A great article on what is expected in the summer...
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
By Terry Douglassterry.douglass@theindependent.com
Published: Sunday, April 19, 2009 6:53 PM CDT
LINCOLN— The end of the spring practice season is actually only the beginning, according to Nebraska star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.The Cornhuskers capped their 15-practice spring season Saturday with the Red’s 31-17 victory over the White in the annual Spring Game before a crowd of 77,670 at Memorial Stadium. While head coach Bo Pelini and Suh agreed that Nebraska got a lot accomplished in the past few weeks, the senior-to-be insists that the period between now and the start of fall camp is arguably the most critical of all.“That time is the hugest time,” Suh said. “I think that’s where we made our biggest gains last year out of spring ball just because everybody knew what they had to do.”Coming off a 5-7 season in 2007, Suh said Nebraska’s players were determined to do better. With NCAA rules limiting players’ contact with the coaching staff, offseason improvement was up to the Huskers and their work ethic in a program designed by NU strength coach James Dobson.Whether it was in seven-on-seven drills or lifting and conditioning, Suh said he and his teammates made their biggest gains by pushing each other. The result: a 9-4 season that was capped with a Gator Bowl victory over Clemson.“Everybody was picking it up and it was intense,” Suh said. “There was tremendous intensity and that’s where I think we make our biggest growth because we were pushing ourselves.”Pelini expects a similar effort from the Huskers again this summer.“They know what’s expected of them and we’ve already been through that,” Pelini said. “They’re with Coach Dobson and he helps guide them with what they have to do.“They’ll be doing all the things down here in the weight room and conditioning-wise, but they kind of organize some things on their own and there’s enough experience there, enough guys that know exactly what’s being asked of them to do to get prepared for camp.”For players who are trying to establish themselves in leadership roles— like quarterback Zac Lee — summer workouts offer the ideal setting.“During conditioning, I just feel like I have to work as hard as I can every time out there and set an example in that way,” said Lee, who was 15-of-18 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns in the Spring Game. “Guys see me out there, working hard and hopefully they’ll be inspired by it and work hard, too.”Now the clear front-runner to win the starting quarterback job, Lee said he thinks it’s vital for players like he and Suh to show teammates that they’re willing to push themselves to the max every day.“As you’ve seen in the past here, the best teams— the great teams— are run by the team and that allows the coaches to just coach and manage,” Lee said. “All the little stuff that happens within a team, within a group of 130 college guys is managed by that internal central group, so I definitely think that’s a role we’ll look to take.”Summer workouts are also a prime time to build team chemistry, Suh said.With the 2008 senior class now departed, Suh said team chemistry has to be redefined. That process was started in the spring, but is apparently still developing.“It’s starting to grow and we were starting to get it toward the end of these last couple of practices when we were going live and everybody was understanding what they have to do, but it’s still not there 100 percent,” Suh said. “That’s how teams win championships: They have great chemistry, and that’s the thing we’ve got to work on.”
Copyright © 2009 - The Independent
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
POINT GUARD PLAY
“With point guards, it’s not their numbers,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s how the team plays and our team has played very well."
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
FINAL 4 BOUND
Off to the best 4 days of the year - the Final 4. Maybe the worst possible location to ever hold it but we will make it work. Will be missing Miller and Timmy but will represent for them.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
A PRE-GAME LETTER
Thanks again to Coach Miller...
Montrose Christian pregame letter
Coach Alan Stein, Stronger Team, is also the strength and conditioning coach for Montrose Christian, one of the nation's premier high school teams. Tonight, they play #2 nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy on ESPN2. Coach Stein gave each player on the team the note below.
While I am sure on a superficial level you are somewhat aware of how “big” our game against Oak Hill is on Friday, I want to point out a few important things that you may or may not have thought about.
First of all, win or lose, you will remember this game for the rest of your life. I’m not joking. You will remember every detail, good or bad, until you are old and gray (or old and bald). Wouldn’t it be so much better to reminisce over a win?!
This game is all about opportunity. And golden opportunities don’t come around very often. Some people go their entire lifetime without a real life changing opportunity to take advantage of. And you have one Friday night. Don’t take it for granted and don’t take it lightly. I don’t tell you this to make you nervous or scared, but to get you excited because you very much deserve this opportunity and you are more than prepared for it. Within this golden opportunity, there are several things to think about:
1) You have an opportunity to play (and beat) the 2nd ranked team in the nation, a team that is 36-0.
2) You have an opportunity to have the best record in Montrose history (21-1).
3) You have an opportunity to play close to home, in front of thousands of fans, family, friends, media, and basketball lovers.
4) You have an opportunity to play on national TV. As far as basketball games, ESPN2 is watched just as much as ESPN. People all over the world will get to see you and to see Montrose.
5) You have an opportunity to avenge a loss. In my 6 years at Montrose we have never had the chance to play a team that we had lost to that year. It still makes me sick to my stomach we lost to Oak Hill in Hawaii, and you are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to erase that feeling.
