Back to school - Yanders Law

Yanders Law athletes are headed back to school, so we wanted to wish them all the best of luck!

We suppose it goes without saying that this has been an unusual year. Yanders Law Basketball activities have been impacted, but so many more aspects of everyday life as well. We were fortunate and excited to have gotten in the action that we did, but now our athletes are class-bound once more.

This school year will pick up where the last one ended in a way - it will be strange. With a national pandemic still underway, we hope that our athletes will approach everyday life the same way they do on the court: as leaders and effective teammates.

The importance of education cannot be understated and we hope that everyone will not allow distractions to take away from what matters.

Yanders Law wants to wish “good luck” to all of our young athletes as they enter an exciting and interesting stretch with the start of this new school year. Remember that #LawNation represents more than sports. We want you to remain comfortable bringing any issues to your coaches and we will do everything possible to assist.

Remember to keep your skills sharp as well! Hopefully we will catch many of you around The Basketball Movement as everyone continues striving for greatness. Have a great school year!

Stay safe, Law Nation!

Just a reminder for our #LawNation family to stay safe and informed during this coronavirus scare.

We do not yet know the extent of coronvirus’ impact on the United States, as it is still early in our exposure. What we do know is that if left to flourish, it can wreak havoc on even developed nations such as our own. Luckily, it does not seem to have a dramatic impact on the young or generally healthy.

That said, it can still be spread through these demographics. Just because you may not be at risk does not mean you can go about completely carefree. It is still possible to spread the disease on surfaces or in the air. For the sake of your family, your neighbors, older individuals, the immunocompromised, and their loved ones, practice social distancing and take special care of your personal hygiene.

Yanders Law is all about hoops and we are certainly bummed to be missing out on March Madness, the NBA season, and more. Still, we are more than basketball. We want to do our very best to look out for #LawNation like the family we are. We hope to keep you informed and will certainly reach out with any decisions that will affect our athletes or their families.

We just plead again that you all stay safe and informed. Maybe this will all blow over, maybe it won’t for some time. Either way, just take it seriously. Don’t be Rudy Gobert touching microphones and goofing around in the locker room. Unfortunately, this is life or death for some people.

If you can’t be in a gym, remember there are other ways to stay sharp! Practice handles in your garage, lay down on your back and check the backspin on your follow-through. From social media, we have seen that the best have been watching film like Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Check around our blog for articles on good players to study by position. Also, keep your head up! This too shall pass. In the meantime, do your part to stay ahead of this thing. ‘Till next time!

What it means to be "In the trenches"

There is a sports analogy that refers to teams being “in the trenches.” What exactly does this mean?

First, perhaps we should start by saying that the origin of saying you are “in the trenches” comes from war time. At war, soldiers would dig and then occupy trenches with their fellow soldiers, putting them in a frightening, front-lines experience that only their fellow soldiers could possibly understand. So, we want to quickly point out that nothing about basketball or any sport can actually truly compare to combat situations - in case that wasn’t obvious.

Despite the seriousness of its origins, the saying is still used because it is easy to apply to other situations in which you and your brothers or sisters on a team go through tough times together to achieve goals bigger than any one individual. Only athletes that have put blood, sweat, and tears into a sport can fully understand the elation of winning championships or the lows of big losses. That is why we so often hear professionals mentioning that outsiders don’t fully understand the work that goes in behind the scenes.

There is an old clip of Isaiah Thomas (the original, Bad Boy Pistons Isaiah Thomas) watching back for the first time the tape of himself battling through a sprained ankle in the Finals, doing everything he could to will his team to victory before falling short. They cut back to Thomas, who was crying. When the host asks him about his emotion, Thomas begins to answer, but winds up telling him “You wouldn’t understand.”

It’s true. Almost everyone has played sports, so there may be some degree of understanding, but the specific circumstances that you fight through as an individual or as a team are unique. Isaiah legitimately gave his all in that series, but was unable to make magic happen. Putting it all on the court and leaving it there is a big undertaking, but one that true competitors will take on every time.

What each team goes through is what brings them closer as individuals. The greatest teams drew close in practices, on the road, or off the court - A.K.A. the trenches.

To be in the trenches with teammates is a special thing that should not be taken lightly. We hope that all of our Yanders Law athletes understand this and not only use their time to become better at basketball, but also stronger individuals and better teammates/friends.

When you are putting in work down in the trenches of the sport, don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for your team - your brothers and sisters in Yanders Law colors. The best players are almost always amazing teammates. When and where do you become an amazing teammate? In the trenches.

Back to school for Law Nation

As our athletes head back to school, we hope that they remember to embody the lessons they learned with us over the summer!

For our Yanders Law family - Law Nation - we want to see a bunch of checks in the win column, but most importantly, we want to turn out successful men and women. When the red, white, or blue jerseys are on, it’s game time; locking in and taking care of business on the court is paramount. Off the court, many of the same lessons can still apply, and we hope our athletes strive to apply those lessons.

At the level of the game our athletes play (high school on down), education is ultimately the most important thing you can focus on from a developmental standpoint. Fitness, competition, and staying active are absolutely important, but if you’re educated, you will understand that and handle it one way or another anyway!

Basketball is obviously huge for us here at Yanders Law, but part of that is because we understand its use as a tool to craft better people. Character is one of the greatest things we hope to aid our athletes in. Not only do we want our guys and gals to focus on education this school year, but also how they interact with those around them.

Sports help to create leaders. Lessons learned through Yanders Law and basketball in general can easily transfer off the court. As our founder, Rob Yanders has said “Sport is the greatest metaphor for life.” This is because you experience so many highs and lows and learn how to deal with both. All of this is done as a part of a team, which amplifies each experience.

Homework, studying, and paying attention class may not always be the most fun things to do. However, these are the little pieces that add up to an important whole.

The more you can soak up and learn in school, the more ammunition you will have to deal with all of your endeavors in life. Even if you don’t think you will use everything from algebra in day-to-day life, be aware that learning to think in different ways is just as important of a takeaway. Grow your mind and reap the rewards.

Perhaps you will have an easier time wrapping your head around our plays next time you suit up! Sound crazy? You may be surprised how many of our best players are also fantastic students.

Bettering yourself in any way is a positive, so take advantage of your classes and show them that #LawNation work ethic. Make us proud!