WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Mike Thomas, boys head basketball coach at Kalamazoo Central High School found himself in a tough situation while in East Lansing this past weekend. His situation wasn’t on the sidelines late in the State semi-final or Final game at the Breslin Center for the MHSAA tournament. Nope, it was the MORNING of the State championship game in which they were in for the third straight year.

Three of his players decided to do what a lot of teenagers try and do... they broke curfew the night before and the young coach (only 28 years old) had to make a difficult decision.

Do you allow the players to play? After all... it IS the championship game... right? Or do you send a message that the TEAM depends on each other to be ready and selfish behavior will not be tolerated?

The coach suspended all three players for the entire game, one happened to be a starter.  I personally think it was the right decision.  All too often coaches preach about all the life lessons sports teach, it's nice to finally see one of those lessons in action.

Oh yeah, The Kalamazoo Central Maroon Giants won the championship without the three players.

(Thanks Coach Finamore)

6 TYPES OF TOUGHNESS

Came across a great read on the PGC Blog regarding the often used (yet often misunderstood) word in sport - toughness.  Here are six type of toughness...

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Mental Toughness
Championship players are continually focused on the areas of their game they can control. They aren’t focused on a referee’s poor call or a teammate’s mistake. These players know they can only control their own effort, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. They keep focus on those areas of their game rather than on other external factors. Are you mentally tough enough to fight through the usual excuses; including fatigue, boredom, and blaming others?

Injury Toughness
See Steve Nash. Nash’s face has been bloodied and beaten up over the years, and he has a constant back injury. That must all be very painful; however, it hasn’t stopped him from participating in many games and practices with his teammates. Are you tough enough to play through a minor amount of pain, so long as no further or more damaging injury could arise?

Verbal Communication Toughness
Point guards are always communicating; providing verbal instruction and encouragement to their teammates on the court, in the weight-room, and even on road trips. A great point guard communicates clearly, concisely, with consistent enthusiasm, and the appropriate tone. Are you tough enough to provide on-going and non-stop communication with your teammates on an everyday and every-drill basis?

Physical Toughness
The best guards invite and welcome contact. Basketball IS a contact sport. On the offensive end, you have to connect with the first punch. On the defensive end, you have to make the offensive team uncomfortable with your defensive presence. Are you tough enough to not allow a bump on the hip or slap on the wrist from finishing a strong, powerful dribble move to the basket?

Body Language Toughness
Psychologists say that over 90% of what we communicate is non-verbal. However, few players are aware that (based on how they stand and position their bodies), their actions and words often are incongruent. Are you tough enough to act present and engaged in every moment of your life, both on the court and off?

Improvement Toughness
Successful people in life have a resilient desire for improvement in every aspect of their life. With improvement comes change, and with change comes the discomfort of the unknown. Special players welcome that awkwardness, knowing improvement is on the horizon. Are you tough enough to face some temporary inconvenience for the end goal of permanent improvement?

(Thanks PGC and Lyndsey (Medders) Fennelly)

PLAYING WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE

As I sat watching Uconn destroy Duke last night in a 75-40 nail-biter (cough cough), I couldn’t help but notice the difference in style each of the teams played… and what a difference one style made versus the other.

The one word that best describes UConn’s game is “quick.”  The moment fingers touch leather they are in a race to get to the basket on the other end of the floor.  They attacked without hesitation and most of their scoring came off of fast breaks. 

Duke on the other hand, didn’t push the ball up the floor with any sense of urgency.  Instead, they were content with allowing UConn’s defense to get down the court and get set up… which made it far more difficult to get an easy basket in transition. Why would you willingly allow a defense to setup before trying to score?

Unless of course you wanted to lose by 35 points...

SPORT SCIENCE AND FREE THROWS

An interesting Sport Science on the art of free throws.

THREE TRAITS SHARED BY LOSERS

Came across a blog entry by Coach Dawn Redd (Beloit College) discussing 10 Traits Shared by Losers and thought I'd drop a couple of the most common and destructive to team chemistry here.

