When you are a sports legend like Coach John Wooden, the opportunity to give of your time and resources can be found waiting around every corner. People have been looking to attach his name to charitable causes and have been chasing him down for personal appearances ever since he became synonymous with college basketball greatness.

Wooden, being the servant leader that he is, has graciously accepted many offers over the years. He has visited numerous veterans’ hospitals and children’s hospitals. In fact, it’s organizations that support kids that really get his attention.

It was the biggest decision of my life: What was I going to be when I grew up? I was a junior in high school, and I felt like I had to decide what college to attend and what my major would be. And to those pressure-packed questions I added the anxiety of getting a high score on my ACTs. I remember thinking, "How can I make such big decisions? There are so many choices! How will I know what to choose?"

She was ready to leave the locker room when a couple of friends called her over. "Try these," they said, as they offered her some small pills. "They give you energy and help you play better." Would she take the pills or turn them away?

Sound familiar? This is happening in our locker rooms, schools and hang-outs all over our communities. Student-athletes are fighting the social battles to get ahead and fit in. Many give in to the dare of this peer pressure.

One of my favorite aspects of the game of basketball is the pivot. Although it is a simple concept, it allows for a big impact on the offensive end. One foot must stay grounded, and the other can be extended a bit out in front or to the side and move around to create good passes, space, effective jabs and fakes, and give you an ability to slow down and see what’s open. Without pivoting, it’s difficult to make much happen.

As Christian competitors, we realize that God has called us to serve, but do we understand that we should be consumed to serve? Is there a consuming fire that burns in us to serve others around us who are hurting and to help those who need to experience the love of Christ through us? We serve because the ultimate purpose of serving is to glorify Christ. Rick Warren said, “We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. In our self-serving culture with its ‘me first’ mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.” In the athletic world, everyone struggles to some degree with the “me first” mentality.

I can still remember the smell of my first baseball glove. I remember begging my mom and dad to let me play ball. I remember getting the call from my coach to let me know what team I would be on and putting my uniform on as soon as I received it. I remember opening day, the first game, the sno cones, Frito pies for supper, talking about the upcoming game with my friends at school, facing them the next day after a loss, and my mom and dad never letting me blame anything on the umpires, teammates or coaches. I remember my parents staying late after the game and visiting with friends, going to the ballpark even when we didn’t have a game, and the end-of-the-year party.

Do you like to speak in public? What about in front of many adults? What about speaking in front of your school board? Three students at a local middle school did just that the other night to defend why they thought FCA should be allowed in their school. For three months, this school board tabled the decision to allow FCA to start, but these students stood their ground and continued to pursue the school board until they allowed them to speak. These brave students had to stand tall for their faith.

Practice isn’t always a player’s favorite thing to do. At times there are two-a-day practices or extra-long exercises to get a team organized. In the beginning, practices are hard and exciting, then when the squad is picked, the coaches focus on teaching plays.

We’ve all heard “practice makes perfect.” A better way to say it is, “practice makes permanent.” How a player performs in practice is how he or she will play in a game, thus, the player who gives a half-hearted effort in practice becomes ineffective at game time. That is why setting specific goals for practice is important.

The Apostle Paul said that every athlete should go into strict training to compete for a prize.

There is a common bond that seems to separate good teams from great teams – hunger. Good teams have the capability of winning at any time, but somehow lack what it takes to do it day-in and day-out. Great teams seem to always find a way – whether they play the perfect match, have to slug out a tough win, or find a way to come clawing back after trailing. They just seem to find a way to win. For many of them, it is because of a hunger for victory.