Don't do anything as an individual that will make you stand out from your teammates.

When you first assemble a group, it's not a team right off the bat. It's only a collection of individuals

Visualize a wagon wheel as a complete team. A leader might be the hub of the wheel at the center. Now suppose the spokes are the connecting relationships the leader is building with people on the outer rim of the wheel. If the hub is removed, then the entire wheel collapses. In a situation like that, if a team loses the leader, the entire team collapses.

Throughout the season, I look into my players eyes to gauge feelings, confidence levels, and to establish instant trust.

The other thing I knew I had was a high level of competitiveness.

When you are speaking to your team after a game, never talk about the kid who was the star of the game. Talk about what your other players did to help the team win. Be sure to spread the wealth... Then have individual meetings with one to three players to praise and reinforce. Make sure you touch them.

I love practice. It is when a coach exercises the most control over the improvement of his or her team.