Questions with John Saintignon regarding China

So yesterday I was listening to a podcast and there was a guest named, Tony Ronzone, who was talking about some of the stories of basketball within the world.  There was a lot of questions that were about China and we had some very similar experiences.

I first got invited to China when I was at Oregon State University as Coach Jim Rosborough from the University of Arizona called me to say that he was going to invite me to be one of the coaches that was selected to be a part of a Nike Factory event which was a huge project to try to find the top 24 players within the country to play against NBA players in an outdoor exhibition.  We had to go to cities all over the country, and hold tryouts, like in a camp setting, then discover the best and then bring them all together and you know, eventually get it down to 2 teams of 12.  Crazy. 

My city was Shanghai that I was responsible for.  We had so many players, we lost count, over 2000 showed up, oh man, I had to make a quick friend of a coaching legend who was on the sideline watching that I had heard was there to observe.  I respectfully asked him to help me.  He graciously accepted my offer and I had a set of eyes that were there to help me, we eventually got down to that short list of 12 players, with whom we were able to send to Beijing to play and compete and represent not only themselves but their city against NBA players with Nike. It taught me that I was not the most important person there to select, that it was being humble and knowing that someone who was well respected could help me in an incredible way if I showed him respect and honor.

Moving on, dinners were something to behold.  I was taught by my parents to be respectful and try anything that I was ever offered, to never offend anyone.  That was seriously put to the test as we had some exotic food and it was difficult but I wanted to be a guest that was humble and respectful for being in their country and home.  The palate was challenged as everything was on display for one of the dinners including, duck feet, duck bill, scorpion, snake, etc.  I tried a few, wanting to be respectful. 

Later, my interpreter asked if I would meet with his parents as they wanted to have dinner with me.  Of course, I said yes, and it was spectacular.  I was honored and felt a sense of duty to meet with them since their son was working round the clock having to stay with me until I went to my hotel room.  For anyone that speaks another language, it is taxing on your mind to have to hear one language, then translate it to another and then back, much less a coach who is doing this all over the place and moving and shouting instructions.  Martin, was so incredible so when he said would I visit with his parents, well of course, was my response! 

We met at a restaurant outside of Shanghai, in a large private room.  Just Martin's parents, myself and Martin.  They didn't speak English and it was their first time meeting anyone outside of China.  The father was a General in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, so this was quite the honor and yet a bit intimidating.  I noticed that it was very formal at the onset, quiet at times and a bottle of clear liquid in front of us.  Now each time that there was a quiet moment, he would pour us this drink of strong alcohol.  Now I do what they do in other countries, so here I was drinking with him and we got to asking questions about family, ideals, morals and came to find out that we had similar ideas of raising our sons and how we approached life without having to discuss the advantages or disadvantages of Communism vs Capitalism.  I learned that I also had to trust my host as we had over 40 plates of incredible cuisine that it was a test to sample all of them, including this particular fish that I just loved.  I came to discover at the end of the dinner, that it was puffer fish and that if not properly cooked, well I could have died from it.  That brought out laughs and made me feel ok as I had to trust that evening.

We had such a wonderful and memorable dinner that I was so surprised by the outpouring of gifts that were bestowed upon me:  2 incredible hand woven paintings in their frames, 2 pearl necklaces.  We recently discovered the them when we went to Turlock to go through storage items for my son, Vicente's apartment at USC.  The boys both took the paintings and one sits proudly at USC and the other in Sebastian's room.  But more of a gift, was that I was honored to be the first person that this General got to meet who he could sit with, laugh, enjoy and know that the world view was similar in many respects.  Do you know that later, he would ask if I could help his son, enter a USA University, which I was delighted to write a letter of recommendation for and as he was accepted and got his Masters Degree from.

Basketball is a tool to get an education.  This game as provided me so many wonderful memories as I listened to that podcast in which Coach Ronzone shared some that were similar.  I hope to one day meet Coach Ronzone in person and share this with him.  Until then, make it a great day and remember that we are all alike when we get past our differences. 

Respectfully,
Coach John Saintignon
www.johnsaintignon.com

Channel 4 San Diego 1999 CIF Basketball Finals Division I Bonita Vista v...

Questions with Conner Dunn

Connor Dunn

3. What do you believe you brought (or can bring to) the team?

Answer: I believe I bring a little of everything to a team. I believe I bring energy and leadership to the team. I also believe that I can calm down or rile up my teammates as needed. I also bring game intelligence; I know when to pass the ball to the shooter that is hot or take my own shots as needed. I am a flexible player that can bring to the court whatever is needed for team success.

