I BELIEVE IN US

Not a Miami fan, but this is a great commercial which echoes what every successful team believes. Is this your team?

REAL PLAYERS ARE EASY TO SPOT

"As I travel around the country and work out with the best of the best from the High School, College, and NBA levels, I am continually reminded of what these players have in common that makes them great:"

• they want to get better
• they want to know everything they can that will help them become a better basketball player
• they are committed to improvement of their bodies and their game
• they are very serious about the game every time they hit the floor
• they want to be coached

- Kevin Eastman (Asst. Coach Boston Celtics)

It's not hard to spot that kind of player... the game is a part of them.

4:13

ONE DOWN - ONE TO GO

I can't think of too many instances where a small school like ours (54 students) can take on a 5A school (1,700+ students) and come away with a 20-point win... especially when we are playing without two of our top six players.

We shot 55.2% from inside the arc tonight and 44.4% from outside.

We had 15 assists and 16 steals.

The last non-conference game on our schedule is Tuesday when we travel to Freeport.

ALMOST OVER THE HUMP

Tonight's 65-46 win started out as an exercise in patience for the coach, and fortunately ended with the players [hopefully] understanding that patience on offense leads to open looks (21 assists) and open looks usually lead to wins. We shot 38.1% from outside (8 of 21) and 50% inside the arc (18 of 36).

MEETING ADVERSITY HEAD-ON

“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.”

- John Heywood

This week has been full of adversity and yet we met it head-on and without hesitation.

In addition to dropping a game to the #3 ranked team in Alabama Div 1A, we lost Lea to a sprained knee for at least a week. With Rutherford (5A) and Freeport (2A) both looking for some revenge this week, focus and determination will carry us through.

4:13

THE BIGGEST ROOM IN THE WORLD

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.

Players are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

(thanks James Allen)

REJOICE IN ADVERSITY

"Great men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war."

- Seneca

DON'T TRY TOO HARD

What do successful competitive runners all have in common? They forget they're in a race, they just love to run.

Are you trying too hard?

4:13

TEACHING DOES NOT EQUAL LEARNING

When does a student learn how to add? When the teacher explains that 2+2=4 or when she plays with some blocks and sees for herself that when she puts two red blocks and adds two blue blocks, she now has four blocks?

Or, does the learning occur when the student takes home an assignment and works through 50 problems on her own, making mistakes and trying to figure out the right answer?

Teaching does not equal learning.

The explanations and demonstrations are an important part of learning, but the learning occurs when the student makes sense of the explanation and demonstrations and works through the problem/skill through a trial-and-error process until she gets the hang of it. Once she gets the hang of it (learns), then she practices and practices until she masters the skill.

Basketball skills are no different.

Learning does not occur when the coach explains and demonstrates the skill. The learning occurs as the player practices the skill through the trial-and-error process. If I explain a skill – proper shooting technique – and give an explanation and demonstration, I cannot expect that players will have mastered the skill simply through my teaching. The players need time to practice the technique. They need to make mistakes and fix their errors.

There is a problem with this logic though, players often are afraid to change techniques during a season because during that process of change, there will be a period of difficulty where they are basically letting go of the old and embracing the new... in essence, they are starting over. And since they are competing for playing time, players are reluctant to even consider trying to get better through the process of change.

If I introduce the proper way to shoot the ball with consistency, as a coach, I cannot devote 30 minutes of practice to learning the proper footwork for a shot or the proper follow-through. So, I introduce the proper technique and quickly move to more pressing things. For the player to learn the proper technique, she must take the explanation and demonstration and practice on her own. But, with 2 hours of practice per day, plus homework, how many players have time to spend additional hours practicing on their own? If I do not give the players considerable time to practice their individual skills, when do they develop?

There's an old saying that comes from coaches pushing their players to spend time during the Summer working on their game so they'll be ready once the season starts:. “Players are made during the summer and teams are made in the winter.”

4:13

(thanks Brian McCormick)

PRESSURE vs. POISE

Every athlete eventually suffers through a performance slump. More often than not, the cause is usually a flaw in their mechanics or their technique that has crept in, and those can typically be identified by a coach and easily tweaked to get things back on track.

However, one of the dreaded side-effects of a performance slump that is far more difficult to remedy… is a loss of confidence.

Confidence is knowing you can… rather than hoping you can.

The heart and soul of mental toughness in sports is confidence. The ability to stay calm under pressure and maintain your focus and concentration when things aren’t going your way.

