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Phil Jackson truly understood the blend of sport and spirit. In his book Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, Jackson recounts how mindfulness has become diluted in the current state of the world. He would watch new players become so trapped in a ‘restrictive mindset’ that it was tough to accept their new reality. Coach Jackson knew that the player's sense of self had to be realigned now that they were chasing their dreams and playing at the highest level. He facilitated an environment where the greatest good for the team was for each person to become the best version of themselves, “they needed to see how in the process of becoming a we, they could also be their best me” (Jackson & Delehanty, 2013, p.138). Coach Jackson knew why he coached, which was to create an enlightened basketball environment in which athletes could find meaning through sport (Gilbert, 2017, p. 6). 

It is common for coaches to need help working with the parents of their athletes. Power struggles and conflict over control of the child’s time can develop. However, research has shown that integrating sport psychology principles through the family systems theory create a triangle model between coach, parent, and athlete (Hellstedt, 1987). When coaches develop a complex family system within the program, healthy relationships between parents, athletes, and themselves flourish. 

Coach Mike Krzyzewski understood how complex family systems require values at their core to develop culture. A value is a quality, an ideal, or how you act. It becomes a part of your character and is rooted in a belief in conscious and unconscious behaviors. A culture-based program that has values is the one that wins.