6) You have an opportunity to prove all of the doubters wrong. People don’t think you are an All-American? Prove them wrong. People don’t think you are good enough to play in college? Show them you are. People doubt whether you are a top rated player in your class? Show them you are. People don’t think we are the best team in the nation? Show them we are.
7) You have an opportunity so stay in the hunt for a national championship. In other words, making the most of this opportunity will lead to even bigger opportunity in early April!
The Montrose basketball family, and each of you, is very, very important to me. This program has played a major role in my life for the past 6 years and I am so thankful to be a part of it.
I have never asked you guys for very much, but I am going to ask you for this:
I want you to promise me, promise Coach Vetter, promise Coach Devlin, Prete, Jenifer, Graves, promise your teammates, and most importantly promise yourself… that on Friday night you will give every ounce of heart, soul, effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in fulfilling your role on this team and doing everything humanly possible to help us win. If you get the opportunity to play, make the most of it. Take charges, dive for loose balls, box out, make the extra pass, execute our offense, and leave it all on the floor. If you don’t get the opportunity to actually play, when the game is over your voice better be hoarse from screaming and your hands raw from clapping.
The feeling in the locker room after our dramatic win over Oak Hill 3 years ago was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced and was, without a doubt, one of the top moments of my life. And I didn’t even play! I want each of you to experience that same feeling Friday night because you deserve it.
Each time you are done reading this, I want you to sit in complete silence and visualize a few things:
Visualize a time in your life when you played the best you have ever played. You may have been younger or it may have been this season. Visualize, every detail, of a time when every pass you made was on point, you had the ball on a string, and every shot you took was money. You were in the zone.
Visualize yourself on Friday night doing something spectacular. As if you were watching yourself in a movie, imagine yourself making a Sportscenter Top 10 play… maybe a sick dunk, a no look pass, or breaking someone’s ankles. Picture how the crowd responds and how your teammates react. Picture how good you feel after you make that play.
Visualize how you will feel after we win. Picture how it will feel when the crowd rushes the court to celebrate. Imagine how great it will be to be in our locker room afterwards.
If each of you will take the time to picture these things in high definition, then I know for a fact you have the physical tools to make them come true.
I can’t wait. I will be there beside you with Gummi Bears in hand.
I love you guys ,
Coach Stein
Montrose Christian pregame letter
Coach Alan Stein, Stronger Team, is also the strength and conditioning coach for Montrose Christian, one of the nation's premier high school teams. Tonight, they play #2 nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy on ESPN2. Coach Stein gave each player on the team the note below.
While I am sure on a superficial level you are somewhat aware of how “big” our game against Oak Hill is on Friday, I want to point out a few important things that you may or may not have thought about.
First of all, win or lose, you will remember this game for the rest of your life. I’m not joking. You will remember every detail, good or bad, until you are old and gray (or old and bald). Wouldn’t it be so much better to reminisce over a win?!
This game is all about opportunity. And golden opportunities don’t come around very often. Some people go their entire lifetime without a real life changing opportunity to take advantage of. And you have one Friday night. Don’t take it for granted and don’t take it lightly. I don’t tell you this to make you nervous or scared, but to get you excited because you very much deserve this opportunity and you are more than prepared for it. Within this golden opportunity, there are several things to think about:
1) You have an opportunity to play (and beat) the 2nd ranked team in the nation, a team that is 36-0.
2) You have an opportunity to have the best record in Montrose history (21-1).
3) You have an opportunity to play close to home, in front of thousands of fans, family, friends, media, and basketball lovers.
4) You have an opportunity to play on national TV. As far as basketball games, ESPN2 is watched just as much as ESPN. People all over the world will get to see you and to see Montrose.
5) You have an opportunity to avenge a loss. In my 6 years at Montrose we have never had the chance to play a team that we had lost to that year. It still makes me sick to my stomach we lost to Oak Hill in Hawaii, and you are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to erase that feeling.
6) You have an opportunity to prove all of the doubters wrong. People don’t think you are an All-American? Prove them wrong. People don’t think you are good enough to play in college? Show them you are. People doubt whether you are a top rated player in your class? Show them you are. People don’t think we are the best team in the nation? Show them we are.
7) You have an opportunity so stay in the hunt for a national championship. In other words, making the most of this opportunity will lead to even bigger opportunity in early April!
The Montrose basketball family, and each of you, is very, very important to me. This program has played a major role in my life for the past 6 years and I am so thankful to be a part of it.
I have never asked you guys for very much, but I am going to ask you for this:
I want you to promise me, promise Coach Vetter, promise Coach Devlin, Prete, Jenifer, Graves, promise your teammates, and most importantly promise yourself… that on Friday night you will give every ounce of heart, soul, effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in fulfilling your role on this team and doing everything humanly possible to help us win. If you get the opportunity to play, make the most of it. Take charges, dive for loose balls, box out, make the extra pass, execute our offense, and leave it all on the floor. If you don’t get the opportunity to actually play, when the game is over your voice better be hoarse from screaming and your hands raw from clapping.
