WHAT ARE WE DOING TO PREPARE TO WIN?

In a matter of months, first-year coach Jimbo Fisher has changed the entire strength program and weight room, which now includes about 15 plasma-screen TVs. The locker room has been rearranged so that offensive and defensive players alternate and hulking linemen are next to smaller skill players. The offensive and defensive staffs now meet together to break down film instead of watching it separately. The team eats every meal together. The meals are chosen for the players. "He's taken control of pretty much everything," quarterback Christian Ponder said.

After three seven-win seasons in the past four years, somebody had to.

"Everything is coming from one voice," said offensive line coach Rick Trickett, one of the few holdovers from Bowden's staff other than Fisher, who was Bowden's offensive coordinator the past three years. "He knows what he wants to do. He knows exactly how he wants to do it, and we're doing it that way."

Fisher said the most important thing he wanted to change was the team's attitude.
"It goes back to the process," he said. "If we want to win, what are we doing to prepare to win? How are we preparing our bodies, how are we preparing our minds? How are we preparing to be a teammate and understanding what being a teammate is? If those things take place, the big things come. We have talented players. Do we have the most? I don't know that, but I don't think we have the least. I think we know we're pretty good. Getting the mind right, and getting them to understand and care for each other and take ownership of each other, that's crucial." The players seem to be buying in.

"We're not having to coach effort anymore," Trickett said.

"We just didn't have the coaching mentally that we needed. It was all about being tough, and we were tough, but mentally we were taking the wrong steps... he's put a big point on us to actually learn how to play football instead of going out on the field and counting on our athleticism."

(Thanks ESPN)

FRESH KICKS FALL 2010

The long awaited basketball lineup from Under Armour hits shelves in November. This is a picture of the four models set to release. No other info has been released yet (especially pricing or a review).

WHEN IS ENOUGH...ENOUGH?

After reading about Chipley High School’s Karsten Whitson turning down a pretty good chunk of change last week to play pro baseball and deciding to go to the University of Florida instead, I couldn’t help but wonder if he made the right decision.

The San Diego Padres used the ninth overall pick to select the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder in the first round of June’s MLB Draft and offered him between $1.9 and $2 million to play. But Whitson apparently felt he was worth a little more and declined the offer. Kent Whitson (father) said the terms offered by the San Diego "were not even close” to sway the right-handed pitcher. “He just had a value on his talent, and put himself at a certain value," Kent Whitson told the Floridan. "The team, based on the monetary value of their offer, didn’t see the value that Karsten felt was warranted by his abilities."

How much is an 18 year old kid right out of high school really worth?

We may never know. Once he enrolls at UF, Whitson won’t be eligible to be drafted again until after his junior season in three years. An injury, either on or off the field, could easily end his career and the opportunity to earn some serious bank while playing the game he loves. He could have even opted to go to a junior college, where he would have been eligible to be drafted again next spring.

The bottom line… Since his decision to reject the Padres offer, his story has been covered by ESPN, USA Today and a multitude of other media outlets. Unfortunately, it appears he will probably be remembered not as a great baseball talent, but as the greedy kid who turned down $1.9 million because it wasn’t enough.

“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing; others judge us by what we have done.”

- Henry W Longfellow

(Thanks News Herald & Jackson Floridian)

RESPECT – WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?

Over the past few days I have witnessed three different incidents where total chaos has been stirred up through a lack of respect for others.

Here are a few simple rules that if you will live by, you can avoid chaos and believe it or not, people will see something different about you:

1. If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).

2. If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).

3. If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.)

4. If someone consistently will not come to me, say, “Let’s go see him together.” (I’ll do the same for you.)

5. Be careful how you interpret me. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misinterpret intentions.

6. I will be careful how I interpret you.

7. If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If anyone comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell unless (a) the person is going to harm him/herself; (b) the person is going to physically harm someone else. I expect the same from you.

8. I do not believe unsigned letters or notes.

9. I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated. Do not let others manipulate you; do not let others try to manipulate me through you.

10. When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.

(Thanks John Maxwell)

THE INVISIBLE TURNOVER

An invisible TO is a shot that is a CONTESTED, a shot that is OFF BALANCE, or a shot that is OUT OF YOUR RANGE. Those type of shots create an invisible TO that doesn't show up on the score sheet, but hurts your team's efficiency.

(Thanks PGC)

LEADERS LIVE IT

There are so many players in so many fields that want to be in a leadership position but don’t want to deal with the toughest part of leadership. To be an effective leader, you must be able to tell the truth.
Sounds simple, but there are lots of factors that go with this statement. First and foremost, a leader can’t discriminate as to who he leads. If you’re a leader, your job is to lead everyone, on your team, whether you like every person or not.

The hardest part often becomes: can you tell your best friend(s) the truth…especially when the truth will hurt their feelings and could jeopardize your relationship? Truth and leadership must work hand in hand! In order to be able to tell the truth, you have to be observant enough — and know enough — about what needs to be done for your group and that person to be successful. Before you can tell the truth, you must know what the truth is. True leaders are effective because they know and live what is right and wrong…on the floor and off the floor.

