couple games, and I promise you that three for 23 night is gonna turn into a 10 for 13 night. It's just this is just how the game works. It's just how the game balances and even itself out because ball don't lie, right? Ball don't lie. So um uh for me, right? My story when it comes to this game is like I say, like I quit football real soon early on. I knew that wasn't my sport. Um soccer was my sport. In high school, that was my that was my jazz, is is playing soccer. And uh actually went to Mill Saps to play soccer, and then when I got there, switched over to basketball. But I I had great feet, but I had horrible hands. Because in soccer, you can't touch the ball with your hands. So I had horrible hands, but I had great feet. And so the my the way that I got on the court was number one, I was always the one that was in the best shape. All right, so that's a nugget, all right. Write that down, athletes out there watching. Always show up in shape, not in a shape. All right. Uh so I always had I had the best feet defensively, and I was in the best shape. No one can outrun me. Uh no one can outlash me. And I and and but again, I couldn't dribble, I couldn't shoot. Uh I I didn't understand offense, how it works, spacing, any of that. All I know is that when the coach is like, hey, you got the other team, best player, go shut them down. Got it, coach, and that's what I did. And I shut him down and I got a steal, or dove on the floor. So I was a dive on the floor. I still am today. Like I said, you're not gonna outwork me. I was a uh dive on the floor for loose balls, right? I was a do-the-dirty work type guy. Um come from behind and get a steal when you're not watching. Like all those types of things like that is how was how I earn earned my way into the game. And I wasn't even, I mean, yeah, I can't, I mean, I mean, I felt some type of way at times that the coach wouldn't let me shoot or that I'll get a steal and the point guard will run over and take the ball out of my hands because they knew I was about to turn it. I was about to turn it over. Uh but I just kept working and kept working and kept working and kept working until finally I got um um got to Germany uh and started playing for BBC Meligan. And so uh what this game has done for me personally is like where I am today, like as I sit here before you today, season two, episode nine of the Discipleship Hoots podcast, it's all because of me not settling to only be a defensive stopper when I was a sophomore in college. That's it. And I was a sophomore in college in '96. So do the math. And since since 1996, I said to myself that I am gonna earn my way on the floor. That I'm gonna earn my way to be able to uh be more than just known for defense, be no be more than just known for the soccer kid that plays great defense. And so um since then, this this ball has uh um paid for education. This ball has created lifelong relationships. Um, like my brother right now, um you know, my brother from another mother, uh, shout out, man. I know you you watching, you supporting. Uh we started like 2003. Uh Kadena Air Force Base. We got a couple kids together, and uh we gave them a basketball. And that's how him and I met. Him and I met playing through basketball. We had some battles uh back in those days in Japan. He still to this day hadn't beat me. But uh and so we battled the Royale. And um, but and and then today, you know, 2003 to today, right? Over what 20 plus 20-year relationship uh that we that that him and I have had. And we're, you know, and that's my guy, that's my best friend, right? We still chop it up today. I still go to him for um um inspiration, motivation, and correction. All right. So that's my guy. Uh it's taught me leadership. Um, I'm in confidence, right? That's that's probably the biggest thing for me is that it's just built confidence. Um creative network of opportunities. Again, the discipleship hoops podcast. All right. I didn't know it, but God birthed that in me in '96. Um uh taught me resilience uh and how like how to understand that that all L's aren't losses, but also lessons. Um it's taught me how to um and develop discipline for life. Not just playing the game, but also like in relationships, just also on the job in the military. Uh all those types of things is um because of this game. Like I jokingly say uh I was talking to somebody the other day and they was talking about they were going to uh Miami. Oh, uh a gentleman that I'm that I personally train. Uh he was talking about he's going to uh Miami with his family for a vacation. Well he's going for a conference, but while they're there, they're just going to have vacation for summer vacation. And so I was like, man, you know, I've never been to Miami. Like I've flown into Miami to go to uh Jamaica or um uh somewhere like that, but uh I've never been to Jamaica. I mean, I'm sorry, I've never been to Miami, right? Never been to New York. Um, I've gone to California one time and I was like eight years old as a kid. And so like, but what I have been because of this game right here, because of this ball right here, I've been to more countries than I have states. Right? This ball is taking me to Germany, Japan, Switzerland. Uh it's taking me to Amsterdam, to uh to Italy, uh, to um I mean to Paris. Uh it's taking me like um just all over Japan, Okinawa, uh Korea. Uh I mean, like I can go on and on to all the different countries um that this ball, because of this basketball, because of honoring this basketball in ninety six when I in ninety six, it is taking me up into this this point, right? I mean, like. In the past two years, since I've been assistant coaching at Hartfield Academy, I haven't worked one day in my life. Right? And we have long seasons, right? Long nights, early mornings, long seasons, but I love it. I love it. And I honor it because I understand