THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

In basketball, the difference between winning and losing usually comes down to one thing…SHOT SELECTION.

Here’s a statistic for you…  45% vs. 60%

In college and pro games, the team that shoots 45% or less (only 4 out of every 10 shots) loses 90% of the time.  But teams that shoot 60% or better (6 out of every 10 attempts) win 90% of the time.

Now that’s only a difference of two shots.  Do you really think only a couple of shots during a game can make the difference between winning and losing?

How many of you have ever taken a shot during a game that you knew was a bad shot to take? Maybe it was a shot that you rushed without getting your balance set first, or maybe it was a shot that was outside of your normal range.  Chances are that if it was a bad shot, then it was a shot that probably missed.  Let’s say each of you took one bad shot per game…that’s 10 or 12 bad shots per game.  In a close game, against a good team, it may very well be the difference between winning and losing.

You see, the typical player and average basketball fan loves the ill-advised shot…or let’s call it the ESPN shot.  You know the ones…the off-balance shot with a defender draped across your face.  Or maybe it’s the outside 3-pointer.  Those are called ESPN shots because they are rare and worth showing on TV.  However, good coaches (and good players for that matter) aren’t impressed by the ESPN shots because they know that the ESPN shots only go in about 10% of the time – that’s why everybody loves them so much…because they are so rare (because 90% of the time they DO NOT go in).  And when they are made…it’s mostly just luck.

To be a recognized as a good player, a player that looks special on the court, you need to learn to fall in love with “EASY SHOTS” and stay away from the ESPN shots.  

An “EASY SHOT” is a shot that you can make most of the time. 

When you see players that consistently shoot low percentage shots (ESPN shots), without trying to get a better-higher percentage shot, those players are typically immature shooters.  Meaning that they do not yet realize the importance of their shot selection and how such a poor shot can hurt their team.  When a player shoots one of those low-percentage shots, they hurt their team (remember that those shots only go in 10% of the time – meaning 90% of the time it will miss).  

What if you are shooting one of those low-percentage shot against a bigger stronger team.  The misses will then turn into rebounds…and which team will have the advantage on the rebound?  The bigger and stronger team.

The shooter will look at that shot and think it’s just a missed shot, but that shooter’s coach will look at that same shot and see it as an unnecessary turnover.  If any of you have had your coach get aggravated with you after a miss…it’s probably not because you missed the shot, but instead it’s because you took a shot that was not a very high-percentage shot to take.  In other words, it was a wasted scoring opportunity for your team.  How many wasted scoring opportunities does it take to decide a game?

Remember the 45% vs. 60% difference?  That’s only a two shot difference…but sometimes, just a couple of ill-advised shot attempts or a couple of ESPN attempts can cost your team the game. That’s why it’s so important for you to fall in love with the “EASY SHOTS” the ones close to the basket.

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PLAYING UNDER CONTROL

Another important point to remember when racing the ball is to stay under CONTROL.  When you have the ball in your hands, you want your coach to feel relaxed and confident and not worried and nervous or unsure about what you are about to do next.

Every coach knows the limitations and capabilities of every one of his players.  Every coach knows which players they want to handle the ball most of the time and which players they would rather not handle the ball most of the time.  That’s because they know those players are able to handle the ball with CONTROL.

You see, it’s easy to play fast & out of control…a lot of players can do that.

It’s easy to play slow & under control…a lot of players can do that.

If you want to look special and have your coach trust you with the ball, you have to learn to play quick & under control…there are very few players that can do that.

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PROVIDENCE WMBB VIDEO

For those haven't seen the WMBB coverage of the Providence game, click here and then click on the News 13 screen on the right. 

“Anything

I’ve ever done

that was 

ultimately 

worthwhile,

initially

scared me

to death.”

- Betty Bender

WHAT ARE YOU PASSING BY?

Last January, there was a street performer at a subway station in Washington, D.C.  He started playing his violin just before 8:00 A.M. and played for 43 minutes — the height of rush-hour.  He had his violin case open . . . just in case anyone wanted to make a “donation.”

During the 45-minute “concert”, 1,097 people passed by.   Only seven people stopped and listened for a minute or more.  Twenty-seven dropped money into the street performer’s violin case.  He made $32.17.

This was done as an "experiment" for an article that was published Sunday, April 8, 2007 in the Washington Post.  There was a hidden video camera that recorded the whole event.  So what’s the big deal???

