The ? Shirt: A Daily Reminder to Prove Yourself - Part 1

“No offense, but we don’t know about you right now. I’ve seen players who had an incredible junior season return for their senior year distracted—maybe it was a new girlfriend, a job, or pursuing a car instead of chasing greatness. This ? shirt represents the unknown. You are about to prove to us who you are every single day.”

Each year, I shared some version of this statement with my team as we embarked on the journey to another season: the season doesn’t begin when training camp rolls around; it starts the moment offseason strength and conditioning begins.

One of the greatest aspects of sports is its structure: there is always a beginning and an end. Successful programs understand that building success is a year-round commitment. On the bus ride home after the last game of the season, head coaches and most assistant coaches are already thinking about the next phase of the program: the offseason. This is where the foundation for future achievements is laid.

It’s also one of the reasons I love coaching kids. One of our primary responsibilities as coaches is to help young athletes grow into better versions of themselves. For most kids, real improvement comes when they learn to earn everything they achieve—day by day, effort by effort.

Our program placed a strong emphasis on this concept of earning through a system we called the “? Shirt.” This initiative instilled a daily "earn it" mentality, ensuring that no one took their role or progress for granted. Here’s how it worked and why it became a cornerstone of our culture.

The Beginning of a New Season

A week after our last game, we reset the entire team. Everyone, from juniors to freshmen, was moved from the varsity locker room into the sub-varsity locker rooms. If you’re limited on space, consider doubling them up. The goal is to create an environment where athletes want to earn their way back out. This shift was both physical and psychological: the past was behind us, and now every athlete had to prove themselves to the team and coaching staff.

At the same time, we issued each player a plain white shirt with a large “?” on the front. The shirts were deliberately simple and symbolic of the unknown. We didn’t know who the athletes would become in this new season, and we wanted them to understand this: “The ‘?’ means we don’t know about you. Prove to us who you are.”

The Details of the ? Shirt

Each shirt was transformed into a personalized progress tracker. We used thick Sharpies to write the athlete's name on the back, along with three key lifts: power clean, squat, and bench press. In the top left corner of the front of the shirt, we recorded their 400-meter sprint time, representing their heart and grit.

We also used the sleeves of the shirts to track additional performance indicators:

Absences: Red tallies marked each absence on one sleeve, providing an immediate visual measure of accountability.

Victories: The other sleeve tracked daily wins in our 1-on-1 competitions with red tallies, fostering a culture of competition and recognition.

The Significance of the ? Shirt: Building the Earn-It Mentality

Our daily schedule reinforced the message of the “? Shirt” system. Each day concluded with a 1-on-1 competition, with the winners earning the right to shower first. The losers stayed behind to find another defeated athlete for one more round. This constant competition ensured that every athlete understood one important principle: nothing was given, and everything was earned.

This process also helped us, as coaches, identify those players who were truly driven and committed. Over time, athletes began to realize that their effort directly correlated with the results they achieved—a cornerstone of elite programs.

The “?” shirt became more than just a piece of clothing. It was a visual representation of accountability, effort, and the start of a new journey.

The Road to the Elite Locker Room

After six weeks, we began moving athletes out of the “?” shirts and into a 'program shirt'—our regularly issued gear. When athletes proved themselves, they were also placed in the varsity locker room, which we called the Elite Locker Room.

The “?” shirt was our way of reminding athletes that nothing is given; everything is earned. It was also a daily tool to track progress and hold players accountable.

If you’re looking to build an “earn-it” mentality in your program, start here:

1. Get plain white shirts with a big “?” on the front.

2. Use wide Sharpies to personalize each shirt.

3. Explain the significance of the shirt to your team.

4. Track progress daily and make earning the “Elite Locker Room” a meaningful milestone.

5. Let your players and their parents know about the system. This builds buy-in and creates an environment where earning respect, roles, and rewards becomes part of your culture.

Nothing is given. Everything is earned. And it all starts with a question:

Who are you right now?

Part 2: In the next article, I will explain our detailed system for how athletes earn their way out of the? Shirts and into the elite locker room.