Jodie Meeks and Talent Development
In an interview with Kentucky sensation Jodie Meeks, he revealed two important points about the talent development process:
Meeks credits his parents for his levelheadedness. Orestes, a sales executive at IBM, and Margaret, a bookkeeper at a middle school, always stressed the importance of working hard and remaining humble.
When Meeks was 10, he and his father were driving home from a little league baseball tournament that ended with him being named most valuable player. Orestes noticed Meeks smiling as he sat in the passenger seat and gawked at his trophy.
“You did really well, son,” Orestes told him. “But what you have to understand is that this was your best day, and even on your best day, there are still thousands of kids that are better right now.
“No matter what you achieve, you’ve got to keep working hard, because there’s always someone working harder.”
Those words obviously had an effect on Meeks, who continues to draw praise for the energy he brings to practice and for the time he spends on his game when no one else is watching.
Parent involvement cannot e underestimated in the talent development process. Next:
“It doesn’t bother me,” Meeks says. “I’m not afraid of failure. It comes with sports and it comes with life. If you don’t try, you’ll never know what you can do.”
He has the right mindset. You cannot become a great player if you do not put yourself out there. You have to risk failure to achieve greatness.