The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest classical musicians in the world.  He was playing one of the most valuable violins in the world — his $3.5 million dollar Stradivarius.  And he played six of the greatest masterpieces of all time.

AND NO ONE REALIZED IT!

Many people were hurrying on their way to work and rushed within three feet of the performer. People couldn’t get that close to Mr. Bell at his sold-out concert at Symphony Hall in Boston three days before.  The average ticket was $100.00.

PEOPLE DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE WHAT THEY WERE PASSING BY.

What are you passing by?  Take time to notice the moment you are in.  Now is the greatest time of your life, now will soon be gone forever.  Enjoy the moment you are in.

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BE AN "INNER" COACH

If you're like most dedicated athletes, then you have both a commitment to excellence and a strong work ethic.  Great athletes know that the very best way to get to a goal is to be willing to do whatever it takes, effort-wise.  The bottom line: Hard work is the key that unlocks the door to success. 

If you meet your setbacks with this kind of "working harder" approach, then there will be very little that you won't be able to accomplish.  However, there's one, teensy, weensy catch here.  The hard work won’t take you as far as you’d like to go if you tend to get angry at yourself whenever you fail.  Far too many athletes meet their setbacks and disappointments with self-directed anger and frustration.  They get upset with themselves for messing up.  They put themselves down.  They blame themselves for their mistakes.  They are harsh and unforgiving to themselves.

Being angry or getting down on yourself when you mess up or make mistakes will NOT make you a better athlete.

Put the self-directed anger, frustration and impatience away.  Those emotions have little to no constructive value in your training and development as an athlete.  They will not help you become a champion.  They will, instead, seriously hold you back.  Forgive, forget and then move on.  That is the way of a champion.

Instead, become an “inner coach” to yourself.  When you make a mistake, just say “It’s OK. I know you’re disappointed.  You’ll get another chance.  You can do this.  Just keep working hard.  You’re a great athlete.  It’ll come.”

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WHY PRACTICE IS IMPORTANT

On why practices are so important to a team's success: "A great coach once said that the best players don't always win, the players that play the best do.  That's why we work so hard.  That's why we train so hard.  That's why we focus so much on practicing better than anybody’s ever practiced before.  That's the whole idea, you know, you want to do things better than it's ever been done before."

- Pete Carroll, Coach USC

NEXT PLAY

"In basketball and in life, I have always maintained the philosophy of 'next play.'  Essentially, what it means is that whatever you have just done is not nearly as important as what you are doing right now.

The 'next play' philosophy emphasizes the fact that the most important play of the game or life moment on which you should always focus is the next one.  

It is not about the turnover I committed last time down the court, it's not even about the three-pointer I hit to tie the game, it is about what's next.  To waste time lamenting a mistake or celebrating a success is distracting and can leave you and your team unprepared for what you are about to face.  

It robs you of the ability to do your best at that moment and to give your full concentration.  It's why I love basketball.  Plays happen with rapidity and there may be no stop-action.  Basketball is a game that favors the quick thinker and the person who can go on to the next play the fastest."

From "Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords For Success"

By Mike Krzyzewski

Commitment to the team.

Recently, Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro clearly defined for his team the meaning of "commitment."

"I can handle mistakes.  But I can't handle lack of effort.  And I can't handle lack of commitment to the team.  Commitment is coming in with energy every day, with focus, trying to get better, lifting weights, being on time, paying attention in meetings, being ready to play, knowing what your role is, who you're guarding, what their strengths and weaknesses are, how you can affect the team in a positive way.  Commitment is being a professional, working every day to get better individually.  As that happens, the team gets better.  If guys commit to the team, they'll get a chance."

Little or No Accountability

Accountability is a catchall term that can, and does, mean different things to different players.  It is something that is said to be absent when losing and the key when winning.  It rarely can be measured; you just have to believe that on the court and in the locker room, players are being accountable and holding each other accountable.

As an individual, it means you’ve got to go out and get your job done.  During the course of doing your job, there are going to be mistakes.  I expect them.  Basketball is a game full of mistakes. However, we seem to be making far too many mental mistakes that are avoidable.  Mistakes that are being repeated over and over again and are costing the team. 

The motivation to eliminate those mistakes is at the center of this problem.  The only way to be held accountable is to have consequences – real, and possibly season-altering consequences.  

