Thoughts from Great Coaches by Creighton Burns

In this article, I am going to make a group of lists and thoughts that I have gleaned from reading books by Nick Saban, John Wooden, Dean Smith, Coach K, Bo Schembechler, Rick Pitino, and Gary Barnett. Every book I have ever read has given me something to think about, or put to use in my coaching preparation and duties. Click here to read Part 2 of this Article They will be in no particular order. From Nick Saban, in his book, “How Good do You Want To Be?” Championships Goals: 1) Be a Team — Together Everyone Accomplishes More. 2) Work to dominate your opponent. 3) Positively affect your teammates. 4) Take individual responsibility for self-determination. 5) Be champions on and off the field! Notice there is not one word about winning! Yet his team at the time, LSU, won the national championship. From Rick Pitino, in his book “Lead to Succeed.” Non-Negotiables: 1) Think Pass, before shot. 2) Think defense before offense. 3) Think team before self. 4) Be on time. 5) Exhibit Great Work Ethic. 6) Be happy after a win — even if you did not play. From John Wooden, in his book “12 Lessons In Leadership.” Little Things Make Big Things Happen: 1) There are no little things; only an accumulation of little things that must be done well. 2) Details are like rivets in the wing of an airplane. Remove enough of them and the wings will fall off. 3) Success starts from the ground up. Understand the relationship between “socks” and success. 4) Talent must be nourished in an environment of high performance standards. Sloppiness breeds sloppiness. When it comes to details, teach good habits. From Gary Barnett, in his book, “High Hopes.” His Philosophy: 1) Coaching is about taking people where they cannot take themselves. 2) Every player deserves a coach who believes in him. 3) Winning is about getting everybody to play with one heartbeat. His Mission: 1) Relentless pursue and win the Big Ten Championship. 2) Appreciate and embrace cultural diversity. 3) Achieve and exemplary foundation of leadership and academic success. The Mission was based on the following: 1) The values of family, successful attitudes ad team chemistry. 2) Believe in honesty, integrity, strength of character, care, and confidence. 3) Embrace a commitment to excellence, loyalty, selflessness, trust, and humility. 4) Teach team to overcome adversity, establish priorities, set goals, and value diversity. John Wooden’s 10 National Championships were summed up on a very simple, but elegant formula: 10 = C + F + U which meant (Conditioning + Fundamentals + Unity) From Dean Smith in his Book, “The Carolina Way,” said it this way: Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together! Play Hard meant to play with effort, determination and courage. Play Smart was meant with good execution, and poise and treating each possession as if it were the only one in the game. Play Together meant playing unselfishly, trusting your teammates and doing everything possible not to let your teammates down. From Bo Schembechler, in his book, “Bo’s Lasting Lessons.” Values 1) ”Early is on time, and on time is late!” 1) “There is NO substitute for hard work!’ 3) “You know what the right thing to do is — so just do it!” 4) “Those who stay will be champions!” 5) “When you are the leader, you are the organization!” Team Rules 1) Have respect for others. 2) Honesty will be the hallmark of everything we do. 3) You are responsible for your grades. 4) Keep outsiders on the outside! 5) The team, The team, The team — you will look like a team, act like a team and play like a team. Team Goals — Coach Schembechler always let his seniors set the team goals. 1) No complaints! was the number one goal on the last two teams Schembechler coached. “If you are the leader, you need to learn the history of your organization, respect it, and teach it. — Bo Schembechler From Mike Krzyzewski, in his book, “Leading With The Heart.” Preseason Planning Guide Teaching 1) Getting Organized a. Time Management b. Academics c. Rules d. Support System e. A Handshake Deal 2) Building the Team a. Talent b. Trusting Relationships c. A Winning Attitude d. Finding the Heart Family 1) Commitment 2) Excellence Motivation 1) Establishing Discipline a. Respect for Authority b. Honesty and Integrity c. Personal Responsibility d. Discipline Defined 2) Dynamic Leadership a. Define Your Own Success b. Planning and Preparation c. Shared goals d. Every Season is a Journey Coach K’s Rule “Don’t do anything that is detrimental to yourself. Because if it is detrimental to you, it will be detrimental to our team and to Duke University.” “When teaching always remember this simple phrase: “You hear , you forget. you see, you remember. You do, you understand.” Coach K’s Formula for Success 1) Hard Work 2) Communication 3) Preparation 4) Practice 5) Focus As you have read the above thoughts and philosophies and ideas from a great group of coaches, notice how must they echo each other. hopefully each of you has found something to think on as we go through the planning period, in preparation for the next season.

