GOAL: MAKE YOUR TEAMMATES BETTER

Doc Rivers recently commented on Phoenix point guard Steve Nash's role and what third-year Boston point guard Rajon Rondo can learn from Nash, who is in his 13th NBA season:

"Every night Steve's agenda is to make his teammates better.  And he does it every night.  He does it some nights by scoring and passing.  Other nights he decides to be a ball mover and does it.  But that's what Nash does every single night.  He always does that.

The one thing that Rondo can learn from Nash is Nash may not play well every night, but he doesn't have an off night.  He has a great mental focus every single night.  He does it every night.  I've never seen him play in a game where he has no focus or low focus.  Young players, in general, are up and down in that."

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RUTHERFORD STATS

Great game tonight.  Rutherford was a little quicker than some of the other teams we've played recently and we had a little trouble containing them early on.  Take a quick look at the comparison in # of possessions between the Freeport game and tonight's game.

Freeport = 90.7 Possessions (.69 pts/poss)

Rutherford = 62.4 Possessions (1.01 pts/poss)

We were far more efficient on offense tonight.

The good news (other than a great win) is that our TO bug is finally over.  Only 14 TO's tonight! Being patient and making the defense play defense paid off.  We scored 20 pts in both the 3rd & 4th Qtrs.  We held Rutherford to just 2 pts in the 3rd Qtr and only 4 pts in the 4th Qtr. 

TEAM STATS:

Points Scored:  63

Points Allowed: 24

Rebs: 29 (20 off/9 def)

Assts: 10

Stls: 28

TO's: 14

Fouls: 20

2FG=39.2% (11/28)

3FG=33.3% (7/21)

FT=46.3% (19/41)

1,000 POINT CLUB

In the eight or nine year history of the girl’s basketball program at Covenant, there have only been three girls that were able to break the 1,000 point barrier.  

The first was a 6’1” center playing on the varsity squad since 8th grade.  The second was a 5’9” phenom that started her varsity career in the 6th grade by replacing a senior at the point guard position.  

And the last was a 5’6” sophomore transfer that worked hard and played harder. She accomplished it in a much shorter time-frame than either of the previous two. We’re proud of you Haley!

Congratulations!

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DEMANDING RESPECT

Before the Bethlehem game, I spoke to the team about the Muhammad Ali & Ernie Terrell fight in 1967 and how the fight wasn’t about money or a championship in as much as it was about Ali demanding respect.  Ali would shout “what’s my name?” before each punch as he beat Terrell into total submission.

At the beginning of last night’s game, when the ref’s called the coaches & captains together for the pregame meeting, one of the Freeport captains made a comment along the lines of: “we didn't know who ya'll were or where ya'll were from.”

Much like Ali, we earned some respect last night.  And I don’t think they will have any trouble remembering who we are.

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A Good Night on the Road.

TEAM STATS:

We broke another record tonight, we had 90 possessions in the game.  We haven't had a game like that since playing Aletheia in the EW Challenge when we had 87 possessions.  We had a lot of possessons but didn't convert very well.  We scored 0.69 points per possession. 

Over all, I thought we looked so much quicker than Freeport, especially int he 4th Qtr.

Points:  63

Points Allowed:  45

Rebs:  23 (11 off/12 def) Not great (avg 35.5)

Asst:  17 Very good!

Stls:  24

TO's:  23

Fouls:  17

2FG = 46.5% (20/43)

3FG = 33.3% (4/12)

FT = 52.4% (11/21) Not good.

Individual Stats:

Sheff: 19 pts, 5 rebs, 7 asst, 6 stls, 2FG=77.7% (7/9)

Chelsea: 7 pts, 3 rebs, 5 asst, 2 stls, 70% FT (7/10)

Jess: 17 pts, 1 reb, 1 asst, 2FG=57.1% (4/7), 3FG=50% (3/6)

Heather: 4 pts, 3 rebs, 2 stls, 2FG=40% (2/5)

Rachel: 8 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asst, 1 stl, 2FG=42.8% (3/7)

Hannah: 2pts, 1 reb, 5 stls, 2FG=14.2% (1/7)

Olivia: 2 pts, 1 reb, 2 asst, 5 stls, 33% (1/3)

Hilliary: 1 stl

Julie: 4 pts, 1 stl, 2FG=100% (2/2)

Chrystal: 1 stl

NO FOULS = POOR DEFENSE?

In his career of nearly 570 NBA games with three teams, Warriors guard Jamal Crawford hasn't fouled out a single time.  And that bothers Golden State assistant coach Keith Smart.

