DO YOU ALWAYS KNOW?

If you are trying to become a good basketball player, don’t ever find yourself dribbling casually up court when suddenly the buzzer goes off ending the quarter or first half.  Nothing shows your lack of awareness any more than the buzzer surprising you.

You should know the time and score at all times.  Look up every time the clock is stopped and make sure it sinks in -- what is the time and what is the score?  Both of these questions should pop into your mind every time the whistle blows.  Before you wonder who traveled or who the foul was called on, and before you droop (if the foul was called on you). Check the time and the score.

It only takes one player -- YOU -- to make sure that your team isn’t setting up a play when it should be hurrying up a shot.  And it only takes YOU to alert your teammates to defend the sudden long pass a team may throw when they realize there are only a few seconds left.

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WHERE ARE YOU?

Often a player will dive out of bounds trying to save a loose ball and kick it back behind them.  That’s great hustle and quick thinking right???  Yes, as long as it is under YOUR goal!  

Always pay attention to where you are on the court before trying to save a loose ball from going out of bounds.  It is much easier for your team to play defense against an inbounds pass than it is for your teammates to go 4 against 5 under your opponents basket while you are out of bounds after the save.

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Why is it so difficult to motivate ourselves when we know that the results we want will only be achieved through motivation?

Don’t take friendship for granted.

Friendship is giving and sharing of yourself.  If just one side works at it, it isn’t friendship.  You must work at friendship. Make it a fine art.  Go more than halfway.  It is two-sided, just like a marriage (or even a dating relationship).

Someone is not a good friend because she does good things for you all the time.  It’s friendship when you do good things for each other.  It’s showing concern and consideration.  Friendship is so valuable and so powerful, that we should never take it for granted, but we often do.

The first and most important step in friendship is reaching out to be a friend. You should strive to establish a relationship that can never be broken.

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The Four Laws of Learning

The Four Laws of Learning are:

Explanation

Demonstration

Imitation

Repitition

The goal is to create a correct habit that can be reproduced instinctively under great pressure.  To make sure this goal can be achieved, you must follow the Eight Laws of Getting It Right:

Explanation

Demonstration

Imitation

Repitition

Repitition

Repitition

Repitition

Repitition

The NEED For Brave Conversations.

The phrase "brave conversation" refers to the difficult conversations that are sometimes necessary in coaching and in life.

Patrick Lencioni, author of ‘The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team’ has written a lot about our fear of conflict.  According to Lencioni, "many of us are taught to avoid conflict at school, on a team or at work at almost any cost.  It's as though one of the unstated goals of an organization is to avoid uncomfortable interpersonal situations."

The problem is, "avoiding productive conflict leads to two of the most poisonous elements of organizational life: politics and mediocrity.  Avoiding constructive conflict around an issue breeds destructive conflict around people."

Lencioni contends that when we don't express our feelings about sticky issues, we tend to "get frustrated and those concerns leak out emotionally."  Of course, it takes the kind of brave conversations we seek to avoid to resolve these issues.

These kinds of conversations can be really uncomfortable, but they're absolutely necessary, whether you're talking about a coach-player or coach-parent.

Instead of ignoring problems or "elephants in the room," Lencioni believes that "leaders need to mine for conflict.  They need to probe for areas of disagreement."  In his words:

"Conflict is an essential building component of a high-performing organization.  While it can be uncomfortable at times, productive conflict is a competitive advantage that any team should desire, even if it comes at the expense of a little temporary interpersonal discomfort."

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WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON?

If you are a student of the game, you have probably learned to pay attention to the ‘habits’ of your opponent.  Those habits translate into something called ‘percentage basketball.’  And teams that play percentage basketball win consistently more often than teams that ignore percentages. 

To learn percentage basketball you must be attentive to certain situations and habits and be able to use them to your advantage consistently throughout the course of a game.

Here’s a good example.

Let’s say that we are playing a very athletic team, but they only have two decent ball handlers and neither of them have a left hand.  Chances are that 95% of their scoring attempts will be on the right side of the court or at least initiated on the right side since their ball handlers don’t have a left hand.

