Bridgehampton Killer Bees: from working group to high-performance team

Killer Bees is a basketball team in a small town in New York named Bridgehampton. The team has only 7 players on the floor of 41 students in the entire school (Energy Team 2004). Yet they rally around their coach to win games against taller, more talented and well recognized players from surrounding communities. John Niles is one of the coaches of the team, who explains the players as dedicated to a single purpose. Based on the descriptions of a high performance team, the Killer Bees fit the bill. They have the right combination of accountability, commitment, and athleticism with each player complementing the skill set of the others (Energy Team 2004).

Working Group

Any high performance team starts out as a working team that is made up of a group of people that have to complete a job. In the case of the Killer Bees, it is the players that make up the roster. Once they have been selected to be on the squad, it is the coach's job to assign positions and find out what each player can bring to the table. Each player is assigned a job or position such as point guard, forward, defense, or offense. The position has a number of requirements that make up to the tasks that are to be performed. The player's job is to learn the skills necessary to do their job or maintain their position.

Potential Team

At this point the Killer Bees could be called a Working Group, since they have their individual assignments that do not require input from other members until they begin to play together. The team then becomes a potential team that is focused on improving their individual 'game' (Energy Team 2004). Strengthening their skills within their personal positions in the game.

The potential team doesn't become a Real Team until there is a common link or goal. This happens by adding the team component of performance. When performance becomes the goal of each individual within the Work Group, then the Coach has the job of defining the goals and how the Work Group needs to come together and commit to their common objective of winning games.

High Performance Team

The community becomes supportive and rallies around the coach and players, this builds the resolve of the players to the point that they begin winning championships not just for themselves. They are committed to representing their community on and off the court. Becoming a high performance team means that the team is committed to each other in terms of helping each member play their best (Energy Team 2004). Through support and communication the Killer Bees are able to dismantle other teams that are ranked higher by the media. They celebrate one another's achievements as if it were their own. The level of support is mutually beneficial to the individual and the team as a whole. Regardless of who coaches the team, the Bridgehampton basketball team has a level of play that goes beyond the game.

Work Cited

Energy Team. "The Team Performance Curve." 2004. Retrieved from Module 4. Faith.

Killer Bees. Book Extract.