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When you hear the word "loser" you think of awful people with no ambition in life.  But that's not always the case, sometimes they are incredibly talented, charming, and fun people to be around.  Sometimes they're your captains, your leaders, and the people of influence on your team.  They can sometimes even look like winners...until you delve a little bit deeper.  Both winners and losers are skilled, but losers have an innate quality that will eat away at the fabric of your team.

Three Traits Shared by Losers:

Indifference: They're the folks you look at and think, "if only they would only work hard, they'd be so good."  But they won't work hard, because they're fine with just getting by.

Selfishness: Losers are selfish, it's all about them.  If they do something great in a game, they're excited and seeking out high fives.  But if they make a mistake, they withdraw and reject any efforts by their teammates to console them.  These are the players that make it difficult to maintain any sort of team chemistry.

Disrespect: While winners spend tons of time studying film and finding out how to be a better athlete, losers slide by on natural talent.  As the rest of the team is scouring over their scouting reports pre-game, the loser sits in the locker room texting their friends...they don't respect the game or the effort that is essential to become good at it.

(Thanks Coach Dawn Redd)

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

“From a defensive stand point, have a presence about you - even if you can't guard the guy, act like you can.”
 - Bill Self

“Seeing the game with your eyes AND your mind gives you an advantage. Always ask yourself "what is going to happen next?" and then be ready!”
 - Coach Farris


"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."
 - Jim Rohn

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities but we cannot dodge the consequences.”
 - Robin Marks

“Improvement is up to the individual. A coach can't make you better...they can show you what to do to improve, but only YOU can do what it takes to make you better.”
 - Coach Farris

WHAT'S THE SECRET?

In this modern, saturated hoops age, every variation of every new X's and O's scheme is treated with slack-jawed wonder.  Tell us more of this dribble-drive motion, oh wise one.  Aspiring coaches and hoops aficionados grasp at any potential advantage, any cunning angle, any minor evolution in the game of basketball.

So when one team has quietly been the best defensive unit in the nation for not one but two consecutive seasons, the first thought that comes to mind is this:

There has to be a secret.  The Secret.

In other words: What does Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton know that the rest of the country doesn't?

"I don't think I have any original ideas," Hamilton said.  "What we do is just try to be consistent with what we teach our players.  We try to hold them accountable for everything we do."

Come on.  It can't be that simple, right?

Thing is, it just might be.  To hear Hamilton describe it, the key to building a defense that has allowed the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the past two seasons -- the first program since the John Thompson-coached Georgetown Hoyas in 1990-91 to do so -- boils down to the simplest of principles.  It's stuff any high school freshman learns (or, at the very least, should learn): participation, effort, teamwork, fundamentals, focus, accountability.

"They're just certain fundamental things that I think most coaches would like to see their players execute," Hamilton said.  "We try to have our players understand that defense is something that everyone can participate in.  It doesn't have anything to do with your quickness, your speed, your athleticism.  It's your ability to stay focused and be consistent each time the ball moves to a certain place.

"That's when you have a team defense," Hamilton said.

(Thanks ESPN's Eamonn Brennan)

Sport Science examines Baylor's Brittney Griner

(Thanks ESPN)

HELPING PLAYERS MATURE AND SEE THE BIG PICTURE

According to Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, there are seven people who are the most talked about, most recognized people in the state of Florida: the head coaches at Florida State, Florida and Miami, and the quarterbacks at Florida State, Florida and Miami.

And, of course, the governor.

“Those seven people,” Fisher said he tells his first-year starting quarterbacks, “that’s how you’re measured.  You have to put into perspective how people are going to listen to you, see you.  People are going to see you, know you, listen to everything you say, everything you do.  So understand something: Nothing’s off the record, and there’s no time somebody’s not watching you.” 

He’s right.

(Thanks ESPN's Heather Dinich)

PLAYING HARD IS A GIVEN...PLAYING WELL IS THE GOAL

At the varsity level, playing hard is a given... the goal is to play well. Playing well involves understanding concepts that apply to certain situations throughout a game, where you as a player (or your team) can have a distinct advantage over your opponent... if you pay attention and take advantage of those situations.

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THE TRUE VALUE OF A BASKETBALL CAMP

The true value of a basketball camp is not measured by how much a player sweats or how tired they are at the end of the day.

I've attended many camps where the athletes are asked to run sprints and suicides, in addition to conditioning drills.  Why?  How does that help YOUR game?

