Life is a process! We do not arrive automatically at where we want to be in life, but we must trust through all the highs and lows that God is leading us.
Process
“Trust the Process!” is something we have been saying for years to our players, parents, and coaches. The process is what makes you. The process will define you. The process will prepare you. The process should be the single focus. Do not focus on the result or you will miss a step and if you miss a step in the process, you may have missed the very thing, experience, or lesson you needed the most.
In August,2011, we began our pre-season workouts to prepare for what would become a state championship season later on in March. We knew we had a very good team and we knew we had great individual players. In fact, on this particular team, we had 11 of our Varsity players go on to play college basketball or football. This team went on to win 37 games and did not lose a game in the state of Tennessee. We had great upperclassmen leadership lead by the TSSAA Mr. Basketball that year. We had a fantastic group of underclassmen that had bought into the concepts of being selfless and being others-focused. We also had on that team one young man that was in 8th grade that went on to win a NCAA National Championship at the University of Virginia in 2019 and that is the focus of “Trust the process” I want to highlight.
In that very first pre-season conditioning workout, we were doing a series of tests to measure exactly where each guy was in certain areas. Conditioning tests like a mile run, 4oo meter run, 100 meter dash, and a shuttle run. Strength tests that would include bench press, squats, and a test of how many pull-ups each player could do. This particular young man was in 8th grade but, he was already 6”6”, very athletic, extremely skilled, and one of the best basketball players in his age group in the country. This was his first Varsity workout with the guys as we moved him up to play High school basketball even though he was an 8th grader. He wanted to make a great impression and showed that he belonged…he wasn’t just a Middle schooler but, he was here to play and be an important part of our team. He did alright in all the tests, let’s just say he was middle of the pack, but still very good for a 14 year old competing against young men. The last test was the pull-up test and he was the last young man to go. He jumped up on the pull-up bar, gripped the bar, pulled his knees into the air and proceeded to try with all his strength to pull his chin up and over that bar. He tensed up, he growled, he grunted and never was able to pull his body up and we placed a 0 by his name. This future NCAA champion, High school All-American, 2 time Mr. Basketball, 2 Time state champion was not able to do ONE pull-up.
He was extremely embarrassed and felt a tremendous amount of shame in front of his teammates to the point that tears filled his eyes. We broke it down and I asked him to my office because I knew we needed to do some damage repair to his emotions. We sat down in my office and the words that I shared with him was TRUST THE PROCESS, that he was being built for something that he could not imagine. His entire career, which went on to be one of the most successful and prolific careers the state of Tennessee has ever seen, we continued to say to each other to trust the process, something amazing was just around the corner. When doubt crept in when he was not playing as well, Trust the process! When his shot was not going in at a high percentage, trust the process! When that certain school was not recruiting him, Trust the Process! When we lost a game or did not play well, Trust the process! He bought into that concept and just continued to focus on the next right thing he could control. His story is amazing because he even went to another college initially and it did not work out. So, he text one day and said he was transferring and he was scared…I text back Trust the Process.
The Process started with an under-developed and scared 14 year old in the weight room on our campus where he couldn't do a pull up and 8 years later he stood on a ladder in Minneapolis and cut down the nets as a National Champion! You never know what you are being built for but, one thing I am certain of…you must continue to Trust the Process as that next great blessing in your life is waiting for you as you take that next step!