ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
The Wright advice: No need for Hart to change jumper (Philly.com) -Josh Hart, fresh from his first real NBA experience last spring, provided Jay Wright with the good news that he would be returning for his senior season at Villanova. After attending the scouting combine in Chicago, Hart also informed his coach that he had discovered the secret to his future success in the NBA. He explained that he was going to become a “3-and-D player.” -“All I’ve got to do is hit threes and play defense and I’ll play in the NBA,” Hart answered. Wright’s forceful and unfriendly reply: “I told him that sounded like some bull an agent told him, someone looking to make money off him. I don’t want you coming out of here just hitting threes and playing defense. I kicked him out of my office. I was sure it was the last thing the kid wanted to hear.” -“A lot of times the goal for a guy is to get into the NBA, and that’s what some of the people talking to him told him he needed to do last year. I wanted to get that out of his head because he is a lot more than that and I think he showed that his senior year. He realized in order to be a great player and a complete player in the NBA that he was going to have to show that in college first and he did that. He was arguably one of the best players in the college game last season.” -“I really think he can,” Wright said. “I think he was the classic example of someone fulfilling their potential. Each year, basketball people looked at him and said, ‘Well, if he improves his shooting; if he improves his decision-making; if he improves his ball handling,’ and each year he improved each thing and became a complete player.”
The QB gap (Yahoo Sports) -It’s Flowers’ long-term goal for the instruction, ideals and philosophies taught at the QB Collective to become a syllabus of sorts for the skills necessary to play the position at the highest level.
How a one-time washout explains the modern NBA (Wall Street Journal) -P.J. Tucker came into the NBA more than a decade ago and crashed out almost immediately. He was a 6-foot-6 player stuck between positions--too small to be a forward but too big to be a guard. The league had no place for him. After playing only 83 minutes in theNBA, he disappeared to another continent. "P.J. was in, out, and to a large degree forgotten about by a lot of people," said Andre Buck, his agent. Then something funny happened. The strategic revolution in basketball over the last decade made teams reconsider their old prototypes and resulted in what Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens recently called the NBA's three positions: ball-handler, wing and big. There is a premium on players who can be all three. Tucker is now one of those players. -That's how someone who literally couldn't play in the league has become one of the league's most useful players. It's also why the Houston Rockets signed Tucker to a four-year, $32 million deal in early July--the longest and richest contract of his career. In the first year of his new deal, he will make about 43% more than he was paid last year and nearly 1,000% more than five years ago. There may be no one in the NBA whose value has increased so much in such a short amount of time. -It's his incredibly unlikely career that best explains the evolution of basketball . He is a role player with a role that's more important than ever. "It's just how the game has changed," said the 32-year- old Tucker, "and I've been lucky enough to play long enough to see it change." ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-But he realized something while maturing overseas that eventually brought him back. It's a lesson that he imparts to younger players who want to be like him. "Figure out your niche," he says, "and maximize it." -The best teams in the NBA understood that frontcourt versatility was increasingly valuable. And suddenly Tucker found himself in demand. He was no longer a tweener. He was now positionless. -"He turned himself into this player who's super useful to all these NBA teams," said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. -Tucker is able to defend every player on the court, point guard through center, because of his peculiar build. The very thing that had been a disadvantage--that he was an oversized guard but undersized forward--had become his advantage. "He's a bear that's as quick as a cat," Buck said. -It was harder to imagine Tucker as an outside shooter. He didn't take any threes in his first NBA stint. He attempted a total of four in his three years of college. But he knew he couldn't play if he couldn't shoot . NBA teams didn't need Tucker to score. They needed him to create space for therest of the offense. He could help a team simply by standing in the corner and taking selfies with fans as long as he dragged adefender with him. By his last season in Germany, Tucker was hitting 48% of his threes. He was ready to come back to the NBA at the exact moment the league was ready to embrace him.
Crewe a valuable part of Timberwolves’ crew (Kenosha News) -“I try to tell our guys to be the MVP of their day,” Crewe said. “If it’s a lifting day, they need to be the best they can be in the weight room that day. If it’s a game day, they need to be MVP on the court. My message that I drive home every day is you need to get better one way or another in the facility today. Maybe the focus shifts from basketball to strength training, or maybe it shifts from strength training to some small rehab exercises. No matter what we’re working in that day, they need to try to be the MVP of that day.” -“I think just like in any work setting, you’ve got some push and some pull in every direction,” Crewe said. “A lot of times we’ll rely on our veterans or our starters to really help facilitate the message we’re driving across. We typically get pretty good buy-in. It comes down to educating the player what we’re trying to do for them and show them you’re there to help them. You’re not trying to take anything away from them; you’re trying to make them the best basketball player they can be.”
Forbes could be Spurs’ next success story (San Antonio Express-News) -“We have so many good vets,” Forbes said. “You try and watch everything they do and try and take away some things that can fit into your life or your game, on or off the court. I think success (provides) clues to what you can do to better yourself and have successful careers and have long careers.”
Golden State Warriors Patrick McCaw rewarded for his road map to the NBA (NBA.com) -“Being a young guy like me, you’d think it’s all about how many points you score or how many assists you get or your stats,” McCaw said. “Really it’s about playing the game the right way and helping your teammates get better. My dad taught me how to play the game the right way.” ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-“My dad told me to be greater later,” McCaw said. “I asked him, ‘What exactly does that mean?’ And he was saying, ‘Be greater later. It’s exactly how it sounds. You’re not being seen right now. Nobody knows who you are. But just continue to work, and one day that work is going to pay off. Be greater later,' I always say that in the back of my mind. I’m going to continue to work. I’m going to be greater later. Whenever that later comes, I’ll be ready for it.”
What I’ve Learned: Jack Nicholson (Esquire) -I love discourse. I’m dying to have my mind changed. I’m probably the only liberal who read Treason, by Ann Coulter. I want to know, you understand? I like listening to everybody. This to me is the elixir of life.”
Quote -“Excellence is about deliberate behavior, not frenzied behavior.”
Tom Peters -Remember: those who are most effective at improve are the ones who spent the most time mastering the basics.
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams -We have to have great body language. Don’t ever let anyone see us blink.
Simon Sinek -The value of our lives is not determined by what we do for ourselves. The value of our lives is determined by what we do for others.
Seattle Seahawks Get Chippy in Practice Befitting Their Competitive Culture (MMQB) -“Our players are trying to draw the best they can out of the guy across from them. They know, in practice, they have to bring their best. Each guy is practicing at his best, and in turn, he’s drawing the best out of the guy across from him. They all know that. We encourage the challenge mentality—getting the best out of each other. However, we also talk at great length about the responsibility that they have to be poised so they don’t go too far, and that they don’t disrespect anyone. If it goes beyond too far, then we’re all over it. But we’re going to that edge, all the time.”
Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons -Sign on wall: Good things happen to those who run -4 objectives 1. Can we be the best attacking team in football? 2. Can we have the best turnover margin in football? 3. Can we be the most poised team in end-of-half situations? 4. The mindset to go after the NFC South
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Your Mindset Matters: Instead Of Boxing Yourself In, Set Yourself Up For Growth (Forbes) -Scientists who study the brain made a big breakthrough in the last century on a concept called neuroplasticity. Popularized by the work of Norman Doidge in The Brain That Changes Itself, it's the idea that the brain can reorganize itself in response to events throughout a person’s lifetime. The mind is flexible -Modern medicine, until recently, adhered to the idea that people were born with fixed and unchanging neural pathways. Influenced by a new understanding, we now know that the brain is more flexible than we ever thought. The brain learns by memorizing the most traveled pathways. Our mindset is shaped by the kind of pathways we create to groom us for success or failure. -Having a fixed mindset, which researcher Dr. Carol Dweck defines as maintaining the belief that we are born with unchanging, inherited strengths and weaknesses, is actually what makes people less successful. Believing that your capabilities are capped by your innate intelligence or skills is a very limiting thought. You hear this kind of fixed mindset when someone says: “I’ve always been bad at that. My brain just doesn’t work that way.” They don’t see new approaches or practice as a way of improving their skills. This can apply to any life or leadership scenario, from being a better presenter to improving communication patterns or being more productive with time. It’s time to flex our mind in a more positive direction. -Having a growth mindset is the secret to finding success. The idea that your gifts and talents are not inherited but are the result of hard work and dedication is paramount. -Here's how to shift toward a growth mindset: • Be a searcher • Engage in more exercise • Recognize your progress • Celebrate others’ success • Use the word ‘yet’
Beer-chugging, cliff golf and pranks: Tales of Tom Brady at 40 (ESPN.com) -Rodney Harrison, Patriots safety, 2003-08: "This was when I first got to New England, we had become friends and we were in the weight room. I show up around 6:30 in the morning and he says to me, 'Good afternoon!' So the next day, I get the hint, and come in 15 minutes earlier. Same thing: He says, 'Good afternoon!' Then the next day it's 5:45 in the morning, and he makes sure to say it twice: 'Good afternoon! Good afternoon!' So I make it at 5:30 the next day and before he could say anything to me, I looked at him and said, 'Man, I don't give a damn what you say, Tom, I'm not coming in earlier than 5:30!' We both laughed at that." -Ty Law, Patriots cornerback, 2000-04: "When he finally got the job and was named the starter, our thought as a defense was, 'Just don't mess it up.' I remember us hanging out and he said something to me that, to this day, still resonates with me. We had a good quarterback in Drew Bledsoe, and here's Tom saying, 'He isn't getting this f---ing job back.' As a competitor, I was like, 'This is how you're supposed to think.' At the same time, I'm thinking to myself, 'This is the NFL! This is Drew Bledsoe -- a former No. 1 overall pick with a big contract! OK, good luck with that.' But Tom didn't look it at that way. It was no disrespect to Drew. He was determined to make it hard on [Bill] Belichick and Mr. Kraft to put Drew back on the field." ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-Matt Cassel, Patriots quarterback, 2005-08: "He's never willing to give up a rep. I remember when I was in practice, Josh [McDaniels] would be like, 'All right Cassel, get in there. You're up.' And as soon as he put me in, Tom would be like, 'No, I want to get this one.' I remember having this conversation with him. He said, 'Look, as you play this game, you never want to see somebody else doing your job, because everybody is good in this league.'" -Sebastian Vollmer, Patriots offensive tackle, 2009-16: "I'm always impressed, because when you walk into that locker room, everyone knows who Tom Brady is. But he introduces himself to every rookie: 'Hey, my name is Tom Brady. I play quarterback.' It's not like, 'I'm the guy.' He's not arrogant. Just humble from the perspective of, 'I don't expect you to know me, I am going to prove to you I can play.'" -Matthew Slater, Patriots special-teams captain, 2008-present: "I remember when I first got drafted here, kind of feeling out of place, not knowing who I was on the team, what my role was going to be. But Tom came up to me, knew my name, kind of knew my story -- the way my career went at UCLA. It just blew me away that this guy, with all he has accomplished, would take the time to get to know a little bit about a youngster. I think that really speaks to his character and the way he carries himself and the type of human being he is. I'm really appreciative of that." -Jacoby Brissett, Patriots quarterback, 2016-present: "When I first got here, I think he kind of set the tone in our room in terms of how competitive we are. Josh [McDaniels] is asking me a question, it was like one of my first days here. So I'm thinking about what to say, and Tom just answers. In my head, I'm like, 'What are you doing?' And then he's like, 'You just have to be faster in this room.' That's when I kind of got an opening to [his approach], and it's been the same way ever since."
Young Hawks Should Model Development After Muscala (NBA.com) -A couple of seasons ago, expert NBA podcaster Nate Duncan coined the phrase 'Hawks University' to refer to the franchise and some of its small forwards and shooting guards. The underlying subtext was that the Hawks showed a knack for bringing in young, underrated wings (think DeMarre Carroll or Kent Bazemore) who were willing to work at developing the skills most needed to play in the modern NBA. Those players honed their three-point shots, mastered the quick reads that result in good defensive rotations, and practiced moving the ball to open shooters. -"(I want to be) able to get to more shots in more one-on-one settings, whether that is in the post or driving from the perimeter," Muscala said. "And be able to do more than just hit the open shot or that one-move shot, and have one or two or three moves, not just to score necessarily, but to be able to pass off of that too."
The perfect pick: NBA's best screeners explain their unheralded art (USA Today) -“We believe setting screens leads to winning plays," Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd said during the first-round of the NBA playoffs. "It doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but we take pride in setting screens." ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-The NBA tracks “screen assists,” which is a screen that directly leads to a made field goal, and Gortat led all players during the regular season with 6.2 screen assists per game and leads all players in the playoffs with 9.8 screen assists per game, according to NBA.com/stats. -“The way the game is being played with so many great shooters all over the floor, you need that big who can get screens, is comfortable setting screens and enjoys setting screens, knowing there’s a chance you’re not going to get the ball but your team is going to get a great shot,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “(Gortat) does that. He gets John and our guards open looks. He gets our shooters open out of our screens away from the ball.” -“I became a better screener by watching guys like Kendrick Perkins, Dennis Rodman," Gortat said. "I spoke with a lot of coaches who taught me how to set screens. It’s just not about me setting a good screen, but the guy who handles the ball has to score to make me look good. A lot of people make me look good, too.” -“You have to have the toughness,” Brooks said. “You have to sacrifice your body and handle that play after play after play. You put yourself in a position where you’re vulnerable and you have to protect yourself.” -Beyond taking the physical beating, the ball-handler and screener must have a connection with both players understanding where and when to set the screen. Does the screener want to force the defender over or under the screen? Timing and chemistry are essential. “You have to force the opposing guard to trail behind the ball-handler,” Cleveland's Tristan Thompson explained. “If you have the defender trailing behind the ball-handler, you’ve done your job creating separation.”
For Andre Roberson, free-throw advice is free and frequent (NewsOK) -“You have to understand how (a shooter's) body works,” Penberthy said. “You have to understand where their misses are, technically what they're doing and what they're not doing so they can be consistent. I can tell he's just a little bit unsure of himself, maybe a lot unsure. I think it's hard to be confident if you don't know how you're supposed to shoot, or how you're supposed to stand or hold the ball.” -Since underhand isn't for everyone, Barry suggests a company, SOLIDShot — his son Scooter is its director of business development — that produces a compression sleeve tricked out with sensors that provide shooters instant feedback on their form. -Typically, Burke noted, basketball players read plays and react. The free-throw line is the exception, a place where overthinking comes into play, where players have a moment to obsess about missing. So Burke suggests a simple, step-by-step process for basketball players at the free- throw line: Focus on the front or back of the rim, count each dribble you take before the shot. Say a keyword to yourself — “Through,” for example — to remind yourself to follow through. -Fran Fraschilla’s coment on article: Only have one person on your staff coaching shooting. Too many voices in regards to shooting = death!!
Brian Daboll, Alabama Football -Any offensive scheme that is giving the Alabama defense trouble, Saban will have the offensive unit put in (not just for the defense to practice against it).