PART 2

The “Big Ten” Fundamentals from the book The Winners Manual by Jim Tressel 1) Attitude 2) Discipline 3) Excellence 4) Faith and Belief 5) Work 6) Handling Adversity and Success 7) Love 8) Responsibility 9) Team 10) Hope Decide your purpose and set your goals “If you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, someday you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.” — Jim Tressel From the book Leadership For Leaders, by Homer Rice, PhD Things People Worry About… 40%…Things that never happen 30%…Things they cannot change 12%…Needless worry about health 10%…Petty things 8% Real Problems 92%…Concerns — uncontrollable events. It is simply a waste of time and is a sin. –Homer Rice Leaders Possess The Following Qualities 1) Intelligent or knowledgeable about is field of endeavor, but explains things in a simple way. 2) Is humble. 3) Is genuinely interested in his fellow man. 4) Is honest. 5) Gives credit and praise to others. 6) Is firm, but fair. 7) Is patient and kind. 8) Is very decent. 9) Is generous with others. 10) Possesses a positive mental attitude. – Homer Rice Principles of Motivation 1) The desire to accomplish something. 2) Have faith in the outcome. 3) Have a vivid imagination. 4) Organization of planning. 5) The ability to make a decision. 6) Understand and use the subconscious mind. From the Book, Reach for the Summitt, by Pat Summitt The Definite Dozen 1) Respect yourself and others 2) Take full responsibility 3) Develop and demonstrate loyalty 4) Learn to be a great communicator 5) Discipline yourself so no one else has to 6) Make hard work your passion 7) Don’t just work hard, work smart 8) Put the team before yourself 9) Make winning an attitude 10) Be a competitor 11) Change is a must 12) Handle success like you handle failure “Any formula for motivation and success must include the following five items. 1) People 2) System 3) Communication 4) Work Ethic 5) Discipline – Pat Summitt “Loyalty is a selfless proposition. You won’t ever have it unless you’re willing to give it away.” – Pat Summitt “Nine-tenths of discipline is having the patience to do things right!” – Pat Summitt 3 Things to remember about discipline 1) Be firm 2) Be fair 3) Be consistent. – Pat Summitt From the book, The Smart Take from The Strong, by Pete Carril Great philosophers of education have said there are two things important in learning 1) Learning facts, data and information. 2) Knowing how to behave wisely. “The most important is knowing how to behave wisely.” – Pete Carril Two words to avoid in teaching 1) Always 2) Never – Pete Carril What I look for in a player 1) IQ = Intelligence Quotient 2) EQ = Energy Quotient 3) RQ = Responsibility Quotient – Pete Carril “The epitome of great basketball is five guys passing, cutting, moving the ball, doing what’s natural and not fighting for possession of the ball.” – Pete Carril Principles of Teaching Defense 1) Recognize what your players can do defensively. 2) There is no single absolute. The results count no matter how you do it. 3) Recognize the faster the team is, the more pressure it can apply defensively. 4) Whatever you emphasize, and to the degree that you do, you get better at it up to the level of your talent. 5) The force of the coach determines the quality and intensity of the defense. – Pete Carril “The strength of my Princeton teams has always been: 1) Attitude 2) Intelligence 3) Discipline – Pete Carril “My ideal player loves to play, constantly learns, has good character, and does not give in to defeat. He uses all parts of his abilities, not just one particular thing. I want a kid who goes ahead and does what he knows has to be done, who doesn’t give himself an excuse to fail.” – Pete Carril Over the years, I have used the thoughts of others to help me find ways to get my ideas across to my teams. In my opinion, we can take the thoughts of others to improve our teaching of the game of basketball. I would also add that ideas can be gathered from any coach, be it football, swimming, baseball or whatever. Use every resource you can find to help improve yourself and your coaching style. In a perfect world each of you who reads this blog will gain find something that will help your situation