Report from College Basketball (USA)

 Last week I received the report of a remarkable movement in a men’s college basketball program served by one of my Nations of Coaches colleagues. I asked him to send me more details and he sent me several paragraphs. I’d like to share them with you. We don’t often receive reports like this one. Please give it a read and be encouraged. I have omitted the names of the character coach and the university so as to not overexpose them.

Serving as a character coach for a Division 1 Men’s Basketball program brings me some of the greatest joys of my ministry career and it also brings some of the greatest moments of trust in the Lord. I count it an honor each day to be able to serve the ........... Men’s team and so grateful for the vision Nations of Coaches has to place men and women in these roles.

God has been at work in our program over the past 4 years and this investment has started to pay off in deep spiritual ways. We hosted the men’s and women’s team to dinner and a Christmas message where we showed the Peanuts Christmas segment where Linus drops his “security” blanket and declares in Luke 2…FEAR NOT. This was a voluntary event and God was good to us as all of the players from both teams came with the exception of one. (I think the total was 29 players plus most of the coaches and their families). I thought this might be the mountaintop of our year only to once again, see God work.

I lead a weekly Bible study/chapel time for our players, coaches and staff and it was been well attended this entire year. I was teaching in a series called “Character Traits of a Godly Man” and we had finished four of the five teachings and God laid on my heart that I should delay the fifth message and simply share with the guys the salvation message and frame it around the idea that you can’t “become” what you do not know. I also shared with them that Liverpool (English Premier League soccer team) has a famous saying that when you are fan you NEVER WALK ALONE”. While this is a great way to describe the Liverpool soccer experience, only Jesus can make that promise and deliver on it.

 

At the conclusion of our study in a conference room in Worcester, MA God moved in great ways and seven of our players made a decision to follow Christ and make Him the Lord of their lives. It was powerful. It was one of the great moments of my entire ministry career and in a humble way these seven young men crossed the line of faith. The important work of follow up and discipleship now begins and I have not lost the BIG smile on my face to see God work in such powerful ways. These moments are precious and you could sense that God was working in that room in ways that only God could orchestrate and your investment into Nations of Coaches give those of us with teams this incredible opportunity to point players, coaches and staff to Jesus.

 

Character Coach Profiles

Last week I visited a couple of veteran Nations of Coaches Character Coaches at their universities. I observed these men and their ministries for just a little while, but I was able to get a glimpse of why each of them is so effective in serving their coaches, players, and support staffs. A brief profile of each one is below. I will not list names or universities so that we don’t create a culture of celebrity or encourage foolish comparisons.

Character Coach A – he has been serving at this university for nine years, now with his second coaching staff. The transition from one staff to the next was neither automatic nor easy. It did not, however, take long for the head coach to see the character coach’s gifts and skills. As I talked with the character coach, knowing the nature of the head coach, I saw why he was quickly found to be of great value. The character coach is a tremendous complement to the head coach. The head coach is very driven and intense, but his character coach is incredibly relational and projects no agenda at all. The players love him, therefore the coaches love him. It’s a perfect fit.

Character Coach B – he has also been serving at his university for nine years, all with the same staff. I watched a team meeting with video review, and a practice on one afternoon. Both were very good and during the practice I was able to chat with the character coach. I asked him, “What is the most important key to your service as a character coach?” He said, “Building relationships.” That’s it. Simple. He said further, “Don’t pretend, be genuine, cultivate vulnerability.” The next day I watched shootaround, more video review, a scouting report review, a character moment, and the pregame meal. During a conversation over the pregame meal, I heard the character coach say, “I affirm people. I affirm who they are, what they do well, how they’re gifted, who God has made them to be. I affirm them.”