The feeling in the locker room after our dramatic win over Oak Hill 3 years ago was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced and was, without a doubt, one of the top moments of my life. And I didn’t even play! I want each of you to experience that same feeling Friday night because you deserve it.
Each time you are done reading this, I want you to sit in complete silence and visualize a few things:
Visualize a time in your life when you played the best you have ever played. You may have been younger or it may have been this season. Visualize, every detail, of a time when every pass you made was on point, you had the ball on a string, and every shot you took was money. You were in the zone.
Visualize yourself on Friday night doing something spectacular. As if you were watching yourself in a movie, imagine yourself making a Sportscenter Top 10 play… maybe a sick dunk, a no look pass, or breaking someone’s ankles. Picture how the crowd responds and how your teammates react. Picture how good you feel after you make that play.
Visualize how you will feel after we win. Picture how it will feel when the crowd rushes the court to celebrate. Imagine how great it will be to be in our locker room afterwards.
If each of you will take the time to picture these things in high definition, then I know for a fact you have the physical tools to make them come true.
I can’t wait. I will be there beside you with Gummi Bears in hand.
I love you guys ,
Coach Stein
DON'T WORK OUT - BLACK OUT
From Lee Miller's Blog at elitehoopsbasketball.com...GO TO HIS CAMPS!
Entitlement vs. Investment from Kevin Eastman
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
The best example I can give you is Kobe Bryant. He once told me that he does not work out any more……he now blacks out. He said that a workout just isn’t enough anymore if he’s going to stay on top of his game and take on all the players he knows are going to challenge him. He said he has to go beyond what all other players doing. He took his to a higher level. He took his to black out status!
What Kobe also was saying is what all players need to hear and need to know. He is willing to invest in his improvement and not stay the same. He was willing to invest in his future and not stay the same. He is willing to invest in his game and not feel that he is entitled to be great, entitled to take every shot, entitled to have everything given to him. He was, and is, going to earn it.
The lesson here is one that I tell every one of the great players I work with: it’s not about entitlement if you want to be the best. It’s about investment.
I ask that each coach who reads this share this with his players. They need to know that being the best is not easy. They need to know that they need to invest in their futures (both on the court and off the court for that matter). Entitlement will lead to ultimate failure; investment will lead to future success.
Kevin Eastman, Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics
Entitlement vs. Investment from Kevin Eastman
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
The best example I can give you is Kobe Bryant. He once told me that he does not work out any more……he now blacks out. He said that a workout just isn’t enough anymore if he’s going to stay on top of his game and take on all the players he knows are going to challenge him. He said he has to go beyond what all other players doing. He took his to a higher level. He took his to black out status!
What Kobe also was saying is what all players need to hear and need to know. He is willing to invest in his improvement and not stay the same. He was willing to invest in his future and not stay the same. He is willing to invest in his game and not feel that he is entitled to be great, entitled to take every shot, entitled to have everything given to him. He was, and is, going to earn it.
The lesson here is one that I tell every one of the great players I work with: it’s not about entitlement if you want to be the best. It’s about investment.
I ask that each coach who reads this share this with his players. They need to know that being the best is not easy. They need to know that they need to invest in their futures (both on the court and off the court for that matter). Entitlement will lead to ultimate failure; investment will lead to future success.
Kevin Eastman, Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics
Monday, March 16, 2009
BASKETBALL EFFICIENCY
A great article in the Basketball Prospectus on the teams in the NCAA Tournament and their "Basketball Efficiency". Deals with possessions per game, points per possession and opponent's points per possession. Is a great stat and something i have always wanted to calculate and have no idea how.
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=596
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=596
YOU EITHER WIN OR LOSE
In the book "The Dandy Dons," which comes out this June, former USF star Bill Russell talks about how his attitude changed after he'd been overlooked for player of the year honors in the California Basketball Association (now the WCC).
"It was then and there that I determined, 'If my team wins a championship every year, there's no quarrel anyone can come up with to deny me that. Winning is the only thing I really cared about because I found that when I left the cocoon of my childhood I came into the world and found the individual awards were mostly political.
But winning and losing, there are no politics, only numbers. It's the most democratic thing in the world. You either win or lose, so I decided early in my career that the only really important thing was to try to win every game. The only thing that really mattered was who won -- and there is nothing subjective about that."
"It was then and there that I determined, 'If my team wins a championship every year, there's no quarrel anyone can come up with to deny me that. Winning is the only thing I really cared about because I found that when I left the cocoon of my childhood I came into the world and found the individual awards were mostly political.
But winning and losing, there are no politics, only numbers. It's the most democratic thing in the world. You either win or lose, so I decided early in my career that the only really important thing was to try to win every game. The only thing that really mattered was who won -- and there is nothing subjective about that."
