Team sports are a unique phenomenon. Success must come from individual pieces meshing together and working in unison with specialized roles.
Although this mentality can also be seen in settings such as business, government and school, team sports have an underlying difference. The unique hierarchical structure of each team’s dynamic usually places a greater deal of responsibility on veterans, but there have been multiple circumstances in recent times where new players, or rookies, have assumed the mantle of leaders.
Despite pressure, expectations, nerves and indecisiveness, rookies have developed an increasing propensity for making unbelievable impacts on their teams.
This interesting dynamic has been seen in many different sports, the most prominent and recent of which results from the final outcome of March Madness.
Although college basketball and the regulations of the NCAA have a peculiar setup with regards to players entering the professional draft, this does not take away from the unbelievable accomplishments of so many underclassmen.
At this point the NCAA only requires a college basketball player to play one year of college ball, and this takes away from the loyalty and overall team growth that once existed in college basketball.
There are people who do not approve of this dynamic, but I believe it provides room for amazing feats by young players, such as when Duke won the national championship with a team made up of a majority of freshman players.
Players like freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow all stepped up and played like veterans in order to bring their team to victory.
Much of their success was probably a result of Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s ability to maintain composure and push them in the right direction. However, the freshman players’ embodiment of these qualities, wise decisions and controlled urgency transcended their expected capacity as freshmen.
More often than not, freshmen make mistakes or play poorly under the pressure of such a big stage, but these players made an internal decision to play with confidence and proved themselves worthy of a national championship.
Although this was probably the biggest accomplishment of note, there have been other instances of young players utilizing a sense of confidence to accomplish great things.
The University of Kentucky basketball team was almost entirely composed of freshmen, and they stood two games away from an undefeated season. They played with confidence and a mature style, but they did not have enough guidance from their coach or from upperclassmen to understand how to handle losing late in a big game.
Beyond college sports, young players in professional sports have also stepped up to help their teams in times of need. For instance, Odell Beckham Jr. had an unbelievable rookie season to give the New York Giants some desperately needed momentum and fan support when they were faltering, and he may have pulled in one of the best catches of all time. By proving to his teammates that he wanted the ball even in difficult situations, he established a savvy confidence that fueled his growth as a player and helped his team as a unit.
In addition, the Boston Celtics have brought in a young coach, several young players and high draft picks in exchange for their wily veterans.
Although this may be a bold move by the organization, they still somehow managed to make the playoffs this year and will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.
Older players have good qualities to offer, but certain younger players have tenacity and youthfulness to bring to the team. If they overcome their insecurities by developing confidence quickly, it will be very exciting to see where they will go with their care
