Nia Jackson is a former All-Pac 12 guard at the University of Oregon. Before her injury she was one of the most explosive players in the country.  I was able to spend three days (12 hours) with her in the “Lab” recently .  Nia has been working hard to rehab a knee injury suffered against the University of Washington last season.  Physically she is about 60 percent and is limited to what she is permitted to do on the court. The good news  is she was still able to add to her PTAG –Physical, Technical, Application (Intellectual)  and Grit (Emotional) development, because “Virtual” growth isn’t necessarily a physical process.

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I love basketball.   I’m in love with basketball .  As a matter of fact, I’ve been to bed with my ball and proud to say it. We can’t seem to get enough of each other! I can’t even remember a time when we weren’t  in a relationship.    Our affair has been a match made in heaven.  Sure,  we’ve had our ups and down over the years, but… we’re still together.  Ok, maybe it’s not like it once was, but in some ways its better.

What about you? Are you in love with basketball, or are you just a player? There is a difference.  If you love it, you are willing to make sacrifices (big or little) to make the relationship flourish.  For the players… it’s  just something they do on the side. They don’t want to get too serious, whether they’ll admit it or not.  Many times they’re confused. They say they’re in love. They think they’re in love; but it’s only lust.

Don’t get me wrong, they love  playing (the game), but their level of commitment to the other parts of the relationship leaves a little something to be desired. They seem to be  in it for the benefits. When things get a little rocky, they’ll tell you they’re  serious about making things better, but typically they have  too many  “other” things going on outside of basketball to make it right.  People usually do what they do.

I ask players all the time,  “why are you in this  relationship… there are plenty of other fish in the sea?” Follow your heart or something. No matter which way you  go,  there’s still going to be hard work involved-if you plan on being successful.  Be patient too. You can’t just stick your pole in and expect every thing to work out. Success comes before work only in the dictionary.  Too many players think  just having a pole or any other physical tool is enough… please!   Too much lying down, not enough standing up and being accountable.

In the end, it really comes down to what you are  truly passionate about.

Passion is the fuel that helps you motor through the tedium of all that is required of you on your journey to where you want to go… It allows you to manage the discomforts of change and facilitate growth. —

The Virtual Game of Basketball