It's definitely not measured by the number of celebrity NBA athletes that show up and throw down a couple of nasty dunks to get the approval of the campers.  That may be a cool thing to watch, but exactly what is it that they are doing that help YOUR game?

Too many camps these days are just going through the motions to make money and the athletes aren't getting their monies worth... they're just happy to be in a gym again.  Don't mistake activity for progress.  If the drill or the instructor isn't giving YOU something that will directly impact YOUR game in a positive way... then why are you doing it?

The true value of a basketball camp should be based on what the athlete is able to observe, learn, practice (with correction), and take back with them to use and help them once when their season starts.

Online registration is now open for the "2011 Ready for the Game Camp"

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GREAT READ... WHY WAIT ANY LONGER? STEP OUT & DO IT!

There’s nothing special about wanting to become a D-I player or coach… every player or coach dreams of this and has big aspirations. What is special, is when you choose to do something about it.

I came across this article this morning that is not only inspirational, but should serve as motivation to anyone wanting to achieve something bigger. Step out and do it!

(Thanks Winning Hoops & Boston Globe's Bob Ryan)

HMM... I DID NOT KNOW THAT

Just watched the Arizona vs Texas game and noticed something that I'd be willing to bet few coaches (and probably 99% of players) do not know... on the Inbounds pass, the passer cannot call a Timeout after the referees 4 count or it results in a technical foul.

EVEN THE STRONGEST BECOME STRONGER WITH TEAMWORK

Zig Ziglar often shared a story about the Giant Belgian Horse. A breed of horse that can stand 7 feet tall and weight 3,000 pounds. Alone, the Giant Belgian Horse can pull approximately 7000 pounds.

However, harness him to another Giant Belgian and together they can pull over 15,000 pounds. Sounds pretty impressive doesn't it? But, horse trainers have learned that when you teach a team of horses to work (pull) together, rather than trying to pull independently of one another, they can pull up to 25,000 pounds. That's almost double what the same two horses can pull working independently!

Teamwork matters, but just because you have 5 players on the court or 15 on your team doesn’t mean that they are working together. Look at the horses, two of them together produces only slightly more than their sum. The story only becomes interesting when the horses get on the same page and start pulling together as a unit: that’s when the real productivity happens.

(Thanks Better Basketball)

DO YOU EVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Take 4 minutes of your day to watch this video... well worth the watch!



(Thanks theLLaBB)

END OF SEASON DISAPPOINTMENT

I came across a GREAT read this morning from a post by Sefu bernard at PGC Basketball regarding player disappointment and felt it was definitely worth sharing.  Here are some excerpts from the post (it's a letter from a player to a coach, asking for some advice, along with the coach's response).  The entire post is located here.
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"...I’m writing to share with you some feelings I’ve been having since my season came to an end.  Perhaps part of it is knowing that I’ll never get the chance to play competitive basketball with some of my teammates ever again.  Perhaps part of it is just missing spending time with the guys in the locker room, or out at team dinner.  Either way, it’s been a tough pill to swallow for me.  This year it just felt as if the dream and the goal of winning the State Championship had kind of slipped through our hands, and it was really just two games away…and the fact that I think this was our best shot, is maybe irrational, but something that makes it harder.

It’s tough to really get it all out there on the page, but that’s about the best I can do as far as explaining my thoughts for now. Any words would be greatly appreciated."

(Coach's response)

"First off, congrats on a GREAT season.  I say “great” not because of your record or how far you got (or didn’t get) in the playoffs.  The ‘congrats’ is because (based on your email and on what I know about who you are) you gave this basketball season, your team, your coaches, your school, and yourself the very best you had to give.  I realize that may sound hollow to you in this moment, but one day, when your career is over, I promise you that this will be the one thing you will be most proud of, and it’s what will give you the most peace about your career, no matter how many championships you win or don’t win.