Every game will have a certain amount of pressure involved. The key factor in determining your success is whether or not you allow that pressure to outweigh your poise and confidence.

4:13

TWO SETS OF THREES

"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player."

- John Wooden

The "two sets of threes" are direct and simple rules aimed at how we should conduct ourselves in life. The first set is about honesty:

Never lie.

Never cheat.

Never steal.

It requires no explanation.

The second set of threes is about dealing with adversity:

Don't whine.

Don't complain.

Don't make excuses.

Some people may think these are naive or kind of dumb. But think about what they mean for a moment and who you become if you abide by them. That isn't naive. You don't become dumb.

(thanks Coach Wooden)

DON'T GIVE UP - LOOK FOR A BETTER WAY

"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work."

- Thomas Edison

When you begin to feel like your game is in a funk and that everything you do is wrong... don't get frustrated and give up. Instead, ask yourself if there is a better way to get the results you want.

4:13

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE

Saw some good stuff in last nights game between the only two undefeated teams remaining in the PCC East Region.

Although the first half felt somewhat nip & tuck with both teams trading baskets at will. Focus, patience and discipline is what fueled our 20-3 run to open up the second half and put the game out of reach.

Lea and Hannah's defense prevented Brock & Stephanie from ever being a factor in the game, holding both to a combined 12-points for the night.

WHAT SEPARATES GOOD FROM GREAT

The one thing that separates average players from great players is their ability to maintain their focus and concentration on the task at hand.

Every player wants to win, but great players refuse to lose.

4:13

UNDERSTANDING YOUR REAL OPPONENT

Coaches will often create an “enemy” of sorts out of your opponent in an attempt to give the team some additional motivation. The problem with this type of motivation is that it can often make players think that they are competing against their opponent… they are not!

Regardless of the sport, the real competition is always (and has always been) against yourself and no one else.

Regardless of the opponent... are you doing the very best that you are capable of doing according to your ability?

4:13

OUR POWER GOES ONLY WHERE DIRECTED

A basketball game is full of highs and lows. The high that comes from a perfectly executed play that results in a score… to the frustrating low that comes from making a dumb pass and throwing the ball away when we needed it most.

If you were to stop and think about your lows in the last game… I would bet that most of the lows you experienced were the result of you failing to exercise discretion and self-control during the game. You know, the stuff you wish you could do over again?

Our power goes only where directed. Each one of us has the privilege of selection… of choosing the path to which we wish to direct this power.

4:13

“This guy goes about stuff like a man killing snakes."

A few months before the start of the college football season, an NCAA-commissioned a study that concluded no connection between the millions of dollars poured into coaches' salaries and on-the-field success.

Alabama's rebuttal has been loud and convincing.

Hired three years ago, Alabama’s Nick Saban has coached the Crimson Tide football team to an undefeated record, No. 1 ranking and shot at the school's first national championship in 17 years.

Since Saban took over, he has led Alabama to 25 victories in 27 games.

There remains no better example of Saban's single-mindedness than his decision, the summer before his second season with the Dolphins, to decline an invitation to dinner in Miami with then-President George W. Bush. Saban was too wrapped up in his team's training camp.

“This guy goes about stuff like a man killing snakes. He's got an intensity and a professional focus that you don't often see in any profession, whether it's lawyering or whatever," says Marsh, who spent six years as Alabama's faculty athletics representative.

Do you have the intensity and professional focus to have people talk about your game in the same way? Why not?

4:13

Countdown... 1 day and a wake up

Few games this season have elicited the "payback" mentality that the upcoming Arnold game has. We beat ourselves in the last game... we know it, but does Arnold?

Game Goal #1

Play with passion, focus & discipline for 32 minutes

Game Goal #2

Take care of the ball (less than 12 TO's)

Game Goal #3

Defend without fouling

Game Goal #4

Look for the easy shots & finish those shots

Game Goal #5

Get JoJo (#32) & Candace (#20) in foul trouble early

JUST DO IT

"Just do it. Just do the best job you can, go as hard as you possibly can, practice as hard as you possibly can. Just leave it all out there on the floor. That's all you can ask of yourself at the end of the day. If you're comfortable going home, looking in the mirror and saying you played 100 percent every single night, that's fine."

- Kobe Bryant

THOUGHTS ON SPACING

Spacing is a concept that many coaches and players talk about but very few really spend time understanding. We utilize spacing so that we can put the maximum amount of pressure on our opponents’ help defense.

We feel we not only have to take advantage of defensive mismatches every game, we have to put as much pressure on the “help & recover” part of the opponents’ defense as possible. We believe the key to accomplishing this is through our spacing.

