YOU DON'T MESS WITH MY TEAMMATES

Came across a great and touching article by Steve Kelley (Seattle Times) on the indescribable bond that true teammates share long after the game is over. Here are a few excerpts…

“Good teammates don't leave ever. They separate, but they're never apart. They stay together long after the last hurrahs.

There is a unique and enduring quality to the relationships of teammates. There is a bonding kind of sixth sense that comes from all the hours in the gym and all the days in hotels.

It comes from all of the joys and disappointments, the thousands of indelible moments that happen away from the bright lights of game night.”

“When you share that much blood, sweat and tears with the same people for four years, there's no way that you can lose sight of them... We all know what it took to get through all those tough moments. The friendships that develop just kind of come naturally.”

“Playing on a team is the part where you learn to be teammates, but at the same time, it's where you're learning how to be friends and how to be family…When you become teammates, you become family.”

4:13

The one thing we learn from history… is that we “don’t” learn from history.

Although there are many personality types throughout the world, there are really only two types of people: positive people and negative people.

Both types can be fun to hang out with and be around, and whether you realize it or not, both types have a definite influence on your attitude and your outlook, especially toward others.

Positive people are relatively easy to spot, they make you feel good when you are around them. Positive people constantly encourage you through their words and actions. They have a habit of pointing out opportunities for you or others to succeed.

Negative people have a habit of wasting opportunities and pointing out the flaws in others and usually develop an independent “I don’t care” type of attitude. They often take pleasure in knowing that others fail.

Take a close look at the people in your life. Are they providing you with encouragement and power to achieve and succeed? Or are they quietly draining that desire and power from you?

Be very careful when choosing the kind of people with whom you associate, because whether you realize it or not, they strongly influence your life. Their negativity becomes contagious, not only in your attitude, but also in your relationships with your friends and teammates.

If we don’t learn from our history… we are doomed to repeat it.

4:13

ANYTHING THING YOU CAN DO....

"Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness,heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice."

- Bethany Hamilton

AIR MAX LEBRON VII REVIEW

The more I look at the new Air Max Lebron VII, the more I like 'em. The latest review is out and the early talk is that these kicks are sure to be the Ferrari of hoops shoes this season.

“One question the sneaker gurus all continue to debate is whether or not the flywire technology can withstand the rigors of an all-out war on the hardwood.

Sure, the Hyperdunk, the Hyperize and the Zoom Kobe IV are without a doubt superb sneakers, however, it remains to be seen how they last over an extended period of time. Yet, after talking with Jason Petrie, the designer of the Air Max LeBron VII, we now know that flywire technology is constantly evolving and this particular sneaker contains additional, sturdy flywire features that the Hyperdunk, Hyperize and Kobe IV shoes do not possess.”

- George Kiel, NiceKicks.com

LADY LION ALUMNI UPDATE

Heard from Haley yesterday. She's loving it at Asbury and hanging with her new peeps (btw, her roomie is 6'1). Although they haven't officially started practicing yet, she did mention that there are 13 Freshman this season which sounds like they're definitely a young team which should be able to make a lot of noise together for the coming years. We wish her the best of luck!

4:13

KEYS TO SUCCEED ON OFFENSE

I believe there are two keys to being successful on offense. The first is by executing your fundamentals the right way. Properly screening, cutting, passing, boxing-out, etc. Sloppy fundamentals lead to turnovers and you won't beat many good teams by continuing to turn the ball over in a game.

The second key to success on offense is by forcing the defense to have to play defense. In other words, don’t make it easy on the defense by allowing them to just stand there and relax while guarding the basket. Force them to move all over the court by moving the ball around. Most teams are poor defenders because playing good defense is hard; the more you make the defense move, the harder it is on them.

On Offense:

• You can’t take bad shots. Shots that are off-balance, out of your range or contested usually end as a wasted offensive possession.
• You can’t turn the ball over due to sloppy ball handling or risky & difficult passes.
• You must move when you don’t have the ball. Movement forces the defense to try and cover you.
• You must help out your teammates by getting them an open look. Create opportunities to get them involved in the offense.

