THE ESSENCE OF THE GAME IS DECEPTION

At my PEC camps, I always repeat a quote I heard from Dena Evans... "the essence of the game is deception." During our lecture sessions, we cover various ways to be "clever" on the court and LEGALLY take advantage of certain situations... but this isn't one of them. 

With 8.3 seconds left, down by 2 points and out of timeouts, Jason Kidd uses his cleverness to get his team a much needed timeout... and a $50K fine as well.

JASON KIDD "SPILL" VIDEO

TALENT ISN'T ENOUGH

Teams will always have a couple of talented players, but talented players aren't enough to win championships. You have to have mature players. Players that do not yet understand the concept of teamwork and sacrifice, will never be called a champion.

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER...

Thanks Rebecca Tillett!

WANT CONSISTENT DEFENSE? PROVIDE A GOAL...

Playing good defense takes a lot of effort... playing great defense takes a lot of sustained effort.  One of the things I would use to help the athletes sustain that level of effort was a simple motivational poster I would keep in the locker room as a daily reminder of what they were capable of.

The poster had the title "Club 30" across the top and the rest of the poster was blank.  The goal was to hold every team we played to 30 points or less.  If the team reached the goal, we would write-in our opponent's name and how many points we held them to as a visual reminder of accomplishing our defensive goal.  As we entered the playoffs, I would reprint the poster with a list of our season accomplishments as a motivator of what is possible if we stay focused on defense.

This was a simple idea that really kept the athletes focused on defense throughout the entire game, regardless of the score.  The closer our opponent got to scoring 30, the more the bench would remind them to stay sharp on defense by yelling "club 30" as a reminder.

The picture here represented what the team accomplished by the time we entered the playoffs a few years ago.  

IT'S WITHIN YOU

Your success or failure has very little to do with your opponent, your coach or the referees. It is a choice every athlete makes within themselves... whether they realize it or not. You must believe it to achieve it.

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM

Love Him or Hate Him, there is a reason Nick Saban has been so successful at Alabama.  Saban isn't about looking behind and living in yesterday's victories... his mindset is focused on 'can we perform better today, than we did yesterday.'  

As a player (or as a coach), success is always within your grasp... the hardest part is being able to hold onto it.

LEADERSHIP IS MORE THAN JUST A WORD

"Any fool can get a mob to tear down a barn. But it takes talent & skill to get that same mob to help build one." 

The best leaders stay focused on building relationships on the team... not tearing them down.

IMPOSSIBLE IS JUST A WORD

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. Refuse to accept impossible... it's just a word.

SECOND CHANCES

Danny Greene has been a rock-solid role player for the Spurs all season and getting plenty of air-time on Sports Center as a result; but there is a reason why... he became a "team player."

"Green's initial contact with the Spurs was thanks to a stint in Cleveland with the Cavaliers under Danny Ferry. When Ferry lost his job as Cleveland's general manager in 2010 and returned to the Spurs organization that had given him his post-playing start, he recommended they bring in Green. They signed him on Nov. 17, 2010, and waived him on Nov. 23, 2010. They couldn't stand him. The Spurs didn't like his attitude and didn't think he'd fit in with their team-oriented culture.

Then, Green did something that didn't fit in with our unapologetic, text-message culture. He asked for a second chance -- on a voicemail message he left for Gregg Popovich.

Green says he told him, "I'll do whatever you need me to do. Rebound, defense, towel boy, water boy … whatever you need me to do, I'm going to do that."

Popovich took it to heart. He brought back Green that March and signed him through the end of the 2010-11 season. By the next season, Green started more than half of the 66 games in the lockout-shortened schedule.

"Pop's a really good dude, and he gave me a second chance and I appreciate that," Green said. "The whole way along he's been pushing me and teaching me to be better, and I've grown within the system."

How much has Green improved since joining the Spurs?  He was 27.3% from outside before joining the Spurs and now shoots 42.9%.  He was 66.7% at the FT line before falling into Pop's system, now?  He shoots 84.8% from the line.  Rebounding?  Pre-Spurs Green was 0.9% rebounds per game...now?  3.1 RPG. In fact, Greene has improved in almost every statistical category.  

Thanks J.A. Adande | ESPN.com

SELECT WISELY...

Don't look for a shot you think you can make... look for a shot you cannot miss.  Shot Selection is the #1 thing that usually determines whether a team wins or loses.  Sports Center type shots may look really cool, but they rarely go in, which is why they're shown on TV.  High-percentage shots are the shots that win games... and Championships.

