As March Madness turns to April and our brackets turn to dust, college basketball teams get closer and closer to the pinnacle of play: winning a National Championship.

As a kid, you imagine what it’s like to be a player on the team. As an adult, my attention is drawn more to the sidelines.

Feeling weepy when they show a player’s family in the stands... feeling inspired when a coach gets fired up for their team.

And my mind absolutely reels at the leadership qualities those coaches must possess to lead a group of teenagers, headfirst, towards discipline and sacrifice.

Way more than just being masters of X's and O's, college basketball coaches are teachers, motivators and communicators. Leaders in the purest form.

Thankfully (for my hamstrings), we don’t have to suit up to benefit from their expertise.

10 Inspiring Quotes from 10 All-Time Great College Basketball Coaches:

#1. “Bottom line, you’re either a risk taker or you’re not. And if you don’t take risks, you’ll never win big.”

-Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach

#2. “Discipline is the highest form of love. If you really love someone, you have to give them the level of discipline they need.”

-Tom Izzo, Michigan State Men’s Basketball Coach

#3. “The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”

-Bobby Knight, Late Hall of Fame Men’s Basketball Coach

#4. “You cannot sit here, no matter what you believe, what your politics are, and not recognize that this is urgent. There is an urgency for helping the young women in our country become more powerful. There's never been a greater need for female leadership in this world.”

-Kara Lawson, Duke University Women’s Basketball Coach

#5. “A lot of people notice when you succeed, but they don’t see what it takes to get there.”

-Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Coach

#6. “The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most. Because they have paid you the compliment of leveling with you and assuming you can handle it.”

-Pat Summitt, Late Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Coach

#7. “Failure is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned about coaching, I've learned from making mistakes.”

-Rick Pitino, St. Johns University Basketball Coach

#8. “I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence.”

-Bo Ryan, Former University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Coach

#9. “The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions. Not me. I don’t want to be a manager or a dictator. I want to be a leader—and leadership is ongoing, adjustable, flexible, and dynamic.”

-Mike Krzyzewski, aka Coach K, Former Duke University Men’s Basketball Coach

#10. “It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”

-John Wooden, Late Hall of Fame Men’s Basketball Coach

Now that I’m ready to give my all at 33 years old for any university that would have me??? Let’s go crush a Thursday.

There’s no place like sports.

Xo, The Salesgirls

If you could use some content inspo while you drink a sleepytime mocktail on the couch, the Men’s Tournament is back in action tonight with games beginning at 7pm ET. The best news is, you’ll only miss the first two games in their entirety because of your toddler’s 2-hour bedtime routine.