Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

5 Leadership Lessons from the 2016 NBA Finals

The 2016 NBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in recent history.  It truly was historic.  In fact, last night ESPN re-aired their 30 for 30 entitled “Believeland”, but this time had a new ending.  Cleveland has been the poster child for bad luck and hard times when it comes to sports having not won a championship in any sport since 1964.

“Believeland” pointed this out, agonizingly so, for Cleveland fans.  But all of that changed on Father’s Day when the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers completed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history and won the NBA Championship.  The Cavs were down 3-1 to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.  The Warriors were the overwhelming favorite with Steph Curry, the league’s first-ever unanimous MVP winner (that’s right…Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq…they never were unanimous).

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Branding Yourself on Social Media

It seems that every high school and college student-athlete is using some form of social media almost constantly.  With the advent of smart phones, it is easier now than ever before to communicate and share opinions and thoughts.  With this greater opportunity comes a greater responsibility to be wise.
 

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Stop Being a ‘BUT’

I heard an interview with MVP Steph Curry the other night after Game 6 of the NBA Finals, in which he made a comment that got me thinking about my pre-maritial counseling.

Wait, what?!?

You mean it’s not natural to associate Steph Curry getting ejected and throwing mouth-pieces with pre-maritial counseling?

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I Like Geno

(originally posted on April 1, 2016)

I admit it.  I like Geno Auriemma.

On Sunday, Geno will lead his UConn team as they play in the NCAA Women’s Final Four located in Indianapolis this year.  The Huskies are going for their 4th straight National Championship.

Many people do not like Geno.  Many people do not like UConn.  Many people say that their dominance is bad for the game.  I say excellence and the quest for perfection is not bad.

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Back on the Field

The following article appeared in the March 2016 issue of Athletic Management.  It highlights Marion High School’s Giant Challenge Alumni Weekend and athletic director Jamy Bechler.
 
Caitlin Hayes is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. She can be reached at: ch@MomentumMedia.com.

The Winning Edge

(originally posted on March 1, 2016)

March is finally here.  If you are a basketball fan like I am, you are excited because it is MARCH MADNESS.  We’ll soon be filling out our brackets.  There will be 68 top-notch teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.  I heard an announcer on ESPN say that this year’s tournament might be the most even tournament in NCAA history.  Half of the field has a shot at winning the whole thing.

Talent alone will not set these teams apart.  There are so many teams that have fairly equal talent.  Just like our team that has started their quest for an 8th high school state championship.  We are talented but so are other teams.

What is going to take us from talented to good?  What is going to give us an advantage over other talented teams? What differentiates us from the competition?  Successful people do things differently.  Here are a couple of ways that we can gain a winning edge:

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Marion Student-Athletes Learning Leadership Skills

(originally published on January 25, 2015)

Some Marion High School student-athletes are learning how to be better leaders in order to help their teams on the field of competition and improve the world around them.

About 25 student-athletes from various teams at Marion met weekly this past semester before school to learn about different leadership concepts.

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Opportunity Knocks

(originally published on January 9, 2015)

The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes will battle Monday night in the first-ever College Football Playoffs Championship Game. Both teams have glaring examples of people who took advantage of opportunities presented to them and didn’t quit or become disruptive to their teams. I will come back to these Bucks and Ducks in a moment.

As a long-time coach and now an athletic director, it pains me every time that I see a student-athlete get disgruntled over playing time or their role on the team. In nearly every case, the player quits. Oh, they might not quit the team and they might not even make a visible show but slowly and surely they cash out mentally. Instead of seeing the opportunity in every challenge, as Winston Churchill used to say, they see the difficulty in every opportunity. Unfortunately instead of persevering, they make excuses and take on a victim-mentality.

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Win the Day

(originally published on January 1, 2015)

It’s the first day of the new year.  This is a day of new beginnings.  It is a day that gets people thinking about change.   I went to the gym this afternoon for my normal exercise session.  There were a number of new people there that I haven’t seen before.  I think this will become the new normal…at least for a month or so.  New Year’s resolutions abound.  Promises are made.  Commitments are revealed.

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