Over 500 youth teams competed in Zero Gravity’s “Battle for the Belt” tournament over the weekend. The annual tournament is an unrivaled celebration of hoops in New England. Teams comprised of players from 3rd to 12th grade duked it out across the greater Boston area for two days.

The @BayStateJags brought home the Belt this weekend! Great job at the #BattleForTheBelt pic.twitter.com/EowP28bQRQ

— Zero Gravity Basketball (@ZeroGravityBB) October 29, 2018

Before the action heated up on the hardwood, top basketball minds came together to discuss more than pick-and-pop stretch fours. In partnership with Zero Gravity, LeagueApps hosted its first “Youth Basketball Leaders Summit.” Brown University men’s basketball coach Mike Martin headlined the event before youth organizers joined together for a robust roundtable discussion. Here are three takeaways from Martin’s interactive lecture. 

Mike Martin

Building a cohesive, and ultimately successful culture, requires a clear blueprint. For Mike Martin, now entering his seventh year as the head coach of Brown’s basketball program, that blueprint boils down to three elements.

1. Understanding Everyone’s Mission

Leaders can be in such a rush to leave their imprint on a culture that they fail to figure out what makes their contributors tick. It’s vitally important to recognize and prioritize what each individual’s goals are for the upcoming year. That way you can make sure their goals align with the larger organization’s and you can devote resources towards helping them achieve said goals.

2. The Pillars Of Our Program (CARE)

For Coach Martin, the CARE approach represents the pillars of his program. The “C” stands for the commitment from every individual towards the team’s overall goals. The “A” ties to the attitude with which stakeholders attack their day-to-day. “R” reflects the respect demonstrated by players, coaches and support staff towards each and every member of the team. And finally, the E is represented two times over. “Everyday and everybody” reflects the challenge of aligning every single person, every single day towards achieving their shared goals.

We were on the road last week up in Massachusetts and hosted a Youth Basketball Leaders Summit. The men's basketball coach of Brown University headlined our event and shared the pillars of his program. What are your core values? Share them below! @mmartinbrown @BrownBasketball pic.twitter.com/JFP2XAl19r

— LeagueApps (@leagueapps) October 29, 2018

3. Recruit To That Established Culture

Whether it’s a player or a coach, you want to make sure you’re adding quality individuals to your organization. Coach Martin has hit the recruiting trail with this at the forefront of his mind for years. The importance of recruiting high-character contributors cannot be overstated. This is particularly important for youth sports organization’s looking to scale their club. Building a stable of high-quality coaches can ensure quality across a large organization. Once you’ve established your culture it’s easier to find individuals who fit into that framework.