University of North Carolina Athletics
CAROLINA: More Than Xs and Os
January 27, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Jan. 21 issue of CAROLINA.
by Jawad Williams
In sports, there are certain traits that give people that 'it' factor. That 'it' factor comes from the intangibles. Intangibles are those traits that can't taught and can't be coached, like persistence, work ethic, willingness to learn, and the will to want to be great.
Throughout my career as an athlete, I have had the chance to play with and against some amazing talent. Some of the guys that I have played with or against had all the physical and natural ability, but lacked the intangibles it takes to play at a very high level. Then there were those guys who had all physical and natural ability, but still demanded more from themselves everyday.
From 2008-10, I had the chance to play with arguably the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball, LeBron James. We all see LeBron's performances on the court and are amazed night in and night out. We have all witnessed his high-flying dunks, amazing passes, chase-down blocks and his overall dominance of the competition.
As a teammate, I was able to see another side of LeBron that defined why he is one of the best ever. My first year in Cleveland, I was fighting for the last roster spot on an already stacked roster, a roster of players who had just lost in the NBA Finals the year before.
Coming in, I knew I would have to work extra hard to win the spot I wanted. Every day I would show up about two hours before practice would start to get extra work in. I would lift, shoot, go through some skill drills before practice. Then we would practice, and after practice I would shoot again before I would go home.
To my surprise, after a week of working alone with a coach, LeBron started to meet me at the gym every day. It was a complete shock to me because he was just returning from the Olympics and I figured he had to be tired. Whether he was or not, he showed up to the gym every day with me to work.
I vividly remember a conversation we had in which I asked him why he was showing up so early. After all, it was not as though he had anything to prove. He responded by telling me, "I have to be the best."
He went on to tell me and teach me about a move Kobe Bryant was working on during the Olympics that he wanted to perfect. He also praised Kobe on his footwork and said if he improved his footwork, it would help him tremendously. Here I am competing for a roster spot, and the best player in the world is here working like he is competing for the same spot. LeBron went on to win his first MVP trophy that year.
Going back to my college days we had a team that held each other accountable and pushed each other every day. My senior year, we had extremely competitive practices every day. There were days when Coach Williams just split the team up and watched us go at each other for two hours.
In situations like that, we didn't need a coach. No coach can teach you how to go hard all the time. A coach can't give you a game plan that makes you a competitor. Either the intangibles are in you or they are not. They can be cultivated, but not downloaded into players' mentalities. Competing so hard against each other daily made the games a walk in the park. And if we lost, we would always feel we beat ourselves, then we would go right back in the gym the next day to work even harder.
It seems to me at times that this generation doesn't work as hard. It seems everyone is content with living off of this bad word called potential. Hopefully, these kids figure out that nothing replaces the work you put into mastering your craft. You can't cheat the grind. This life is short, you may as well use the time you have to be the best you can possibly be while you can.
"Everyone has the will to win. Champions have the will to prepare to win."
