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
Thursday, March 26, 2009
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
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