Friday, March 13, 2009
BE A COACH, PLAYER, OR OFFICIAL
From Coach Muss' Blog:
When he arrived at Arizona State, coach Herb Sendek "made it clear he wouldn't tolerate the persecution complex that long had been a part of the problem, a feeling that poor ASU hoops always was getting jobbed by Pac-10 officials." He insisted "that his team not argue a single call."Ask him why and he has a simple answer:
"Because they're not supposed to. I just don't want our guys responding to a referee's call, because the next play is getting ready to start. We ask our guys at the beginning of the year, 'You have a choice. You can pick one. You can either coach, officiate or play. Just pick one, because it's hard as hell to do any one of the three, let alone two of the three."
When he arrived at Arizona State, coach Herb Sendek "made it clear he wouldn't tolerate the persecution complex that long had been a part of the problem, a feeling that poor ASU hoops always was getting jobbed by Pac-10 officials." He insisted "that his team not argue a single call."Ask him why and he has a simple answer:
"Because they're not supposed to. I just don't want our guys responding to a referee's call, because the next play is getting ready to start. We ask our guys at the beginning of the year, 'You have a choice. You can pick one. You can either coach, officiate or play. Just pick one, because it's hard as hell to do any one of the three, let alone two of the three."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES
Heard this once and it has stuck with me for a long time...
"Never look down upon anyone unless you are reaching down to lift them up."
"Never look down upon anyone unless you are reaching down to lift them up."
PERFORMANCE IS REALITY
"In business, words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality."
WHAT IS REAL
"When you are on a journey, it is certainly helpful to know where you are going...but don't forget that the only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
TIME MANAGEMENT
From a blog post by Ross Siler at the Salt Lake Tribune comes this quote from Jerry Sloan on managing your time:
"I don't worry about that stuff if you take care of yourself. There's 24 hours today. That won't change. Twenty-four hours tomorrow. See where you've got your eight hours' sleep and you've got eight hours to do something else and two hours to play basketball and you've still got a lot of time left over. So I don't buy all the stuff. If you take care of yourself, get your rest, so you're ready to play, that's your job. And I think fans deserve that out of you every single day, not just once in a while."
"I don't worry about that stuff if you take care of yourself. There's 24 hours today. That won't change. Twenty-four hours tomorrow. See where you've got your eight hours' sleep and you've got eight hours to do something else and two hours to play basketball and you've still got a lot of time left over. So I don't buy all the stuff. If you take care of yourself, get your rest, so you're ready to play, that's your job. And I think fans deserve that out of you every single day, not just once in a while."
Monday, March 9, 2009
HIRING GOOD PEOPLE
David Ogilvy, who died in 1999 at the age of 88, is regarded by many as "The Father of Advertising. Here are his thoughts on hiring good people:
“If you hire people who are smaller than you are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If you hire people who are bigger than you, we shall become a company of giants. Hire big people, people who are better than you. Pay them more than yourself if necessary.”
“If you hire people who are smaller than you are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If you hire people who are bigger than you, we shall become a company of giants. Hire big people, people who are better than you. Pay them more than yourself if necessary.”
THE WIN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
Fabricio Oberto started 64 games for the Spurs last season, averaging more than 20 minutes per game. This season, his minutes have been trimmed (13.1 mpg), though you wouldn't know it from this quote:
"If I'm not playing and the team wins, that's perfect. Look, everyone wants to play, [but] everyone wants to win more."
"If I'm not playing and the team wins, that's perfect. Look, everyone wants to play, [but] everyone wants to win more."
MUST READ STUFF
My favorite and what I consider the best day-to-day resource for coaches is Coach Eric Musselman's Blog. I read it every day.