You must make the defense react to you by manipulating them through ball & player movement. Remember playing "monkey in the middle” as a kid? It’s the same concept, you have to make them chase the ball until they’re out of position and you or your teammate find yourself wide-open for an easy basket.

4:13

THE RIGHT WAY TO PLAY DEFENSE

There's nothing more demoralizing to an offense than being forced into taking rushed and hurried shots that end up missing. In struggling to bring the ball up court against defensive pressure. In facing such aggressive defensive pressure that it makes each ball handler so nervous when they have the ball that they would rather not have the ball.

On Defense:

• You can’t give up easy points in transition (fast breaks).
• You must always play to stop the ball, not to stop your man.
• You must understand it’s not “me vs. my man” but it’s “us vs. them.”
• You can’t commit dumb fouls (like reaching-in or while a player is in the act of shooting).
• You must force the ball handler into situations they’re uncomfortable with or haven’t practiced for.

Some players grasp these concepts and others don't. And those who don't are never as successful as those who do.

4:13

09 TEAM KICKS

Got word that most of the team wants to go with the NikeiD Hyperdunks this season. Personally I'm a fan of the Kobe IV, but majority rules. The HD's are $140 per pair (plus tax & S&H) and we'll be hosting another Pancake Breakfast the first week of November to help pay for the them.

Check out the
Nike Hyperdunk iD Basketball Shoe
I designed at NIKEiD.com

Check out the
Zoom Kobe IV iD Basketball Shoe
I designed at NIKEiD.com

Check out the
Zoom Kobe IV iD Basketball Shoe
I designed at NIKEiD.com

WHO'S IN CHARGE?

If you can pass, dribble, and shoot well, you will always dictate to the defense what they do. If you can't and are not fundamentally sound, the defense will dictate what you do.

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WHERE DOES CONFIDENCE COME FROM?

“Confidence is only born out of one thing - demonstrated ability. It is not born of anything else. You cannot dream up confidence. You cannot fabricate it. You cannot wish it. You have to accomplish it. Macho or swaggering kinds of confidence many times are just a cover-up for lack of confidence. I think that genuine confidence is what you really seek for your team and your individual players. That only comes from demonstrated ability.”

- Bill Parcells

LEADERSHIP 101

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. ~ Henry Kissinger

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves~Ray Kroc

Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. ~Harold S. Geneen

Leadership is action, not position. ~ Donald H. McGannon

Where there is no vision, the people perish. ~ Proverbs 29:18

TODAY is the most important day of my life.

Yesterday with its successes and victories, struggles and failures is gone forever... the past is past... Done... Finished.

I cannot relive it. I cannot go back and change it. But I will learn from it and improve my TODAY.

TODAY. This moment... NOW!

It is God’s gift to me and it is all that I have.

Tomorrow with all its joys and sorrows, triumphs and troubles isn’t here yet.

Indeed, tomorrow may never come. Therefore, I will not worry about tomorrow.

TODAY is what God has entrusted to me. It is all that I have. I will do my best in it.

I will demonstrate the best of me in it —

my character, giftedness, and abilities —

to my family and friends and teammates.

I will identify those things that are most important to do TODAY,

and those things I will do until they are done.

And when this day is done I will look back with satisfaction at that which I have accomplished.

Then and only then, will I plan my tomorrow.

Looking to improve upon TODAY, with God’s help.

Then I shall go to sleep in peace... content.

By Dale Witherington

Taken from John Maxwell’s Today Matters

(thanks coach Starkey)

KEEP CLIMBING

A dream doesn't become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

Keep climbing.

4:13

YOU HAVE TO LOVE IT EVEN WHEN IT HURTS

One of the most frustrating parts of being a coach is to be blessed with a player that has tremendous potential, but wastes it because they are either stubborn or they have a poor work ethic (or both).

Stubborn players and/or players with a poor work ethic often see themselves as already being good. They don’t think they need advice or constructive criticism meant to help them improve. They're good at making excuses. They spend more time “talking” about being a great player than they do actually “working” toward becoming a great player.

