John Lucas sat at home and watched the Final Four and then watched his program at Baylor fall apart right before his eyes. Shortly after — due to a special NCAA ruling — Lucas got the chance to transfer and play immediately. He chose Oklahoma State, finished as a 3rd team All-American and now is preparing his game for the finals this weekend. Lucas got what we all desire at times … a fresh start.

What is the key to attaining a position of power and influence? How do leaders and other people of prestige and authority reach their positions? It is shown throughout the Bible that God puts people in places of prominence and power after they have taken a lower position to serve Him and others.

Peter calls us to maintain an attitude of humility, both before God and among our teammates. There seems to be no room for self-promotion or arrogance in God’s kingdom.

The promise that Peter offers in 1 Peter 5:6 is that as we maintain a spirit of humility, God Himself will lift us to prominence at just the right time. I’m sure God is smarter than I am, or any of us, for that matter. Let’s trust Him and His timing for our coming into positions of prominence.

I love baseball! It is an individual sport that relies on a team for a successful outcome. It also is the only American sport in which, during a stoppage in play, a manager or coach can approach an umpire to dispute a rule or argue a call. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen a manager throwing a tantrum, kicking dirt on the plate or verbally abusing an umpire. And we’ve also seen the umpire retaliating in anger and, sometimes, losing control. It’s hard to have someone yell at us or challenge our character in any setting, but especially in front of peers and spectators in a stadium.

Leach, Leavitt, Mangino…Arenas, McGwire, Woods...These are just a few of the last names that have been in the sports pages recently for unbecoming conduct. Coaches who have reportedly lost their control both verbally and physically, and players who have reportedly lost their judgment, integrity and character. All of these men have fallen short of the standards set by their schools and teams and short of the vows by which they agreed they would live and coach.

The intimidation tactics employed by the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team backfired on them against Illinois in the 2nd round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. During warm-ups, Bearcat players warned the Illini to get ready for a bus ride home after the game. Instead of intimidating Illinois, the Cincinnati trash-talking sparked the Fighting Illini onto a 92-68 thrashing. Following the game, it was the Bearcats who were boarding the bus for their trip home.

Not long ago, I stopped in a nearby town for coffee. When I went to wash my hands, I noticed the shiny new hand dryer on the restroom wall with the words “Feel the Power” printed on it. I pushed the button and got a blast of hot air! It was like one of those huge dryers from the car wash had been compacted into a tiny hand dryer. Now, whenever someone mentions that town, I think of that hand dryer, a silly reminder of my experience there!

Sometimes I wonder how I’ll be remembered as a coach. When someone mentions my coaching career, will they note the wins and losses, the calls I made or failed to make? Or will they remember how I served and acted as a coach?

Under Armour sports performance apparel has become one of the hottest brands in sports. The company has “engineered” apparel for athletes to protect them from the cold, the heat and the turf. They even offer performance underwear! Athletes from the NFL to NASCAR—and even members of the military—wear Under Armour gear in order to protect themselves from the elements and to enhance performance. I have to admit that I rarely train without it! And my boys even wear it under their football, baseball and lacrosse equipment.

The University of Illinois men's basketball team jumped out of the gate in the 2004-05 season, reeling off nine straight victories, including convincing wins over No. 24 Gonzaga and No. 1 Wake Forest. Impeccable early-season play vaulted the Fighting Illini into the top spot in the country for the first time since 1989. While it would be easy to allow the success and the ranking go to their heads, senior forward Roger Powell says, "I always like to talk about the two H's: We have to stay humble and hungry."

Every decision in the NFL playoffs is crucial because it’s "go on or go home" time. With his St. Louis Rams down by three points and 15 yards from the end zone late in their 2004 playoff game against the Carolina Panthers, Rams' coach, Mike Martz elected to let the clock run down and kick a field goal to send the game to overtime. The Panthers prevailed in OT, 29-23. After being questioned about his decision to play for overtime, Martz said, "I was very sure about the decision, and I don't regret that decision."

How do we respond to our coach’s correction? How do we react when a teammate tells us our technique needs improvement? The answers could reveal a lot about our character.

How deeply impressed would we be by 100 blows to our back? Pretty deeply I suppose. For athletes this may be 100 laps around the gym floor. I hope it wouldn’t take 100 to make an impression. For fools it seems that it takes 100 blows to make a good impression. For people of understanding, it takes something else.

If you’re running to win but you have only earthly goals in mind, it will be short-lived. It will be a withering type of thing. You have to have spiritual goals in mind. Things do get in the way of being excellent. Some of those things are pride and self-centeredness but you still have to do everything as unto the Lord. You have to try to keep those types of thoughts out. You have to understand what’s spiritual and what’s long lasting. I’m reminded of the Scripture passage about the guy who had the barns, was very blessed, and said he was going to build bigger barns and store all of his wares. But God said to him, “You’re a fool because all these things will be taken from you this very night.” Where is your soul?