5 Qualities of a Championship Team

In 2008, I had the unique opportunity to play for Pat Summitt’s last national championship team. Although I felt more along for the ride as a freshman, I learned a lot about a championship mindset.

First of all, that championship was not won in 2008. It was won through years of building a culture, atmosphere, and environment that nurtured everything necessary to win championships. What I was thrown into was not an everyday basketball environment. From day one while playing for Pat, you are stretched to the max, broken down, built up, and by the end of your four years, you realize you had far more inside you than you ever thought was possible.

The best part about it all, no words were needed. What a coach says is never as effective as the environment they create. Environments change people.

The expectations were the same every single day. We came into practice, we weren’t applauded for working our asses off and pushing ourselves to the max…it was expected. It was the “Tennessee way.” The quicker you figured out what was expected, the easier your life was. When you tell a player what to do, they always have a choice to say no. But when a player is thrown into a consistent environment, they have no choice. At Tennessee, if you weren’t giving your all, and doing your part, every player and coach would look at you confused, as if you were crazy, like you didn’t belong in the gym acting like that. Pat was always consistent with the culture she created. Being tired and taking a day off was not an option…ever. More so than teaching X’s and O’s, Pat’s priority was to teach consistency in discipline and work ethic.

Now with all that discipline came an equal amount of love and trust.

I believe this was a KEY balance. Yes, Pat pushed us mentally and physically, but she also genuinely cared. She asked how our legs felt. She asked how we were feeling throughout the season. SHE asked US. And then would trust our answers and make the necessary changes in practice in order for us to be 100 percent in games. Usually by making practices shorter, but still intense; pursuing quality over quantity when needed.

She cared and every single staff member, assistant coach, strength coach, trainer (best trainer ever award goes to Jenny Moshak), they ALL cared deeply for their players. It was a true family environment. Also, Pat LISTENED. She was the best listener. She would literally do anything for us. At some timeouts she would even look at her players and ask “What do you see? What do you think we should run? You’re out there on the court, not me.” She trusted and respected us and let us take ownership of our team.

If the players do not take ownership of the team, they will never take full responsibility for the wins and losses.

Before I go on with the 5 qualities, let me first bust the myth that team harmony has to be perfect to win championships. That 2008 team fought with each other, pushed each other’s buttons, coaches to players, players to players, crying sessions, the whole 9 yards and more. But in the end, we all wanted the same thing, to win. Even if we did not agree with a coaches call, we did it anyway, we made it work. Our own opinions were never more important than winning.

5 QUALITIES OF A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM:

1. WE FOUND A WAY, NOT AN EXCUSE.

Excuses suck out hope. Every time an excuse is made, you give in, your energy drops, and you relax just enough for failure to creep in.

Heather Mason was our amazing strength and conditioning coach during the 2008 championship team. During preseason, I swear she gave us what seemed like impossible conditioning games on purpose. These games weren’t optional to win either, if we lost, we started them over until we won. We had to find a way, not an excuse, because we had no choice.

This transferred over to the court, Pat would push us to our limits, mentally and physically. I’ll never forget when we were between running sprints and one of my teammates was hanging over the railing yelling “Lord….Oh Lord… please help me!” And Pat just laughed and goes, “The Lord ain’t gettin ya outta this one!” Yes, there was always comic relief, but she also didn’t blink an eye when she gave you that look that said “figure it out, and don’t you DARE give me an excuse as to why you can’t.” Sometimes after a timeout, we would look at each other like, Pat wants us to do what? And the seniors would always say, doesn’t matter, MAKE IT WORK.

2. WE DID WHATEVER IT TOOK.

After you get all the excuses out of your head as to why you “can’t” do something, you do whatever it takes to do it! When losing isn’t an option, the only decisions left to make is how you’re going to win. You come together and say yes to that “one thing” so completely that you have nothing left in you to give to other distractions. We were told what to do, instead of being told what not to do, which makes players constantly fighting for something, instead of against something. The beautiful part was that the entire team was on the same page, we all did whatever it took.

3. WE KNEW OUR ROLE.

Every individual had a role, and we all knew each other’s role, and we all held each other accountable to our roles. Usually your role is what your good at. Your part in helping the team win. Know your role, and have that be your individual focus for each game.

Accountability was a huge part of our team environment. Pat would call you out by name and action. Specific and blunt. Short and to the point. It never took her more than one, stern statement to get her point across. After being in this environment, I don’t understand why coaches beat around the bush with the issues they see, making vague statements. Just say it! And say it TO the player. It takes care of business a lot quicker. And eliminates drama. Not only did each player know their individual role, but each player knew their teammates’ role as well. Skip the secret meetings coaches, be authentic. Make sure every player knows all the other players roles too. That way everyone is holding each other accountable.

4. NO ONE DOUBTED.

That championship team was confident.

It wasn’t a cocky confidence. It was zero doubts and complete assurance. A confidence that came from knowing we had the tools to win. I would walk into the gym, look to my left and right at my teammates and instantly stood up a little taller. I had confidence in my teammates and they had confidence in me. I remember my posts would say, “what are you doing? SHOOT IT!” if I ever hesitated coming off their screens. Where did this confidence come from? From each other, and from preparation. We always knew we were more prepared than the other team.

Trust in your preparation leads to the most confidence. Lack of proper preparation leads room for doubt.

At Tennessee, the number one thing they seemed to consistently prepare us for was adversity. Because we experienced and battled through adversity during practices and pre season, natural instincts and habits took over during adversity in games. There is not a greater feeling than being apart of a team that fights through adversity together. It makes EVERYTHING worth it.

5. WELL… AND OF COURSE, PAT SUMMITT.

Pat always waited until the last minute to walk onto the court, I loved it. I was so nervous during warm ups. But when Pat walked in (and without fail got a standing ovation just by entering any gym in the country), I relaxed a bit, stood up straighter, got more energized, and felt complete confidence that we were going to win. I mean…. We had Pat Summitt on our side. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke, and how she responded to every situation… she personally embodied every quality of a champion, and being around her every single day changes you.