I’m not upset with four losses in a row.  I knew going into this four-game stretch that we would likely struggle due to the quality of the teams we had scheduled.  The goal wasn’t necessarily to win as much as it was to test ourselves and to improve.  But unfortunately, the timing of our schedule is coinciding with far too much drama and selfish attitude on the team.

How do I get the message across and hope someone will hear?  Hope someone’s conscience and sense of duty as a teammate kicks in?  Hope the mindset of total comittment to team and the love for the game suddenly appear?

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ALABAMA RANKINGS WEEK 3

Check this out.

Pike (4-1) is ranked #6 in Alabama AISD Class 3A - we lost by only 10 points.

Providence (8-1) is ranked #7 in Alabama Class 1A - we lost by only 14 points.

STAY IN THE MOMENT

Coach K (Duke) says “basketball favors the continuous thinker and the positive thinker.”  

There may be no statement about basketball that is more poignant.  The most successful players do not take possessions off or even seconds off during a game.  These players are always in the present – their past mistakes are not dwelt upon, and the future is not considered because they can only control what is happening now – they stay in the moment!

For more consistent offensive flow, players cannot take a possession or even seconds off. 

As the ball is brought up the floor, all players should be moving into what they should be doing – whether that is filling a lane, setting a screen, getting into position for a play or just getting open. They are in the moment.  These players are not wasting time or mental energy worrying about the past; instead, they are doing what they are supposed to be doing – helping their teammates to be successful. 

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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF "DEAD TIME"

DEAD TIME is the time it takes for the ball to leave a shooter's hand until it gets to a position where it can be rebounded.  This normally takes 2 to 3 seconds.  What players do, or do not do, during this Dead Time period will determine their success or failure in rebounding. 

Dead Time is when the great players excel.  Instead of watching the flight of the ball, much like a great outfielder, they anticipate a missed shot and immediately move to the area where the ball is most likely to rebound and establish inside position.  Before you can rebound the ball, offensively or defensively, you need to know where to rebound it. 

Rebound location is dependent on THREE factors:

 The angle from the basket

 The shot distance

 The shooter's touch.

Basically, the majority of the time, the rebound will occur on the side opposite the shooter.

Shot Angles:

On a shot from the wing the ball will bounce to the opposite side approximately 70% of the time. A few shots will bounce directly back toward the shooter or hit the edge of the rim and deflect straight down.

Low angle shots from along the base line because of the backboard have a much narrower range. However, the percentages are about the same as a shot from the wing.

Shots taken from the top of the circle area are much more difficult to read since they involve a much wider range.  In addition to being short or long, rebounders must determine if the shot is traveling directly to or is to the left or right of the basket.

Shot Distance:

Normally, the longer the shot, the further away from the basket it will bounce.  The shooter's touch will also have an impact on the distance of a rebound.  A shot with high arc and back spin will hit in paint while line drive type shots will rebound further away from the basket. 

Be alert for "Air Balls" and be the first to get to them.

For being a small team, we are doing a great job of rebounding this season. Keep up the good work!

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

A faint but discernable dividing line separates achievers from dreamers.  At first glance this line may be difficult to distinguish. You may be tricked into believing that talent or athleticism draw the line between the doers and dreamers. 

However, if you spent a significant length of time with a group of doers, the line splitting the achievers from the dreamers would become crystal clear.

What makes the difference?  Attitude.  Achievers have a can-do attitude that sets them apart from mere dreamers.  Achievers are sold out to success -- no matter the obstacles -- and they are willing to put forth the effort and pay the price of success.

There are four types of athletes:

Cop-Outs: These athletes set no goals.

Hold-Outs: These athletes have beautiful dreams, but they are afraid to respond to challenges because they lack the self-confidence to overcome difficulties.

Drop-Outs: These athletes clearly define their goals, and, in the beginning, they work hard to make their dreams come true.  However, when the going gets tough, they quit.

All-Outs: These are the stars.  They want to shine bright and they are usually an inspiration to others.  Once all-outs have set their goals, they never quit.  Even when the price gets high and the challenges mount, they’re dedicated.

Their can-do attitudes carry them to greatness.

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THE WILL TO SUCCEED

Came across an excerpt from Michael Phelps' new autobiography -- No Limits:  The Will to Succeed -- in today's Guardian newspaper in London.

Here's a particularly good passage:

A jumble of emotions washed over and around me after winning my eighth gold.

I knew I would find my coach and long-time mentor, Bob Bowman, around the pool deck.  He had trained me, punished me, motivated me, inspired me, and proven to me the connection between hard work and success.