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Inside the Brooklyn Nets' attempt to rise from the ashes (ESPN.com) -Those 20-win Nets were perhaps the happiest, tightest-woven terrible team ever. That was Phase 1 in Sean Marks' plan as general manager: wipe away years of infighting, ignore the wreckage of a trade that built a contender elsewhere, and mold a culture of work around hungry young players and workaholic coaches. -Win a little, and the culture might mean something on the broader market. Word will trickle out about happy moods and healthy bodies. The Nets provide the VIP sports science treatment to every roster player. They invested heavily in reliable technology, from Delos wobble boards that measure balance and power to lower-body exercise machines that highlight muscle fatigue that may require rest. -Every player does individual skill work before and after practices -- "vitamins," in Brooklyn's adopted Spurs parlance. Chefs prepare customized meals. The Nets will experiment with game- day Amtraks from Brooklyn to nearby cities instead of arriving late the night before. Players fill out daily questionnaires about sleep, soreness and diet. "They even track the color of your piss," Joe Harris said. -Scola will take the questionnaires with him when he plays in China next season. Several young players now lift weights after games, and follow the team's recommended offseason regimen. That is what the Nets want: for players to take ownership, and discover patterns in how diet and sleep impact performance. -The goal is to be involved without smothering. Paternalism can be alienating. Atkinson has a big staff, but fights his instincts to beef up. "You could hire someone just to teach left-handed dribbling," he said, "but you don't want players to walk into a coach every time they turn the corner." The team is threading the needle, players say. "Everything is about the players," Foye said. "But they are not going to follow you around. You are an adult."
Apple’s Rules for Success -Let go of the old, make the most of the future -Always tell the truth, we want to hear the bad news sooner than later -The highest level of integrity is expected, when in doubt, ask -Learn to be a good businessperson, not just a good salesperson -Everyone sweeps the floor -Be professional in your style, speech and follow-up -Listen to the customer, they almost always get it -Create win/win relationships with our partners -Look out for each other, sharing information is a good thing -Don’t take yourself too seriously -Have fun, otherwise it’s not worth it
John Wall’s shot to beat Celtics was a long time coming (CSN Mid-Atlantic) -It was just six years ago that John Wall made only three three-pointers in 66 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. Back then he relied almost exclusively on his ability to dribble past defenses and score on the fastbreak. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-Wall is still lethal in transition, but his continued improvement as an outside shooter has taken his game to new heights. That was evident not only in the three-pointer he made with 3.5 seconds left in Game 6 to beat the Celtics,but also in the way he did it. Wall stared down Avery Bradley, one of the game's best on-ball defenders, and confidently drained the shot in his face. -There was no hesitation whatsoever. In the biggest moment of his basketball life, Wall delivered and made it look easy. But, of course, it wasn't easy. Getting to this point took years of working on that very same shot in practice. "I wasn't a great shooter coming in," Wall said. "That's something I had to work on. Nobody is going to come in as a perfect point guard, a perfect guy." -"I think all great players are striving for excellence and trying to improve their games. You've heard about it through the history of the game when guys come back better and you thought there's no way this guy can come back better," head coach Scott Brooks said. "But you can, there's always ways that you can improve. John is a high IQ basketball player. He loves the game and he knows that in order for him to get better, he's going to have to continue to work on his three-point shooting because then it becomes 'how are you going to guard him?' His quickness, his strength, his ability to attack with either hand. Now he's able to post up smaller guards and most guards are going to be smaller than him. Teams want to give him the outside shot, but if he can shoot 35 or 37 percent from that spot, you can't give him that. I think as his career continues to evolve, his three- point shooting is going to be a big part of his game." -"It says more about his work ethic [than confidence]," center Ian Mahinmi said. "You could tell that he’s been working from the time when he first came in the league where he was mostly a driver and finisher at the rim to now he’s everything – threes, twos, passes, leadership – so that shows me more of his worth ethic and his willingness to improve himself year after year after year. I feel like I am here at the right time. So the guys have been through it and me I just come [to the Wizards] and he’s like the best guy, the best point guard on the East Coast. It’s awesome.” -"Every year it gets better. He adds different parts of his game," forward Otto Porter said. "That’s why he’s an elite player. He’s always working on his game. …It’s all the hard work he puts in."
Sean McDermott has unique approach to Bills team-building (USA Today) “We just feel strongly that this is important,” McDermott said. “Part of the reason we came here was to build this football team and when you build any type of team, as far as we’re concerned, you need to know your teammates. What better way to know your teammate than for individuals to share their personal stories and what inspires them and who they play for. It’s really the first time I’ve done it. I’ve experimented with something similar in my background as a defensive coordinator. It’s really powerful to watch guys share, open up, in a vulnerable position. It’s powerful and we’re building this football team and the love that we need to have amongst our people. When you know someone, you play a little bit harder for the guy next to you and that’s just kind of the organic part of it. It’s been powerful and it’s run the gamut of emotions and it’s been fun. I use the word fun in quotes, but it’s been good.” -McDermott has one player each day tell the team his life story. • Earn the right to win • Playoff-caliber Quotes on Walls • Respect the process ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
How do Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott plan to change Buffalo Bills’ culture (New York Upstate) -"What makes great leaders great?" McDermott said. "At the end of the day, that's what coaches are. In addition to teachers, this is a leadership role. Coordinator is a leadership role, position coach. You're leading people. I've spent a lot of time and I've become passionate about leadership and creating a culture that is a winning culture. That's, to me, when you look at the way we played in Carolina. Not to go back, but the culture that we're trying to build here is one that defensively I felt like we had in Carolina, where the guys love coming to work. Think about this for yourself. If you love driving down One Bills Drive and you love coming to work, and I get it, it's work, but when you love what you do and you love the people you're doing it with, you can win with that. Because there's going to be close games, there's going to be that moment where things can go either way. I want our guys and our entire building to say, 'Hey, we love this part right here because this is where we win.' It was more of that. It was more of what happens in between plays, what happens in between games that I learned about." -So, it starts with all that preparation, and if you're prepared, you're setting yourself up to win, and then it becomes a mentality of 'we got this, we can do it.' And closing out games the right way." -"If you focus on the scoreboard, especially now, you're going to miss all of the important stuff and the weeds are going to grow up around you if you don't manage all that," McDermott said. "To do it in the short and long term, you have to build it the right way by building a solid foundation, and I've just found over the years, if you do that, that takes care of itself. It doesn't mean, they call it the lag effect, it doesn't mean it's going to happen right away. I'm not saying it's not. Only one man knows that." -"What I learned is sometime you've got to give players one or two things and let them play," McDermott said. "No different with your staff. You give people enough space to do their jobs. You develop trust that way. That's important to us as we move forward, that there's something called 'the speed of trust' that people trust I'll do my job and they're going to do their job. At that point, we become efficient as an organization."
Indianapolis Colts Reset Mode: Leadership Builds Trust With Eye on Contending Again (MMQB.com) “I said, ‘Listen, we can say all the things we want to say, but the only thing that builds trust is time,’” Ballard continued. “We’ve just both have to work, and respect each other’s jobs. He has to respect what personnel does and I’m gonna respect what coaching does, and make sure we have a bunch of honest conversations along the way to make sure we build the relationship the right way.” -“You’re not going to always agree on everything. You have to be willing to listen, you have to be willing to grow,” Pagano said. “It’s not ‘this for that.’ It’s communication, and it’s talking, talking, talking. It’s face-to-face. It’s nothing else. You spend time, you develop those relationships, and they just get stronger. I’m not the man I want to be, but I’m sure glad I’m not the man I used to be. That’s my mantra. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-In the aftermath of the player-acquisition phase of the process, Pagano could see the vision come to life: “Tough. Smart. Competitive. They’re going to have the tangible things that you can see on tape—height, weight, speed. Football character. Guys that love to compete. Guys that love the game.” -“Making sure that I understood what they wanted in a player, that’s always the most difficult thing,” Ballard says. “You’re not bringing players in for your ego. You’re bringing them in so the coaches can be successful. You match what they want. … You can’t just shove players down coaches’ throats. There has to be a level of agreement from both sides. And then when there’s a disagreement, we put the tape on.”