http://emuss.blogspot.com/
http://emuss.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 2, 2009
COACHISMS
Love these - from Coach Muss' Blog:
Thought this was a good post for a Sunday afternoon: A few quotes from Randy Howe's book "Coachisms: Winning Words From the Country's Finest Coaches."~~~~~~~~~
"A guy who gives you less than what he has is, one, telling you what he thinks of you, and two, telling you what he thinks of himself." -- Pete Carril
"Nothing is as good as it seems and nothing is as bad, but somewhere between reality falls." -- Lou Holtz
"If you could have won, you should have won." -- Chuck Knox
"Either get a better player or get a player better." -- Eddie Robinson
"What to do with a mistake: Recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it." -- Dean Smith
"Guys ask me, 'Don't I get burned out?' How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl?" -- Tommy Lasorda
"People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present." -- Sparky Anderson
"The coaching philosophy I live by is that the young men in my care will be husbands and fathers much longer than they will be football players." -- Clinton E. Alexander
"It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice and to ignore your example." -- Don Meyer
"The fewer rules the coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break." -- John Madden
"It is bad coaching to blame your boys for losing a game, even if it is true." -- Jake Gaither
"I realized early in my career I needed to share something besides how to bounce a ball, how to shoot a basketball. I had to share some things with 'em that would pay off later in life." -- Ronald Bradley
"I constantly stress process over outcome. In other words, don't worry about the exam. Just do your homework." -- Jim Wilson
"In order to be a great teacher or great coach you try to put players into situations that they're going to face during the game, and if you do that, then it becomes second nature, and they don't make those mistakes." -- Mike Shanahan
"I only use statistics to reinforce what I already think." -- Dean Smith
"Either love your players or get out of coaching." -- Bobby Dodd
"Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect." -- Woody Hayes
"Overcoaching is the worst thing you can do to a player." -- Dean Smith
"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment." -- John Wooden
"When someone asks me what time it is, I always want to tell them how to build a watch." -- Herb Brooks
"Only praise behavior that you want to be repeated. Never use false praise." -- Dean Smith
"You don't 'handle' players, you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care -- on and off the court." -- Red Auerbach
"No coach who is sure of himself and his team constantly bawls out his players." -- Jock Sutherland
"I don't think of myself as a basketball coach. I think of myself as a leader. A leader who coaches basketball." -- Mike Krzyzewski
"The way you win is to get average players to play good and good players to play great." -- Bum Phillips
"In any competitive situation, a chief duty of leadership is to minimize the impact of unexpected conditions and distractions on the team in combat." -- Pat Riley
"Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence by seeing how you react. If you are in control, they are in control." -- Tom Landry
Thought this was a good post for a Sunday afternoon: A few quotes from Randy Howe's book "Coachisms: Winning Words From the Country's Finest Coaches."~~~~~~~~~
"A guy who gives you less than what he has is, one, telling you what he thinks of you, and two, telling you what he thinks of himself." -- Pete Carril
"Nothing is as good as it seems and nothing is as bad, but somewhere between reality falls." -- Lou Holtz
"If you could have won, you should have won." -- Chuck Knox
"Either get a better player or get a player better." -- Eddie Robinson
"What to do with a mistake: Recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it." -- Dean Smith
"Guys ask me, 'Don't I get burned out?' How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl?" -- Tommy Lasorda
"People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present." -- Sparky Anderson
"The coaching philosophy I live by is that the young men in my care will be husbands and fathers much longer than they will be football players." -- Clinton E. Alexander
"It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice and to ignore your example." -- Don Meyer
"The fewer rules the coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break." -- John Madden
"It is bad coaching to blame your boys for losing a game, even if it is true." -- Jake Gaither
"I realized early in my career I needed to share something besides how to bounce a ball, how to shoot a basketball. I had to share some things with 'em that would pay off later in life." -- Ronald Bradley
"I constantly stress process over outcome. In other words, don't worry about the exam. Just do your homework." -- Jim Wilson
"In order to be a great teacher or great coach you try to put players into situations that they're going to face during the game, and if you do that, then it becomes second nature, and they don't make those mistakes." -- Mike Shanahan
"I only use statistics to reinforce what I already think." -- Dean Smith
"Either love your players or get out of coaching." -- Bobby Dodd
"Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect." -- Woody Hayes
"Overcoaching is the worst thing you can do to a player." -- Dean Smith
"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment." -- John Wooden
"When someone asks me what time it is, I always want to tell them how to build a watch." -- Herb Brooks
"Only praise behavior that you want to be repeated. Never use false praise." -- Dean Smith
"You don't 'handle' players, you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care -- on and off the court." -- Red Auerbach
"No coach who is sure of himself and his team constantly bawls out his players." -- Jock Sutherland
"I don't think of myself as a basketball coach. I think of myself as a leader. A leader who coaches basketball." -- Mike Krzyzewski
"The way you win is to get average players to play good and good players to play great." -- Bum Phillips
"In any competitive situation, a chief duty of leadership is to minimize the impact of unexpected conditions and distractions on the team in combat." -- Pat Riley
"Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence by seeing how you react. If you are in control, they are in control." -- Tom Landry
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A KEY TO WINNING
From Coach Muss' Blog:
Ask Bears GM Jerry Angelo (at right with CHI coach Lovie Smith) about the key to winning and he'll tell you this:
"It comes back to players wanting to be great and then putting that into action in terms of their work ethic, in terms of doing all the things that they need to do and holding themselves personally accountable to be the best they can be," Angelo said. "That's all we ask of our players: Just be the best you can be, stay within the framework of the team and hang tough. If you get a locker room full of players with that mentality, you don't need great talent to win on Sunday. Coaching will take you so far. Our coaches will be driven to be a great team. That's what we're expected to do, and we're all paid to win, but we're all incumbent to do our jobs. We're all held accountable."
Angelo adds that a team's identity is re-made each season: "Every year, a team takes on a whole new identity. You can't look at last year and say, 'Well, they're going to pick up off here' to the good or the bad. A team takes on that identity starting when they come back in the offseason program, and that's incumbent of the players."
