Seniors.  Their contributions to a team cannot always be measured purely by looking at a box score.  Their importance to a team often extends well beyond points and rebounds.

This season we did not have a single senior on the roster.  In 2005-06 we had three.  The contributions of Jeff Hawkins, Christian Moody, and Stephen Vinson were all a major part of our success that season.  In fact, that group is one of the biggest reasons we played so well down the stretch.

Jeff, Christian, and Stephen all did a tremendous job of accepting their respective roles.  Playing a role isn’t always glamorous, which can often make it difficult for some players to accept.  But that is what makes that group so special.  It’s that willingness to do what is needed to help make the team better.

What they did made others better.  Their contributions don’t often show up in the box score and rarely do they make a highlight clip on Sports Center.  But those contributions do make us a better team.

And it’s not just what your seniors give you on the floor that is so important.

Every team’s success or failure is ultimately attributed to its leadership or lack there of.  Someone has to set the tone.  Someone has to show the others what it takes.  Someone has to take the younger players under their wing.  Someone has to make that sacrifice for the betterment of the team.

More often then not that someone is a senior.

Now there are countless examples of teams that have had a lot of success without the luxury of senior leadership.  But given the choice, every coach would substitute a little talent for outstanding leadership.

The college basketball season is a grind.  It begins in October and, if you are fortunate enough, it runs through March.  That’s half a calendar year.  When you stop and think about it, that is a long stretch.  It’s both physically and mentally demanding on kids.

There will undoubtedly be tough stretches that will challenge a team.  How they deal with those trials and tribulations may well determine how successful the season ultimately is.  The responsibility of getting through those stretches often falls to the leaders of the team.

But it’s not only under adverse conditions that the leadership is so important.  Dealing with success can be just as delicate at times.  The responsibility of helping the younger players handle it well falls on the shoulders of your leaders.

But these are not assigned duties.  Leaders don’t get assigned a responsibility.  They just know what needs to be done and they deliver.

For a great many it’s not about individual accolades or personal achievements.  It’s about being a part of something that is bigger than them.  You can’t teach or coach that.  You either have it or you don’t.

Your seniors set the example for everyone else on the team.  It doesn’t guarantee a victory on a given night or a championship at season’s end.  But when you have that element on your team, you will win more often then you will lose.

It is so important to the success of a team and there are no exceptions.

This Better Basketball Online Magazine feature was created with the assistance of CollegeInsider.com.