The University of Virginia men’s basketball team won the NCAA National Championship this year. Unbelievable. They were one of the top seeds in the tournament, but I do not believe that many thought UVA would actually win the tournament. Especially after their historic loss to UMBC in last year’s tournament. Several experts predicted UVA would advance past the first round, but few pictured them winning it all. The experts were wrong.
One helluva turn around this year
UVA’s performance in this year’s tournament marked a spectacular turn around. What a difference a year makes. There are many reasons they played much better this year. I am convinced that leadership played a crucial role in their championship run. Coach Tony Bennett convinced his players that they could win it all. They believed him, and they did it. In this blog post, I will explain five reasons UVA won their first men’s basketball national championship.
Reason #1 – everyone on the team contributed to the victories
UVA plays a different style than most teams. It emphasizes relentless defense and total teamwork on offense. They do not rely too much on any all-star players. Don’t get me wrong. The team is comprised of great players, but the team comes first. More importantly, everyone is expected to contribute. Look at the results during the tournament. Different players made meaningful contributions along the way. No single player dominated the box score which is the approach several other teams used and lost.
Relying too much on all-stars
At work, it is tempting to rely over and over again on your all-stars. Give them the ball – they will get it done. It is not a prudent approach. What happens when you keep asking the same team members over and over again to deliver the results needed to win. Eventually, you will lose. Everyone has a bad day every now and then…even your all-stars.
I know this lesson all too well
On more than one occasion I went with an all-star approach and it failed. Don’t make the same mistake. Be like Tony Bennett. Emphasize teamwork and expect contributions from all team members. You will get better results.
The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
John Wooten, famous UCLA men’s basketball coach
Reason #2 – they kept putting points on the board
Tony Bennett’s teams are known as grinders. They play hard, especially when it comes to defense. What changed this year is that they kept grinding away on offense as well. Traditionally UVA was known to play a conservative style after gaining a lead. The offense would go into cruise control mode. The goal was to hold the lead and keep the score low. This approach was their Achilles heel against strong teams who could score a lot. This year they kept putting points on the board until the end.
The offense was more important this year
The offense was not emphasized in previous tournaments. Not this year. They changed their approach. Instead, they kept putting points on the board until the final whistle. This year the team averaged over 70 points a game which is higher than normal. Those additional points were critical to multiple wins during the tournament. Coach Bennett had learned the lesson that offense wins championships in college basketball.
Playing conservative at the end may cause you to lose
I cannot count on my hands how many times I have watched leaders at work get conservative at the end. This mentality focuses on not losing instead of doing what it takes to win. I have fallen into this trap several times because it is appealing. We tell ourselves lies like “we got this. Let’s not mess it up by trying too hard”. Unfortunately, it is usually not the best approach. Push your team to keep putting points on the board. You may never know exactly how many points you need in the end to win.
Reason #3 – they scored many points with little time on the clock
Just look at the last few games UVA won for the championship. They were behind in all of them with less than a minute left in the game. Talk about having your back against the wall. Each game they took a gamble in order to win. None is more memorable than the last-second basket to tie the game against Purdue. Coach Bennett told Ty Jerome to miss his free throw so that they could tie the game and play overtime. Gutsy call – it paid off. They won.
Reason #4 – they won key games by playing well in overtime
UVA played multiple overtime games during the tournament. They won them by outplaying the other team. UVA beat Purdue in an epic overtime game. They kept the pressure on Purdue which caused them to make errors and lose the game. Simply put, UVA played some of their best basketball in overtime. During the championship game against Texas Tech, they did not miss a single free throw. They walked away with the trophy as a result.
Is your team good at playing well in overtime?
What about your team. Are they at their best when overtime is required? When I was in the military we worked long hours, especially when we were deployed. The best units I knew were the ones that thrived when things were toughest. The same is true in the civilian sector. Some work requires long hours and extra effort. The teams that deliver the best results are the ones who keep grinding and get the job done despite all obstacles.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
Muhammad Ali
Reason #5 – they were cool under pressure
One additional trait I noticed about UVA’s team this year is that they were cool under pressure. For example, Kyle Guy misses a three-point shot against Auburn but is fouled. As a result, he gets three free throws. If he makes all three – they win. He did. Later he would confess to being nervous, but you could not tell. He was cool as a cucumber at the line.
Where does their calm confidence come from?
How could Kyle be so calm when stepping to the line? He was cool because Coach Tony Bennett is calm during the game, even when it does look good. Tony Bennett does not yell or scream at his team or the referees. He is remarkedly subdued. I believe that his team gets their confidence from Tony’s cool demeanor. He is calmly confident, and so are they.
The last few minutes of the game may matter most
What about your team? How do they respond under pressure? Do they remain cool and calm? Can they make the shot when it counts? DeAndre Hunter had to sink a last-minute three-point shot to tie the score in the championship game. He receives the pass and nails the shot without hesitation. Do you have team members who can do the same thing for your business? If not, then you have work to do.
What about you?
More importantly, how do you respond under pressure? As the leader – you set the tone. If you are bouncing off the walls, don’t be surprised if your team responds accordingly. That is what happened to several other basketball teams during the tournament. Their coach went into orbit rather than remain calm. Mistakes were made, and they lost. Don’t be that kind of leader. Your team deserves your best.
You set the tone as the leader
I am not saying that leaders cannot be emotional. Don’t be a robot. No one wants to work for a leader like that. Rather I am stressing the importance of staying cool when it matters most. Keep your head in the game and your wits about you so that you can make good decisions and lead your team to victory. That is what Coach Tony Bennett did this year. He was at his best when his team needed him the most. In fact, he was recently named as one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. Well deserved.
ATW! is designed to make you a better leader
I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!