How to beat the Patriots (The Ringer) • An organizational commitment to special teams • Understanding the laws of inversion • Not all third downs are created equal • Be unconventional • Be a stoic -Yes, the games count toward the overall win-loss record, but what matters more is being able to accurately assess a team and then making the minor adjustments needed to win in late November and December. Think of September as the first 100 miles in the Indy 500, when the race teams make the minor adjustments to the car at the first pit stop. Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh always wanted his assistants to play talented rookies in September knowing full well that the mistakes they made in September would help refine their habits by November and December, when mistake- free football is essential. -Special teams are the pillars in Bill Belichick’s cultural foundation. Tom Brady, an adaptable offense, and a multidimensional defense define the team’s success, yet without special teams the Pats would never work with complementary football precision. They established their culture of “team first” and “do your job” with their commitment to the kicking game. Within that culture, the team's mental and physical toughness is harvested and developed. -A few years ago, I was talking to a president of an NFL team who wanted to know about Belichick and his obsession with special teams. This executive was highly engaged in analytics and based on his research of the core special teams numbers, he saw no real correlation between having great special teams and a winning record. Yes, he acknowledged making field goals mattered, and he understood the value of field position. However, the time spent by Belichick’s team and allocation of cap resources to special teams for him far outweighed the gains. He kept asking, “Why would he risk playing highly paid players on coverage teams?” And this executive — an analytically inclined type — could care less how many titles the Patriots had won; his data did not support the value Belichick placed on the kicking game. And you know what? The value isn't in the data; it lies in the culture. Building a team’s toughness and quality of execution can't always be quantitatively measured. -The Patriots subscribe to the Law of Inversion, which means they first must avoid losing to prepare for winning. Avoiding losing means protecting the ball with your life and playing mistake- and penalty-free, especially in the kicking game. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Mark Twain wrote, “The best swordsman in the world doesn't need to fear the second best swordsman in the world; no, the person for him to be afraid of is some ignorant antagonist who has never had a sword in his hand before; he doesn’t do the thing he ought to do, and so the expert isn’t prepared for him.” Playing the Patriots requires being a little unconventional, a little unpredictable, a little imperfect. This doesn’t mean abandoning systems and schemes, but rather making modifications within those systems and schemes. -The great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius believed in living in the moment — only concern yourself with things that are in your control and ignore all else. In a game against the Patriots, good things can happen, bad things can happen, and the team that just ignores both and focuses on the next play will have the most success. Football is an emotional game. Players and coaches lose themselves over a single official’s call. This cannot happen when playing the Patriots. The only play that matters is the next play, and that play will require 100 percent dedication and concentration.
Yogi Ferrell goes from undrafted PG to veteran mentor for Dallas Mavericks (NBA.com) -Helping to guide Smith throughout his opening days was Ferrell, who months earlier had been lauded as the exciting new point guard in Dallas. “You’re talking about a guy that is 100 percent professional,” Jamahl Mosley, the Mavericks’ coach at Summer League, said of Ferrell. “A lot of guys would take certain things personally when you’ve got a guy coming in and he’s a guard who gets the ball. But Yogi is helping Dennis get better. He is teaching him, and telling him, ‘If you see this, do this.’ I can’t tip my hat enough to his growth and leadership abilities.” -It was June 23, 2016, the night of the NBA Draft, and his size prevented him from hearing the announcement of his name. “I did hear something great once,” Ferrell said. “Somebody said, ‘You know, they can’t stop you from practicing.’ So not being drafted and not getting any attention, it’s fine. I still got in the gym and worked. That’s all I knew to do, that was what I was blessed at. If I did that, everything else was going to fall into place for me.” -“You appreciate the dark days when things aren’t going your way,” he was saying one year later, from the position of strength that he had gone onto earn in Dallas. “You can look back and say how you got here, and now you want to stay here and continue to do the same things that got you here.”
Quotes "You need to ignore what everyone else is doing and achieving. Your life is about breaking your own limits and outgrowing yourself to live YOUR best life. You are not in competition with anyone else; plan to outdo your past, not other people.” -“Your actions express your priorities.” -“At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don’t.” -Outwork or get outworked
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Giants love McAdoo’s ‘cross-coaching’ program (New York Post) -A week into camp, McAdoo had position groups meet with a position group on the opposite of the ball from them. Cornerbacks met with the Wide Receivers coach, the running back group met with the Linebackers staff. -This falls in line with one of McAdoo’s favorite coaching mantras: Instilling “empathy’’ in his players. “Having one side of the ball be able to understand what the other side of the ball is going through and what they’re being coached to do,’’ McAdoo told The Post after Wednesday’s practice. -“It also helps players get in a room and hear how the other side of the ball breaks them down fundamentally, the fundamentals that they’re being taught across the ball and then how they’re game-planning to beat the individual on the other side of the ball,’’ McAdoo said. “It helps to hear how opponents are going to try to coach and beat you as a man, it helps you work on your weaknesses.’’
Bob McKillop, Davidson -On BLOBs, offense goes when the ball is handed not when it’s slapped. -On BLOBs, offensive players start with their hands on their knees to create space from defense so as to not allow their defender to jam into their body and obstruct cuts.
Mike Neighbors, Arkansas WBB -Youth coaches: have player start with ball in their palm with their outstretched and have them bring it up into their shooting pocket (only using one hand). If their elbow isn’t directly under their palm, the ball will roll off. Can you do this 10x in a row without using the pinky or thumb? -You should be able to catch a pass while a ball is tucked between your bicep and tricep without the ball falling out (using 2 hands). -Holding that ball between your biceps and triceps while shooting another ball, if you shoot the ball out (ending with your elbow beneath your eyebrows), the ball will fall into the middle of your body. If you shoot it properly, the ball resting in your arms should fall back behind you.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots -“A lot of times just making sure that you're right is more important than identifying what [your opponent is] doing. … Until you get that cleared up, you're kind of spinning your wheels in the sand and you're not making any progress because you don't really understand exactly what the issues are. You have the information from players, [who are] in the heat of the battle. You have information from the press box, who can get as much of an overview as you can get. You have sideline information. So sometimes that's the same, sometimes information—you don't see it quite the same way. The way one coach sees it, the way the press box sees it, the way the sideline sees it, the way a player on the field sees it, it's not quite all the same way. So you've kind of got to sort all that out. And then there is the balance of fixing what is in the rearview mirror and looking ahead.”
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
The case for Adam Gase (MMQB.com) “The most important thing that I have learned in this whole experience since 2011 is every guy is different and you need to adjust your offense to who you have,” Gase says. “Every team is functioning around the quarterback.”
Adam Gase’s attention to detail fuels Dolphins’ culture change (NFL.com) -"We're trying to put last year behind us while also learning from it," Gase said. "We learned a lot about guys because almost every game came down to the fourth quarter and we had to make plays. People can call it luck, but there's no such thing. You create your own luck. We found out when it gets tight, who will step up. And we had a lot of guys with no experience step up and make plays. When we get into difficult times, my confidence will be up." -He can see that in the maturity they displayed in 2016 -- when they overcame a 1-4 start to finish 10-6 -- and he can sense it in the exuberance they've displayed during offseason workouts. As much as the Dolphinslove the game of football, they clearly love being around each other even more.