Bottom line – It’s all about relationships. Both of these veteran character coaches are committed to building relationships and that’s why they are very good in their roles. One is serving well because he is very different from the head coach. The other is serving well because he is perfectly aligned with the head coach’s stated values and goals. Both are excellent because building genuine, vulnerable relationships is at the center of how they serve. Let’s follow their examples and be great at building relationships. Let’s affirm people. Let’s not pretend. Let’s be genuine. Let’s watch the Lord do His great work in all those we serve.

Great Leaders...

Today’s note is excerpted from a devotional on leadership shared by Nations of Coaches Executive Director, Tommy Kyle. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

1. Great Leaders are Highly Motivated. “When God calls a person, He gives him/her mountain matching abilities.”

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; Nehemiah 1:1-4a

2. Great Leaders Lead from the Knees Up. “Prayer is Central for them.”

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10 They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [c]revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Nehemiah 1:4-11



3. Great Leaders Must Have Thick Skin. “You will have opposition.”

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. Nehemiah 6:1-4

The Jesuits (the company of Jesus) say, “We’re all leaders, and we’re all leading all the time. The question is whether we’re leading well or poorly?” Let’s join Tommy Kyle, Nehemiah, and the Jesuits in being great leaders by: being highly motivated, by leading from the knees up, and by having thick skin.

3rd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity - booking is open!

Booking is now open for the 3rd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity will be hosted by Ridley Hall Cambridge, UK between 18th and 21st August 2022.





We look forward to welcoming delegates in person to this on-site event, with presentations from keynote speakers and contributors taking place on the 19th, 20th and 21st August. Arrival will be followed by a Gala Dinner on the evening of the 18th August and there will be ample opportunity for delegates to explore the historic city of Cambridge and beyond during the Congress.

Roger Lipe, Character Coach Director for Nations of Coaches and sports chaplaincy blog author, who has attended both the previous Sports Congresses, warmly recommended it to his readers, saying, “Please make plans for this event if you can. I know of no other event that gathers both practitioners of sports chaplaincy and the academic community for conversation and collaboration like this one.”

Further details, including speakers and delegate fees, will be confirmed in due course. To receive updates on congress speakers and schedule direct to your inbox as they are released, sign up for the 3GCSC mailing list. We hope to see you there next summer!

https://www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/news/3gcsc

Questions to Ask Coaches and Players

Here’s an update from a 2016 note regarding asking questions of people in sport. It is now tailored to serve my Character Coach Teammates in Nations of Coaches as we serve college basketball coaches and players. A number of suggested questions are below the general notes about levels of questions to ask. One of the most effective tools I regularly employ in my service of sportspeople is to simply ask questions. I ask questions to draw them into conversation, and then to probe more deeply toward their hearts. Sneaky, huh?

I tend to ask three levels of questions:
1. Questions that solicit facts. I ask the player or coach’s name, home town, position, uniform number, etc… Mostly facts. Usually anyone will offer these details freely.
2. Questions that awaken passion. I ask about the player or coach’s basketball experiences and I’m looking for expressions of their love for basketball. I am leading them to tell me stories that excite their passion for basketball, their team, competition, their coaches, etc…
3. Questions that probe their hearts. I ask about the matters at the core of who they are: values, faith, relationships, events, and other matters that shape their lives from the center.

Please consider this brief list as a place to start with those whom you serve (they are in no particular order). I hope they serve you well. Always ask process questions, not results questions. Fans and media only ask questions about results.

1. How well is your team developing? Is the teamwork good?
2. How pleased are you with your....? (training, practice, rehab, etc...)
3. How pleased are you with preparations for your next game?
4. Who among your teammates is doing very well?
5. What are some challenges you have presently?
6. What sorts of situations in basketball bring out the best of your abilities?
7. How well is your team connecting with the coaching staff?
8. When your playing days are over, what do you think you will miss most about basketball?
9. What are some situations in basketball that are most difficult for you?
10. Who are your most trusted teammates?
11. When and where are you most fully the person you want to be?
12. What elements of your life in basketball are most rewarding to you?
13. What is there about your life in basketball that will still be important to you 10 years from now?
14. When you are on the floor, do you feel that God is near you or distant from you? Why?
15. When you are on the floor, does God seem engaged or disinterested? Why?
16. When you are on the floor, do you sense God is pleased or disgusted with you? Why?