“If you never get in foul trouble, there’s a reason.  You’re probably not close enough to get a foul.  So we’ve got to get him thinking about those things.  I’ve told him, ‘Nobody probably ever told you how important it is that you play defense.  This is something that has to be a part of you.  You have to give more effort playing defensively.’  

Although I agree that to play great defense you have to be close enough to get a foul, but please don’t think that having few or no fouls means you should become a raving maniac on defense.  Playing smart defense should always be your first priority.  That means containing your man and forcing them to pass rather than driving or shooting. 

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2-2-1 Press.  They also run a 1-2-2 Press.  Expect to see both looks during the game

Freeport's 1-3-1 zone.  

Although they are playing a much weaker team (Laurel Hill) in this video, know that they WILL double-team the ball.  Be decisive when you have the ball and make them pay for the double-team.

SCOUTING FREEPORT

Watched the game tape from the Freeport Tournament and made a couple of observations that you should keep in mind before tomorrow's game.  

• Their best all-around player is #24 (PG) and she LOVES the 3-pointer. As a point of comparison, she's hit 51 this season (we as a TEAM have hit 54 this season).  We can not leave her open for 3's.  She WILL boxout on every shot.

• Their best rebounder & defender is #10.  She's averaging 6.7 RPG and 3.1 SPG.  Not great numbers, but she looks like the best they have.
  

• Keep an eye on #4, she's not a consistent shooter, but she attempted seven 3's during the game (she hit two).

• They ran a 2-2-1 Press for most of the game, much like Bethlehem did.  Beat the Press (make them pay for running it against us) a few times and they'll pull out of it.

• Their normal half court defense is an aggressive 1-3-1 Zone.  Take advantage of their aggressiveness with E2's, screens and look for backdoor cuts.  Study this simple play, because we will use it against Freeport.

Rachel will screen for Sheff or Olivia while they E2 the defenders (#2 & #4).  E2-ing the #2 & #4 defenders will force them to stop the ball and allow Chelsea a backdoor cut.  Heather will screen the outside defender (#3) for a back door cut by Jess or Hannah.

ESPN Update on Coach Meyer

For those that remember the Blog entry back in December regarding Coach Meyer's accident, ESPN just updated the story with a video.

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DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

Success is not defined by victories.   It is the peace of mind, which is a direct result of the self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the very best you were capable of doing.

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DO YOU LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING?

Enthusiasm is one of the cornerstones of success for every elite athlete. Without enthusiasm, you cannot work up to your fullest ability and potential; you're just going through the motions. And just going through the motions won't bring you to the level of competitive greatness you are capable of, whether in basketball, or in life.

Be enthusiastic about what you do... or do something different.

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JUST FOR FUN

Being a Seminole fan, I knew my Florida Gator friends at work would eventually throw a few jabs at me.  So here's a break from basketball for a few laughs.

The Tallahassee Police are cracking down on speeders heading into Tallahassee.  On the first offense, they give you two FSU football tickets.  If you get caught speeding a second time, they make you use them.

Q:  What do you call 53 athletes sitting around watching the National Championship game on TV?

A:  The FSU football team.

Q:  What do the Seminoles and Billy Graham have in common?

A:  They can both make 80,000 people stand up and yell “Jesus!” (I know, that one was iffy)

Q:  How do you keep a Seminole football player out of your yard?

A:  Put up a yellow goal post.

Q:  What do you call a Seminole player with a recent ACC Championship ring?

A:  A thief.

Q:  What’s the difference between the Seminoles and a dollar bill?

A:  You can still get four quarters out of a dollar.

Q:  How many Seminoles does it take to win the ACC Championship?

A:  It’s been so long no one really remembers.

Q:  What do the Seminoles and opossums have in common?

A:  Both play dead at home and get killed on the road.

Q:  What do you call a crime ring in Tallahassee?

A:  An FSU huddle.

THE SMART TAKE FROM THE STRONG

How does Princeton, an Ivy League school that does not offer athletic scholarships, manage to hold their own against some pretty good D-I schools?

The philosophy behind the Princeton Offense couldn't be simpler: PLAY SMART. 

Of course, it helps that their players are smart, after all, they did get into Princeton.  Playing smart  compensates for lack of size and talent.  They focus on winning through intelligence, selfless play, and in-your-face defense.

They control the tempo, they minimize turnovers, and they make the defense play defense. They don’t take the first open shot, they work the ball around until they find the shot they want - and it is usually an 'easy shot.'

