Meade begins year with vital ‘circle talk’; Madison thinks four-peat
High school basketball notes
By Washington Post Staff
December 12, 2022 at 1:39 p.m. EST

Meade boys’ basketball sits for their “circle talk” ahead of the 2022-2023 season. (Mike Glick)

Coach Mike Glick gathered his team four days before the Meade boys’ season opener for what he calls a “circle talk,” a ritual he has done throughout his long coaching career.

It’s simple: All fifteen players sit in a circle, ordered by their standing on the depth chart. The best player goes first — except he doesn’t do anything other than listen. It’s the rest of the team that talks, going around the room to tell the player on the spot what they like or dislike about him both on and off the court.

Then it’s the coaches’ turn. They offer their thoughts before closing by clearly telling the player his role on this year’s team. Glick and the coaching staff are intentional and specific with those roles.

They told point guard Xavion Roberson, the first player in the circle, he was going to have the ball to close out every game this season. Other players are told their role is to defend the opponent’s best player or to focus on rebounding. The process is repeated for every player and usually takes roughly three hours to finish. This year’s took so long they saved the last five players for the next day.

“It’s really powerful for the kids to hear from the other kids their perception,” Glick said. “It was just really uplifting to listen to how they talk to each other and about each other and how the kids were able to take the criticism.”

When the Mustangs practiced after wrapping up the circle talk on Dec. 6, they put together their best session of the season to date. Sophomore Lucaya Baldridge was told by teammates he had been too timid shooting the ball. He came to practice and began taking those open shots, Glick said, earning pats on the back and high fives for doing so.

The Mustangs won their season opener against North County by 45 points, but their goals extend further, focused around improving on last year’s 4A state semifinal appearance.

They’ll sit down for another circle talk before the playoffs start, but likely with a different seating arrangement — one that reflects the team’s fluid depth chart and roles the Mustangs take on as they try to meet their ultimate challenge.

— Varun Shankar