April 8, 2024 - You Can Always Hear A Good Team

“You can always HEAR a good team. The bad teams… you never hear. They don’t ever talk. They don’t talk to each other. They don’t talk on defense. They don’t talk in transition.”

Kelvin Sampson Coach University of Houston Men’s Basketball

I love this observation by Coach Sampson… over and over again I have written about the importance of “one another” --- of a TEAM-mentality. Coach shares a picture of players that care about one another is… So, what does this TEAM-talk sound like?

The obvious thought is one of encouragement. Over and over we see the commands to encourage one another… and the obvious thought there is to be cheerleaders for one another. Yes, that is a part of it, but it is so much more…

Hebrews 10:25 tells us that we should be “exhorting/encouraging one another, and SO MUCH MORE as you see the Day approaching.” In other words, when the intensity, when the intensity of the game ramps up, it is even more imperative that we “talk”!

I appreciate that the NKJV uses the word “exhorting” – as the Greek word “Parakaleo” carries with it way more than just cheerleading. Of course, we want to give positive encouragement, but it should also involve other aspects like instructing and teaching… even comforting when needed. It is the ultimate TEAM-word.

What Coach Sampson was talking about is a good team always being aware of and caring about where one another is… it may involve a player on the free throw lane making sure it is clear who is boxing out the shooter… it may involve a player on the baseball field making sure teammates know how many outs there are in order to know what to do if the ball comes to them… it  may involve pointing out what defense the opposing team is in… it may simply be a player letting a teammate know he is in position to be a help defender… or it may be as simple as reminding the player to forget the last play and win the next… to get his head in the game.

I long to be part of a TEAM/community that communicates… one that not only tells me when I do good… but encourages me when I mess up… and reminds me of where and what I am supposed to be doing.

That passage in Hebrews also has a different Greek word that is used in the description of what our TEAM should look/sound like… “Paroxusmos” … it is found in verse 24 when we are told that TEAM-talk should “stir up love and good works…” To stir up also is translated in some versions as the word “stimulate.” It carries the idea of inciting or even irritating. We should be pushing one another!

One obvious way to determine if a player is doing well for his team, is to see that he understands and executes the plays the team is running; if a player goes on the floor and continues to run to the wrong goal, it is a pretty good indicator he is either playing for the other team -OR- that he has forgotten he’s on a new team… but in 1 John 3:10 we see another way to identify being a poor teammate: “he who does not love his brother.” It goes on to give an example of Cain not loving his brother Abel. And I find it interesting that when God confronted Cain about his brother’s whereabouts, he responds with the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

In 1 John the comparison brings a clear answer to that question… YES, we should be aware of our brother/teammate. It is such a clear passage on what a good team looks/sounds like: “And this is the commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ [gets us on the team] and love one another. [fulfills our TEAM-mentality]” (1 John 3: 23)