6. How did you stay motivated after losing a game?

Answer: Whenever I lose a game, I always try to keep my head up. Whether a 1-point loss or a 20-point loss, I know I have another game coming up. I must focus on the next game rather than dwell on the results of the game just played. I know I must take away the good things from the game and push away the bad.

7. How do you deal with the pressure of having to perform in front of a crowd?

Answer: When I play in front of a crowd of people, I clear my mind and focus on the job at hand. When I think about all the things, I do in front of a crowd every day, like group presentations or my own presentations in front of people I know, playing with people around that I don’t specifically know seems easier to me.

8. How do you channel your frustration when the referee’s decision doesn’t go your way?

Answer: When this happens, I believe you must forget about what happened and move on to the next play. If you dwell on a bad call, you are not focused on what is happening on the court which can cause mistakes and get you  pulled out very quickly.

9. What are you thinking when you get benched in a game?

Answer: The first thing I think about is what could I have done to stay in the game. If I made a mistake, what can I do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If the coach has provided me feedback, I think about how to apply his comments. I also know I must stay focused on the game and encourage my teammates as much as I can.

18. What has basketball taught you that carries over into the other areas of your life?

Answer: Basketball has taught me to “take the shot”. In basketball, you can’t win a game unless you score some points. You can’t score points unless you take shots. Sometimes you will have winning streaks and sometimes you will have losing streaks. Win or lose, you must carry on and continue to take shots.  Life is no different. Life takes effort. Sometimes the effort will pay off, sometimes it won’t.  But if you don’t try, you can’t succeed. Basketball has taught me to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way by taking my best shot.

Magic Elite

Questions with Josh Lutu

 

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What has been one take away you have learned thus far in the Month of April as it relates to playing AAU basketball?

(My response will be in reference to the leagues played in American Samoa in the months of March and April 2019 as AAU basketball is not available in American Samoa)

The basic formula for success in the game of basketball can be applied to any success I seek in life.  Willingness to learn, hard work, discipline, endurance, being a team player and enjoying every moment.  I recognized that embracing growth of challenges especially during the heat of the game instead of allowing myself to be frustrated has helped me to grow as a person and as a player. 

Being a leader is important, especially in the Game of Basketball. Which means it is crucial for players to take responsibility. Despite my frustration with the referees, teammates, myself, or the opposing team, I have learned that the best way to overcome these challenges is to love the Game. Enjoying every second from playing, to sitting and observing on the bench, to training, comforts me, because it is a healthy way to play and learn.

    What would you change if you could replay the season?

I would change the way I initially approached the season as it was my first time trying out for our high school Varsity basketball team and my first experience playing in the men’s league.  Instead of approaching it as trying to prove that I deserved to be selected on the team, I should have approached it as someone eager to contribute and learn.  This focus delayed my ability to assimilate into a different coaching style to be able to play as a team member instead of an individual trying to prove something and made my experience much more enjoyable.  Fortunately, I had a good coach that helped me see this barrier that was inhibiting my skills before the actual season started.

   How did you stay motivated after losing a game?

Staying motivated after losing a game is sometimes easy and definitely not the best feeling.  I stay motivated by focusing on what I can improve for the next game.  I also approach this from the onset of the game by putting my best effort in any game.  This helps me to feel content after loosing a game knowing I did my job and must accept the outcome.  Then I look to the next game or next season and focus on winning in the classroom.

   How do you channel your frustration when the referee’s decision doesn’t go your way?

I am not going to lie; this is a hard one for me and sometimes it feels like the referee has something against me.  Obviously, there is nothing I can do about this in a game besides, keep playing and doing my best and leave the referee to my coach.  I also do what my mother always says, “kill them with kindness”.  I find that if the referee finds that I am not challenging every call they continue to call it and seem to shift their focus on the person who is challenging every call.  While I know at times I did not foul, focusing on a bad call will only affect my mental game so I just focus on the next play and scoring.

 Do you have any rituals that you must perform before a game and why?

My main ritual is reflecting on the gifts God has blessed me with such as the ability to play, the privilege to be part of the team I play for, my family and their support, my coaches, teammates, and supporters, then I say a prayer asking the Lord to help me to apply what I have learned, and to keep me and my team safe.  I then like to just have a quiet moment for about five minutes to focus my mind on the game.  I then turn to my coach for instructions, team prayers, then the regular warm up.