Adam Gase’s rapport with players a major part of building Dolphins’ new culture (ESPN.com) -“Well, we’re all human, right? We all make mistakes,” Wake said last week. “Players make them on the field. Coaches make them off the field. As a man in this game, you’ve got to be able to admit when that happens. I think there are probably other coaches who don’t do that, and obviously with him being a different kind of guy, I think that’s part of the reason why guys respect him, why guys relate to him and why guys love him.” -Gase’s rapport and open communication with his players are major building blocks in Miami's new culture. Although players won’t say it publicly, Gase’s ability to relate with players is a significant upgrade over former coach Joe Philbin, who is 16 years older and doesn’t have the same charisma and presence. -“Our relationship is unique, because of him, and he allows that with this team and with the guys on this team,” Stills explained. “I feel like that’s a part of this building being special. He really, genuinely cares about us and is looking out for us and wants what’s in our best interest. So it makes it easy to play for a guy like that.”
Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial -Hawks Trans: 3 teams (O, D, one on side). New team comes in on O. If you score, you go to D. Offense: 4 across baseline + center at charge circle. Defense: 3 across FT line (wing, nail, wing) + 4/5 on blocks opposite each other. Coach has ball at TOK and throws it to whichever offensive player he wants to. Defensive 4/5 has to touch foam on the opposite side of the rim. First team to 4 stops wins. -Disadvantage Transition Drill: 5-on-5 in the half. 15 seconds on the clock, run a ATO. Make/miss, the offensive 5 doesn’t transition the other way (he remains on that end of the court) so it’s 5-on-4. On the third possession, since that 5-man is still down on that end so the defense to scramble to get back and account for him. Rotation: O to D, D is off, new team is on O. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-Cutthroat: 4 teams of 4. Cones on each side of the jump circle. Offense comes on from halfcourt through the cones. We’ll allocate 15 minutes. Every game is to 3 stops. If you get a stop, you stay on. Any offensive rebound, you lose a point (although if you keep them from scoring, you can get a stop and remain on D – you’d end up with no points for the possession because of the loss of point for the o-board). We will usually start the drill with no dribbles. Or we’ll go dribble-drive: 3 passes and then everyone is trying to drive it. Or post feed: live on the post catch. Or we’ll start with a flat ball screen. Or we’ll go 3 passes (no dribbles) into a ball screen. We’ll always finish every day with no rules.
‘Quarterback whisperer’ Martellus Bennett talks chemistry with Aaron Rodgers (ESPN.com) "I need all the reps I can with Aaron -- practice reps, game reps, meeting room reps," Bennett said. "Any rep I can get with him I'll try to get, whether it's just whispering to him, try to be the quarterback whisperer. It's just a lot of communication and a lot of reps. Over-communicate and over-rep every single thing we could possibly do."
Collin Klein is back home at Kansas State as QB coach (247 Sports) -“I like to have people in our program that really understand what our program is all about,” Snyder said at Big 12 Media Days. “That covers a whole lot more than football.” -“Even going back to when he was a GA, there were times when there was communication within the system and I’d ask him what to do, and he’d always have great things to tell,” Ertz said. “He’s been a great resource. He’s been in my shoes not too long ago and that’s pretty invaluable. “He definitely has a very mature personality to begin with, but just his knowledge and how hard he works, the details, it seems like he’s been around it a lot longer.
How the midmajors reel in those stars (New York Times) -“You can only do my job for so long before you flip on the N.C.A.A. tournament, look at the guy from Bradley, shake your head and wonder, ‘How did that happen?’ ” Telep said. “The whole goal of this study was to lessen my angst during the N.C.A.A. tournament.” -Cannon goes on to write that midmajor programs should evaluate physical attributes differently. “It seems that, for guards, size in both directions isn’t correlated with success,” he wrote, with Curry as one of the study’s examples. “For forwards, rather than needing both height and bulk, one or the other is enough if the other skills are there.” -“It appears to me that frame is weighted the same when considering midmajor prospects as it is when considering high major prospects, and this simply shouldn’t be the case,” Cannon concluded in the study. Basically, too many skinny but skilled guys fill in and become stars. Too many short but strong power forwards become productive players. -“In football, guys who don’t have a true position they just call athletes,” Telep said. “In basketball, we don’t have that term. Kawhi Leonard didn’t fit neatly into a compartment. So he went to a place where he can develop a fat résumé and has a better chance of maxing out his talent and ability than he would have done sitting at Washington or U.C.L.A. and learning the ropes.”
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Meet the man behind your favorite jump shot (The Ringer) -“Some players have asked me, ‘Why are we doing this drill?’” McClanaghan says. “But I have a reason why we’re doing every single one. … I swear, every guy that has asked me that hasn’t reached their potential. I say that because it goes back to our trust. I’m trusting you to work hard. Trust me to know what I’m doing. It’s not to make up time or get through the hour, it’s for a reason. My top guys, I can’t think of one time that they’ve ever said, ‘Why are we doing this drill?’ That’s why we’re successful at what we do. We have trust.”
Pitino Blog: Noise (GopherSports.com) -I'm often asked, what was the reason we went from eight wins to 24? Was there something we specifically did? Not really. We just kept believing. Kept working. If there were improvements or changes that had to be made we made them. My constant message to them was that the noise was irrelevant. It wasn't that I necessarily told them to ignore it because that's very hard and unrealistic in today's world. Just accept it for what it is and move on. It's just noise. Don't get offended when people you hoped would be supportive say or write critical things. We were getting what we deserved. The only way to make it stop was to take ownership. We believed that the narrative would change, but we just had to stay the course. We wanted everyone to RESPECT us. That was the word we put in our locker room and on our practice wall. Every possession was an opportunity to put one more fan back in the seats of Williams Arena. Winning and playing the right way was the only option. -Years ago, Pat Riley wrote in his book "The Winner Within" how, in one of his first seasons with the Lakers, his guys went through as he called it, "the innocent climb." They had a young, talented team but uncertain expectations at the time. In describing the climb, Riley wrote, "being a part of success is more important than being personally indispensable. The team’s energy and enthusiasm take on a life of their own." Our team last year went through exactly that. All we had was each other at the beginning and that bond that was formed was extremely powerful. There were no preseason accolades or rankings. Only way to be recognized was to win. -This leads me to our next greatest obstacle. "The disease of me," as Pat Riley puts it in his book. Yes, I will be printing out a few chapters from this book and reading it to our team when they return. Will we continue to be the humble, low maintenance, selfless team that we were last season or will human nature set in and we focus on ourselves over the team? Will we start worrying about points, playing time and touches? "It requires a strong constitution to withstand repeated attacks of prosperity," says J.L. Basford. I love that quote. We have to be aware that although people will pick us a top-20 team doesn't mean that's what we are. We want to be a top-20 program in every aspect. That means handling positive or negative noise the right way. Accept it for what it is and move on. Get better every day. We are entitled to nothing. Stay humble and hungry. -The phrase I will use often with our guys going into the season will be "up the ante." Let's not be afraid to take the next step. If you are ten percent body fat, get to seven. If you shot 62 percent from the free throw line, get up to 70. If you averaged eight rebounds, go get 12 this season. You get the point. The most important thing, more than anything else, is we don't lose that starving mentality we had in the past. Don't let the "disease of me" creep into the locker room.
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Lobo basketball going all in on ‘Run and Stun’ press (Albuquerque Journal) -“Oh yeah, you can see it,” said Mackey, now a scout with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. “They break. Some break in the middle, some break late. You see it on the floor. You look at the bench and the coach starts yelling at the assistant coaches. They start yelling at the players. They players start fighting with themselves. It’s embarrassing. It makes them look bad. … And it’s a great feeling when it happens.” -“I’m not sitting here saying we’re going to play that style because I want to be like Norm or we just want to just appease the fans,” Weir said. “We’re going to do that style because it gives us our best chance to win. -“On their case. In their face. Take away their space,” Mackey says through his thick Boston accent. “You trap the ball. Two on the ball. Two in the passing lane. One back. …” -On May 13, Weir flew Mackey out to Albuquerque where the coaches broke down two game films: The 1986 win over Indiana and the Dec. 3, 2016, West Virginia road win over then No. 6 Virginia.