Recognizing this, your focus (on defense) for the whole game should be to never let them initiate a dribble with the right hand.  If you force them to their weak hand, you just increased the likelihood that they will turn the ball over trying to dribble with their weak hand.  In addition, you also decreased their chances of successfully executing their offense because you are now forcing them into initiating the play on the left side of the court.  

Learn to FOCUS in on the little things (habits) that your opponent shows you.  What are their strengths and weaknesses and are you letting them play to those strengths or forcing them to play below their level by taking away their strengths.

The point is, talent will get you on the court, but playing the percentages will make you successful.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM IDENTITY

The 1973 Oakland Raiders were a heavily penalized team with a 'nasty' reputation.  When the Raiders came to town, they came not only to play football; they came to 'kick butt.'  They liked to try to intimidate -- some would say even bully -- opposing teams.

On the other hand, the '73 Dolphins were one of the least penalized teams in the NFL.  They were a finesse team that ran on skill and precision.  They were smooth and polished professionals.

The point is not which identity is better, they were both effective and successful teams.  The point is that both teams had an identity that coalesced and unified the team.  Both teams stood for something, operated according to a common set of values, and were clear about what kind of team each was.  The most important thing about team identity is not that it's the right one or the best one, but whatever the identity is, that it unifies.

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The GAP Defense video

YOUR LEADERSHIP LEGACY

Each of you will leave a leadership legacy when you graduate. 

It won't be a record of your ‘on the court’ performance. Instead, your legacy will be revealed in how the younger players (your teammates) and others think and behave as a result of the time they spent playing beside you and following your lead.

If you start thinking about your leadership legacy now, rather than just before you leave, you will greatly increase your odds of leaving a legacy that reflects your best qualities, as well as the elements of your leadership that you would like to see embedded in the fabric of the team you leave behind.

In clarifying what qualities you would like teammates to remember as a result of having played with you, you will gain a better understanding of yourself in your role as a leader and you will better understand how the big-picture view of your role is fueled by your actions on a daily basis.

Your legacy is today.

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GAME RECAP - TROY NEWSPAPER

Patriots, Lady Patriots sink Covenant Christian for home wins

By Matt Nascone (Contact) | Troy Messenger

Published Sunday, December 7, 2008

Suffocating defense and double-doubles from junior forwards Katie Wiggins and Eady Pinckard fueled the No. 6 Pike Liberal Arts Lady Patriots’ 55-46 victory over Covenant Christian Saturday afternoon in Troy.

“I thought we started off well and we played well for a spurt, but they came back on us,” PLAS head coach Steven Kilcrease said.  “I was proud of them.  It was a good win because this was a good ball team we just beat. They were 7-0 coming into this game.”

Wiggins had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Pinckard chipped in 12 and 10, respectively.  Wiggins added five blocked shots and two steals and Pinckard had two blocks.

It was a tale of two halves from the free throw line for the Lady Patriots (3-0).  They were 12-of-14 in the first half and 6-of-17 in the second half. Kilcrease has a fix for that.

“That is a huge difference,” he said.  “We see what we have to work on.  We have to take care of the ball.”

The Lady Patriots jumped up early on Covenant Christian and held an early 13-4 lead after the first quarter, but the Lady Lions would not go away and they clawed their way back to a 28-18 deficit at halftime.

PLAS built the lead back up in the third quarter, outscoring Covenant 12-4 in the quarter, but the Lady Lions made it a game by outscoring the Lady Patriots 24-15 in the final frame.  The pressure defense of PLAS was a little much for Covenant and the Lady Patriots held on for the win.

Josie Griffin had eight points, four rebounds and four steals.  Anna Saunders contributed seven points and six rebounds.  Kelly Cash had five points.

SUCCESS ISN'T ON THE SCOREBOARD

One of the most important life lessons to be learned in competitive athletics is that you can work very hard and sacrifice, but not always come out on top on the scoreboard because the other team is also working hard. 

It is a different lesson than learned in a classroom, because most high school students can earn successful grades in most classes where they work very hard.  They are not competing against others for the grades, only against a standard.