AN IMPORTANT LESSON

There is no shame in losing to a great team. Many athletes mistakenly assume every loss is a bad loss, and although some losses hurt more than others, this assumption is not always true.

Losing to a great team (I mean like a 65+ point loss) should serve as a measuring stick for both you and your team. If the only teams on your schedule are ones that may as well be considered "your little sister"....well, being able to beat up your little sister is not a very valid way to determine how good (or bad) your team actually is.

Use those embarassing losses to great teams as a way to evaluate what your team does well, and what your team struggles with and needs to work on. If you're not willing to learn from these kind of losses, then you'll never be one of those great teams. You'll always "believe" you're a great team because you didn't realize that all this thime you've been beating up "your little sister."

There is no shame in losing to a great team...IF... you use the loss as a way to show what you need to do to become better.

IT'S THE LITTLE STUFF...

Most emerging leaders erroneously view and define leadership as the mighty shoves reserved only for the heroic captains of the team. In actuality, however, it's the tiny pushes of leadership that happen more frequently and have the greatest impact over time.

Leadership opportunities are rarely available in the form of dramatic speeches, but most often present themselves in simple, yet significant interactions on a daily basis.

CONFIDENCE

When your team leaders exhibit confidence, it becomes contagious to the rest of the team... unfortunately, showing a lack of confidence is just as contagious.

WHO ARE YOU BEATING?

You can beat average and mediocre teams in a lot of ways… but there's only one way to beat good teams... and that's with thoughtful preparation, discipline and leadership.

LISTENING OR HEARING?

There is a big difference between Listening and Hearing. Hearing is easy to do... Listening is far different... and much more important. But what does it mean to listen?

Once heard a story about a high school music appreciation class that provides a meaningful answer to that question. The teacher of the class asked for a volunteer to explain the difference between listening and hearing. At first, no one wanted to answer; but finally, a student raised his hand. When the teacher called on him, he said, “Listening is wanting to hear.”

Coaches usually use timeouts to make their game-strategy adjustments. Often, the difference between winning and losing - especially in a close game, comes down to whether the players hear... or listen.

Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong.

HOW TO PLAY vs KNOWING PLAYS

Good coaches focus on teaching their players "how to play" rather than just teaching them "plays." 

In this particular picture, the Defense is playing a 1-2-2 or a 2-3 Zone. The corner player forces the low wing defender to choose betwee

n guarding her or the low post player. Whatever decision the low wing defender makes... the corner player will punish her for it.

If she stays home to guard the low post, the corner player has a wide open look from outside. If the low wing defender chooses to come out and defend the corner shot (which she does in this picture), the corner player lobs it over the top to her low post player for an easy score.

Knowing "how to play" is far more valuable than knowing a dozen plays.

WHAT MAKES YOU A GREAT DEFENDER?

A good defensive player never focuses on steals or blocks to reinforce their reputation as being a great defender. Instead, they look to deny what the offense wants to do and force the offense to react to their defensive pressure. Few offenses practice, prepare, or even have a Plan B.

Being a great defender means taking away offensive opportunities before they can ever develop. 

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

Here is an online article written by Coach K that appeared in the Wall Street Journal:

I believe that my work is as much about words as it is about basketball. Choosing the right words is no less important to the outcome of a game than choosing the right players and strategies for the court. As a coach, leader and teacher, my primary task is motivation. How do I get a group motivated, not only to be their individual best but also to become better as a team? I have always said that two are better than one, but only if two can act as one.

After the 1999 season, when we lost to Connecticut in the national championship game, several of our top players left Duke earlier than expected. Shane Battier, who had played a supporting role on that team, was going to have to become our star.

Shane and I agreed that he would need to emerge as the team leader, but there was one problem: Shane had never imagined himself as a star.

After the players had gone home for the summer, I gave Shane a call.

"Shane," I said, "this morning, did you look in the mirror and imagine that you were looking at next year's conference player of the year?"

He chuckled, "Coach, I…"

I hung up.

The next day I called again. "Shane, it's Coach. When you were on your way to work this morning, did you imagine scoring 30 points in a game this season?"

He laughed cautiously and began to respond before I hung up again.

Seconds later, my phone rang. "Coach," Shane said, "Don't hang up on me."

"I won't hang up on you if you won't hang up on you," I told him.

Shane needed to imagine these sorts of things in order to become the player that he could be. Before he graduated, Shane earned National Player of the Year honors while leading our team to the 2001 national championship. He had all of the tools necessary to become a great player, but he fully realized his potential only when he allowed himself to imagine great things.