Are your leaders strong enough to deal with the truth? If not, they are simply filling a position of leadership and not executing the role of leadership!

(Thanks Coach Eastman)

LACK OF COMMITTMENT

“The less determined & the less motivated tend to weed themselves out.”

- Chuck Daly

SIGNATURE MOVE

ARE YOU THE GLUE ON YOUR TEAM?

Who is the glue on your team?

Who holds your team together? Who keeps the team focused when times are tough? Who does all of the little things to make your team successful - takes charges, dives for loose balls, hits crucial free throws, is a pest on defense, and sets solid screens? Who doesn’t worry about how many points she scores or how much she plays but rather if the team wins and if she did everything within her role to contribute?

Every team needs a player like this, a player who will make all of the sacrifices necessary to be the glue that holds the team together.

(Thanks Alan Stein)

COACH DON MEYER QUOTES

Coach Don Meyer is currently the winningest coach in any division in NCAA history.

"Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training."

"There are 3 people who must have a great practice everyday for the Team. They are the best player, the point guard, and the head coach."

"It is not enough to know that we are going to win a game, we must know how we are going to win the game."

"The mark of a Team's maturity is their ability to concentrate. Great Teams and Players have an ability to concentrate."

"On a great team your best player must be your hardest worker."

"Offense is all about spacing, angles, and momentum."

"See the shot, feel the shot, TRUST the shot."

"He either can't or he won't, and it doesn't matter which."

"A great guard is measured by how quickly they can go from a dribble to a pass, or a dribble to a shot."

"There comes a time when winter asks what you have done all summer."

(Thanks Coach Meyer)

RECOGNIZING YOUR TEAMMATES

Great team leaders understand they have to push their teammates to do things they don't want to do, getting them to places they otherwise couldn't take themselves to. Being a great team leader means you must motivate your teammates to be great. But you must first know HOW to motivate them...

Coach Bear Bryant used to say there are four kinds of players:

1. You've got those players that have it and give it.

2. You have players that have it but won't give it — you want to get rid of those guys.

3. Then you have players that don't have it — and this is what the majority of your team is — but don't know they don't have it and they give way beyond their ability.

4. And then you have the guys that don't have it, and know they don't have it.

(Thanks Coach Cooley)

IT'S THAT SIMPLE

"If there is no humor, there is no ability to take criticism or handle embarrassment. We really are big believers in getting over yourself. If you're taking away from the group, you don't need to be here. It's that simple."

- Gregg Popovich

#1 RULE OF DEFENSE: STOP THE BALL

The player with the ball is ALWAYS more important than a player who doesn’t have it.

Now that doesn’t mean I want every player on the court attacking the ball, but a player must understand that if a man is driving to the basket they need to let their man go and try to stop the ball. Great defense isn’t “me against my man”… but instead is an “us against them” mindset.

The man driving to the basket is everybody’s man!

4:13

BASKETBALL BUSY WORK

We all do it.

There is such a thing as basketball busy work and unfortunately we are all guilty of it, especially in the summer.

Busy work is a term for work or assignments that are felt to be time consuming, but in reality, not very useful.

Examples of basketball busy work:

1.) We “shoot around” our driveway for 25 min but nothing is at game speed or game situational, it’s just “shooting around”

2.) We head into the weight room and do a few things without intensity and or a plan to guide us. We usually end up at the water fountain more times than not.

3.) We play AAU on the weekends and feel like we are doing the right things for our careers but if that is all you are doing, then its just busy work. The best way to utilize your AAU games is to practice and prepare days before, just playing games on the weekends will not make you better.

4.) Play pick up games with our friends instead of train. We head to the courts with all the intentions of training hard, but we get roped into playing pick up games with players who really aren’t that good and we miss out on getting better. Hold off on the pick up games until you put your work in.

5.) We buy things that we “think” will enhance our career. Spending time researching the best “dribbling goggles” when we could’ve been studying film. Goggles vs Learning, which one do you think brings more value?

Our time is precious and if we spend most of it on “busy work” then we will never see the results we want. I’ll take 1 hour of you doing the “right work” over 3 hours of busy work any day.

(Thanks iAthletes)

WORDS OF WISDOM

"Being punctual is good in itself. However, what is more important is that your punctuality tells your teammates what you think of them."
- Pete Carril

"If what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today."

- Mike Krzyzewski

"If you're teammate does not pass the ball to you when you're open and he doesn't say anything, then he did not see you. If he says, 'I'm sorry,' he saw you and did not want to throw you the ball."
- Pete Carril

"Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got."
- Larry Bird

"It's not important who starts the game, it's important who finishes it."
- Arnold "Red" Auerbach

(Thanks Pat Chovan)

WHEN ARE CHAMPIONS MADE?

Champions are NOT made during the Playoffs or Finals... that is when they are recognized as champions. Champions are made during those long boring hours in the gym when the seats are empty and you are bored to death of working on the same thing over and over again.

