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"How much 'better' does someone have to be...?"
How much better? I'm guessing that, at least in the mind of the strength coach, he must become much better in being punctual, responsible, motivated, disciplined, and being a good teammate. And he has to lose the habit of blaming others for his shortcomings and being so self-centered.
I'm sure he is capable of making the necessary changes. The scouts likely have him on their list of questionable players. According to the strength coach Sam has a ways to go to get on the scouts' 'good to go' list.
The list is public and the players listed may now be motivated to become much better players. They may become a player the pro scouts are actually interested in enough to follow.
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