Christopher Harken

Ariana Jackson better get a standing ovation anytime she touches the court in James H. Hilton Coliseum next year, I’m talking starting lineup name being called, any shot, steal, block, high effort play. Ariana Jackson deserves all the praise for sticking this out. LOYAL SONS FOREVER TRUE🌪️🌪️

A team full of players who embrace their role will always beat a team full of players who chase headlines. Know your job. Do it well. Make your teammates better. That’s how you win in life—and in basketball.

one more time cyclone nation 😁

“You’re not average. You’re exceptional. You’re a coach!” On the hard days… Remember, your presence might be the most stable thing in a kid’s life.

Winning doesn’t care what you did yesterday. It wants to know if you’re ready to do it again today. Doing things the right way, every day. Integrity isn’t what you show the world. It’s what you demand from yourself when no one’s watching.

KOBE BRYANT’S 10 RULES: Get better every single day Prove them wrong Work on your weaknesses Execute what you practiced Learn from greatness Learn from both wins and losses Practice mindfulness Be ambitious Believe in your team/yourself Learn storytelling

Serve first. Win later. Most people want it the other way around. “Your job is not to be here for yourself. It is to be here for everybody else.” - Ben McCollum GOLD 🥇

"When we started winning championships, there was an understanding among all 12 players about what our roles were. We knew our responsibilities and capabilities. Those were the kind of things we had to understand and accept if we were going to win championships.” Michael Jordan

Do you lie to yourself? “When you experience failure you have two options. You can either tell yourself the truth or you can lie to yourself.” Kara Lawson 🥇

“Don’t lose sight of the people who help you get to where you are.” - Greg McDermott 🥇 No one climbs the mountain alone.

March Madness looks different from row 2. You see things you miss on TV. Here’s what I learned watching Iowa State vs Kentucky: [THREAD] 🧵

The most unstoppable high school teams aren’t the ones with the most future D1 talent. They’re the ones where every player dives for loose balls, sprints on every possession, and doesn’t care who gets the credit. Toughness beats talent when talent won’t grind.

Championship teams are built on three things: - Accountability. - Effort. - Selflessness.

And somehow, Iowa State has the lead at half.

Players: If you want more minutes, stop asking What can I do to play more? Start asking, What does the team need from me to win? Selfless players find the floor.

(3/14)… 5K St. Paddy’s Day race in Leawood, KS? I might run it myself next year!

Year 7 as HC, Year 1 at Centennial. Challenging but rewarding year. Now it's time to go the radar and put in the effort. Until next season ✌️

Shane Battier shares a must-listen on what it really means to be a champion, how to be a great teammate, and how to make an impact. "The sign says, 'Champions are made when no one is looking.' I sorta laugh at that sign because there is no better sign to sum up my career than that. I lived that literally." Here's why: "My last few years in the NBA, I was first or last, depending on how you look at it - in a stat called time per possession...I was the NBA's version of hot potato." Then he did the math: "I found out that 98% of the time I was on the court, I didn't touch the ball. Only 2% of the time I actually physically touched it." "Most people watch the player with the ball or guarding the ball. So literally, when I say 'champions are made when no one's watching' - no one is watching me for 98% of the time." "But yet I was an integral part of my team. I was an integral piece in my coach's sweat when I didn't play." How did he do it? "I always looked at ways to impact the game. Boxing out. Taking charges. Sexy plays like running back on defense. All of these made up my 98% of time spent away from the ball." 98% invisible, but 100% essential. You don't have to score to make an impact on the game. The best teammates own their role. They are willing to put the team first over individual glory. (🎥 The Nantucket Project)

If you play basketball, you need to learn how to MISS. Yep, you read that right. Obviously, the goal is to make every shot you take. But even if you’re an elite shooter… you’re going to miss almost half of them. The question is: How do you respond when you miss? Because how you miss matters more than you think. Great players don’t just work on their shooting form. They work on their response to a miss: 🎯 Positive self-talk – Instead of “I can’t believe I missed that,” it’s “Next one’s mine.” 🎯 Positive body language – Shoulders up, head high, eyes forward. No slouching, no sulking. 🎯 Next Play mentality – Don’t carry the last miss into the next possession. Reset. Refocus. Respond. Because here’s the truth: “How you miss one shot… will directly impact whether or not you make the next one.” Missing is part of the game. Carrying that miss with you? That’s a choice. And that choice affects performance. This isn’t just about basketball—it’s about life and leadership. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to fall short. What matters is how quickly you can bounce back, re-center, and move on. The best players—and the best leaders—have short memories for failure and long commitments to growth. So if you want to perform at a high level, don’t just train to make shots… Train yourself to miss the right way. Because THAT is the real game-changer.

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" - John Wooden