A Team Above All...

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  All it took was two wins, and we got complacent. Or content. We thought all we had to do was show up, and winning would 'just happen'. That, just because we were home, and we were supposed to win, it would take care of itself.

  That's the tough lesson we learned on Saturday against Strasbourg. After TWO wins.

  It's not enough to just hope, or want, something to happen. Or think something should happen. Winning does not happen by mistake. You have to earn it. You have to show up (in more ways than one: physically of course, and mentally), work your tail off, and do your job.

  Here's the thing about competing on a high level: your opponent believes they will/should win too. You have to out-work them, 'out-compete' them. Each and every play, of each and every game. And you rely on your teammates to do the same. Taking a possession or two off is not going to cut it. Teams are too competitive, and too talented.

  Instead of pushing our winning streak to three games on Saturday, we got a butt-whooping. We were never in the game against Strasbourg. And it's a shame.

  There's a saying that goes, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." And honestly, I think it's a shameful way to lose. Whether we were more talented than Strasbourg is an argument for another day. But there's no question which team worked harder, and more together.

  After a game like Saturday's, you want a re-do immediately, but we all know that isn't possible. So there's nothing to do but to make sure it never happens again.

  It's my feeling that the team I play on is a direct reflection of me (and this is the case every season, with every team). Its effort, its attitude, its result on the court = me. You look up DMBC Dunkerque, you see my name on the roster, it's a reflection of me, and my work. It's my reputation. And frankly, I don't like being associated with losing and giving up.

  In team sports, you're reliant on the group as a whole for your success. You don't win alone, and you don't lose alone. That's what can make it incredibly frustrating, or incredibly satisfying.

  You're putting your trust into your teammates that they will be there when you need them. It's the sum of ALL the parts that either makes a team great, or makes a team fail.

  Yes, you have control of yourself.

  It's up to you to do everything you can to pull your own weight, do your job, and make sure the end result is something you can be proud of. AND HOLD YOUR TEAMMATES ACCOUNTABLE. It's only after doing your best, that you can have no regrets -- win or lose. And you rely on your teammates to have that same attitude.

  It's not happening again. Not for the lack of trying anyway. Not on my watch.