The Smart Take from the Strong.

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YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR HUSTLE

Now in his 12th NBA season, Sacramento Kings guard Bobby Jackson not only understands the game, but understands why certain coaching decisions are made.

Based on this quote, Bobby has the mindset of a coach, too.

"If you're not doing the things to help us win games, then you've got to come out.  When a guy isn't performing the way you expect, then he has to come sit down.  When I become a coach, I'm going to do the same thing.  You can't let guys think it's okay to play [selfishly or be lazy]... They end up making a mistake instead of making the simple play.  Here, it's about guys wanting to score instead of making the extra pass, thinking of the team concept.  But, hey, you're not always going to shoot well.  You can't always control that.  But you can control your effort on rebounding, on defense.  You can control whether you hustle."

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IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN...YOU CAN

Loved how Vandy's women's coach Melanie Balcomb got her team ready to play Tennessee this past Sunday.  Instead of telling her players that it was "just another game," Coach Balcomb changed her strategy.

"I talked to some people in the offseason that said, 'It is a big deal.  What are you thinking? You're going to walk into your own gym and have a crowd that's the biggest crowd you're going to get all year.  It's going to look different, it's going to be orange.  They're bigger than any team you play and you better do something different.' "

According to this article, Coach Balcomb "made radical changes in the team's' preparation.  She played UT's fight song over the public address system, had the male students the players practice against wear UT uniforms, and had 'Tennessee' doormats made for the players to step on as they came onto the court."

The result?

Vandy upset the No. 7 Lady Vols, 74-58, for their first win over UT in nearly seven years and broke UT's 16-0 streak over them.

After the game Vols coach Pat Summitt summed it up..."I'm really disappointed in our team," Summitt said.  "I don't want to take a thing away from Vanderbilt.  I thought they did a super job.  They were a lot tougher than us defensively and a lot more aggressive offensively."

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REPITITION = MUSCLE MEMORY

The following is a story told by Anthony Robbins in his book "Awaken The Giant Within."

"The power of conditioning can’t be overestimated.  I read recently that Boston Celtics great Larry Bird was doing a soft-drink commercial in which he was suppose to miss a jump shot. He made nine baskets in a row before he could get himself to miss!  That’s how strongly he’s conditioned himself over the years.  When that ball hits his hands, he automatically goes through a pattern that is aimed at putting the ball through the hoop.  I’m sure that if you examined the portion of Larry Bird’s brain that is linked to that motion, you would discover a substantial neural pathway.  Realize that you and I can condition any behavior within ourselves if we do it with enough repetition and emotional intensity."

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REMINDER - WHEN YOU GET INTO THE PAINT...

I know I’ve covered this before, but with Bethlehem coming up this week I think it would be beneficial to go over some of these again as a refresher.  Lately, we seem to be having a tougher time than usual finishing at the basket, so let this soak in.

Any time you get into the lane (or the paint) you need to remember the following:

Rule #1 - DON’T HURRY!

Get POWERFUL.  

When you get into the paint, you have to get powerful, both physically & mentally.  Physically you have to set your feet (wide and your butt low) and get on balance.  The best way to get physical in the paint is a dynamic jump stop. Mentally you have to expect that you will be slapped & bumped.  You have to expect the defenders to converge on you.  Don’t act surprised.  When you get into the paint, you better get strong both physically & mentally.

Always PEEK.

Although we’ve covered this many-many times before, few of you have made it a habit to peek at the rim (take your eyes to the rim).  When you get into the paint, it will create openings all around you as the defense converges on you, but it won’t do you any good if your head is down.  If you are able to get into the paint and get that close to the rim, you are ‘dangerous’ to the defense.  If you’ll just look to the rim, defenders hands will immediately start going up.  It makes you much harder to guard if their hands are going up because that opens up all kinds of passing lanes to your teammates.  But if you keep your head or your eyes down, the defenders hands are probably down as well.

If you will just peek at the rim, you will be amazed at how defenders will immediately raise their hands and they’ll normally leave their feet with the slightest fake, and passing angles open up all around you.

Be PATIENT.

We have not shown much patience in the paint lately.  We have a tendency to rush or hurry our shot, which typically results in a missed lay up.  I’m not asking you to be patient for 5 or 6 seconds.  The difference between a good shot and a rushed shot is usually less than 1 second.  That 1 second is usually the difference between you finishing your shot and looking special, and missing the easy lay up and looking like you don’t know what you are doing.  Again – don’t hurry when you get into the paint.  Be patient.