Bob's philosophy is rather simple:  We do the things other people can't, or won't, do.

Bob's expectations are simple, too.  It's like the quote he had up on the whiteboard one day at practice a few months before the Games.  It comes from a business book but in sports it's the same:  "In business, words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality."

Bob is exquisitely demanding.  But it is with him that I learned this essential truth:  Nothing is impossible.

The morning of my last race in Beijing, the 400m medley relay, the stadium was so jam-packed.  I was more than fired up.

I'd gotten a text message that morning from back home, from Troy Pusateri.  When I was just starting out at North Baltimore, Troy was one of the older boys; he used to call me "Little Phelps."

Troy was always mentally tough, too; he went on to become a Navy SEAL.  Of all the messages I got from home during the course of the 2008 Olympics, Troy's is the only one I saved so that I could read it afterwards, get fired way, way up time and again.  This is what it said:

"All right, brother man!!  Last race!!  This one is NOT for you ... it's for your fans, like me, who you inspired every day for the past six years ... it's for Bob and your mom ... for without them none of this would be possible ... it's for the United States ... the best country on the face of the earth ... it's for history!!  It's for you making this sport what it is today!!  It's for all the 215 people who talked smack and doubted you!!  It's for being the best Olympic athlete ever to grace this planet!!!  Go get 'em!!  Don't hold back!!  You can do it, buddy!!  I'm so proud of ya!! 

In the 17th of my 17 swims, the third leg of the relay, I laid down the fastest 100 fly leg in history, 50.15.  I gave it everything I had.  Everything.

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LIFE LESSONS

A blessing even now, three months after the accident that nearly claimed his life, Don Meyer calls it a blessing.  "You can't look at it any other way," he says. 

It was a blessing to crash into a semi that was carrying 90,000 pounds of grain while driving to a team retreat on Sept. 5.  It was a blessing to lose his left leg below the knee, to endure eight surgeries, to spend weeks in the hospital fighting pain so intense that he would croak church hymns as tears streamed down his face.  

It was a blessing, Meyer says, and here's why:  If the wreck hadn't happened, if the doctors hadn't performed emergency surgery to remove his spleen and reattach his diaphragm, they wouldn't have discovered the cancer burrowing into his liver and small intestine until it was too late.

(Northern State basketball coach Don Meyer, the man who only needs five more victories to surpass Bobby Knight for the most wins in NCAA history.)

From a recent Sports Illustrated article on Coach Meyer:

And you could even see it on that awful day in September.  Riding alone in his gray Toyota Prius, Meyer was leading a six-car caravan west on State Highway 20 to a hunting lodge for the Wolves' annual retreat when his car started drifting over the center line.  "I was looking for the turnoff," Meyer recalls, "but then I must have fallen asleep."  An oncoming semi going 50 mph slammed into the left side of Meyer's car, the impact sending the driver's-side doors hurtling skyward as the Prius spun into a ditch. 

When his players reached the car, Meyer was still conscious, but his left side was battered.  Yet instead of panicking, the players summoned the poise that Meyer had already cultivated in them.  One of them called 911.  Senior captain Kyle Schwan asked a few veteran players to help the younger players form a prayer circle, then joined graduate assistant Matt Hammer and sophomore guard Brett Newton next to Meyer.

Schwan grabbed Meyer's hand, and the young men fell back on the slogans of the practice court.  We've gotta be tough, Coach!  It's the fourth quarter!  Dead-ball breathing - relax!  Narrow focus!  NBA!  Next Best Action!

"They saved my life," says Meyer, who was airlifted to an Aberdeen hospital after a 30-minute wait.

"It's a testament to Coach," Schwan says.  "In essence he saved his own life because of the way he taught us."

Here is the link to read the entire article:

It is the essence of what a coach should be -- someone who teaches more than passing, cutting and screening.  He or she teaches life lessons about teamwork, sacrifice, courage, discipline and toughness.

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THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Tonight's game against a good Providence team, wrapped up one tough, yet very educational week of hoops for our team.   I say educational, because I think we learned a lot about our strengths, as well as our weak areas that need some work.  

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

We were outscored in our last three games 181-138, a difference of 43 points.  We missed 33 FT's.  Missed 73 two-pointers (mostly near the basket) and are you ready for this one..... missed 45 three-point attempts during the past three games.  As if those numbers weren't bad enough, we also had 80 turnovers in the past three games.  

