Geno Auriemma shares how he explains success to his players and why showing up isn't enough. "If you go to class and you do average work, you're gonna get a C. That's why it's called average." "If you want a B, you have to do more work. If you want an A, you have to do even more work and you have to give up stuff." You get what you earn in life. "You have to sacrifice. Maybe you can't do all the things that everybody else does." It means if you want more then you have to be willing to do more. "If you're just happy getting Bs all your life, there's nothing wrong with that either. But you're never gonna get the satisfaction of what it feels like to get an A." Then he connected it to basketball: "If you just wanna be average, then you do average work. If you wanna be a little bit above average then you do a little more work." "If you wanna get As in basketball, then you gotta do stuff that other people aren't willing to do - especially if you have the talent like we do. We have talent." It means bring a mindset of excellence to everything that you do. Excellence isn't the goal - it's the standard you set. Then he called out the entitlement problem: "Some of these younger guys coming out of high school, man, they wanna show up and go, 'I'm here. Where's my 3.7?'" "Like my father used to say, 'I got your 3.7 right here.'" Showing up doesn't earn you anything. Doing the work does. You get the grade you earn - in school, in basketball, and in life. It's easy to be average...successful people look to compete in everything they do. (🎥UCTV Sports )

Ben McCollum shares what it feels like to be around first-place people and a first-place culture. "I went to Northwest Missouri State, and my first practice with Steve Tapmeyer - best coach I've ever been around - I sat there and I'm like, 'This is what first place feels like. This is what a first-place culture feels like. This is what first-place people feel like.'" That was the wake-up call. He realized what first-place people have: "They've got an extreme work ethic. They've got an edge to 'em that other people don't - a competitive spirit." Then he quoted John Thompson: "You can tame a fool a lot quicker than you can resurrect a corpse...We want guys with a little edge to 'em." You can coach skills, but you can't coach competitive spirit. You don't want to consistently coach their effort and attitude. The last thing they look for: Energy givers. "Over the years, we found that guys that are moody don't make it in our program." "If you're moody, if you have low energy, if you suck the life out of the building - you don't make it." Talent isn't enough. Your energy matters. Your attitude matters. Successful people have a competitive edge, they bring energy, and they look to consistently get better. They raise the standard through what they do. (🎥 Watts Happening Podcast)

Jalen Brunson shares what separates great players from good players. "One thing that separates great players from good players is their detail. They detail the little things." "Those great players, they really take pride in just watching film, watching what they eat, and making sure they're in the best shape of their life - just to get that edge." Little details make big differences. The greats obsess over what others overlook. "A true believer is just being able to believe in yourself, being able to believe in the process - that what you're doing is the right thing for you." "I have the answers to the test. They're in my back pocket. I just need to be able to study them and know that I'm gonna do well on the test." Preparation is confidence. When you've done the work, you already have the answers and know what needs to be done. It means living the details, believing in the process, and trusting your preparation (🎥SLAM)