By Luke Meier
A few year back a friend of mine, who plays professionally overseas, was in Texas. He went to a local gym where several overseas pro’s and NBA players were getting some runs in at an open gym. There was a game happening on the main court and some guys going through some drill work and shooting on the side court. My friend got his gear on and stretched out. When the game ended, he stepped onto the court and was immediately confronted by Sam Cassell “What do you think you’re doing young fella?” My friend replied “I’m trying to get into the next game.” Cassell’s reponse was priceless, that of a true professional, “you don’t get to play until you get your work in.” He then made my friend go through an hour of ball handling and shooting drills on the side court before letting him into any games.
One of the many valuable lessons that I learned from my father as a kid was work before play. He always made sure he got his work done, even if that meant delaying something he wanted to do for something he had to do. I can actually hear him say “work before play” in my head when I want to put off a task I need to get done. This holds true in school, work, your personal life, and in basketball. Everybody wants to play games… and you need to do that, but getting your work in and continuously improving and honing your skills has to be your top priority.