Needless to say, those numbers draw a picture of a team that isn't taking care of the ball and settles for the outside shot FAR TOO OFTEN.  We won't beat many good teams by continuing to take low percentage shots when we aren't hot and then average 26 turnovers a game.

Conditioning was definitely a factor in tonight's game.  We've spent so much time trying to get everyone to understand how to execute the plays over the past week or two that we've allowed our conditioning to decline.

So the good news is that we know where we need to improve.  I know some of you are going out of town after Saturday's game, but for those that will be here -- you really need to decide whether or not you want to improve.  And if so, you need to be serious about taking action to make it happen.  

We are not playing to our full potential.

I almost feel sorry for Rocky Bayou on Saturday (NOT!).  They have no clue that the Lady Lions are about to take three losses out on them.

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COURAGE

Courage is the habit of mind that allows us to meet danger, opposition, or hopelessly long odds with poise and resolution.  Courage is not the absence of fear.  Courage means experiencing fear, yet controlling your emotions.

"The Packers thrived on tough competition.  We welcomed it; the team had always welcomed it.  The adrenaline flowed a little quicker when we played the tougher team."

-Vince Lombardi-

THE STORY OF TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

THE OTHER FOUR

The great defensive teams are not only the ones that are great at on-ball defense... it's really those four players behind the player guarding the ball that make the difference.

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Tonight's Video Classroom Part I

In this particular video clip, Heather should have passed FORWARD to Hannah, but instead passed backward to Chelsea which increases a chance for a TURNOVER IN THE BACKCOURT.  Luckily Chelsea was able to dribble out of the pressure.  

Next, Haley calls out RIP.  The problem is…Haley doesn’t RECOGNIZE that she has Chelsea, Hannah AND herself all on the same side of the floor as she initiates RIP.   The play is doomed right from the start.

Second problem.  When Haley passes the ball to Chelsea, guess who ducks to avoid interfering with the pass?  I think she believed the pass was intended for Hannah instead of her. 

We need to do a much better job of showing some patience and position recognition before initiating the plays.  We want to dictate the flow and tempo of the play, but we have to make sure we are aiming at the target before pulling the trigger.

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Tonight's Video Classroom Part II

I think most of us can agree that the RIP Offense has given us more trouble than what was expected and after watching about five minutes of the Pike game it was obvious why.  Most of the problems have been because we are making it much harder on ourselves than necessary by NOT EXECUTING the little things that are CRITICAL for success (especially on the dribble or after the first pass).  

There were several instances of poor execution involving three different players. However, this particular video clip had two different problems that I’ve noticed recently that constantly happen and they just happened to be back-to-back, so I used this clip for the example.  Jess was the unlucky winner of tonight’s video moment.  This is in no way intended to infer that Jess runs it wrong all the time – she doesn’t.  This just happened to have two different items back-to-back that we need to get better at recognizing.

 

In the video clip, notice the following:

Although we weren’t in RIP at the time of the first pass to Jess, she catches the ball and chooses to go to the RIGHT which is STRAIGHT INTO PRESSURE, only managing to get one foot inside the arc before having to pass back out to Haley.  

A much BETTER OPTION would have been to either pass to Chelsea who was WIDE-OPEN in the LEFT CORNER (her favorite spot to shoot from) or the other option would have been for Jess to GO LEFT and take the WIDE-OPEN LANE straight to the basket.

Next, Haley calls out RIP and she drives through on the right side and does a great job of E2 on her man AND Hannah’s man and then passes out Hannah who is WIDE-OPEN for a GOOD LOOK at a three.  

The problem is…in RIP, the person who was supposed to “fill the hole” didn’t MOVE ON THE DRIBBLE as required and was TOO LATE to get into the “safety” spot in case Hannah’s man stayed with Hannah and Haley got into trouble.  Haley wouldn’t have had a safety to throw out to.  Jess started to run to the safety spot only after Haley had passed.

While I'm pointing out little things that we need to address...Haley rushed her 3-point shot from the LEFT side near the end of the clip.  She went up before properly setting her feet (they were too wide).

Oh yes, one more thing to notice.  Check out how Hannah and Haley’s defenders boxed them out following their shots (and Heather boxed out as well).  That is a perfect example of the little things that make a difference throughout the course of a game.

It’s the little things that continue to plague us on offense.  Execute the little things and scoring becomes much easier.

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