March 5, 2002 | KU Radio News Line

Audio


Contact: Scott Ward, Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences, (785) 864-3371; Frank Barthell, University Relations, (785) 864-8869.

Radio News Line text:
Confidence is key during March Madness, says KU instructor

MARCH MADNESS HAS ARRIVED. THIS MONTH SCORES OF MEN AND WOMEN IN KANSAS ARE COMPETING IN POST-SEASON HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS.

SCOTT WARD IS AN INSTRUCTOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. HE TEACHES A CLASS ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COACHING AND HAS WORKED WITH SEVERAL K-U ATHLETES ON PERFORMANCE ISSUES.

WARD SAYS CONFIDENCE IS KEY TO A TEAM'S SUCCESS DURING THE REGULAR AND POST-SEASON AND BELIEVES ATHLETES WILL COMPETE AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL IF THEY'RE HAVING FUN.
Ward: "We jump higher, we run faster, we have more energy that's available to us, and we can tap into power that we may not have had in another circumstance where we weren't so confident or weren't having as much fun." (15 sec.)

WARD SAYS TEAMS AND PLAYERS CAN GAIN CONFIDENCE IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.
Ward: "If you have been successful throughout the season you should be a more confident athlete. If you can actually see yourself being successful, that whole visualization thing, you have a darn good chance of being successful, and that builds your confidence." (14 sec.)

WARD SAYS GOOD COACHES HELP THEIR PLAYERS BUILD CONFIDENCE.
Ward: "A belief in method is huge. If you can believe in what your coaches have done for you, what you've done in practice, the effort you have put out, that's going to build your confidence." (10 sec.)

WARD SAYS PLAYERS SHOULD SET PERSONAL PERFORMANCE GOALS, WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A TEAM'S SUCCESS.
Ward: "I put a string of eight or 10 assists a game and very few turnovers together. And I combine that with my teammate, who's gonna to get 10 rebounds a game, and my other teammate, who's gonna shoot over 50 percent from the field; then we start getting those team goals accomplished." (19 sec)

WARD SAYS HE DOESN'T BELIEVE A TEAM CAN BE TOO CONFIDENT HEADED INTO POST-SEASON PLAY.
Ward: "I don't know if there's such a thing as being overconfident. You're able to be focused on hitting that jump shot when you believe that it's going to go in. I think you can come in unfocused because other things are distracting you; I think you can come in where you are giving off a false confidence." (19 sec.)

WARD SAYS A WELL-ORGANIZED COACHING STAFF CAN HELP THE TEAM WHEN THEY TRAVEL TO A TOURNAMENT.
Ward: "Nothing should be a surprise to any of these athletes. They know where their rooms are, they know who their roommates are, they know when the next shoot-around is, they know everything they could possibly know about their next opponent. We get anxious when things surprise us. That's one of those things that might mess with our confidence a little bit." (19 sec.)

WARD SAYS THERE'S A REASON THE TOP-RANKED TEAM DOESN'T ALWAYS WIN.
Ward: "Underdog role is fun. You're able to lay it out on the line, take some chances, take some risks that you might not do if you were the team that's expected to win." (12 sec.)

WARD IS A BIG FAN OF THE K-U MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE THIS GROUP APPEARS TO BE HAVING FUN WHILE THEY'RE PLAYING.
Ward: "It's fun to watch them play because it does really seem like they're out there doing what they enjoy doing. It looks like they all enjoy each other; it looks like they enjoy each other's success." (12 sec.)

-30-


This site is maintained by University Relations, the public relations office for the University of Kansas Lawrence campus. Copyright 2002, the University of Kansas Office of University Relations. Images and information may be reused with notice of copyright, but not altered. kurelations@ku.edu, (785) 864-3256.