Great players become great because they are hungry to learn “how to get better.” They are humble enough to understand that there is always something more they can learn to improve their game. They understand that it takes more than "talking about it." It takes hard work and pushing themselves when they feel like giving up. Becoming great isn't something you do when the coach is watching you, it's an all the time 24/7 thing... it's an endless journey.

Becoming great has a lot more to do with your attitude than it does your talent.

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38 SNICKERS

Q. What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

A. The biggest one I learned, and I learned it early on in my tenure in the Army, is the importance of small gestures. As you become more senior, those small gestures and little things become sometimes more important than the grand ones. Little things like saying “please” and “thank you” - just the basic respect that people are due, or sending personal notes.

I’ll never forget one of the interactions we had with my commanding general of the division in which I was a platoon leader. We were at Fort Bragg, N.C. We had miserable weather. It was February and not as warm as you would think it would be in North Carolina. It had been raining for about a week, and the commanding general came around to review some of the platoons in the field. He went to one of my vehicle drivers and he asked him what he thought of the exercise we were on. To which the young private said, “Sir, it stinks.” I saw my short career flash before my eyes at that point.

He asked why, and the private said: “There are people who think this is great weather for doing infantry operations. I personally think 75 and partly cloudy is better.”

And so the commanding general said, “What can I do to make it better for you?” And the private said, “Sir, I sure could use a Snickers bar.” So a couple days later we were still moving through some really lousy weather, and a box showed up for the private. And that box was filled with 38 Snickers bars, which is the number of people in my platoon. And there was a handwritten note from the commanding general of our division that said, “I can’t do anything about the weather, but I hope this makes your day a bit brighter, and please share these with your buddies.”

And on that day, at that time, we would’ve followed that general anywhere. It was a very small thing, and he didn’t need to do it, but it impressed upon me that small gestures are hugely important.

- Gary E. McCullough

The same holds true not only in the way you interact among your teammates, but with those people you interact with on a daily basis. Sometimes the smallest of gestures build the strongest bridges. If you want people to follow your lead, you have to give them a reason to.

4:13

YOU'RE EITHER IN OR OUT

"There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between."

- Pat Riley

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

No one is better than you and no one is smarter than you. If someone is doing better than you at the moment, it is because they have learned and applied specialized knowledge and information faster than you have. And anything that anyone else has done, you can do as well.

From "Victory" by Brian Tracy

WHAT SEPARATES TALENT...

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

- Stephen King

A SECOND CHANCE TO BE A ROLE MODEL

In an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night, Michael Vick said the day he walked into prison he realized "the magnitude of the decisions that I made.” Although it was nice to hear Vick admit blaming no one but himself for landing in prison and losing the $135 million contract that made him the NFL's highest paid player, it was more enlightening hearing him admit that his reputation as a player that didn't work hard and relied mostly on his athletic ability was warranted.

"I was lazy. You know, I was the last guy in the building [gym], first guy out," Vick said. "I know that. You know, I hear everything that people say. And that hurt me when I heard that, but I know it was true."

Although I didn't condone the actions that landed him in prison, I for one, think Michael Vick has paid his debt and I’m glad to see him back in a uniform. However, what pleases me more is to hear him speak of his ordeal. It sounds like he’s been able to grow as a person through his experience and maybe, he can take advanatge of this opportunity to become a real role model based on character and not just on athletic ability alone.

4:13

2009-10 BRINGS SOME CHANGES

This season will be bringing a few new changes to the team. In addition to losing three Seniors to graduation, the Lady Lions will also be losing current Senior Heather Smith, Freshman Chrsytal McDill and her Dad assistant coach Chip McDill. It won’t be the same team without them and we wish them all the best of luck!

Liz Farris will be replacing coach McDill as the new assistant coach. Liz, a former CCS point guard, spent last season as the manager for the Gulf Coast Commodores women’s team and in addition to bringing a contagious work ethic, hopes to bring some fresh ideas & concepts to the program.

And I’d be willing to bet the girls are hoping she doesn’t bring any of coach Skovel’s team rules with her (collect all cell phones before every game, etc) Ha!

4:13

DO YOU BELIEVE IN KAIZEN?