But for now, I can totally understand and relate to everything you have said.  I’ve been there.  More than once…

• My senior year of high school, we lost in the game to go to “State” (a big deal in Texas because only 4 teams go). My goal since 6th grade was to win a state championship. I was devastated.
• One of the main reasons I went to the University of Virginia was to win a national championship. My sophomore year of college, after being ranked #1 most of the season, we lost to Tennessee in overtime of the national championship game. Devastated again.
• My junior year, again after being ranked #1 all season, we lost in DOUBLE OT of the national semi-finals to Stanford. Once again…devastated.
• My senior year, after all the best players on our team had graduated and I had become the unquestioned team leader, we played as the underdog all year. We made it all the way to the Elite 8 and lost to Ohio State in the game to go back to the Final Four when my coach called time out just as I was releasing the game-winning 3-pointer. I hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, but it was waived off because the ref said my coach called the time out with .7 seconds on the clock. That was the way my college career ended. Devastated times a thousand.

Unless you’re the team that wins the last game of the season, I have never been able to figure out how to feel anything *but* sadness and disappointment at the end of a season, at least for a while.

I think you just need to allow yourself time to grieve.  The word “grieve” may sound crazy because I know it’s not like anybody died or there was any great “tragedy.”  But you *have* suffered a profound loss.  Your season (which you cared deeply about) is over; you will never play on this particular team (which you gave so much of yourself to for so many months) again; and you will never be high school teammates with some of those guys again (and those kinds of bonds are rare and special and hard to replicate in the “real world”).

People who have never experienced those kinds of losses can never understand just how much all of that hurts.  You gave yourself completely to something, and it didn’t turn out like you wanted.  And to make it even worse, now it’s gone.  Over.  Done.  That’s hard and it hurts.

Everything you’re feeling right now is appropriate and even good.  Don’t resist it.  Be sad.  Be disappointed…Until you’re not anymore (and it will go away, I promise).  And then, you will do what every great athlete and every great hero does…you will pick yourself up, dust yourself off, dream your next dream, and you’ll go at it again…even though you know the risk and how much it will hurt when it’s over.  But really, that’s the only way to fly in my opinion.  Way more fun, exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling than living a life where you play small and never put your heart on the line for anything that matters to you.

And one last thing…while winning a championship *would* feel really sweet and could be incredibly rewarding, the truth is that even THAT feeling will pass after a few weeks or even days.  And then you would STILL have to feel the sadness and disappointment of not playing with some of your teammates again and of not ever having this particular team together again.  So don’t fall into the trap of believing that winning a championship will make you not have to feel the pain of the ending of something you love.  Granted, it would make it a lot easier and is the preferable way to end a season.  But what’s *more* important is always that you gave your best in every moment, regardless of whether or not you were fortunate enough to be on the team that won the last game of the season.

(Thanks Sefu Bernard and PGC Basketball)

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT DEFEAT?

“Defeat is a state of mind.  No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as reality.  To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to give greater effort to achieve my goal.  Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.”
 

- Bruce Lee

(Thanks Coach Starkey)

UNDERSTANDING LADDER DRILL STEP SEQUENCING

Although most coaches already incorporate speed ladder drills into practices, I came across a video that does a good job of showing a step sequences for couple of the basic ladder drills (for players that struggle with them).



(Thanks StrongerTeam.com)

WHAT MAKES A GREAT COACH?

“Great coaching is not just technical knowledge, it is the ability to communicate that knowledge in a manner the athlete can use & translate into action. Just knowing more technical stuff & speaking technical pseudo scientific jargon does make a good coach. Ability to communicate is paramount.”

(Thanks Coach Gambetta)

THE ROCK STARS THAT AREN'T ROCKIN'

One of the first things Erik Spoelstra did as the coach of the Miami Heat was instill a defense-first mentality in his team.  Even with players as talented as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, it's much easier to be consistent defensively than it is on offense.  The Heat's offense has been up and down this season, but they were able to ride their aggressive, intense defense to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

During this losing streak (5 straight losses), the Heat's defense hasn't been there.  The Heat were torched from beyond the arc by both the Magic and the Spurs, and couldn't get key stops when they needed them against the Bulls.

On Tuesday night against Portland, the Heat played well enough offensively to win the game.  Wade and James were clicking perfectly on offense, and even with both Bosh and the bench giving the Heat almost nothing, Miami was able to shoot 52 percent from the field for the game.

Unfortunately for the Heat, their defense was never good enough for them to control the game.  The Heat gave up 57 points in the first half.