the dynamics of how I got the job. When I first started, I would hear people say, well, where'd he come from? Or where was he coaching at before? And then people would ask me, well, where were you here before you got here? And I was like, uh, in the military? In Washington, D.C. That's where I was at. Uh uh hooping at uh Planet Fitness. I'm the not Planet Fitness, uh, what's the uh LA fitness? Yeah, hooping at LA Fitness with all the YMCA uh on base, like I was just hooping. I was still out there just hooping. And so it's funny though, but the the truth about it is, right, is because again, honoring the game back in '96, relationships that I built with uh with with 20 years ago. Like, check this out. Relationships that I built 20 years ago, that I not just honored the game, but I honored those relationships through playing the game. 20 years later, I am working in an environment with those same people that I met 20 years ago playing this game, all because of honoring the game. And that's what I mean by how the game will give uh uh how we how it gives back. Back with me and uh my boy in 2003 on Kadena Air Force Base, we had six boys that we were mentoring. And 2003, now here we are in 26, and guess what I'm doing? I'm still mentoring the game of basketball, discipling young men and young women through basketball, right? So that's like you have to um uh you have to like truly understand that and and and not not miss it, right? Right? Don't don't don't miss that, right? And not just players, like parents don't miss that. Coaches don't miss that, right? Stop chasing clout attention, like stop chasing, like going into these, and and you know, y'all know I'm I'm I oh let me back up a minute. Our oldest daughter, right? She played the game at a high level. She went scholarship Allen, uh, Allen High School, uh in Allen, Texas, right? She was there when Callum Murray won their state championship in football, right? She was uh and I didn't I didn't force her to play. Like I remember her mom saying, You're not gonna force my baby to play. I was like, okay, I'm not gonna force her to play. However, every time I go to practice, every time I go to a game, every time I'm in the gym working out, shooting shots, running sprints, I'm just gonna take her with me and put her on the side. And I did that, right? She was in the stroller, eating her Cheerios, watching her DVD player. And once she started walking, once she got out that stroller and started walking and picked up the basketball for the first time, game on. All right, game on. And then now we're honoring the game together. And then that ultimately led her to her high school, to her scholarship to uh uh to AM, to Texas AM. And then ultimately she ended up playing overseas in Rome. Now, our oldest son, right here, he comes, right? And he he's been honoring the game. He's been he's fought through uh he went to you know through just all of our military travel. He ended up going to uh uh five high school in four years. Yeah, five high schools in four years. And so just because of all the traveling and moving, he just never ever really got settled and locked in into a place. But he kept practicing, he kept training, he kept working out, uh, he kept, he just kept honoring the game. And then he uh uh uh now he's on scholarship, right, at Colin. And so it's it's it's like it's it's it's a real thing. So back to what I was saying, it's like I know today culture want to take like shortcuts, they want it and they want to just clip, I g the highlights. I'm not gonna tell that story, but they want to clip and and and do the highlights. I seen, I I watch kids literally shoot, walk on the court, go over eight, their first threes. Then they hit one three, and now they looking over at the crowd, seeing if anybody saw them hit make the three. They weren't looking when they was missing, they was dropping their head. But as soon as they make one, now they look at this and all that type of stuff like that. Right? And I'm like, mm-mm. That's why you went 0 for 8 on your first eight, right there, is because you you want you want to clip the highlights. Because people look for instant instant success. And I'm I hate to be the no, I'm I want to be the bearer of bad news to tell you that basketball does not reward instant success.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

It don't and if it does, it's short-lived.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Because you will be humbled really, really, really, really quick because you cannot hide on the floor, right? Because kid, I'm telling you, right, you went one for eight, right? Or one for nine, I should say. And now you're about to go get exposed on defense. Now you're about to miss a box out assignment. And now somebody about to rip you, or you're about, and you're gonna turn the ball over. And that one for nine, that one shot you made and was throwing the three up to the crowd, means nothing. Because you're not honoring the game in the right way, and the game will humble you, the game will expose you because there's only five of you. It's five on five, right? And and and the lights are bright and the whistles are loud, and there is somebody on the other side of you that's trying to take. I I remember playing a game, and like I say, I was always in the best shape. Even in Germany, right? I I remember like I would get beat the crap beat out of me all game, and the referees wouldn't call nothing. And every time down the court, I would pick myself up off the floor, get back down the court, lock back down in defense. Because I knew that there was gonna come a moment in the game that if if that even though they were trying to break me in the first quarter, if I stood, if I stood up each time they knocked me down, it's gonna the second quarter gonna come around. And they were gonna try it again. But