Luke Ridnour credits his father for providing the earliest lessons about teamwork. Rob Ridnour coached high school basketball (including his son's team) before taking over as the head coach of the International Basketball League's Bellingham Slam. It was the elder Ridnour who instilled in his son some of those fundamental concepts about teamwork, such as sharing the ball and looking out for one another.

"The biggest thing my dad taught me about teamwork was that everyone should stick together through thick and thin," Ridnour says. "These are the guys you're going to be with, and no matter how bad it might look at times, that's your crew that you've got to pull together with. The guys who are on the court are the ones who have to get the job done. You can't look to other people. You've all got to do it together."