Offense is like the Stock Market… there will be good days and bad days, But there’s no reason to ever have a bad day on defense.

(Thanks ESPN & John Krolik)

TODAY'S THOUGHTS

"One of the biggest mistakes that athletes make is that they enter a basketball practice or training regiment without predetermining what their intention will be for that workout."
- Sefu Bernard

"I’ve never coached someone who had no discipline off the court who had it on the court.”
- Matt Painter

“A single day is enough time to make you a little better.”
- Alan Stein

"We should not have to push you to work hard. You should work hard because you want to be a great player."
-Bob Knight

“Your success in life is determined, to a large extent by your ability to think, plan, decide, and take action.”
- Greg Brown

AN EXTENSION OF THE COACH ON THE COURT

As a coach, I've always felt my most valuable player on the court was my point guard, and over the years I've had many PG's that were great ball handlers, but it was a rare thing to have one with a "true" PG mindset.  I came across an article in the Charlotte Observer that really summed up the kind of PG every coach wants.

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Since Kendall Marshall took over the starting point guard job on Jan. 18, the Tar Heels have picked up their pace and scoring average, winning nine of 10 games.  When former starter Larry Drew II abruptly opted to transfer in early February, Marshall was left as the team's only true ballhandler.  Since then, he has become an extension of Tar Heels coach Roy Williams on the floor.

"He understands time and score better than most people," Williams said.  "He understands who's hot and who's not; he understands who's in foul trouble on the other team.  He's a thinking man's point guard, with a lot of ability, too."

It's one thing to want to pass to teammates from seemingly impossible angles; it's another thing to actually be able to do it.

"Passing is something you have to think about, more than action," he said.  "You have the mechanics - thumbs down and things like that.  But at the end of the day, you just have to know where your teammates want the ball without the defender getting in the way."

(Thanks Charlotte Observer)

INSTEAD OF GIVING UP OR GIVING IN...

The worst moments are your best opportunity.  That's how we judge you and how we remember you.

Most people don’t see what goes on behind the scenes in your personal life, but coaches and teammates presume you are showing us your real self when you are faced with overwhelming adversity.

When you have a headache, are facing the toughest opponent ever, haven't had a good night's sleep, are facing an ethical dilemma, are caught doing something when you thought no one else was looking, are irritable, when you have the opportunity to lash out at others, or are just truly overwhelmed.

What a great opportunity for you to show us the real you… it’s your opportunity to handle pressure with poise and show everyone what you are made of. Instead of giving up or giving in... stand tall and give it your best!

(Thanks Seth Godin)

NEVER SURRENDER

Down by 24 points in the third quarter, the Magic went on an unbelievable 40-9 run over the next 15 minutes and stunned the Heat 99-96, the second-largest comeback in Orlando franchise history and matching the second-biggest in the NBA this season.

 "To tell you the truth, I didn't even know we were down that much," Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said. "I was just playing. I just think that's what you have to do when you know you can play better and you're not playing up to your potential. Just get it going somehow, not worry about the score."

(Thanks Sports Illustrated)

GET RID OF THE BAD APPLE

There is a lot of truth in the old expression “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”  Players that are selfish, lazy, pessimistic or do not show the proper respect to teammates can be considered “bad apples.”

I’m a firm believer that great team chemistry is the foundation for a team’s success.  It can turn a very average group (talent-wise) into an overachieving team that accomplishes far more than would have ever been expected of the group.  That great chemistry can often be credited to just one or two individuals within the group that have the right attitude.  All it takes is one or two that are completely unselfish and are influential enough to affect the rest of the team in a positive way.  They end up being the nucleus of the group without ever realizing it.

The same theory holds true for a team with bad chemistry.  The cause for underachieving teams can often be traced back to just one or two individuals that have a negative or selfish attitude.  It is often projected as a “me before we” attitude.   Just one player with a negative attitude can totally poison a team and ruin an entire season.

Although there’s no guarantee of success with great chemistry… accepting a “bad apple” just because they also have talent is almost a guarantee for disaster.

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THE MAIN INGREDIENT

The recipe for success has many ingredients, all of which are important; but the main ingredient that is most often overlooked is determination.

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