Know Your Role

Updated: May 7, 2004

The Phoenix Mercury's newest assistant coach, Lisa Harrison, was a professional basketball player for 10 years after leading the Tennessee Lady Vols to the National Championship in 1991. She retired as one of the WNBA’s most tenacious defenders. Lisa took a timeout recently to share some of her expertise with youth basketball players, including the importance of learning the basics of the game and playing whatever role is needed for the betterment of the team.

Starting with the Basics

The main thing to be gained from playing youth basketball is learning how to play the basic fundamentals of the game. It is at an early age when you really need to concentrate on learning the basics: ball handling, passing, shooting with the correct form.

Learning how to do those things right with the proper technique and form is very important because it’s going to effect how you play when you get older. If you develop bad habits you’ve learned, such as an incorrect shooting form like Bo Outlaw (laughs), it’s hard to change those things when you get older.

The most important thing is to listen to your coaches. I know it can get boring doing those basic simple things but they’re so important in developing the player that you’re going to become and learning the proper forms and techniques so that you can do things correctly and have a better chance of making shots when you’re shooting with the correct form.

Role Playing

Once you keep playing, you’ll develop different roles within your team. There will be a leading scorer, a go-to player, you’ll have a player that is a defensive stopper, a rebounder and a person on the bench cheering.

It’s important that you learn how to accept those roles and go out and play hard in whatever your role may be, whatever your coach asks you to do while keeping a positive attitude.

The thing about a guy like Bo is, in the summer leagues he averages 20 points and double figure rebounds and I say “Bo, why don’t you shoot?” and he says “we have enough shooters on the team, it’s not my role, it’s not what I’m here to do.”

So he goes out and gives energy and hustles. Is he capable of scoring? Believe it or not, yes he is. He just accepts his role and that’s what he does and that’s why he’s still in the league.

Life Lessons

Sports in general provide you with the opportunity to learn life skills. When I went to Tennessee it really taught me how to be responsible, to really push myself to my limits, to be a respectful person to my teammates and my coaches, be accountable for who I am and obviously I learned so much from going through that program.

Most importantly, you learn how to develop relationships with other kids. Being in a team sport, you have to learn to depend on your teammates and play together and it’s very important that you learn how to do that.

Working well with other people is going to help you later in life relating with other people and dealing with people’s differences and working through difficult situations.

Work, Work, Work

For me, playing defense has changed with every different coach I’ve had. You have to be open to change and understand that coaches have different strategies and philosophies.

Playing defense for me is all about heart. It’s not a glamorous role; it’s not a role that everyone wants to do. It’s a lot of hard work and you don’t get a lot of credit for it.

You don’t get your name in the paper for it like if you were the leading scorer, but it’s one of the most important jobs on the court because you win games and championships by playing good defense. I take tremendous pride in my defensive abilities.

First of all you have to want to do it. You have to want to put the effort forth in doing it every day and working hard at it.

Now is the time you have to start working at it every day, it’s not easy. Basketball is fun for me, but it is also my job and I have to take it seriously. I still have to practice even though I’m a professional.

Even though I’m a professional, I still have to work on my ball handling, my shooting, I still have to lift weights and stay in shape. Although it is fun, it is a lot of work.

Female Role Models

I would love to be back in high school because there are so many opportunities now than there were when I went. The opportunity to play in the WNBA and to have role models to look at coming up, I didn’t have that. Rex Chapman was my role model because I didn’t really have any female role models. There are more opportunities now. If you are a female and want to play professional basketball it’s a possibility now.

Females are very fortunate now because there are so many more opportunities. Even if you don’t make it the WNBA, try to get an athletic scholarship and get your schooling paid for. Take advantage of all the benefits that are out there now.