Brian Agler, the head coach of the WNBA champions, the Seattle Storm took the time on Friday, Dec. 17 to come to West Seattle High School and speak to the girls basketball team. He brought a decidedly inspirational message.

Agler, who actually missed one of his own high school daughter's games to make the visit, brings a history of success to the team. He compiled one of the best records in the American Basketball League including two ABL championships before the league disbanded. He has been an WNBA coach for the past five years, first at Minnesota then moving to Seattle in 2008. Previously he was an assistant with San Antonio and Phoenix.

First year head coach Sonya Elliott (see her site here) welcomed Agler and said, "It's a great opportunity for the girls to meet an icon in women's basketball. He was coach of the year last year. It's important for them to hear what he has to say."

Agler said, "The teams that win are the ones that believe in what they are doing and they execute it on the floor, no matter what it is. You've got to have good leadership, you have to have good chemistry. You have to be able to play together. Not have distractions. Not have drama. Not have things that can hold you back." Building a winning team is a process as he described of "There's some things you can't force to happen. Some of it has to happen on its own. You have to create the culture to let that happen. Getting the players in an environment where they are going to enjoy the experience helps that."

In his 20 minute talk with the team among the things he said were these thoughts:

"What you're trying to do as a team is very hard. It takes discipline. Because it's easy to get distracted by going back to the way things were before. (…) All of us who have played, wish and dream of having another opportunity and you guys are doing something right here, right now you won't forget. My point is don't take it for granted. Take advantage of every single day, practicing or playing because one day, it's going to be over (…) These are, believe it or not, some of the best days of your life.

He spoke of his two stars Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird saying "arguably they are two of the best players in the world at their positions," but noted of Jackson "She has a tremendous work ethic and I can tell you with all the gifts that she has, she wouldn't be the player she is without that work ethic, that hunger and that drive. Before every practice she gets on the floor before it starts and goes through a shooting routine." Jackson goes through the normal practice but then Agler said, " Every day, like clockwork she goes out after practice and goes through another shooting routine." Sue Bird "isn't a gym rat" Agler continued but, "she gets a lot out of the time she puts in on the floor. She comes in before practice and does her own shooting routine and then half an hour practice she does floor exercises."

He urged the girls on the team to take whatever they are passionate about and to try and be the best they can be at it, whatever it is. "Do you know why most people aren't great? Because they are afraid to be great, and they don't have the discipline to stay focused on the task." To that end he told them they need to focus on practice, getting better individually, "because this will help our team get better."

"Let me tell you one thing that destroy a high school girls basketball team. I made a sign in our garage so (my daughter) had to look at every time she came in for the last year. It says, 'I do not do drama'. No drama. Our house is a drama free zone. Drama will kill a girls basketball team and it's up to you seniors to control it (…) Everything has got to be positive." He continued his remarks on discipline saying, "there's a trait that women and and some men have, and sometimes it's even positive and it's this. Whatever comes in her mind comes out her mouth, sometimes before you can control it. You gotta control it. You gotta really manage what you say, how you say it about your teammates and even about your friends. I've seen it. I've lived it. You've got to be positive through thick and thin."

Player Anna Hobby said of Agler's talk, "I thought it was very inspirational. It showed us a lot of what we should do and focus on. We're doing a lot of it already with our new coaches. I think it's just awesome that he came because he coaches a national championship team. I couldn't be happier."

Another player Margie Almario said, "I've been watching the Storm play for the last five or six years and it's been great watching them improve. That's exactly what kind of position we should be in, to just improve and have that kind of chemistry that a team should have. Him being here today showed us we have the ability to become the best players in the world."

A 16 year West Seattle resident, Elliott said of her team this year, "I'm really excited about our opportunity because we have a great bunch of girls that have a lot of heart and are excited to be out here working and playing."

They started their season strong in the teams view, despite a loss to the number 1 team in the state, Holy Names, because "they came away from that game feeling positive because we set some goals that were achievable and it was important to me that they didn't get down. We came back out and won our next two games and I think they are just really starting to believe."

Elliott has a strong belief in her emphasis on academics for her players and said, "Winning isn't number one, though it's a lot of fun. We try to work on the pride, the girls believing in each other as a team but school is number one. We implemented study hall three days a week (…) we take from our practice time because to me it's more important that they get their grades up."