Good quote on being in a management position...
Fire Fast, Hire Slow.
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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