-What does being a good teammate mean?

In addition to skills and on-the-court success, you should all aspire to be a good teammate. In short, that means being someone that people enjoy playing with. There are many factors that can contribute to this, including (but not limited to):

•Being vocally supportive of your team when you’re on the court AND when you are on the bench: It’s easy to be enthusiastic when you’re playing—good teammates provide energy and support 100% of the time… even if they are not having their best game themselves.

•Holding your teammates accountable: On good teams, players ensure that their teammates are fulfilling the standard(s) set by the club/coach. This includes, off-season workouts, practices, off-court behavior, and games. Coaches cannot see everything and constantly monitor the team’s effort, so it is up to each member to make sure they and their teammates are doing what they’re supposed to do. If players are afraid to hold each other accountable to keeping the standard, the team can never reach its full potential. Push each other to do better!

•Putting in 100% effort in practice: Regardless of your role on the team, all members of a successful team have to be giving maximum effort in practice in order to produce the best possible unit for the games. It should be considered an insult to the team to not give your best effort; Your practice effort has to be equal to your game effort!

•Defending your teammates: In any situations that become tough, you should be there to support your team—if one of them gets knocked down, you rush to help them up. If they are close to an altercation with the opposing team, you rush to intervene and protect them. If they are having a hard time and struggling physically or mentally, you rush to encourage them and lift them up.

•Be open: you should communicate openly and freely with your team. Do not be afraid to offer constructive observations or suggestions to your teammates, BUT also be open to it when they do the same. No one wants to play with a teammate who thinks they “know everything” already. If everyone on the team is open with each other, communication can exist at a high level.

•Trust each other: You may not be best friends with every person on your team, but you must trust your all your teammates to do their job. Whether you’re a role player or one of the strongest players on the team, you need to have confidence in each another; this includes things like making the “right” pass when someone is open, trusting teammates to hit shots, trusting teammates to help on defense, and encouraging your team to perform.