I knew, my God, I I had a strategy that I'll give you the first couple quarters, but wait till that that middle third quarter when I when I see them leaning over, trying to get errors because they tired. Oh buddy, it was game on, and that's when I kicked it in gear. Because the game, the game will expose you if you don't honor it, the game will uh humble you if you don't take care of this basketball. Thank you to season two sponsor, Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry. At Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry, they go far and beyond providing top-tier dental care in Fullwood. They create a warm, fun, and compassionate environment where your child feels safe and valued. Their mission is to partner with parents in nurturing healthy smile throughout your child's formative years. They are committed to offering state-of-the-art care, while insuring every visit is enjoyable and stress-free. Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry. You can reach them at 601-992-0007 or send them an email, Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry at gmail.com. Thank you, Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry. All right, so like I said, I didn't want to be uh uh before you long today. Uh I just wanted to come and drop a couple nuggets, something that was on my heart. And I again I'm working through a season where when God speaks to me, I'm trying to be uh I'm trying to be obedient uh in what he says do. And uh even though I feel like I don't have time, I have this to do and that to do and other things to do, I still try to be obedient through it. And so this is one of those things to where I was like, well, I I don't know if I can sit there and talk for 45 minutes to an hour. And God tugged on my heart and he whooped me and he said, I don't need you to, I don't care if you talk for 45 minutes, just go say what I see it. It's like, I got you. But uh, so get ready, get out of here uh again to close this out. And I I just want to reiterate that uh parents, uh make sure your kids are honoring the game the right way. Right? Make sure that they don't allow them to use the excuse of they tired after they say they want to be great, or after they say, I want to go to college, I want to give me a basketball scholarship, then now you're charged with at getting them up, not making them go early to practice, making them go uh take extra shots. Right? Like that's that now that's also responsibility on you uh to provide, you know, uh and I get like everyone's out there is not able to get a trainer or play AU. Uh that and that's I mean, it's it's life, right? Is how it goes. However, you the misconception is that you have to be in a gym to get better at the game, and you don't. They have silent basketballs that you can dribble in on in the garage if you don't want them dribbling the silent basketball in the house or in their room, right? Kids can lay on their bed and work on form shooting. Uh again, kids can go outside in the garage, uh on the back patio, right, and work on ball handling. You don't you do not have to be inside of a gym to get better. Right? You don't have to be inside of a gym to do push-ups, you don't have to be inside of a weight room to run, uh, to do sit-ups, or to do all those types of things that make you a better basketball player. And with uh Chat GPT and Google and all that stuff going on right now, just Chat GPT. How can I get my 12-year-old better at basketball on the weekend at the house? And I promise you, it's gonna give you 33,000 different drills and things that they can do over the course of a weekend to get better. All right, so that's that's no that you can't use that as an excuse anymore. Is that I I can't get get to the gym or I can't play AAU. And in fact, well, you know how I feel about AAU anyway, so I'm not gonna go down that soapbox anymore. Um let me just say this: all AAU is not bad, right? I I there is a uh local team, uh AAU team, uh right here that is doing phenomenal things, man. They, I mean, they played this past weekend and they were wherever they were playing at, I don't know what state they're in or what gym they're in. I just know that the sideline was full of coaches, right? So those kids are getting a real opportunity to get real exposure. And so that part of it, I'm all for. Like I'm 1,000% for that part, right? To get these kids on a court with coaches. What I'm not for though, is like AAU coaches telling parents, yeah, it's gonna be, we're going to this tournament, it's gonna cost $1,000, and it's gonna be coaches there, but you get there and it's 24 courts, you on court 17, and the coaches are only on court one. Like that's that's don't waste your money. Take that thousand dollars, go put it, go find you a great trainer, uh uh and put that, invest that money in your child and in a trainer. Right. And again, I don't come to you all and telling you stuff that I haven't done or that I don't know. Because like my son that said, Colleen, he got to a point in the summer of his uh 11th grade year, and where he came to me and was like, Dad, I don't want to do AAU no more. Can you just get me a trainer? I was like, let's go, let's find him. All right, and so that's and that's what and that's what we did. Um and so um but I mean, we have I have a ninth grader now, rising 10th grader now, that is playing on a travel AAU team. So I'm not telling you that some uh I'm just coming off the top of my head. Like I'm in the I'm in the fight too. All right, I'm in the dog fight out there with you trying to figure it out and navigate uh the waters of AAU. So I just want to say that. But anyway, uh I uh players, if you truly love the game, respect it. Like I I don't even know how to go any deeper than that. If you say you love the game, you have to respect the game.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