11. What is the worst practice you ever endured?

Our first Practice for our high school basketball 2019 season was by far the worst practice I have ever been to. While all my teammates were trying to make a good first impression, I was trying to make a statement. I was not a team player and it showed and affected the practice and the moods of the others who were trying out.  I lacked the right attitude and it resulted in the worse practice I ever endured.  Practice seemed long and basketball was not fun that day.  I quickly learned that what caused the negative outcome and experience of my worst practice was something I had control over. 

Magic Elite

Questions with Elias

1. Why is the local support important to the team’s future? Because it shows we have people supporting us while we play.
2. How did you stay motivated after losing a game? I just forget about it and practice and get ready for the next one.
3. How do you deal with the pressure of having to perform in front of the crowd? I pretend they are not there and as if it is a scrimmage.
4. How do you channel your frustration when the referee’s decision doesn’t go your way? I just hold it in and try to ignore it it is something that’s hard if it is a call that causes us to lose.
5. What are you thinking when you get benched in a game? I don’t think about anything I just watch my teammates play.
6. What is the worst practice you ever endured? One of my AAU practices in 8th grade our coach made us run the entire practice and do defense slides because we didn’t reach one of his goals during our game.

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Questions with Justin Zeppa

1. What aspect of your game is the most difficult for you to master?

The most difficult aspect of my game to master is keeping my body language positive when we are in a rough situation or down by a lot of points.

2. How do you deal with the pressure of having to perform in front of the crowd?

I deal with the pressure as a challenge and I just focus on the game. I play it like any other game and try not to let the crowd get in my head. 

3. What aspect of your game comes easiest to you?

I feel that dribbling and ball handling comes easiest to me because it is something that I've practiced over and over again for many years. 

4. What would you change if you could replay the season?

If I could change something from this past season it would be my attitude after losing games. I would like to be more positive and motivated to move on to the next game and focus on the changes I should make to improve my game. 

5. What is your fondest memory of this past season?

My fondest memory of this past season was when we played a tough team and were down by 20 at the half. We came together and rallied back to beat the other team by 5 points. It was a great team win!

6. What has been one take away you have learned thus far in the Month of April as it relates to playing AAU basketball?

Something that I have learned since playing in these competitive AAU tournaments is that the competition is a lot more challenging. The skill level of other players is at a very high level.

Justin Zeppa

Magic Elite

Questions with Seth Whitney

1.   What has been one take away you have learned thus far in the Month of April as it relates to playing AAU basketball?

This month in the AAU tournament, I learned that the players that are there are taking basketball seriously.  I learned that we each need to preform at a higher level.  This combination pf play, makes the games more challenging and a lot quicker then any thing I have played in before. This challenge allows for me to learn and become better competitor.

2. What do you believe you brought to (or can bring to) the team?

I believe that I bring to a team a good sense of competitiveness on the court.  I also believe I bring strong character and someone who my teammates know they can depend on both on and off the court. I want to become a player that can help bring motivation to the team no matter how the game is going.

3.  How do you channel your frustration when the referee’s decision doesn’t go your way?

I understand that the referees are calling the game from their vantage point.  I try to remember that they are seeing the game through the eyes of rules and experience.  Even if I do not believe that the call is correct, I know if I dwell on that thought too long, I will miss an opportunity to preform in the next moment of the game.  Also, I look at the whole game and realize that my complaints can hurt my entire team.

4.  What aspect of your game comes easiest to you?

The aspect of the game that comes easiest for me is the physical part of the game.  I am not afraid of physical contact, in fact I enjoy that part of the game. Having that be easy, helps me preform or focus better in others areas because I do not worry about physical contact or rough play.

5.  What aspect of your game is the most difficult for you to master?

The most difficult part of the game for me to master is making smart decisions with fouls. Because I like to be physical on the court, sometimes I am challenged to understand the strategy behind when to foul or when to let a play go.

6.  What has basketball taught you that carries over into the other areas of your life?

This is one of my favorite parts of playing the game of basketball.  There are so many aspects that carry over into daily life.  The game has taught me hard work and to not give up on something no matter how difficult it gets. There have been times when I have been challenged in my daily life and I think to myself "what would I do in this moment if it were on a court?  I'd find 6th gear and power through."   The great thing about that thought, is that the more we power through those challenging moments both on and off the court, the stronger we become each day as a person. I find that basketball and life have a lot in common. Work hard, play hard!! 

Magic Elite