Jamy Bechler

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

The Greatest Champion

photo credit: Nonstop Sports (YouTube)

“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports.” (Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner)

When the great baseball Hall of Famer and African American icon Jackie Robinson died in 1972, his widow called Boston Celtics player Bill Russell and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral.

Click here to listen to the 6-minute version of this article on the “Success is a Choice” podcast network.

When asked why, she responded that Russell had been Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete.

All of the pallbearers were Jackie’s former teammates with the Brooklyn Dodgers, except for Bill Russell.

It’s likely that Bill Russell was Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete – not because he was so athletic or talented – but because he was a champion, both on and off the playing court.

Many consider Bill Russell one of the greatest teammates of all time.

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Episode 138: Mike Lombardi, former NFL General Manager

Available March 17th

Michael Lombardi spent three decades in the NFL as an executive with the 49ers, Browns, Eagles and Raiders. From 2014-16 he was also an assistant to the coaching staff of the Patriots. In addition to his current work with The Athletic, he’s also worked for other media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the NFL Network, NFL.com and The Ringer. He is a frequent guest on talk shows, podcasts, and NFL shows. Lombardi worked alongside such NFL legends as Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, and Al Davis. He and basketball coaching legend, George Raveling, provide daily insights through their site The Daily Coach. The former Cleveland Browns General Manager also hosts his own podcast “The GM Shuffle” with Adnan Virk, and co-hosts a Saturday morning sports betting program on Sirius XM for Vegas Stats & Information Network. In late 2018, Lombardi released Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL, featuring a foreword by Bill Belichick.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Bill Belichick’s secret sauce with the Patriots
  • What the best coaches do better than anyone else
  • How championship cultures are built
  • Whether a coach will be successful or not
  • Why teams like the Cleveland Browns are not successful
  • … and so much more!!!

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10 Things All Athletes Can Do

Every athlete has a different skillset and level of athletic ability. Not every player will have the natural talent of a Lebron James, Serena Williams, Lamar Jackson, or Maya Moore. But for every all-world player that makes it, there are countless others that had the talent but lacked the intangibles. Talent can only take an athlete so far. In fact, talent doesn’t equal good. The extra stuff can take a talented athlete and make them good. Likewise, there are plenty of athletes that have limited talent but have excelled at the intangibles, leading to success and them becoming valuable members of their team. Talent is only a starting point. No matter how much or how little talent an athlete has, here are 10 things that every athlete can do.

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Episode 121: Kevin Eastman, Former NBA Coach & Executive

Kevin Eastman is a corporate speaker and an internationally-known basketball clinician who brings his knowledge and experience in sports to the business world. He speaks on various topics, including championship culture, teamwork, leadership, motivation and individual success.

Over his 40 years in the game, Kevin has coached basketball at all levels, including 13 years in the NBA. He was a top assistant to Doc Rivers with the 2008 NBA World Championship Boston Celtics, and most recently served as an assistant coach and Vice President of Basketball Operations with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kevin was raised in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and attended the University of Richmond, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was a scholarship student-athlete at Richmond and in recognition of his unique qualities as a basketball player, the University created the Kevin Eastman Award. The award, which has been awarded just five times in program history, is given to a player who exemplifies the qualities of team leadership, dedication, and outstanding play. He was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at both Haddonfield Memorial High School and the University of Richmond.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • What makes the best the best
  • The absolute most important word needed for success
  • How to be truthful and “keep it real” with team members
  • Being the best assistant or #2 possible
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Episode 120: Dan Hughes, WNBA Championship Coach

Dan Hughes is the head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. In just his first year with the Storm, he helped lead them to the 2018 WNBA Championship. Nobody has coached more games in the WNBA than Hughes. He has been the head coach of the Charlotte Sting (1999), Cleveland Rockers (2000-2003), San Antonio Stars (2005-2009, 2011-2016), and the Seattle Storm (2018-current). He has also coached both men and women at various college levels. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Coming out of retirement to coach the Storm to a championship.
  • What makes Gregg Popovich so good as a coach.
  • How to be a great assistant.
  • Creating a championship culture quickly.
  • His non-traditional coaching journey and how it helped him be a better coach.
  • The male and the female player he would have liked to coach.
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 118: Don Yaeger, New York Times Best-Selling Author

Don Yaeger is a keynote speaker, corporate business leadership coach, 11-time New York Times Best-selling author and long-time associate editor for Sports Illustrated. As a speaker, he has worked with audiences as diverse as Fortune 500 companies, associations and leadership forums on the subject “What Makes the Great Ones Great.”

He has written 25+ books with, among others, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden, baseball legend John Smoltz, and football star Warrick Dunn.

Throughout his writing career, Don has developed a reputation as a world-class storyteller and has been invited as a guest to almost every major talk show – from The Oprah Winfrey Show to Nightline, from CNN to Good Morning America.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Living with Walter Payton in the months leading up to his death
  • Being mentored by John Wooden
  • The one book that he’d still like to write
  • What makes the best the best
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Episode 97: Eric Platte, Atlanta Hawks Vice-President

Eric Platte is the Vice President of Ticket Sales for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He has been with the Hawks since 2010 when he graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Supply Chain Management. Eric is highly regarded for his innovative ideas for workplace culture and leadership training.  Eric believes that leaders drive culture, culture drives people, and people drives business. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • His journey and career advice for others looking to get into professional sports
  • Creative ways to motivate employees and team members
  • On-boarding and training of employees
  • How leadership is important in the sales business

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Episode 095: Tim Hall, UMBC Athletic Director

Tim Hall is the Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He was also appointed President of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (ADA) in the summer of 2017 and has served as the chairman of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics. During the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the UMBC Retrievers Men’s Basketball team made history when they became the first ever No. 16 seed to beat the No. 1 seed when they beat Virginia by 20 points, 74-54. Tim has previously served as the Athletic Director at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.  Before heading up his own departments, he was the assistant A.D. at Eastern Kentucky University, Saint Xavier University, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The historic upset that the men’s basketball team had in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
  • Social media creativity of UMBC athletic communication staff during the tournament
  • Ways to build a mid-major athletic program
  • Hiring and keeping good team members
  • What makes UMBC so special

[Read more…]

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