Ask Bears GM Jerry Angelo (at right with CHI coach Lovie Smith) about the key to winning and he'll tell you this:
"It comes back to players wanting to be great and then putting that into action in terms of their work ethic, in terms of doing all the things that they need to do and holding themselves personally accountable to be the best they can be," Angelo said. "That's all we ask of our players: Just be the best you can be, stay within the framework of the team and hang tough. If you get a locker room full of players with that mentality, you don't need great talent to win on Sunday. Coaching will take you so far. Our coaches will be driven to be a great team. That's what we're expected to do, and we're all paid to win, but we're all incumbent to do our jobs. We're all held accountable."
Angelo adds that a team's identity is re-made each season: "Every year, a team takes on a whole new identity. You can't look at last year and say, 'Well, they're going to pick up off here' to the good or the bad. A team takes on that identity starting when they come back in the offseason program, and that's incumbent of the players."
GETTING IT DONE
When asked what he told his team before they took on No. 8 Wake Forest on Sunday night, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski answered:
"Instead of saying we had to win, I told them we're going to win it. The anticipation of doing something should help you better than the expectation of having to do it."
Duke downed the Deacons, 101-91.
"Instead of saying we had to win, I told them we're going to win it. The anticipation of doing something should help you better than the expectation of having to do it."
Duke downed the Deacons, 101-91.
Monday, February 23, 2009
QUOTE ON MOTIVATION
A good coach can be a catalyst for motivation in the short term, but the best coaches create the conditions for the team to motivate itself.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
DEFENSIVE COMMUNICATION
Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie talked recently about chemistry and on-court communication:
"People, when they're talking about chemistry with a team, they always talk about offense," Coach Gillispie said. "Do they share the ball? Are guys selfish? Do they shoot shots they shouldn't shoot?There's as much chemistry that has to be established defensively as there is offensively, maybe even more so, because you're seeing so many moving pieces.You can have an above-average team, probably, if you don't communicate, but you'll never be a great defensive team if you don't. You have to be constantly talking."According to this article, "great defensive teams can adjust on the fly. Strong defensive units can compensate when one teammate breaks down during a possession."
"You can't adjust if you're not talking with your teammates. Our young guys -- and it's understandable -- don't talk nearly as much as they need to and nearly as well as they need to," said Coach Gillispie. "That's why you see really good teams playing on TV and they have the best recruiting classes in the country -- not even close, in everybody's opinion -- and all the all-star freshmen are sitting on the bench in the last five minutes of the game."
"People, when they're talking about chemistry with a team, they always talk about offense," Coach Gillispie said. "Do they share the ball? Are guys selfish? Do they shoot shots they shouldn't shoot?There's as much chemistry that has to be established defensively as there is offensively, maybe even more so, because you're seeing so many moving pieces.You can have an above-average team, probably, if you don't communicate, but you'll never be a great defensive team if you don't. You have to be constantly talking."According to this article, "great defensive teams can adjust on the fly. Strong defensive units can compensate when one teammate breaks down during a possession."
"You can't adjust if you're not talking with your teammates. Our young guys -- and it's understandable -- don't talk nearly as much as they need to and nearly as well as they need to," said Coach Gillispie. "That's why you see really good teams playing on TV and they have the best recruiting classes in the country -- not even close, in everybody's opinion -- and all the all-star freshmen are sitting on the bench in the last five minutes of the game."
WHAT MAKES A GREAT SHOOTER
By Mark Price:
The secret is you have to have good technique and you’ve got to spend the time and put hours and hours in. There is no quick-fix. You hear the term, “pure-shooter,” but what people would call a pure shooter is a guy that’s probably spent a lot of time in the gym working on it.I spent a lot of time in the gym. I was fortunate because my dad [the late Denny Price] was a coach, and I typically had a place to work out. My dad taught me what he thought was the right way to shoot the ball, and he told me it was up to me as far as how hard I was going to work. I spent a lot of hours just trying to perfect my shot, because I wasn’t real big—I was probably only 5-11, 155 pounds when I showed up at Georgia Tech. I had to work hard on my skills.
The secret is you have to have good technique and you’ve got to spend the time and put hours and hours in. There is no quick-fix. You hear the term, “pure-shooter,” but what people would call a pure shooter is a guy that’s probably spent a lot of time in the gym working on it.I spent a lot of time in the gym. I was fortunate because my dad [the late Denny Price] was a coach, and I typically had a place to work out. My dad taught me what he thought was the right way to shoot the ball, and he told me it was up to me as far as how hard I was going to work. I spent a lot of hours just trying to perfect my shot, because I wasn’t real big—I was probably only 5-11, 155 pounds when I showed up at Georgia Tech. I had to work hard on my skills.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
QUOTE BY HAWK ON COACHING LIFESTYLE
From Coach Muss' Blog:
According to the article, Western Michigan Coach Steve Hawkins who has had two seizures in the last two years because of a four-hour nightly sleep pattern. Now he forces himself to get 7-8 hours, turning off the game film by 11:30 p.m."