And by the way... Allen Iverson NEVER won a championship.

PRACTICE STANDING OUT

If you want to stand out, and establish yourself as a team leader you must be willing to go the extra mile. If practice starts at 4:30 get there at 4:00 and be dressed out, warmed up and ready to go.

Most athletes arrive 5-10 minutes early and are rarely “ready” when practice starts. They haven't quite got their shoes on... or they need to get a drink... or need to go the restroom, etc. Arriving early will show both your coach and teammates that you are serious about making an impact, while giving you some extra time to be mentally and physically ready for the practice.

After practice, spend some time with your coach and ask what key concepts he wants you to focus on. Your coach knows what your strengths and weaknesses are, and he knows what you need to work on to be a contributor on your team.

(Thanks iHoops)

DEFENDING THE PICK & ROLL

Came across a very simplistic explanation of how to defend the Pick & Roll.

FRESH KICKS FALL 2010

Jordan decided to re-think the flagship shoe, lose the clear TPU window, and produce the Air Jordan 2010 "Team." The colors shown here are white-based, but one would think that black-based models would be coming as well. Look for them to drop in September for $130.

COACH HURLEY'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong." When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

2. A winner credits good luck for winning, even though it isn't good luck. A loser blames bad luck for losing, even though it wasn't bad luck.

3. A winner works harder than a loser and has more time. A loser is always too busy to do what's necessary.

4. A winner goes through a problem. A loser goes around it, and never past it.

5. A winner shows he's sorry by making up for it. A loser says "I'm sorry," but does the same thing next time.

6. A winner knows what to fight for and what to compromise on. A loser compromises on what he shouldn't and fights for what isn't worth fighting about.

7. A winner says, "I'm good, but not as good as I ought to be." A loser says, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."

8. A winner would rather be admired than liked, although he would prefer both. A loser would rather be like than admired, and even is willing to pay the price of mild contempt for it.

9. A winner respects those who are superior to him, and tries to learn something from them. A loser resents those who are superior to him, and tries to find chinks in their armor.

10. A winner feels responsible for more than his job. A loser says, "I only work here."

From Coach Hurley's book Divided Loyalties: The Diary of a Basketball Father...

(Thanks Pat Chovan)

INVEST IN YOUR SUCCESS!

To become the player you want to become... means that you have to put in the work (every day) to become that player. You must invest in your own success... make down payments on your success!

(Thanks Coach Eastman)

WHAT IF....

What if you knew that no matter what you did on the court, that you couldn’t fail? Would that change your mindset towards trying to achieve that thing? Would you approach it with a sense of confidence that you never had before? The answer is probably YES!!!

Unfortunately, the fear of failure holds so many people back from achieving the greatness they were destined for. I want you to look at failure completely different from the way you look at it now. I want you to look at failure as just an outcome. If you don’t get the outcome you are looking for then you just change your approach and try again until you get the outcome you are looking for.

Look at failure as your friend, because you learn from your failures. Henry Ford said, “Win or learn, there is no failure.” Use failure as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. Each failure is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Each failure gets you closer to achieving the results that you desire. Failure is only bad when you accept it as your final outcome.

What if... you attack that one thing again, but this time... know that failure will help you get better?

(Thanks Hooman)

WILL YOU BE GAME READY?

With the basketball season only about 90 days away, it is time to start thinking about whether or not you are (or will be) adequately prepared and “game-ready” by opening day.

If you are a serious athlete, you should view your athletic journey (career) as a maze… not a straight line.

You should evaluate your game (skill set) every 2-3 weeks and ask yourself what, if any, progress you have made toward improving your game over the past 2-3 weeks.

Ask yourself the following questions: What went right and what went wrong? What can you do more of to be better prepared? What can you still improve on and what should you concentrate on and view as a priority?

With only 90 days left before the season, don’t try to reinvent your game. Instead look at what you will need to work on to be an effective and productive player that can contribute to your team.

Never allow your game to stay in one place!

Every 2-3 weeks, put it on your calendar!!!

(Thanks Coach Starkey)

FRESH KICKS FALL 2010

Jordan is set to release my all-time fav J...the XI or better known to ballers as the "Space Jam" this Fall in a Cool Grey colorway. For those who have never balled in it, the traction is sick!

PRACTICE IS EVERYTHING

The uncompromising core belief of Win Forever is to “do things better than they have ever been done before.” This includes practice. It might seem obvious that, as a coach, I would say that good practice sessions are important. But my view of practice is different from most others. To me, practice is not just something that is necessary for a team to prepare itself for game day. Rather, practice is one of the many places where we compete to be the best.

It is my belief that how we practice makes just as important a statement about who we are as how we play the games. How we practice defines who we are. It is not only something we have to do in order to compete, but our practice is a competitive activity in and of itself. Practice is something we want to be the best at for its own sake.

From "Win Forever" by Pete Carroll

(Thanks coach Starkey)