For motivating Shane, the crucial word to communicate was "imagination." For others, it may be "enthusiasm" or "self-confidence" or "poise." But undefined words are meaningless, and dictionary definitions usually do not suffice. Meaning is understood by seeing a word in action.

I ask teams to understand the meaning of dependability by telling them about my brother, Bill, who never missed a day of work in 38 years of fighting fires in Chicago. I tell them about willpower by sharing the story of my former player and current associate head coach, Steve Wojciechowski, and his last game on our home court: Wojo only scored one point that day, but his sheer determination led our team to an exciting victory.

'Shane,' I said. 'When you were on the way to work this morning, did you imagine scoring 30 points in a game this season?'

And I convey the meaning of courage by telling them about my friend and colleague, the late Jim Valvano, who used his own battle with cancer to raise millions of dollars to support cancer research.

My hope is that, as the players listen, my brother's example may remind them of the most dependable person in their own lives. Maybe the story of Wojo's senior game will make them think of a moment when they were carried through a tough situation by the strength of their own will. Learning about Jimmy Valvano, they may recall a time when they witnessed true courage.

When an audience makes these associations, we have found common ground. We are no longer merely exchanging words; we are being mutually motivated by their meaning.

(Thanks Joey Burton http://basketballinsights.blogspot.com)

WANT MORE MINUTES?

Unless you are one of the 5 or 6 "star" players on your team, your minutes will always be determined by how much you can contribute to your team.  The players who can consistently help their team win games are the ones who get playing time - it's just that simple.   Want more minutes?  Then you need to understand how to make yourself valuable to your team.

You do this by embracing your role and focusing on things other than scoring.  Sure, you've spent your whole basketball life developing and displaying your offensive game, but suddenly you aren't getting those scoring opportunities in games.  You take thousands of shots in the offseason, you work on your shot before and after practice, yet you may go weeks without taking a jumper in a game.

If you can become really good at things like screening, passing, defending, communicating, boxing out and rotating defensively, you can have a huge impact on your team winning a game.  If those parts of your game become a habit and you develop consistency and embrace whatever role your coach places you into, you are going to be valuable to your team and  you will get more minutes.

A lot of players can't or won't do these things because they don't see the value in it.  However, those that "get it" look at it as sacrificing your own game for the greater good.  This is true to an extent, but you don't just play this way because you are a nice player and you are willing to let other players shine. You do it because you want to win, to be a part of a championship team, and you do it because you want to create value for yourself.  If you come off the bench and you start to take more shots, to take your scoring average from three points a game up to five points a game, not many people are going to notice.  You are doing the same things, just in a more inefficient way. 

On the other hand, if you average only five points a game but defensively you can adequatelty cover the othe team's best 3 or 4 players,  you are going to be able to play plenty of minutes  over your career.  At the same time, your play will have more of an effect on winning than it would otherwise. 

The goal is to try to make it very difficult for your team to replace you, so that they have to do what it takes to keep you around. That's how a player creates value for himself.

(Thanks Nick Collison & Bob Starkey)

DON'T BE SATISFIED WITH AVERAGE

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and countless others that decided they wanted to achieve what others said was impossible… The only person holding YOU back from achieving greatness is YOU!  

JUMP STOPS CORRELATE WITH JUMP SHOTS

I don’t think there is much debate over the shooting ability of Ray Allen (Celtics) or Mike Miller (Heat).  Let’s take Ray.  If you will notice the he gives a little hop (Jump Stop) prior to receiving the ball.  “Ball is in the air and his feet are in the air.”  Catch and shoot (Its’ quick)! It is quicker than the other way.  I don’t believe you can change the method over night...it is going to take a true commitment but it is definitely worth the change.

Most coaches teach from the shoulder up etc.  I personally think it starts with the feet (Balance).  “Don’t sacrifice balance with the jump shot!!”

My best pupil was Nelson Franse at the University of New Mexico.  He was taught as a youngster the two step jump shot but it was too slow and he couldn’t get off quick enough.  So we changed his shot over the summer.  Nelson would go to the “Pit” everyday and spin the ball out in front of him and step into the ball with a jump stop and catch and shoot.  He MADE 100 everyday from the 3-point range and won several ball games for us with his outstanding shooting.  Note: When we did the R/F/S Rebounder/Feeder/Shooter drill daily Nelson would knock down 20+ shots in a 60 second turn.

Watch Ray Allen (Boston) or Mike Miller (Heat)...  It’s all about JUMP STOPS (hops) and being on balance squared to the basket.

