The Six Core Values of SEL for Athletes Framework by Season Twoo Basketball

Confidence, Discipline, Empathy, Leadership, Integrity, and Perseverance serve as the premises for The Six Core Values of SEL for Athletes Framework by Season Twoo. Our collective values highlight mental awareness, emotional control, social connection and personal growth to enhance athletic performance and establish a strong foundation of character for our athletes. Season Twoo identifies six total components of SEL for athletes as Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making and Resilience. We use SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) as the basis of our teachings to establish a positive, equitable learning environment.

Confidence begins with Self-Awareness.

When athletes understand their emotions, strengths, and limits, they build a steady belief in themselves, and their ability to perform. We identify confidence as trust in preparation and self-knowledge. In basketball: A confident player takes the open shot without hesitation because they’ve practiced it, and can respond to mistakes with composure, not self-doubt.

Discipline is Self Management. It is the commitment to give effort, to execute and communicate effectively with focus, intention, and control. It’s the ability to stay centered on the task at hand, directing your energy toward what you can influence and ignoring distractions, emotions, or outside noise that may take you off course. Discipline is about presence, understanding the moment, and responding with purpose rather than impulse. In basketball: Discipline shows in how you talk on defense, stay engaged off the ball, and execute plays with consistency. It’s how an athlete maintains control in high-pressure moments, ensuring every action is deliberate and every possession has purpose. What are you doing off the court to show up on the court? 

 Empathy is Social Awareness. It is the ability to respond with compassion, rather than negativity even when situations justify the latter. In addition to one’s self, empathy allows athletes to understand the people around them — teammates, coaches, and even opponents. It’s the foundation of sportsmanship through communication, respect and teamwork. In basketball: Empathy is sharing compassion for someone after missing a big free throw, knowing they’ve had countless, successful repetitions. 

Leadership grows from Relationship Skills.

True leaders communicate clearly, listen actively, and lead through example. Leadership isn’t just about being the loudest voice or having a title — it’s about being the most consistent presence. In basketball: Leadership doesn’t just have to come from the coach or team captain. The most successful programs are built on shared leadership — “A player-coached team is better than a coach-coached team” (Tom Izzo, Michigan State Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Sports Illustrated).

Integrity is Responsible Decision-Making. It is doing what’s right, even when it's challenging, and aligning choices through understanding of moral values that impact self, community and team. In basketball: Respecting officials, staying accountable to teammates and workouts. 

Perseverance is Resilience. It is the ability to push forward and maintain focus on the task at hand despite circumstances being out of your control; responding with consistency and discipline. In basketball: Bouncing back from a bad game, a tough injury or loss.

By integrating SEL principles into Season Twoo Basketball, we help athletes have fun, strengthen their athletic abilities and improve growth mindset, personal development, relationships and leadership capacity.

© 2025 Season Twoo The Winners Overcome Obstacles. All Rights Reserved.

The Six Core Values of SEL for Athletes Framework is an original work created by Season Twoo The Winners Overcome Obstacles, inspired by the principles of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). All text, descriptions, and adaptations are the intellectual property of Season Twoo and may not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without express written permission.