And you have to respect it outside of game day, game night.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

You have to respect it with what you eat, you have to respect it with how you sleep, you have to respect it with your education, the type of grades, you have to respect it with how you treat your parents, right? How you treat other people around uh uh society, what type of person you are, what type of character you have, like all those things count. All those things come into play. Uh the women's coach for Stanford said that when she goes recruit a kid, that she goes and watch film of when they were up 20 and when they were down 20, and she watches that uh young lady's character, how she interacted with her teammates, how she responded to coaches and referees. Like, did she lay down and quit or did she keep fighting? Like, and then after she watches all those things, then she goes check stats and all highlights and all those types of things like that. So all those things matter. Um how you practice, it matters. All right, when you show up to practice, it matters. Uh if you do extra practice, it matters. Like that's that's what it means to truly uh respect the game. Because you have to train the right way, you have to prepare the right way, and again, you have to carry yourself the right way. Most importantly, you can't use, don't, do not use basketball for attention. Use basketball to build you into something powerful. All right, let it build you into to something that's so much greater. Um, I mean, just you know, like like I just gave uh my story here, uh relationships, me honoring the game in 96 is a direct reflection of my life today. And I love my life today. Like I said, I hadn't worked today in my life. All right, and I'm training, coaching, discipling every day. I'm doing something and I love it, right? I love it. It's not it's not work. It's not work. Um, as I record this today, I woke up this morning like at 4:15, and I was like, let's go, let's get it. Who first? All right, who who won't who finna get it first? Right, and then this is that's just how I approach my day because the game has given me so much that I'm so grateful for, I'm so thankful for, and God has truly blessed me um um by being able to do what I do today. So I don't want to take that for granted. Uh, and I humbly am thankful and grateful to God every single day that uh He continues to allow me to be a part of this game uh and to teach and give back at this stage of my life. Um my final note is that what I want, whether you're a player, a parent, or a coach, or like a fan, a family member, a loved one, wherever you are, and wherever you are, whoever you are to the person that you attach to that wants a ball in their hands, is that um all my years of playing all my years, two plus decades of at some point once, twice, three times a week, four times a week, having having a ball like this in my hands for the past two decades, over the past two decades, is that it's bigger than basketball. It's bigger than basketball. Like this this is life. Like, not not like this is life, like uh this is your life. No, but this right here can breathe life into you if you honor it and you do it the right way, right? The other side to that though is that I'll say real quick, is like don't play with it. Don't don't don't don't play with it. If you just like really don't like playing and really don't want to play, but somebody saw uh somewhere that you was taller for your grade and everybody else, and they was like, hey, come on, you play, right? Or they saw that you was fast on the track team, and now they want you to thinking that you can play basketball because they short numbers, like be honest with number one yourself, because it takes a lot of work, right? Understand what the so what is for playing this, right? What is your point? What is your purpose? What is your reason why for playing this game of basketball, right? And if that doesn't align with what God has in store for you for your life, what your true gifts and talents are, then had a difficult conversation with a coach, a parent, a mentor, uh a friend, someone and say, hey, you know what? Nah, that ain't for me. I'd rather go play music or draw or whatever the case may be, right? But don't like just don't do it and go through the motion to be doing it. Because remember, you will get exposed real quickly. Um, anyway, that's my time. I'm I truly appreciate y'all. Hey, look, stay tuned for next week's episode. Uh it's it's a coach, all right. We have a coach coming up next week, and we've been talking to high school coaches and uh uh and parents, and now we have an actual college coach that's coming on next week, and he's gonna break it down like no one else has broken down from a coaching, college coach recruiting perspective. Okay, so you don't want to miss that episode. Please stay tuned uh for that uh coming up in a week, a week uh week from today. And so, hey, like I always say, man, peace, love, and always, always uh have faith, trust God, and do hard things.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Peace.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

And that wraps up another episode of the Discipleship Hoops podcast. If today's conversation added value to you, do me a favor, like it, subscribe to the channel, and share this episode with a coach, a parent, or athlete who needs to hear it. We're building something bigger than basketball here. We're building leaders. If you or your business would like to sponsor an upcoming episode and partner with us in tight and the next generation, visit our website at www.gllucas.com or send us a direct message. We'd love to connect. Until next time, keep raising the standards, keep waiting for purpose, and remember, the game is the platform based. Please feel fall.