(From Gary Colson on Fastmodelsports.com)

SWAGGER IS THE BY-PRODUCT... NOT THE PRODUCT

"For us the swagger was developed by demonstrated performance and from having a chip on your shoulder and from work ethic and from being the hardest-working team and from being a tough team and from playing with passion. And all of a sudden people said, ‘Miami plays with swagger.’ Well, then it only takes a couple years where you have kids that put on the uniform and think you automatically get the swagger because you wear the U. But they don’t want to do the things that made the U special."

- Alonzo Highsmith
(Thanks SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN, Miami Herald)

AFTER EVERY WORKOUT

At the end of a workout, there’s a tendency to want to head for the showers and rush back to the pressing issues of the day.  But how you transition via a brief recovery period will determine how well your body repairs itself and responds in the coming days.  Use this simple checklist to kickstart your body’s recovery process—and get the most out of each workout.

1. Reflect
It’s important to recognize what you’ve accomplished with your training and how it contributes to your long-term vision, not just for your physical well-being and athletic pursuits but how such commitment is fueling your success.  “You’ll feel great in the short-term regardless,” says Anthony Slater, director of performance at Core Performance.  “But it’s important to reflect on how you feel and connect it back to your goals.  That reinforces the behaviors you’ve chosen and is something people don’t do nearly enough.”

2. Track
There’s no shortage of gadgets and smart phone apps to log training and measure progress.  It can be a simple spreadsheet or even paper.  The important thing is to track your workouts, not only to give yourself a pat on the back, but also to have a reference point for the following workout, or to review months later.   Track everything from your weight, energy, productivity, and sleep, for starters - and see your progress charted over time.

3. Stretch
Active-isolated stretching is most effective after a workout when the muscles are warm.  This can range from a full routine to the three or four stretches that address any mobility issues you might have.  You can also do some reflection while you stretch.  What worked and what could you do better during the next training session?  “When you combine the stretching and the reflection, it allows you to shift gears and re-enter your day-to-day responsibilities and shift back into the real world,” Slater says. (Click here for a guide to active-isolated stretching.)

4. Refuel
To refuel you body after a workout, consume a mixture of carbohydrates and protein immediately afterward, preferably within 10 minutes of training.  At this point, your cells are wide open and screaming for nutrients, and by drinking a shake or another balanced carb/protein small meal, you expedite the recovery process and maximize lean muscle growth. (Click here for five delicious post-workout shake recipes.)

5. Cool down
If you have access to a 55-degree “cold plunge” tub, spending 1 to 3 minutes in it is a great way to decrease post-workout inflammation.  Alternating between a cold plunge and a hot tub (three to five minutes) stimulates bloodflow and muscle recovery with hardly an effort.  If you don’t have access to a hot tub or a cold plunge, you can get the same effect in the shower by switching between hot and cold settings.

(Thanks Pete Williams & Sefu Bernard)

COACHES (AND PARENTS) NEED TO LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER

Had a chance to speak at length with a first year Middle School coach this week at the Nike Higher Level Camp in Florida, who also happened to have her daughter at the camp.  (Important point here, this was her daughters first "intense" ball handling camp).

Her question was (paraphrased), "how hard do I push my daughter and after being here at this camp, I'm beginning to wonder if she even likes basketball"

Her daughter was a rising Freshman and seemed to only give noticeable effort when playing defense while scrimmaging.  On offense, her daughter was clearly not engaged.  The second thing that I noticed,  her daughter didn't give the same level of effort while working on individual ball handling drills, she would only give minimal effort.

Was she lazy?  Probably not.

Coaches do not have the time to push every athlete to reach their full potential.  As bad as that may sound, think about it for just a second... ever had an athlete that just doesn't seem to care?  How many times have you wasted a lot of time and energy into trying to motivate them and show them the right way to do things, only to have them remain in that state of giving only 70% on drills?

In this particular situation, I began to watch her daughter and quickly noticed that every time she was put into the spotlight on individual ball handling drills, her effort immediately dropped as if she didn't really care one way or another.  My guess is, that it wasn't that she didn't care... it was more than likely that she felt exposed and insecure in her skills and abilities when compared to the other athletes at the camp (there were some die-hard ballers there).

As coaches, we often overlook that simple explanation and tag that type of player as being lazy and we give up on trying to motivate them.

After discussing this with her mom (and coach), it became evident that more ball handling skill work was needed to get her daughter over the confidence hump and to a point where she felt like she could compete with others.

Rather than label players as lazy, coaches need to look at the circumstances before giving up on a player.

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