March 30, 2019: Wisdom
Today was an historic day in Lubbock. Texas Tech defeated Gonzaga to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history. And in just three years, head coach Chris Beard has taken us from an average program to elite.
In the 10 years we have lived in Lubbock, it hasn’t exactly been a hoops haven. This is football country. After several disastrous seasons with coach Pat Knight followed by worse with Billy Gillespie, I thought we had hit the jackpot when Tubby Smith came to town. However, after getting us into the NIT and headed in the right direction, he left for Memphis.
So in comes this new guy I had never heard of who had taken a job at UNLV and bailed on them for TTU after less than a month. I wasn’t exactly impressed. It would be the last time I would associate that thought with Coach Beard.
By all accounts I have heard from within the program and from without, Coach Beard began working his plan from day one. Our roster was relatively depleted–although better than it had been when Coach Smith took over. Recruiting was stepped up, and players like Keenan Evans and Norense Odiase who were holdovers from the previous staff served as ambassadors and mature leaders to bridge the change.
Coach Beard is a masterful leader and motivator, connecting with players on their level on one hand and aggressively coaching them to become better on the other. To the uninformed, he’s from the Bobby Knight coaching tree, spending several years at Tech under The General as an assistant. And from time to time, you can see that fire. But you can also see something most say Knight never had: genuine love for his players that extends beyond the court.
Coach Beard’s “4:1” motto is a Knightism. It goes like this: “The mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1.” In other words, DECIDING to be successful is the most important prerequisite to actually TASTING success. Having an elite athlete on your team is one way to be better. But as Coach Beard has proven, a better team can be built around 3- and 4-star talent if those same athletes “buy-in,” play for one another, and embrace the role that sheer will plays.
One more rep. One more drill. One more set. It all depends on mastering the MENTAL aspect. And that necessarily overflows into the PHYSICAL.
The old warrior mantra, “Sweat more in training. Bleed less in battle,” certainly applies. When the game is on the line, I’d rather put my trust in the teammate next to me who I know. Who I trust. Who I love.
So what’s this have to do with you? Growing in WISDOM, STATURE, FAVOR with GOD and MAN is sometimes easy and almost happens without effort. But that’s rare. More often, it is a conscious choice.
Just decide.
4:1.
Wisdom
- Read Chapter 12 in Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crushing It!
Stature
- Resistance training
- Pull-up (5 x 6)
- Reverse barbell curl (3 x 12)
- Chin-up (3 x 6)
- Hammer curl (5 x 6)
- DB bent-over row (3 x 6)
- Tuck crunch (3 x 20)
- Oblique crunch (3 x 14)
Favor with God
- 20 minutes in prayer
Favor with Man
- Time spent with my family today (although Taye was away at a math competition)