Be PURPOSEFUL.

Be decisive when you get into the paint.  You can’t be tentative.  Most players that get into the paint play not to mess up or play not to make mistakes.  Well, basketball is a game of mistakes, the best players in the world make mistakes all the time.  You can’t play not to make mistakes, because if you do, you are only going to disappoint yourself.  When you get to the paint, be purposeful.  Take a purposeful shot, make a purposeful pass, make a purposeful ball fake.  Don’t get into the paint and wait for something to happen…make something happen!

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CHECK THIS ONE OUT

With the Bethlehem game coming up this week, I start purusing online and found this on MaxPreps this morning:

Alabama High School Basketball

Bethlehem overwhelmed by Providence Christian 

(December 5, 2008: Dothan, AL) The Bethlehem Wildcats basketball team (Bonifay, FL), was overwhelmed 73-30 in Friday's non-league battle with the host Providence Christian Eagles (Dothan, AL) 

The Eagles now possess a 5-0 record.  They play next when they host Florala for a non-league battle on Tuesday, December 9.  Providence Christian will battle a Wildcats team coming off a 41-28 non-league loss to Straughn (Andalusia, AL).  The Wildcats record now stands at 0-2. 

The Wildcats (0-1) will now prepare for their battle against Covenant Christian (Panama City, FL).  The come into the non-league battle with a 7-1 record.   In their last battle, Covenant Christian was overwhelmed by Pike Liberal Arts (Troy, AL), 55-45, in a non-league battle.

I guess Bethlehem really was 'overwhelmed' with a 43 point loss to Providence (smile).

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WORTH TO THE TEAM

A father had three sons, and they all worked for the same man, a dealer in furs.  One day the father went down to talk to the president of the company, an old boyhood friend.  He went into the office and said, "Jim, my three boys all work for you and I appreciate your giving them positions.  I have a question that's bothering me.  You pay one of them $200 a month, one of them $300 a month, and one of them $500.  Why?"

The president leaned back in his chair and was silent for a few moments. Then his face brightened as he answered, "Well, maybe I can show you why right this minute.  Have you got a while that you can stay here?"  "I can stay all day:' the father said. "Well, you might have to stay all day. Make yourself at home."

He picked up the telephone and called one of the boys, the $200 boy.  He said, "I understand the Ontario has just docked at the wharf, loaded with furs.  Please go down there and see what cargo she's carrying and let me know." About three minutes later the president's telephone rang and the young fellow said, "I didn't even have to go down there to get the information.  I telephoned down.  They have fifteen hundred seals." The president said, "Thank you."

He buzzed the next boy, the $300 boy and said, "The Ontario has just docked.  Will you please go down and see what she has on board and let me know at your earliest convenience?" About an hour later the telephone rang and he said, "I just went down and checked the Ontario.  She's got fifteen hundred seals on board."

He rang the third boy, the $500 boy.  He said, "The Ontario has docked,” and he told him the same story and made the same request.  The boy came back four hours later and came right on into the president's office.  He said, "Well, she had fifteen hundred seals on board and all are in good shape.  I bought them for five dollars apiece, and filled that order we had from one of our customers.  He bought all of them from us at seven dollars apiece.  The Ontario also had five hundred red fox pelts.  Of course, we don't handle red fox, but I knew who wanted them, so I called him long distance and made a sale.  The deal will net us about $4000.  There were also thirty-nine minks on board.  I went in and examined them.  They are beautiful; they are the finest.  Since you always like to handle the mink trade yourself, I took an option on them for an hour so I could report to you."

The president said, "Thank you,' and the young man left.  Jim asked the father, "Is your question answered?" "Yes,' replied the father, "One of the boys didn't even obey you, the other went only halfway, but one of them gave you everything he had."

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WANT A QUICKER SHOT RELEASE?

Came a cross a video that reinforces why we teach you to be 'dangerous' and 'greedy' when asking for the ball.  It shows why you should already be in position to shoot the moment your fingers touch leather.

Being ready to shoot the moment your fingers touch leather gives you a much quicker shot release against your defender.  It means you won't be going through uneccessary motions &  movements once you catch the ball.  Notice the time it takes to get his shot off?  Less than a second.

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BE UNREASONABLE

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." 