The road to becoming a good basketball player is not by any means an easy road.  It is a road paved with hard work, sweat, skinned knees, and sometimes tears.  Along the way you will find victory and defeat, encouragement and discouragement, disappointment and joy, praise and criticism, success and failure, but you should always retain the satisfaction of knowing you did the best you were possibly capable of doing.  

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CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

"John Stockton was great because he could dominate a game, without dominating the ball."

- Coach Rick Majerus

Being a great basketball player isn't always about scoring.  It's about making your teammates better.  It's about creating opportunities where none existed.  John Stockton averaged 13 assists per game over eight straight seasons. 

What can I do to be a better leader?

Leadership opportunities abound and present themselves on a daily basis.  While they may be subtle, leaders are usually given at least a dozen opportunities to demonstrate leadership every single day.

These leadership opportunities are rarely available in the form of dramatic speeches, but most often present themselves in simple, yet significant interactions on a daily basis.

There's a quote by Helen Keller that drives home the value of these seemingly trivial, yet critical leadership moments.  She said, "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble.  The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."

Most emerging leaders erroneously view and define leadership as the mighty shoves reserved only for the heroic captains of the team.  In actuality, however, it's the tiny pushes of leadership that happen more frequently and have the greatest impact over time.

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MAKE TODAY YOUR MASTERPIECE

Too often, we get distracted by what is outside of our control.  

You can’t do anything about yesterday.  The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away.   You can do nothing about tomorrow.  It is yet to come.  But we often waste an enormous amount of time worrying about tomorrow.  

However, what you are able to accomplish tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today.  So make today count for something.  You have control over that.

You can never make up for a lost day.

If you don’t take advantage of the opportunity to improve today, don’t think that you will be able to work twice as hard tomorrow.  If you have it within your power to work twice as hard, why aren’t you doing it now?

If you sincerely try to do your best each day, what else is there?

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PERFECTION

Perfection is what you are striving for, but perfection is an impossibility.  However, striving for perfection is not an impossibility.  Do the best you can under the conditions that exist.  That is what counts.

I believe there is nothing wrong with your opponent being better than you are if you are prepared and are functioning in the way you’ve tried to prepare.  That’s all you can do.

But there is something wrong if you’ve failed to measure up to your ability because you haven’t prepared.

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Make Today Your New Beginning.

In 1991, an aspiring young triathlete from Plano, Texas decided to give up his dream of being a world-class triathlete.  He had competed in triathlons since he was 12 years old.  How good was he?  By the age of 16 he was ranked #1 in the US in the 19 year old & under group.  

As an amateur, his point totals were more than the top five ranked professionals in the US.  He was at the top of his game when he decided to change direction. He gave up swimming and running and decided to focus his attention on cycling.

By 1995, he won the US Amateur Cycling Championship and qualified for the US Olympic Team.  But the following year he noticed a sharp decline in his athletic ability and was diagnosed with cancer.  He was given only a 40% chance of recovery.

He underwent numerous surgeries and chemotherapy for brain, lung and testicular cancer.  He had lost a tremendous amount of weight and muscle mass.  To such an aspiring athlete, this must have been devastating.

For most people in those circumstances, it would be easy to look at the situation as “the end” of a dream.  But this young man looked at his circumstances not as the end, …but instead as “the beginning.”

Over the next 7 years, this young man earned the following awards:

ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, 1999

Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, 2002

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award, 2003

Oh yeah, there were 7 more accomplishments I failed to mention.

He smashed the existing records for the Tour de France, the world’s premier cycling event and won an unprecedented 7 Tour de France Championships between 1999-2005.

Now you know the real meaning behind “LIVE-STRONG”  

That's right...the atlete is Lance Armstrong.

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Most every team has a decent first five.  But six through 12 is where decent teams become championship teams.  

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TO ACHIEVE, YOU MUST BELIEVE.

At 13, she was attacked by a shark while surfing.

Within 6 months she was surfing again competitively

...and winning - with one arm.

ESPN Comeback Athlete of 2004

Bethany Hamilton

Author of Soul Surfer

Don't allow the temporary setbacks that you may occasionally face, rob you from the opportunity to achieve your dreams.  Excuses are the natural enemy of opportunity.

