[LINK] We love underdog stories. It’s what makes sports so special. They are unscripted dramas, the realest reality shows. It’s one of the few places you can go for three hours and hug a stranger with such jubilation that you would have thought the person just donated a kidney.
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Sometimes we go to sporting events and marvel with awe at the athletic feats that a normal person could never pull off (see: LeBron James, Caitlin Clark and Saquon Barkley). But the players we really fall in love with? They’re the ones that look like us, act like us and scrap and claw for every inch.
Pacers guard T.J. McConnell is one of those players. Unheralded and overlooked but determined to accomplish his goals. Mikey Fowler writes about McConnell’s long, winding road to the NBA Finals in our new feature called The Journey.
McConnell played for his father in high school outside of Pittsburgh and then went to Duquesne, one of the few schools to recruit him. McConnell transferred to Arizona for a shot at the big time (this was way before the transfer portal, so he had to sit out a year) and got it, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. Still, he went undrafted, but got an invite to Philadelphia 76ers training camp and made the team. Now, here he is in the NBA Finals.
There are many lessons here – for athletes, parents and coaches – but the overarching one is that with hard work, perseverance and determination anything is possible. Even in the NBA.
[LINK] Former UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist personifies winning. In 18 seasons as the Bruins’ head coach, she won 887 games and 11 national titles (she also won a chip as a UCLA player, making her the first person to win a title as a player and coach). She also produced 65 All-Americans and 15 Olympians.
As the College Softball World Series got underway in Oklahoma City last week, Enquist spoke with Youth Inc. softball ambassador Lauren Chamberlain, who led Oklahoma to a national championship in 2013, about building a mental mindset for success.
Enquist is a disciple of John Wooden, the greatest college basketball coach of all-time, and points to his Pyramid of Success. “First you need industriousness, then enthusiasm and competitive greatness,” Enquist said. “You have 100% control of your effort and attitude.”
Like baseball, softball is a game of failure, and Enquist points to failure recovery. That’s something that’s taught and learned. She spoke of a typical game being 95 one-pitch battles and helping players “meet their moment.”
It was a fascinating conversation and Chamberlain and Enquist brought it back to youth sports. The UCLA coaching great stressed helping kids fall in love with the game at an early age. “The most important thing you can do is create conditions for [kids] to fall in love with the experience,” she said. “Coaches are leaders, teachers and coaches. You’re the host of the party.”
[LINK] Being a sports parent can be tough. You’re part Uber driver, part punching bag, but you’re a mom or dad first. While so much focus has been put on the mental health of our kids (for good reason), we sometimes need to take time for ourselves.
The perfect medicine for any sports parent is humor, levity and relatability. Youth Inc. president of media Tim Murphy, a sports parent himself, compiled five social follows for sports parents, and trust us you’ll want to check them out.
From comedian Pat McCann (whose bit on his son’s bats are hilarious) to former professional baseball players Austin Schultz and Nicky Cass to the Holderness family, there’s something for everyone.
One of our favorites the in Instagram handle @parentingyouthsports, where every clever post with leave you doubled over with laughter.
“If I had written the script, the NBA and TNT would have been together forever. But while I was disappointed and I was sad, I was not bitter. Gratitude is the operative word for me."
-Ernie Johnson after TNT's last NBA broadcast
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