Author: Pete Van Mullem

I Raised My Hand: Slaymaker Reflects on a 64-Year Career Teaching Basketball

Ron Slaymaker scans

The Peabody Gazette-Herald bobbed high above the boy’s head as he shouted, “The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor! The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor!” Five-year-old Ron Slaymaker watched the paper boy, uncertain about all the commotion on December 7, 1941. “I remember that day,” recalled Slaymaker. “For the next four years, we were involved in World War II. Everything changed. We had to sacrifice. All the news was about the war.” Slaymaker enjoys telling stories and at 86 years old he has a lot to share. His tales entertain and often he adds flavor, and exaggerations to key details for a greater effect. But regardless of the story, the listener leaves with a lesson to apply in their lives.

One story Slaymaker likes to share when speaking at athletic banquets, coaching clinics, or community functions describes a moment during the 1960s when as a young coach he raised his hand. The moment changed his life. To Slaymaker that action set in motion a course of events that opened doors to new opportunities and experiences, keeping him in basketball for 64 years and counting. But before Slaymaker raised his hand, he grew up during one of the most significant time periods in U.S. history.

Read the full article on Sport Coach America: https://sportcoachamerica.org/i-raised-my-hand-slaymaker-reflects-on-64-year-career-in-basketball/

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A Master Teacher’s Influence Never Ends

PHE America Repeats
10 previously published articles in 10 days that we think you will enjoy

Reprint 6 of 10
(Originally published – January 1, 2016)

The 3rd Annual Dr. Bob Frederick Sport Leadership Lecture Series took place on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College this past October. I started the series in 2013 to help students gain insight from leaders in the sport industry, and provide a glimpse into the number of career opportunities available to them. In three years, 44 presenters from sport-related fields including: interscholastic sport, intercollegiate sport, professional sport, collegiate sport recreation, municipal recreation, education, outdoor recreation, sport business, and sport governance, have kindly given their time and knowledge to the series.

Jump Rope

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Leadership Lesson: Teach Work Ethic, Stay Humble, and Surround Yourself With Good People

(Editor’s Note: The article is adapted from the upcoming book Cornfields to Gold Medals: The Story of Coach Don Showalter and 15 GOLD Lessons from a Life of Leadership)

(3 Minute Read)

Coach Showalter glances at his phone as he and his coaching staff circulate across the dormitory. The digital display read 2:55 AM. At 3:00 AM, in unison, each coach knocks on a door and in their coaching voice shouts, “Get-up! Get-up! Time to rise!” Within a few seconds, teenagers appear; eyes squinted as they adjust to the light; brows furrowed, perhaps an annoyed expression but likely more in an inquisitive nature, curious about the early wake-up call. The coaches hand them a piece of paper with directions to follow, but no explanation. The youth retreat to get dressed as the coaches made their way to the commons area, a large open space outside the dormitory.

2017 USA Basketball Men's U16 National Team vs Canada (6/18/17), Formosa, Argentina.
2017 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team vs Canada (6/18/17), Formosa, Argentina.

It was 2018 and the USA Basketball Junior National Team was in the middle of an eight-day training camp at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO in preparation for the U17 World Championships in Argentina. The teenagers are 16-17-year-old elite-level athletes, the best in the United States. The directions on the piece of paper state to be outside in the commons area by 3:10 AM in full workout gear. As the athletes converge on the commons area they are met by the coaches and another gentleman, unfamiliar to them. At 3:10, Coach Showalter orders all athletes present into a plank position, a core strength exercise. The athletes stay in the plank position until all their teammates are present, as a few stumble in late.

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Snow Valley: A Learning Environment for Coaches

This story describes the legacy of the Snow Valley Basketball School on coach development and the game of basketball.

(This article was originally published in four parts 11/30/18, 12/21/18, 1/15/19, and 2/15/19)

Chapter 1

A Passion for Teaching Fundamentals
Herb Livsey still operates in the shadows of basketball legends, canvassing the globe for basketball talent.  For 21 years, Livsey has served as a scout in the National Basketball Association (NBA), a role often filled by the keenest of basketball lifers and hidden from the fast-paced, social media-driven limelight of NBA culture.  But, out of the public eye, the 83-year old basketball savant has been shining a fatherly glow on the game of basketball and basketball coaches for more than 60 years.

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Do Your Best Work and Do It On Time

(2 Minute Read)

I often tell my students that two of the most important habits they can develop is to strive to do their best work and to do their best work on time. Personally, I have experienced the benefits of this approach through new professional opportunities and improved relationships with others.  I have also experienced the negative effects of submitting substandard work or missing a deadline, including the loss of trust from others and low self-confidence. I share this lesson with my students for the following three reasons.

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  1. In striving to do your best work you learn what you are capable of. You will think of new ideas and develop the ability to overcome hurdles, either self-imposed or from others.
  2. When you complete your work on time, others will trust your ability to get a job done and new opportunities will come your way. When you fail to meet a deadline, trust erodes.  Others may forgive you and say they understand, but they may question whether you will follow through the next time.
  3. The act of striving to do your best work and to do your best work on time will give you a competitive edge. In my 25 years as an educator the students that get the highest grades, the athletes that achieve success on the playing field, and the professionals that are the most respected in their career field, more often than not, work hard to learn the skills they need to do their best work, arrive to meetings on time and meet deadlines when completing projects.

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End on a Positive

(3 Minute Read)

The whistle blows signaling the completion of the drill.  Some of the nation’s best young athletes, 16 and 17-year old basketball phenoms gather around Coach Showalter.  The setting is the USA Basketball U16-U17 Junior National Team Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Flanked by the physical size of the young men, Showalter gains their attention.  He offers feedback on the recently completed drill, then gradually steps back presenting his hands to the two players nearest him. At the same time, he encourages the rest of the huddle to do likewise.  The young athletes and support staff lock hands and begin to form a large circle.  They all face each other, looking towards the center of the circle, each person linked to another player or coach.

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It’s Not What You Teach – But How You Teach It

Jason, 16, a gifted athlete and an accomplished youth basketball player scans the court.  Three blue practice jerseys highlight his teammates. They are spaced about the half-court with the letters USA in white across their chests.  Each talented.  Each player is elite.  Jason is playing with the best young basketball talent in the United States as a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team.

The basketball, moist with perspiration, rests – held captive in Jason’s hands. Tanner, one of four defenders inches closer – crowding Jason.  Tanner’s teammates, decked in white jerseys with USA letters in blue, align themselves to protect the basket. Sweat drips off Tanner onto Jason.  Jason is unfazed, his body already covered by a stream of salty liquid.  The air dampened by perspiration and exerted breathing, emits a stench unique to the arena of sport.

Image courtesy of Keith Johnston from Pixabay

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