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DEFENSIVE TIP

You can literally double the quickness of your defensive presence by incorporating a simple technique.

This quickness allows you to take away easy shots and scramble to close out, even when you get beat to the hole.  Quickness simply makes a defense difficult to score against.

Move on the pass, NOT the catch.

This tactic alone can double the quickness of your closeout and make it seem like you are super quick.

You must start moving to your correct defensive position when the ball is leaving the fingertips of the passer.

This makes a huge difference because most players will start moving to the correct defensive position when the ball is caught.  In fact, most players think that is what they are supposed to do.  And they have developed this bad habit at an early age.

By simply by moving on the pass, you get an extra second to get to your position.  In fact, many times you can actually get to your position at the same time the ball arrives!

The offensive player that catches the ball won't be able to get their shot off.  It will be ridiculous how big of a difference this makes.

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RISING TIDE

With Alabama's big game against Florida just a few days away, and the turnaround that's taken place in Tuscaloosa this season, Nick Saban is a hot topic.

According to this article, Coach Saban consistently emphasizes principles such as "passion, commitment, discipline, hard work, time management, perseverance and pride in performance."

To ensure the message doesn't get stale, Saban has brought in professional speakers to talk to his team about a variety of issues.

Among those who have visited with Coach Saban's team this season is Kevin Elko, a motivational speaker and author who outlined a "step-by-step process for winning."

According to one Bama player, the 49-year-old Elko told "true-life stories of things he’s done and things he’s seen others do that proves you can push through it mentally.  The first thing that goes is your mind — before your legs."

"One of the things he said is 'worry is praying for the worst.'  That’s one thing I’ve really tried to hook on to.  You can’t fret about practice and all that cause it’s gonna come.  You just gotta make sure you execute.  I think that really stuck with a lot of guys on the team."

Coach Saban contends that Elko "has a great message for [his] players — just about having a positive attitude, knowing what you want to accomplish and what are willing to do, and what are you telling yourself every day."

"A lot of people that think in winning you have to add something on," Elko said.  "What I tell people is get rid of all things in your life that aren't winning and winning will find you.  Mental clutter.  Get rid of the garbage, the gossip.  Get rid of everything on your mind that won't get you what you want."

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GET OFF YOUR "BUTS"....

“I want to be a better shooter, but . . .”

“I want to be a better ball handler, but . . .”

“I want to be a better defender, but . . .”

“I want to be a team player, but . . .”

WE DON'T SPEND TIME ON OUR BUTS!

When faced with a new opportunity, one that might expand our capabilities and move us ever-closer to becoming the player we desire to be, we jump on the chance -- YES! Most other players respond with one of two three-letter words:

YES or BUT.

When used in a sentence, BUT means, “Ignore all that good-sounding stuff that came before -- here comes the truth.”

Getting off their buts sounds easy, but so few teams do it.

We're out in front for a reason!

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TEAM BEFORE SELF

Our program is successful because it is based on:

Accountability

Self-Discipline

Relentless Effort

and Great Attitude.

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HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

A young man asked his coach if he would teach him the secret to being the best basketball player on the court.  The coach then told the young man to meet him at the pool the next morning.  They met.

The coach asked the young man to get into the pool with him.  When the water got up to their necks, the coach took the young man by surprise and dunked him under the water.  The young man struggled to get out but the coach was strong and kept him there until he started grasping for the surface and turning blue.

The young man struggled hard and finally managed to get out and the first thing he did was to gasp and take deep breath.

The coach asked "What was it you wanted the most when you were under water?"

The young man replied "Air!"

The coach said, "That's the secret to success on the court.  When you want success as badly as you wanted that air, you will get it.  There is no other secret."

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PUSHING BEYOND YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Although I’m not a rock climber, I am certainly impressed with their mental toughness.  The philosophy of most rock climbers is basically that of ‘self-competition.’  In other words, they climb the mountain to push themselves to the upmost of their ability, not neccessarily to accomplish some particular feat.  They challenege themselves, not the mountain.

Competition in basketball should be the same.  It should be about playing to the upmost of your ability and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, not just beating the opponent.  Winning or losing should always be secondary to your goal of playing to the absolute best of your ability.  

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