Suppose you could hire an official team composer to write motivational and inspirational songs for your team. Who would it be?

You certainly couldn’t go wrong with Richard Rodgers, who was born 107 years ago today.

His collaborations include “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Climb Every Mountain” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Of course, you won’t be hiring a team composer. but there is someone who can orchestrate a tone of motivation in your gym — and that person is you.

Whether it’s songs, posters, poems, anecdotes, guest speakers, a coach must constantly be on the lookout for ways to motivate and inspire.

Exactly why is motivation so important? So that your team can be psyched up for the big game?

No, it’s important because we want our athletes to acquire skill, and to do that they must get excited about being in the gym every day. They must see a connection between the fundamentals they’re working on today and what is going to happen in a game. In a situation where every touch is important, we want our athletes physically, mentally and emotionally involved. That is a total game.