‘Little things make big things happen.’ Revival of UK, Fletcher might start small.
When subpar performances discouraged Nate Sestina last season, Kentucky Coach John Calipari recommended he read “10-Minute Toughness,” a book by performance coach Jason Selk.
Shortly thereafter, Sestina played well in a victory at LSU, noted the difference the book made and called the game “a big-time exhale.”
UK fans have reason to hope Calipari’s library card has not expired.
With Kentucky off to a 1-5 start to this season and freshman Cam’Ron Fletcher presumably mulling whether he wants to remain on the team, there’s plenty of new discouragement to handle.
With exquisite timing, Selk and fellow performance coach Ellen Hinkel Reed have produced a new book. It’s titled “Relentless Solution Focus” and due for release on Jan. 5.
Reed, a Lexington native and 2002 Lexington Catholic High School graduate, explained how the authors hope athletes and non-athletes can benefit by reading the book.
The book’s theme centers on “the mind’s ability to stay focused on solutions, especially in the face of adversity,” she said. “So, as you can imagine, right now everybody’s experiencing so much adversity in whatever form. Whether it be literally with their health, their job, their relationship.”
On or off a basketball court, Selk and Reed recommend focusing on future improvement rather than dwelling on past results.
“What is the one thing I can do that could make this better?” Reed said athletes and non-athletes should ask themselves. “. . . You have to search for things that you’ve done well in any game or any practice. Probably any of us could watch a single player and note three things that player did well.”
For Fletcher in recent games, that would be a challenge. He played only two scoreless minutes against North Carolina last weekend, perhaps the reason he was so upset prior to the game’s conclusion.
In Kentucky’s three most recent games prior to facing North Carolina, Fletcher played four minutes (against Notre Dame), one minute (Georgia Tech) and 13 minutes (Kansas).
Reed acknowledged that Fletcher might not easily find things he did well in those games.
“There are going to be times that you’ve got to search for it,” she said.
Eye-catching dunks and behind-the-back passes that draw oohs and ahhs are not the only building blocks for self-confidence and success, Reed said. She made the point by quoting John Wooden, who said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
Tim Holloway, who coached Fletcher in AAU basketball, vouched for the player’s ability to handle adversity. But, he added, Kentucky basketball can maximize challenges to a player’s psyche.
This can start upon arrival on the Kentucky campus.
“That’s about as close to going to the NBA out of high school as it gets,” Holloway said. “You feel like, ‘Man, I’m pretty doggone good.’
“They have great expectations. They’re all used to playing the whole game. They’re used to being the focal point of everything that happens in the basketball world. That’s how they end up at Kentucky.”
Once at Kentucky, the celebrated players must accept a new level of competition. It’s not unusual for the focal point needing to transition to being a complementary player.
Through six games, Fletcher is averaging 8.7 minutes.
After the loss to North Carolina, Calipari advised Fletcher to take time away from the team to decide if he wanted to remain on the Kentucky team.
It doesn’t help that this challenging transition plays out, at least partially, in public, Holloway and Reed said.
“I hate that this is sort of being carried out on social media,” the AAU coach said. “I think, for a young person who lives in the world of social media, that’s going to be tough to process for him.”
Reed advised a total shutdown of social media activity.
“I think it’s a lot of noise . . . ,” she said. “It really can keep your focus on the wrong place if you let it. If I was a player or I was coaching a player, I would limit social media. All it does is keep your focus on results. And you’ve got to be relentless on keeping your focus on your effort and your process.”
Meanwhile, Fletcher presumably is mulling his future.
“It takes a strong support system to help you deal with that and get through that,” Holloway said. “So that’s why I say, Cam’s our guy. I love him. . . . I want him to know I’m here and we support him and we’ll help him get through it.”
Next game
Kentucky at Louisville
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: KFC Yum Center in Louisville
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 1-5, Louisville 4-1
Series: Kentucky leads 37-16.
Last meeting: Kentucky won 78-70 on Dec. 28, 2019, in Lexington.