Most analyst attribute Toyota success to its strategy of "Kaizen",which is Japanese for "continuous improvement."

Kaizen is a concept that they consider so important that they have created a specific discipline for it. This discipline covers all areas of organizational improvement. Kaizen is based on the principles of questioning everything, never being satisfied and always looking at every single part of a team to find improvement.

 Not a single day should go by without some kind of improvement being made somewhere in the team.

 Everything can and should be improved.

 Don't just criticize, suggest an improvement.

 Think beyond common sense. Challenge assumptions. Even if something is working, try to find the ways to make it work even better. Ask searching questions.

 Think of how to improve it instead of why it can't be improved.

The Kaizen concept can and should be applied to your game. There are plenty of areas within your game that need improvement and can be worked on daily. Get a piece of paper and make a list of five things (parts of your game) that you want to get better at. Then write down beside each of the five, what you can do (specifically do) daily to improve that area of your game.

4:13

ADVISER, TEACHER, ROLE MODEL, FRIEND

Mentoring is really quite easy and sometimes we make more of it than we should. Fear may keep some of us from mentoring; fear of not having anything to offer or fear of not knowing what to say. In my opinion, mentoring is simply spending time with someone for the purpose of furthering them in a specific area(s). It doesn’t mean you are the expert or have all the answers. It does mean you are willing to take time to share what you do know with someone else to help encourage them to be better.

Each of you are a mentor in some form whether you know it or not. Every action and every word from your mouth is soaked up by the impressionable younger girls that look up to you and want to follow in your footsteps. So be wise in the example you set before them. It's okay to dish out a bowl full of killer wedgies and follow them up with encouraging words that make them feel like part of the team. Alway be the mentor that seeks to produce positive traits and habits in all they do… and in the person and player they eventually become.

4:13

(thanks Melody)

CHEMISTRY TRUMPS TALENT

Ask any dozen coaches “how do you build great team chemistry?” and you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. But if you were to ask those same dozen “is great team chemistry necessary to winning a championship?” and the answer would probably be a unanimous “absolutely!”

Great team chemistry should be No. 1 on any coach’s list of “must have” for achieving sustained success. Talent is a close second, but chemistry is a must. Successfully meshing 12 different personalities (and athletic egos) together into one group with one goal in mind is the beginning of success.

Our lock-in this past weekend was that first step on this season’s journey toward our 5th conference championship in six years.

We started the night by checking out some new kicks from Nfinity and then hoisting our latest banner to the wall. Played some volleyball, some fun team building games, initiated a new player with an impromptu haircut, and of course, ate non-stop until well after midnight including a 2:00 AM ice cream run!

IF WE WERE MORE LIKE DOGS...

On the surface, this doesn't seem like it has much to do with basketball, but I think it has a lot to do with the way we interact with one another both on a team as well as in our daily lives.

If only we could learn to be more like dogs.

Dogs are:

Color blind – Black, white, Asian, Indian, Texan or Lithuanian, dogs see them all the same, love them all the same.

Rich or Poor – Dogs are completely nonjudgmental. The wind in their face out of a VW bug is just as exhilarating as out of a Mercedes. They don’t care if you have a palace or a cardboard box. They love you, not your possessions.

Easily entertained – They don’t need exotic travel and fancy vacations. A dusty stick and a willing arm is bliss.

Joy – They express joy, readily and openly. With the slightest bit of your attention they wag their tail wildly.

Enjoy – They constantly practice the art of stopping to smell the flowers. The warm morning sun streaming in the French doors or cool grass and a slight breeze is heaven on earth.

Vulnerability – They readily exposed their belly to offer you their trust.

Forgiving – No matter what you did or didn’t do to them an hour ago, they readily forgive and don’t hold grudges.

Patient – They will wait all day for you to come home. Even if you are late they aren’t mad; they are only thrilled to see you.

Tough – If they bang their head, they shake it off and don’t pout.

Welcoming – Imagine how we could make people feel if we expressed our excitement every time we saw someone as a dog does every time you come home or someone stops by to visit.

(Thanks to coach Starkey)

FEAR NOTHING

"I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet."

- Nadia Comaneci

Olympic champion