Body and mind: Will downward dogs uplift Lobos? (Albuquerque Journal) -Hot Yoga session as a team -The changes aren’t just about the physical aspects of the game or specific on-court strategies. Those who know Weir would tell you his approach is probably every bit as much about building the mental and spiritual aspects of a player and team as anything else. He places inspirational quotes around the locker room and basketball offices. He wants his team to meditate. He sometimes asks people what book they’ve read lately. He wants those around him to continue to learn and tries to set an example. Weir has four degrees and is working on his dissertation for his first doctorate. -“Part of the increased workload that we’re asking these guys to do also requires them to start really taking care of their bodies. That’s what I told them the first day that I got here: ‘What we’re going to put your bodies through is only going to work if you start treating your bodies properly from a nutrition standpoint, a sleep standpoint and a recovery standpoint.'” -Quotes: • “I am not talented. I am obsessed.” — Conor McGregor, UFC champion • “We don’t want to be the best ones doing something. We want to be the only ones doing it.” — Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia • “The ones who say you can’t are too afraid you will.” — Economist Ziad K. Abdelnour • “If you even dream of beating me up, you’d better wake up and apologize.” — Muhammad Ali along with the iconic photo of Ali standing above the knocked-out Sonny Liston in 1965
Advanced analysis: Lobos coach out in front of growing analytics trend (Albuquerque Journal) -Scribbled in marker across the glass window of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball office is a quote that seems to best summarize new head coach Paul Weir’s approach to life, not merely coaching. “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ ” — Adm. Grace Murray Hopper. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-“I think basketball coaches for the last 50 years have all warmed up the same way. Trained the same way. There’s a thought process that this is the way you do things. I think that goes across every platform in your world and in my world. To me, analytics allow you to effectively question why it is you’re doing things more so than anything else.” -Weir reached out to UNM’s department of mathematics and statistics about the possibility of hiring an intern to focus on crunching numbers. -Regardless of who is the primary numbers cruncher, Weir will not only be involved, but be at the forefront in articulating to staff and players how and why they’re using those numbers. That isn’t yet the norm for the majority of head coaches. “Most programs are using data in a more sophisticated way than they did 10 years ago because there are more tools available to do so,” Pomeroy said. “But there are still a lot of places where it’s an assistant or a video guy that is doing the data analysis and the head coach really couldn’t speak intelligently about possession-based numbers.” -Weir replaced one wall in the Lobos player locker room with “The Wall of Truth” — a series of white boards with statistics updated daily to show player production in practice and games, leaving no question about why players are, or aren’t, getting playing time.
How the Atlanta Falcons Are Handling the Worst Loss in Super Bowl History (SI) -Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan wanted to watch the Super Bowl his team had squandered. He actually desired to relive the worst thing that’s ever happened to him—every misstep, every bad throw—and not just once but on three straight afternoons. Ryan now says he’s focused on the future, ready for another season, past the trauma, if not over it. But first he needed to look back in order to move forward. -It took those three viewings—all painful, each more clinical than the last—for Ryan to advance into the offseason and begin his preparation to improve on his MVP campaign from last year. “That game is always going to be a part of who I am,” Ryan said in a recent phone interview. “It’s always going to drive me, but it doesn’t consume me. I won’t let it consume me.” -Dan Quinn, the Falcons’ coach, also asked Ryan to take a more active leadership role throughout last season. Dimitroff saw Ryan implement Quinn’s wishes, becoming more vocal, more available, an entirely different player from the skinny kid who had arrived in Vick’s shadow in 2008. Ryan spent more time with the Falcons’ defense and more time with teammates off the field, at restaurants, or for charity events. -Ryan is asked if he has watched the Super Bowl loss again after his football equivalent of a Netflix binge. No, he says. He looked back and that was necessary but now it’s over. From here on out, he says, “We’re pointed forward.”
The July Grind (Idaho Press) -“Boise is one of the best places in the country, but if you draw a 500-mile radius around the school, I’ll bet it’s one of the least populated basketball areas in the country,” Rice said. “We’re in a location where we have to go out and find a lot of guys. I’d love it if we had 13 players in a close proximity to the campus, but to win the Mountain West and compete, the reality is, we have to go out and find guys.” ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-“We have to make hay in July, because it’s so expensive to get to these kids games, and with the time constraints during the season,” Rice said. “For me to take 2-3 days in the middle of the year, I can only do that a couple times. You’re talking about seeing three or four or five kids one time. In July I get the opportunity in a three-week span to maybe see a kid play five, six, seven games and really figure him out.” -We have to be an evaluation program and development program,” Rice said. “It’s easy to go see the top 50 kids and like them, but you have to find the right fits, the hidden gems, kids with upside. That’s why we take pride in evaluating -“I’ve got a staff that does a great job and they make my job a lot easier,” Rice said. “It’s easy for me when I get excited about the kids we’re recruiting. There’s a saying on the wall in my office ‘Better people make better Broncos’. When we find those great ones, I get really excited to recruit them and it’s easy.” “We want to under promise and over deliver,” Rice said. “We want to give that story to the people we’re recruiting and let them know what’s going to happen here and then deliver more than what we promise.” Rice said the father of Derrick Marks once told him that Boise State was more than their family could have ever dreamed of. It was a compliment that sticks with Rice today.
Joe Flacco’s comeback plan (SI.com) -“You try to impress upon the young guys that playoffs is our standard and that’s what we want to create,” he said. “My first five years we were in it every single year and winning games, and it seemed very normal to me. You want to create that atmosphere, and my job and my message to the guys is that we do have the talent. Make them believe in themselves so that we can all go out there and have a unified front.”
Anders Ericsson -What are the things that separate the top performers? -Experts think about things in a different way. -“Image” your goal -Mental representations -Success/achievement is a very long gradual process • Even the most talented…even those people have this tremendously long background/history of doing what they do -Purposeful practice • Having a procedure that trained individual at edge of ability • Adjust difficulty level • Find the sweet spot where it’s a very difficult (but not impossible) task. • Pushing perhaps to go just beyond what you can do. -Immediate feedback -No shortcuts to high achievement. One has to take the time to build the skills. -The way the best are engaged in games is fundamentally different than others. • They literally see things others don’t • Their representation is that much different ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-The hard thing with sports teams is that one’s growth is best when the training is tailored directly to an individual’s needs -Deliberate practice is purposeful practice designed and monitored by a teacher. -How can the best keep improving? -What’s so great about chess is that there is quite literally feedback after every move. -Deliberate practice = setting goals beyond what you can previously do. -Elite: trying things they can’t do -Sub-elite: practicing what they know -Most amateurs don’t like to fail • Why they don’t improve • They keep doing what they already can do -San Antonio Spurs: committed to a team spirit – good players working within a team
Bill Snyder’s unconventional recruiting thrives at Kansas State (ESPN.com) -Indeed, the Wildcats have thrived off such hidden gems who have been passed over by other programs for, according to Snyder, four primary reasons. • They hail from remote small towns. • They don't go to the combine camps put on by recruiting services. • They're lacking in a measurable, such as wingspan or 40 time. • They've yet to peak in football because they’ve played other sports. -Snyder said he and his staff annually touch base with every school in Kansas, and thousands more within key recruiting regions outside the state. -"Every spring, a K-State coach would stop by knowing full well we didn't have anybody that could help them," Roger Barta said. "No other big schools would do that. When you have a good one, everybody wanted to be your friend. But because K-State always stopped by, they always knew who coming up had a chance to be good. They worked at it." -Under Snyder, the Wildcats have also toiled to project work ethic and intangibles. -One Big 12 coach marveled at all the people K-State assistants chat with in visiting a player's high school. Those conversations begin with the coaches, but they carry over to principals, teachers, secretaries and, in some cases, even those who serve food in the cafeteria. "It's not all about physical talent, 40 times, bench presses, all those kinds of numbers," Snyder said. "It doesn't meant they're insignificant, because they're not insignificant. But that value system that young people do or do not possess is highly significant to me. You can take guys that might not have that extreme talent, but you see the capacity to develop. Whether they'll invest the time, that's a big thing for us. -"He's recruited guys that not only were productive but had that self-motivation and work ethic to get better," former Butler Community College coach Troy Morrell said. "Even with jucos, K-State always stood out with how they researched back to the high school, to get a good feel for what a kid is about."
ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
Mike McCarthy’s Keys To Coaching Longevity (MMQB.com) 1. Be consistent but not formulaic: McCarthy says that while he’s more under control now than he was when he first was learning on the job, “going 100 miles an hour,” his routine is largely the same. But how he presents the result of it to his team is always evolving. “I’m not going in there and erasing the date on last year’s speeches. I’d never do that,” he said. “And I think if you talk to Aaron (Rodgers), since he’s been here the whole time, he’d tell you there’s always been a different level of creativity. My highlight videos, we use movie clips. Twelve years, we’ve never used the same movie clip in a highlight tape. That’s hard to do, man! That’s hard to do.” 2. Lean on the players: “We don’t even have to think about it,” said Jordy Nelson, now headed into his 12th year. “We know the way to work in practice, the way to work in the weight room, we know the detail we’re supposed to bring to it. We have to express it, so the young guys understand it and fall in—and they don’t know any different. That’s on us to continue that and hold the others accountable to it.” 3. Listen to the players: The biggest shift in the program over the past few years has been how attentive the staff has been to feedback, both internal and external, on setting up the schedule with the players’ well-being in mind. Not all of the tinkering has worked, but the guys trust McCarthy is always working at it. And knowing your coach is looking out for your performance, and by extension your career, counts. 4. Listen to the staff: The overarching idea, as McCarthy sees it, is for the coaching and scouting staffs to be a big think tank. In fact, he’s employed ideas in the past that he was iffy on because, “You gotta try things within your program to keep your people invested.” The charge is to be creative. The foundation won’t be overhauled, but needs constantly moved forward, and McCarthy believes in that coming from within. “Outsourcing, bringing in this speaker or that speaker, that’s all great stuff,” he says. “But I know one thing—people I’m with, that I work with every single day, if we can keep collaborating and being creative, and not be scared to get out on the edge a little bit, and help one another, we can really improve from one day to the next. That’s really been a big part of it, from a coaching staff standpoin 5.Having Aaron Rodgers doesn’t hurt.
My Crucible of Leadership (Modern War Institute) -Army’s definition of leadership: “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.” -Good leaders don’t lead alone: the difference between direct level leadership (task- oriented, focusing on influencing individuals or small groups) and organizational leadership (system-oriented).
Mike Riley stayed patient in establishing Husker culture (Omaha World-Herald) -Pelini believed that 18-year-olds arrived on campus seeking steady discipline and firm leadership. Motivation was best delivered from the top — and with passion. You get players to attend class and workouts by demanding it. College football is no place for the lazy or tentative. ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-Over the past year, in more than 20 interviews, Husker players reflected on these competing parenting styles, how they impacted the coaching transition and how comfort finally paved the way to progress. Players loved Bo Pelini because he nourished them with daily inspiration, direction and guidance. Riley is playing a longer game. Michael Rose-Ivey explains it like this: “I’m gonna lead you to the water, but you’ve got to drink,” the senior linebacker said. “I’m gonna give the tools to be a better person, to be a better man, a better friend, a better brother, a better son. However, you have to apply those things. I can sit here and yell at you and force things at you, but you have to be able to motivate yourself because when you leave this facility, you’re out there by yourself.” A year ago, the hard-luck Huskers demonstrated the drawbacks of change. They lacked discipline and order. They experienced a leadership vacuum. They darn near died of thirst. This year, they’re validating Riley’s culture. -Under any circumstances, Mike Riley would’ve had his hands full. Nebraska is no job for the meek or weary. But let’s face it, his task would’ve been much easier had Pelini dropped a few more games. “Taking over a losing program is easy because they wanna change,” linebackers coach Trent Bray said. “When you take over a team that won nine games, you can’t come in and say, ‘We’re changing this because you were bad.’ -Where Bo emphasized class attendance — even sending staffers to check if players were showing up — Riley waited for the grade reports. Where Bo had dress code rules in the meeting rooms — no earrings and only Husker hats — Riley allowed more freedom. Where Bo treated road trips as business trips — more meetings, more structure — Riley gave players more time to themselves. -“We haven’t had the first year we wanted to have,” Bray said, “but we’re trying to install a way of doing things. He’s not gonna compromise one little thing to get a quick fix. He wants ... a sustained culture.” -His accountability motto comes from a less famous coach. In his second job — graduate assistant at Whitworth College in 1976 — Hugh Campbell gave him a piece of advice. You can have a rulebook 2 inches thick detailing every potential mistake a player can make — and its consequences. Or you can keep it simple with this: “Do the right thing.” -In interviews with more than a dozen players, they frequently cite Riley’s four-word law. “Do the right thing,” Utter said. “You don’t have to have someone babysitting you all the time.” The goal, Bray says, is player ownership. The more responsibility and control a player feels, the more the team means to him. -Utter sees a clique-free locker room. When he was younger, he noticed a divide between those who played and those who didn’t. Now, “you want to play for the guy next to you, even the guy who’s not even on the field.”
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers -When asked, “Did you spend much time or energy this offseason thinking, ‘How are we going to beat the Patriots?’ “I don’t think about that. I just know that it is less about the nameless gray faces that you play, and most of the time your issues and your solutions are in house. We gotta strengthen ourselves for the fight. It’s easy as a cop out for me to identify the outside variables. It’s a much tougher discussion with yourself to really get gritty and look within yourself and look at the things that are important and what you need to get ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
done. It’s not a lack of acknowledgement of the dominance of the Patriots. But it’s really not that important. We better take care of our house. We better till our soil, as they say.” -The bottom line is, you better find ways to impose your will on your opponent. Sometimes that’s physical, but sometimes it’s conditioning, sometimes it’s mental.”
The Bill Belichick fan club was here (MMQB.com) -As Belichick did his morning press briefing, LaRussa looked on and said quietly: “What Bill does so well, I think, is reset his team every year at zero. What you did last year doesn’t matter. You’ve got to learn from everything, but last year’s over. And he’s got a great leader who believes the exact same thing in Tom Brady. That helps.” -“I would take it another step, beyond Tony,” said Crean. “Bill resets every day. You’ve got to look and see where you are every day. Everything matters. There’s nothing he leaves to someone else that matters. A lot of people say it, but I’ve seen it. He lives it. The fundamentals, the details, the winning in the fourth quarter. Being around Bill, you can see it come to life.”