Note – I wrote the first draft of these questions while riding in a car, in the early morning hours of 9 June, 2016 between Kutsaisi and Tblisi, in the Republic of Georgia.

Ministry Points of Emphasis from the McCown Sport in Ministry Map

In years past I have written about the value of insights gained from use of the McCown Sport in Ministry Map, developed by Lowrie McCown. It has been my most valuable tool for both design and evaluation of sports ministry initiatives.

In recent days I have been using the map as a part of my training of Character Coaches for Nations of Coaches. Most recently I have sought a way of condensing the information for the trainees in a way that equipped them with the information, but required less explanation. To that end, I designed the chart shown below. I hope this simple way of contrasting the mindsets of spectators and recreational oriented sportspeople from that of elite and high profile people of sport is helpful to your service.

Preseason Interview Forms

One of our colleagues with Nations of Coaches is Rob Ely at Marshall University in West Virginia (USA). He is serving several teams on that campus and he recently shared one resource he uses in preseason preparations with Marshall Softball. It is a set of questions he uses in one on one meetings with each player (about 30 minutes each) at a local Dunkin Donuts shop.

Also below is another form used by our colleague, John Ryberg with Men's Basketball at the University of Alabama at Huntsville (Chargers). He also uses it in preseason to build relationships for himself, the coaching staff, and the other players.

You can obviously adapt the questions to your team and sport, but the brilliance in this is that it asks questions on multiple levels and gets to the players’ hearts. It equips the character coach and the coaching staff with some great information they won’t normally uncover otherwise. I hope it is of value to you.

Marshall University Softball: Pre-Season Interview 2021

Name: Year:

Home: Major:

Who is your “thunder buddy?” (accountability partner)

Why do you play softball?

Tell me about your family:

Where are you most at peace?

What causes you the most stress?

How do I know when you are stressed?

What can others do to help you with stress?

How can I specifically help you?

What does success look like for you?

Introduction activity: Pick a card that had 4 descriptions on it: Parents, Best Friend, Roommate, High School Coach. If that person was sitting here, how would they introduce you to me?

How do you handle conflict?

Not a specific person, but what causes the most conflict with you?

Complete this statement…”If you really knew me, you would know….”

What is your perfect day?

What is challenge you would like to overcome?



Charger Profile for: _________________________________ Date: ______
Nick Name:_______________________ Date of Birth:_______________
Campus Address:
Home Address:
Cell Phone Number:
College Major: Master’s Degree Study:
Parent or Guardian:
Basketball: Righty Lefty Both
Most developed skill: Skill I want to develop:
How do you feel about the game of basketball?
It is better than frisbee. It is paying for my education. I like it and I am willing. I love it and I am eager. I can’t get enough. Give me the grind. What else is there?
What is your favorite part of being a Charger Basketball Player?
What is your least favorite part of being a Charger Basketball Player?
Best Coach before UAH: Why?
Best teammate ever: Why?
Favorites:
Food: Beverage: Candy:
Music Genre: Musical Artist:
Color: Movie:
Most recent injury: Recurring or nagging injury:
Describe your personality in three adjectives:

How have you been sleeping the last two weeks? Poorly Okay Very Well
How many hours of sleep are you getting on average each night?
What time do you usually: Go to sleep? Get out of bed?
What is your current stress level on a scale of 1 to 10?
Circle your answer? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How do you feel about academics?
Help! What are academics? I have to go to class. At least there are attractive students in some of my classes. I am willing, I like learning. I am eager, I live to study. I put the Student in student athlete.

Describe your biggest goal/life dream in two sentences:

Briefly describe your spiritual life:

I _________________________ give permission for this information to be shared with the team only. Signature: _____________________________