"I don’t know if we’re killing ourselves, but we’re probably taking years off our lives," Hawkins said. "If I have to trade 3 to 5 years off my life but I get to coach basketball all my life, I’d take that deal any day. You’re affecting lives and you’re coaching a game. Every coach has a doctor, but coaches aren’t good patients. Coaches aren’t coachable. They’re always worried that someone is outworking them, so they keep grinding."
One doctor warns that "coaches who bottle up internal stress and don’t take care of their bodies are at risk for high blood pressure, heart problems, depression and anxiety," but adds that "it’s a constant battle because you want to win, and you’re always under the gun by the public. If you don’t produce, people are always looking for the next-best coach. That weighs on a staff heavily."
According to the article, Western Michigan Coach Steve Hawkins who has had two seizures in the last two years because of a four-hour nightly sleep pattern. Now he forces himself to get 7-8 hours, turning off the game film by 11:30 p.m."
"I don’t know if we’re killing ourselves, but we’re probably taking years off our lives," Hawkins said. "If I have to trade 3 to 5 years off my life but I get to coach basketball all my life, I’d take that deal any day. You’re affecting lives and you’re coaching a game. Every coach has a doctor, but coaches aren’t good patients. Coaches aren’t coachable. They’re always worried that someone is outworking them, so they keep grinding."
One doctor warns that "coaches who bottle up internal stress and don’t take care of their bodies are at risk for high blood pressure, heart problems, depression and anxiety," but adds that "it’s a constant battle because you want to win, and you’re always under the gun by the public. If you don’t produce, people are always looking for the next-best coach. That weighs on a staff heavily."
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
PUTTING A VALUE ON TURNOVERS
Through this season our biggest issue has been our inability to value the basketball. You know as a coach how much this kills your team but it is sometimes hard to put it into a concrete value or number of how your team is effected. I came up with some numbers yesterday and shared them with the team to hopefully help them understand the negative value of a turnover.
By using our season box score, I roughly calculated the number of offensive possessions we have had on the year. I did this by looking at our shot attempts, offensive rebounds, turnovers and approximating free throws into a number of possessions. My guess was that we have had 1314 possessions on the year or an average of 55 offensive possessions per game.
A few things I could then figure out:
1. We turn it over, on average, 17 times a game. That equals 31% of our possessions and brings us down to only getting a shot 38 possessions a game. That is not enough to win basketball games.
2. Right now we average 1.29 points per possession. That includes all possessions including our 399 turnovers on the year.
3. In possessions in which we get a shot, we average 1.85 point per possession.
Therefore, we can put a value on a turnover as costing our team 1.85 points. In a game in which we turn the ball over 20 times we are losing over 36 points. If an individual has 5 turnovers, he is costing our team 9 points.
If we can drop our average turnovers from 17 to 14 we win 3 more games this year and are 17-7 and not 14-10.
Now we have a negative value to associate with a turnover.
By using our season box score, I roughly calculated the number of offensive possessions we have had on the year. I did this by looking at our shot attempts, offensive rebounds, turnovers and approximating free throws into a number of possessions. My guess was that we have had 1314 possessions on the year or an average of 55 offensive possessions per game.
A few things I could then figure out:
1. We turn it over, on average, 17 times a game. That equals 31% of our possessions and brings us down to only getting a shot 38 possessions a game. That is not enough to win basketball games.
2. Right now we average 1.29 points per possession. That includes all possessions including our 399 turnovers on the year.
3. In possessions in which we get a shot, we average 1.85 point per possession.
Therefore, we can put a value on a turnover as costing our team 1.85 points. In a game in which we turn the ball over 20 times we are losing over 36 points. If an individual has 5 turnovers, he is costing our team 9 points.
If we can drop our average turnovers from 17 to 14 we win 3 more games this year and are 17-7 and not 14-10.
Now we have a negative value to associate with a turnover.
BEING A LEADER
From Coach Musselman's Blog:
David Wright has spent five seasons with the NY Mets, earning All-Star honors the last three. Now 26, Wright says that even though he's a relatively young guy, he's happy to step into a leadership role this year.
"I think that I can be more of a leader by what I bring to the field, not necessarily yelling and screaming. I think that if you lead by example and play the game hard and play the game the right way, guys will follow you. Those are the guys that I follow. I've said all along that leadership is earned. There's not a title or letter you can put on your chest that makes you a leader.Obviously, there are guys that have been around for quite some time and they've got more experience than I do. But by no means do I feel intimidated or not feel comfortable going up and talking to those guys if I see something. I understand how the game is where you have to put your time in, but I want to win. And if it takes me taking a bigger leadership role, then I'll do that.You're going to find 30 teams with great players on them, but very few do you have everybody that buys in and will give themselves up for the good of the team."
David Wright has spent five seasons with the NY Mets, earning All-Star honors the last three. Now 26, Wright says that even though he's a relatively young guy, he's happy to step into a leadership role this year.