Our goals with our spacing are:

- make it difficult for one man to guard two

- make them be in a constant “close out” game defensively

- give the ball room to make a play (do not crowd the ball)

- distort their help, their recoveries, and their rotations

Some guidelines of spacing:

- stay 12’ – 15’ apart

- stay on a string with the player next to you; be ready to fill an open spacing spot if she cuts or rolls

- be prepared to “drive the open lane”; make a “decisive catch & read”

(thanks Kevin Eastman)

WHERE ARE YOU?

Game day preparation isn’t all stretches and drills. While a lot of players tend to focus on the physical aspects of the game, it is just as important to focus on the mental aspects in your preparation.

If you neglect the mental preparation, you can end up being distracted, and even if it doesn’t happen to affect you personally, it can affect your team, and when you affect your team in a negative fashion, it ends up affecting everyone.

If you are having some type of major event in your life, good or bad, get it off your chest before the game... preferably on the morning of the game. If you have it swirling in your head it will distract you in one way or another, or at the very least cause a delay in your reaction time.

When you go into a game you need to clear your head and keep your mind on game related things only. This isn’t to say that you have to forget about things that are important to you, or that you are to forget about personal matters, it’s just best to temporarily put them on the back burner so that you can concentrate.

Wherever you are... be there and no where else.

(thanks Eitel)

Allow it to happen without getting frustrated.

When we plant a rose seed in the ground, we notice it is small, but we do not criticize it as “rootless and stemless.” We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed.

When it first shoots up out of the ground, we don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear.

We stand in wonder at the process taking place and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development. The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies.

Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly alright as it is.

Whether you are trying to improve your shot or improve your handles... it's not going to a one or two practice thing to get better. The first step in getting better is to recognize that there is a process of growth that has to take place. Allow it to happen without getting frustrated.

(thanks Tim Gallwey)

NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONFIDENCE

"Confidence is hard to teach; confidence is only born 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. I think that genuine confidence is what you really seek that only comes from demonstrated ability." - Bill Parcels

Shooters have bad days and suffer through slumps, but great shooters, moreover great players, never allow their confidence to waver. Shooters have short memories and always believe their next shot is good.

"Life is a collection of self-fulfilling prophecies" - John Naber; therefore, it is imperative that a shooter truly believes in herself and her shot. The confidence is more vital to success than any technique a coach can teach.

Great shooters never think about missing; once the negative enters the mind, the chances for success are lessened. Michael Jordan said: "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot. Why? Because when you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result." Jordan was not a phenomenal shooter, but at the end of the game, nobody is better. The pressure never affected Jordan; it raised his level of play, sharpened his focus. He believed the shot was going in, so a game winning shot never had added pressure. His confidence created a calm enabling him to knock down the big shots.

YOU BETTER BE GIVING 100%

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest cheetah or it will be killed.

Every morning a cheetah wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a cheetah or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.

SOME THOUGHTS ON SHOOTING

It's no secret that we've been placing an enormous amount of practice time into sharpening our shooting skills over the Christmas break (200 made shots/player per practice) and I think the results of that work will be seen in our game on Tuesday.

It’s no secret that the best shooters in the NBA are also the ones who work on their shots the most.

Kobe's shooting workouts are stuff of legend. 2,000 shots a day!!! Reggie Miller was always out there two or three hours before every game, perfecting his shot. Ray Allen is on the floor three hours before every game working on his shot. He actually works at such a game-like speed that he sweats nearly as much in his pre-game routine as many players do in a game!

Some of the key points:

• take “game shots from game spots at game speed”
• be “ready on the catch” – knees bent; feet ready; hands ready
• have “10 toes to the rim” – if you have 10 toes to the rim you will be squared up
• keep “feet under shoulders” – gives you balance
• remember that “the quality of your feet determines the quality of your shot” – footwork is so important to balance, and balance is so important to a quality shot
• have "fingers down - not up or sweeping sideways" - the hand/fingers follow-through should remain consistent on each shot - fingers downward
• have “perfect follow through”— there are three ways to follow through (the first two are wrong and often lead to a missed shot): (1) straight up to the ceiling – forces shot to be short (2) straight at the rim – forces a short “no arc” shot (3) a follow through half way between both – up and over the front rim so that the shooting elbow ends up above eye level
• have “perfect feet – perfect follow through” – the beginning of the shot (the feet) and the end of the shot (the follow through) are the most important parts of the shot

(thanks Kevin Eastman)