- George Bernard Shaw 

Leaders must be 'unreasonable' because success does not occur naturally.  99% of the things that happen naturally on teams are friction, segregation and laziness.  Everything else is the result of leadership.  To be successful, every team needs at least one ‘unreasonable’ leader who will drive the team to greatness.  You have to be the catalyst for your team. 

If you want your team to be great you: 

- can't tolerate mediocrity. 

- can't permit people to get distracted by trivial issues. 

- can't allow people to fall into the trap of the comfort zone. 

- can't let people give up or give in. 

- can't accept lame excuses. 

Because of your intense commitment and unrelenting will, you must DEMAND certain standards from yourself AND from your teammates.  Why?  Because you have invested too much to settle for anything less.

 

You must be unreasonable when you observe laziness. 

You must be unreasonable when you see selfishness. 

You must be unreasonable when you hear negativity. 

Sometimes your unreasonableness must come across softly when you ENCOURAGE, COAX, AWAKEN, PERSUADE, INSPIRE... 

Other times your unreasonableness must come across harshly when you CHALLENGE, PROVOKE, PROD, PUSH, PULL, INCITE, GOAD, BADGER, HOUND, ENFORCE... 

Bottom Line: As a leader, you must be UNREASONABLE when it comes to your team's success. 

You just can't afford to be intimidated, timid, uninvolved, permissive, apathetic, or "reasonable." 

As George Bernard Shaw's quote reminds us: 

Your team's progress depends on it... 

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#1 PLAYER COMMANDMENT - CONTROL

#1 commandment of a good player  – play under control.

Control of the ball – of your body - of your emotions – of the tempo – of the game.

There’s nothing more important for a player to be than under control.  It drives coaches crazy to have a player on the floor that doesn’t play under control.  When the ball is in your hands, you want your coach to feel relaxed and confident.  Not nervous and worried and unsure about what you’re going to do next.

It’s easy to play fast & out of control.  That’s not special, a whole bunch of players can do that.  It’s also easy to play slow & under control.  That’s not special either.  

If you want to be special, you’ve got to learn to play fast & with control. You must play with quickness & composure.  When you think of players that play quick & yet play with control, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Chris Paul all come to mind.  They play very fast, yet they play under control.

Playing under control is something that you should look to show off and almost be arrogant about.  Too many players try and show off all the wrong stuff about their game.  They’ll try and show off their ability to jump real high and block a shot.  Or show their ability to hit some tough shot while falling out of bounds, or by throwing a risky thread the needle type of pass and what they don’t understand is that stuff like that may impress the average fan, good coaches are NOT impressed by that type of stuff.  

If you want to impress a coach, then you should show off your ability to play quick & under control.  That impresses a good coach.

And one of the best ways to show off that control is using dynamic jump stops. The ability to go fast and stop on a dime and under control is one of the most impressive things you can do.  The ability to race the ball up the court, past defenders, into the arc and into the paint and then stop under control, you’ve got a chance to look special.  AND it makes you extremely difficult to guard.  How many times have we watched Hannah D or Heather jump stop and finish at the basket as their defender flies right by them?

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START EVERY POSSESSION WITH TWO HANDS

How many times have you seen a player catch a pass one-handed and immediately go into a dribble?  Or  see player go after a rebound with one hand and again immediately go into a dribble?  Or my personal pet-peeve, trying to gain possession of a loose ball by trying to dribble it, rather than picking it up.

These simple “bad habits” can cost your team unnecessary and unforced turnovers.  And against good teams, unnecessary and unforced turnovers can end up costing your team the game.

Make it a habit to catch the ball with two hands and concentrate on the catch before you do anything else.  Focus on grabbing the rebound with two hands.  Pick up a loose ball with two hands - pick it up and look ahead (PEEK) before dribbling.  

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JUMP IN ALL THE WAY - DON'T BE SCARED!

There's a classic Winston Churchill story I've always loved.  He apparently was a bit tipsy at a fancy party, and a woman was disgusted that such a prominent man had taken the occasion to be drunk. "Mr. Churchill," she reportedly uttered, "you are drunk."

"I may be drunk, Madam," he replied. "But in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly."

Mr. Churchill had exhibited both boldness and absolute commitment in what he believed by saying what he said.  He jumped in with both feet and abandoned all avenues of retreat, regardless of the consequences that followed.    

Until one is completely committed, there is hesitancy -- a chance to retreat (which he probably should have done).  Commitment is the most critical component in any relationship, especially in sports -- in fact it’s absolutely critical in sports.  If you are going to play, commit to going all the way – jump in with both feet!

Commitment and boldness will beat talent every time.

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