The Killer Instinct

-The Killer Instinct-
2-13-09// 11:47pm
What does it mean to be hungry? What does it matter how prepared your X’s and O’s are if you don’t have the desire to win, to play to win and play to NOT LOSE ? Theres a big difference in playing to win and playing not to lose. A big difference. One notable time I got a taste of hunger was this past summer, when my Bantam squad edged out a much older team from Union, NJ in our last game of the Kalahi Summer League.

But today was different. My bro’s JV team faced St. Peters for the first time. Last season, they went 3-0 vs. the Staten Island schools, one win short of a sweep, in which the only school left was St. Peters. I lived what I feared the most when encountering this power house from Staten Island. I wasn’t worried about how the teams would matchup athletically or strategically, I was really worried about who would want it more. My bro’s team wasn’t really a team that played off emotion, more of a team that played not to lose. Playing just to play. They survived a frustrating season of just playing, just enough to squeeze into the city playoffs.

I feared St. Peters would show up, looking for blood. I feared St. Peters would lure my bro’s team into their game tempo. Ironic, it was my bro’s team that came out with fire, to end the first quarter with an 8 point margin over the other Eagles. It was looking to be a very good game. But the back of my mind pictured the St. Peters team from last year, when they played CBA in the Freshman Championship of the Holiday Invitational they hosted.

It was a pack of wolves. Every single play, every possesion on both ends, it was more than basketball. I felt the anger watching in the bleachers, and i felt every player’s ounce of desire to win, which was all anchored by their PG, Vernon, whom I’ve come to call the Afro Phenom. His teammates fed off his intensity. That’s what makes every loss painful, and every victory sweet, when you play with desire. Playing with pure heart.

2nd quarter. All St. Peters did was pick up their intensity. It was like the score at the end of the 1st quarter was their wake up call. I watched them and their body language pick up the pace on both ends of the court. They’d adjust and be patient to everything, but at the same time look to put the game away as early as possible. I’d watch their lead slowly grow as they’d get 2 for 1 and 3 for 1 on baskets.

My bro’s team was very well coached, they were prepared with plays for both ends of the basketball and had all the mechanics to be a contender. But what lacked all season had finally caught up to them. That was the lack of heart. I felt it. It was painful to watch. I honestly wanted to leave. I saw St. Peters players beat my bro’s teammates to the spot, have that extra step to stay ahead. At one point, I said to EJ at the table, “Take Penny’s drive to win and 10x it by 12. That’s how St. Peters is every single time they step out onto the court.” Because that’s what I felt. From the collapse in the 2nd quarter to when my brother’s coach put up the white flag. I felt like they were just playing, like it was just another game they could let slip.


Staten Island has a very blessed program in St. Peter’s basketball. Their strive for excellence on the court carries on through their performances, win or lose. Transforming a group of average ball players into a powerful, cohesive unit. I believe their performance today vs. St. Edmunds depicted their program. They showed their basketball IQ and most importantly, their heart. That’s what determined the game. St. Peters simply wanted it more. Because rest assure, St. Edmunds could have definitely given them a better game and I believe St. Peters has seen them play better basketball at their own tournament when they went up against CBA the past 2 years. It comes down to who wants it more.

What does it mean to be hungry? To always push to be ahead. To push to make a difference. A difference to give you an advantage. The advantage to win. To be hungry, you must play to win. Where every possesion counts. Playing hungry, is when your mind no longer has control of your body. Playing hungry is when your body does what your heart wants it to do for that extra sprint, that extra push. That comes from the heart.

You cant teach hunger. You can only build it within you. When it becomes natural to you, it becomes your Killer Instinct.

2-14-09// 12:52 AM