"I think that I can be more of a leader by what I bring to the field, not necessarily yelling and screaming. I think that if you lead by example and play the game hard and play the game the right way, guys will follow you. Those are the guys that I follow. I've said all along that leadership is earned. There's not a title or letter you can put on your chest that makes you a leader.Obviously, there are guys that have been around for quite some time and they've got more experience than I do. But by no means do I feel intimidated or not feel comfortable going up and talking to those guys if I see something. I understand how the game is where you have to put your time in, but I want to win. And if it takes me taking a bigger leadership role, then I'll do that.You're going to find 30 teams with great players on them, but very few do you have everybody that buys in and will give themselves up for the good of the team."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
EARNING TRUST
"First In, Last Out" by John Salka, a New York City fire battalion chief.
Trust comes from consistency. You have to work beforehand to develop it, but even then, what I've discovered is that you don't create trust. Trust comes from your people, not you. When your people see you at the head of the column, being the first one in, facing each danger alongside them, you simply create the conditions that make trust possible. You can't make trust, you can only make trust possible. That's because trust is people's response to you when you act in ways that show them you'll benefit from following your lead.
Trust comes from consistency. You have to work beforehand to develop it, but even then, what I've discovered is that you don't create trust. Trust comes from your people, not you. When your people see you at the head of the column, being the first one in, facing each danger alongside them, you simply create the conditions that make trust possible. You can't make trust, you can only make trust possible. That's because trust is people's response to you when you act in ways that show them you'll benefit from following your lead.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
QUOTE ON SUCCESS
“Someone once told me success occurs when opportunity and preparation meet, and when the time comes to be prepared. Hopefully they’re prepared and ready to take advantage of their opportunity.”
KEEPING ALL PLAYERS INVOLVED IN A GAME
Every player had a role in the game. It didn't matter if you sat the bench, you had a role. Each player had to know a specific play from the other team. As soon as the other team started to run that play, our guys on the bench were supposed to shout it out. They might have a lob play where they run an alley-oop for a certain player. Our guys would be able to identify it by the way the team set up on the court.
I remember how proud [Coach Majerus] was that the last guy on the end of the bench recognized a certain play, and that we were able to stop it. He'd say, "Brian Slick, that was a great read by you. That was really key."Brian was a walk-on for us who sat the bench. But Majerus recognized his contribution."
I remember how proud [Coach Majerus] was that the last guy on the end of the bench recognized a certain play, and that we were able to stop it. He'd say, "Brian Slick, that was a great read by you. That was really key."Brian was a walk-on for us who sat the bench. But Majerus recognized his contribution."
TENNESSEE WOMEN'S MOTTO
Offense sells tickets, but defense wins games and rebounds win championships.
WHY YOU WATCH FILM
Last night we are up two with 12 seconds left to go (on the road) and the other team has the ball and calls a timeout. They have it near half court on the side and I knew exactly what they were going to run before their coach even knew I think. We drew it up, switched it correctly, got the steal on the inbounds play and finished the game. You may go an entire season without putting yourself in that position but that is why you watch so much film. Yes it helps you with tendancies and the scout, but every coach also has tendancies and when you can figure those out and use it to effect the outcome of a game, that is why you spend so much time watching film for a game.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
WINNING ON THE ROAD
Tonight we play on the road. A question I often look for answers to is why is it so much more difficult to win a game on the road? Shouldn't it be that the better team should win no matter where the game is played?
Our team this year is a completely different team at home than on the road. We play with more confidence, play with more toughness, and fight through adversity when at home. On the road we splinter quickly. We do not come out with the same intensity. We are a different team.
So the question is, "Why?". It is one that I can not find a correct answer to. However, I hope that it is not something that the players expect...example: we are not playing at home and everyone struggles on the road, therefore we will struggle on the road.
So, as a coach do you try to fight this idea of struggling on the road by discussing it and making a point of it, or do you actually legitimize the idea by making a point of it in the first place.
Every coach ultimately wants consistency in everything. We need to find an answer as to how we can be as consistent on the road as we are at home.
Our team this year is a completely different team at home than on the road. We play with more confidence, play with more toughness, and fight through adversity when at home. On the road we splinter quickly. We do not come out with the same intensity. We are a different team.
So the question is, "Why?". It is one that I can not find a correct answer to. However, I hope that it is not something that the players expect...example: we are not playing at home and everyone struggles on the road, therefore we will struggle on the road.
So, as a coach do you try to fight this idea of struggling on the road by discussing it and making a point of it, or do you actually legitimize the idea by making a point of it in the first place.
Every coach ultimately wants consistency in everything. We need to find an answer as to how we can be as consistent on the road as we are at home.
THE GOAL FOR THIS BLOG
This is intended to be a place to organize my thoughts, life, and career. A collection of things found to motivate thought. Also, a place for leaders to share ideas or concepts to help find SUCCESS. In the end, all is based on wins and losses.
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