Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – At the end of its second full week of preseason practice, the Lehigh men’s basketball team took part in The Program, military style leadership training last Thursday and Friday. As the Mountain Hawks continue to come together as a team in advance of the 2016-17 season, they grew off the basketball court, working on important intangibles in a unique setting.
The Program was something head coach Brett Reed has had in mind for several years.
“I’ve had conversations with one of our former athletic administrators, Glenn Hoffman,” said Reed. “He had shared the valuable impact that The Program had had on some of the teams that he was involved with. Based on that feedback, became immediately interested. Through a conversation with (Dean of Athletics) Joe Sterrett in the spring, we jumped on the opportunity, knowing that the experience would benefit our team.”
From jumping jacks to rigorous team exercise, the team was pushed not only physically, but perhaps more importantly, mentally. Although the activities had no direct connection to basketball, The Program promoted many of the skills that are needed on the basketball court.
“I thought the shared experience was powerful and connected to many of the same values that we hold within our program,” said Reed. “It also created adversity where there was really no choice but for people to come together, which is important for any successful team.”
The experience allowed a change of pace and a different voice for the student-athletes to hear.
“The same things that The Program instructor said are many of the same things we’ve been saying as a coaching staff, in many cases, to the same players, asking for the same growth,” said Reed. “I’m hopeful that a different voice with the same message, and the immediate feedback from what they were doing, helps our players understand the messages more clearly and apply them more regularly.”
The overall takeaways were very positive. There were roadblocks along the way, but throughout, the team came together to accomplish its goals.
“Our players across the board demonstrate high character,” said Reed. “I also believe that they have a genuine care and concern for each other, which are great starting points. The eye-opening realization for many of them was that their influence could be even greater when they look beyond themselves and take a more active role in demanding that the standards we set as a program are followed by all, all the time.”
Reed hopes The Program will help the team as it continues to prepare for the season opener at Xavier on Nov. 11. So far, preseason practice has featured its strong points, along with room for improvement. The Mountain Hawks feature a unique group, with numerous experienced players coupled with six individuals who have never played in a college basketball game.
“I’ve liked the fact that some of our more experienced players have been patient and have served as good mentors to our newcomers,” said Reed. “We’ve had guys counsel, bring along and further explain what we’re trying to do to young guys who haven’t built those habits. That’s going to help our performance, but I also think it’s a great demonstration of gained maturity from players who’s had the chance to go through that process and are now upperclassmen.”
One thing Reed is looking for more of is consistency.
“It’s really clear to me that we need to improve our consistency from day to day, and person to person,” he said. “Our team has shown that it will work hard, but whether it’s inexperience or even at times, losing focus from day to day and not bringing the same effort and intensity that’s expected, we’ve had too much fluctuation in our play. It’s our responsibility to improve that because we do not want to be an inconsistent team. We will help young players understand what it takes to be successful in our program, but we will demand that from a day in and day out basis, everyone is near their peak performance.”
Lehigh is led by two-time defending Patriot League Player of the Year Tim Kempton, who will undoubtedly be a target of opponents’ defenses, so getting others involved will be vitally important.
“I’ve been really pleased that Tim Kempton has been willing to share the basketball at the level that he has,” said Reed. “He’s gotten other people involved and the unselfish tone that he’s set at the offensive end really helps build greater chemistry within our team.”
Lehigh’s schedule begins at Xavier on Nov. 11, a No. 2 seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament. The Mountain Hawks then travel to another NCAA team from a season ago in Yale before hosting Princeton, who is coming off an NIT berth. Lehigh also faces Mississippi State, Arkansas State and La Salle to wrap up a challenging November slate.
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