What Great Basketball Teams Teach Us About Great Financial Teams

I have spent more than 40 years coaching girls basketball at a variety of levels. It’s been a journey from Upward at First Baptist Concord, CBFO rec league, taking girls teams to play in the WBBL boys league, running the once largest AAU program in the state of Tennessee, and lastly, a wonderful stint as an assistant with the Christian Academy of Knoxville HS girls basketball program which included three trips to the TSSAA Final Four.

Over that time, I had the privilege of working with some incredibly talented players. Tennessee Fury AAU sent 65+ kids on to play college basketball and I had the blessing of coaching two young ladies who later played professionally overseas. But, when I look back, the most rewarding moments didn’t come from individual highlights and great players—they came from teams that played great together, trusted each other, and understood their roles.

The best teams weren’t always the ones with the most talent. They were the ones where everyone pulled in the same direction. Players bought into something bigger than themselves. They supported each other, stayed disciplined, and didn’t care who got the credit. When you have that kind of team, success usually follows.

That same dynamic is at the heart of how we serve clients at Rather & Kittrell.

Like a strong basketball team, a great financial advisory team is built on trust, communication, and shared purpose. When you bring together different perspectives and complementary strengths, the outcome is better for everyone involved.

Here’s why that matters.

When clients work with us, they benefit from the depth and range of knowledge across the entire team that serves them. Senior Advisors, their wealth management team, client service professionals, operational support, portfolio management team and compliance each bring specific expertise to the table. The team collaborates daily to deliver that knowledge to you in a way that’s thoughtful, thorough, and aligned with what matters most to the families we serve.

It’s also about consistency. Just like a team needs to practice and prepare to perform, we build repeatable processes that help clients stay on track no matter what the market is doing. That discipline—on the court or in financial planning—is what produces real results.

Most importantly though, life happens, even at financial advisory firms. The strength of a real team shows up when someone isn’t at their best. Maybe they’re out, maybe they’re stretched thin—but the work doesn’t stop. There’s always someone else ready to step in, carry the load, and make sure clients are still taken care of. That kind of reliability doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from working together every day, everyone on the team having knowledge of the clients served by their team, knowing the details of those clients’ plans, and the peace of mind knowing they have others to rely on to serve clients well.

The older I get, the more I see the value of surrounding yourself with good people—people you trust, people who care, and people who do the hard work whether anyone is watching or not. That’s the kind of team I loved coaching. And that’s the kind of team I’m proud to be a part of at Rather & Kittrell.

Tell me about your favorite team that you ever coached or played on and what made it special. I look forward to reading your favorite team stories!

Greg McMurry is the Chief Operating Officer with Rather & Kittrell.