Coulda Woulda Shoulda

We've all had to deal with the feeling of regret at one time or another. I know I've had more than my fair share as a coach for my daughter's juvenile basketball team.




I recall one game when our team was down by two points and there was enough time on the clock for one more play.

We had the ball so I called a time-out and brought the team in to explain what we were trying to do collectively.

Not very many of the girls had a lot of experience in high pressure packed games so I wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page.


I was purposeful and thorough in my explanation but unfortunately, I forgot to give instruction to one of the players in terms of where I wanted her positioned on the floor.

When the play started she was too close to the ball and as a result her defender was able to jump in the passing lane and steal the inbounds pass which sealed the game.

We lost!

I immediately realized what happened and I knew that I should have explained in greater detail what I wanted everyone to do.

Hard Court Tip

We have two clear choices when we make mistakes. We can dwell on our mistakes and live in regret or learn from the experience and move on.

Part of learning from the experience is accepting the circumstances and taking responsibility for anything that you could have better handled.

Regrets can easily turn into burdens if we dwell on them for too long, burdens can impact our present happiness and even interfere with your future, or motivation to move forward.

"I don't have to wait until the next morning to regret something I did that was kinda dumb" Bobby Knight

Thanks for reading!

Audley