Jay Bateman, Army Football (Defensive Backs meeting) -Over-communicate -Unbelievable use of terminology (love terminology families – days of week, famous QBs, US cities, etc.) -Use of humor -“This is play 55, what do you think happened on play 51 if the offensive coordinator went to Offensive Coordinator School?” -Always checking in with players in room – “You with me, Cam? Ry you good?” – Constant -Team goals 1. CIC 2. Undefeated at home 3. Win 4th quarter 4. Win bowl game 5. Top 25 Finish 6. Above all else…the brotherhood
Brad Stevens, Chris Mannix Podcast -“Al can play a couple of different positions and he’s a guy that can complement anybody and will get the best out of anybody that’s standing next to him. We talk about the ‘Al Horford Effect’ and how a lot of our perimeter players had some of their best individual seasons. They put a lot of hard work into that. They continue to get better and that’s a big part of it and I think Al’s presence is a big part of it. Anytime you have a guy that can be that versatile, that can add to your group, everyone just plays better. The best compliment you can give someone is they make their teammates better.” ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
-When you talk about whether a guy has the physicality to play the stretch-4 that will be determined by A. their own physicality B. who they’re guarding. A lot of teams go with a smaller 4. It really depends night-to-night. -We’re not asking Jayson to go from where he is in the weight room to where he is going to be at 25, but we can mix and match a bit. If he is playing with Jae, Jae can guard up a spot. Whatever the case may be, we can mix and match a bit…There will be some times where you’re guarding someone stronger than you and you’re going to use your mind, use your length and compete.
Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly Isn't Panicking—or Changing—After 4-8 Disaster (Bleacher Report) -"Brian Kelly is not going to change who he is or his core beliefs," said Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin, a longtime assistant under Kelly and one of his closest friends in the coaching fraternity. "For anyone or anything." -Before we go further, let's make something clear: Brian Kelly is not pulling back. He's not making change for the sake of it, not handing over the keys to the sleek machine and becoming more of a CEO coach. And he sure as hell isn't sitting around while someone else tweaks it. He built the damn car, people. "I know what it looks like. I know what a team needs," Kelly said in an interview early this offseason. "There's no panic here." -After its coach had to spend too much time, he said, fundraising for a football-only facility and not enough time making sure he had a firm grasp of his team's physical and mental focus. -"I was the absent professor," Kelly said. "I wasn't paying attention to the details that we needed. There were internal issues that—if a guy is on it, and he's doing his job as the head coach, he would've seen those things early. My flawed philosophy was, We're going to score points early while we're figuring it out on the other side with a young defense. Well, that didn't happen. We gave up way too many points early, we lost three games, and now we're in trouble."
Sodexo -Through research, the company identified six dimensions of quality of life on which Sodexo’s services have a direct impact: • The Physical Environment: Ensuring that employee are safe and feel comfortable. • Health and Well-Being: Providing opportunities to make employees healthier. • Social Interaction: Strengthening bonds among individuals and facilitating access to culture and leisure. • Recognition: Making employees feel valued. • Ease and Efficiency: Simplifying the daily employee experience and improving work/life balance. • Personal Growth: Helping employees grow and develop.
The NFL’s mindfulness movement is spreading (The Ringer) -In their first years on the job, Shanahan and Colts general manager Chris Ballard have introduced Vision Pursue to their respective locker rooms, and Rausch’s program has become a fixture of what Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has built in Atlanta. Mindfulness exercises have become the NFL ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
service du jour, and VP is the means through which some of the league’s best minds are enhancing their thinking. -“[I was] always looking for something else,” Quinn says of his career path from assistant to coordinator to head coach. “It’ll be better when … Now, I don’t think in those terms. It’s more the culture of what we’re doing and staying in the moment for everybody and creating that environment and culture for them. I knew when I came to Atlanta, I was the one responsible for creating that culture and adhering to it.” -One of the pillars of this training gets at the reason Rausch started Vision Pursue in the first place. Most people, Rausch explains, don’t abide by an “expanding A” view of the world, meaning they derive their sense of self-worth from their accomplishments, leading to an existence in which they can never truly be satisfied. According to this rationale, any person driven by the rewards that come with moving from Point A to Point B is bound to be unhappy because Point B is always changing, whereas the focus should be on getting all that’s possible from an expanding Point A. Quinn says this problem describes him in a nutshell. “I was always this person that was looking to the next and the next,” he says. “Sometimes, I think I missed out on the present moment, on the experiences I had and the jobs I had that were so much fun.”
Bengals hit reset button with new leadership core (MMQB.com) -The coach, then, explained how so many coaches he knew went through a self-evaluation after they were fired, and changed as a result. Hearing those peers, Lewis told me, prompted him to reset during the 2011 lockout, after a 4-12 season led to quarterback Carson Palmer’s early retirement. As Lewis explained it, he went through it as he’d been fired, reflecting on and shifting his program in the process. And it worked—the Bengals drafted Dalton and Green, dealt Palmer, and made the first of five straight playoff appearances the following fall.
Looking for the key to team excellence? Try Saban’s ‘And’ or ‘But’ philosophy (Forbes) -One look into the athletic facility made it increasingly apparent why these players were able to play with the level of intensity and focus that they possessed. From the weight room to the players’ lounge to the hyper-focus on nutrition, the environment that these players were surrounded by is steeped in culture. It felt as if every single inch of the facility had been considered and crafted to focus on the common goal of excellence. -But my biggest takeaway of the day came in the form of a lesson that the head coach often reiterates to his players. For many years Saban, while working in the NFL, would spend countless hours in rooms where teams were deciding which players they wanted to draft to their roster. During that time the two words that came up more than any others, he tells his players today, were and & but. When these teams were deciding whether a certain player was right for their locker room, the conversation would always start with the numbers (How fast a player could run, how much weight a player could lift, etc.)...This would unfailingly be followed by either an and or a but. -“John Smith is a wide receiver out of Ball State University that runs a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, has great hands…And stayed after practice every single day to help improve his freshman teammates ZAK BOISVERT – AUGUST 2017 COACHING NOTES
‘OR’ And he led a mission trip to Haiti after a hurricane ravaged the country. “Mike Douglas is a quarterback from the University of Notre Dame that has a total QBR (quarterback rating) of 85.3 – which is exceptional… But he was arrested four times over the last 12 months.” -The ands & buts, Saban often says, are where players on every level define their future. It is where the decision on where they will go is made easier or more difficult. It is also the piece of the conversation each player has COMPLETE CONTROL over.
Jeff Van Gundy dusts off whistle, pours himself into Team USA bid (ESPN.com) -Van Gundy knows only one existence as a coach, and that's total immersion. He has studied the precision execution of FIBA basketball, the innovative coaching and the continuity of national team personnel. He has studied the contact away from the ball, the clutching and grabbing and struggle for space on offense. He has studied the reasons USA teams have won, and studied more closely the ways that they have lost games and tournaments. He has studied every one of USA Basketball's 50 losses since 1990, from the lowest to highest levels of the program, searching for the common denominators. -"I can't oversell the point to our team that, just because you don't know their names, in some cases, doesn't mean they're not an outstanding player," Van Gundy said. "But more importantly, these guys have a competitive spirit that's different. You can't hold up in a FIBA game if you don't have great competitive spirit. You'll get your will broken -- and maybe your jaw too. -"Don't underestimate how vulnerable these teams think we are right now. It starts with me. Here's what they're thinking, 'This clown hasn't coached in 10 years. Never coached a FIBA game. And they're going to entrust him?' And then they don't know our players. There's a sense of vulnerability that these teams see, so we have just got to be ready. That's why I go back: Let's play really, really hard and let's pass. And let's see where that takes us." -In lots of ways, the process of preparing to coach the USA Basketball team has started to stretch old muscles, refocus his discerning eyes. For Van Gundy, it has obliterated some common myths too. Coaching is a craft, a science, and leaving the practice floor for the television booth might make you miss it all --- but it doesn't make you immediately sharper upon return. "I've had to hit rewind more," Van Gundy said. "I could feel things getting past me. It takes a little time to be able to truly see all 10 on the court again. That's why I have always disagreed with this premise: Well, Coach X has been out for a couple of years, and someone asks: 'Did it help you have a different perspective? Are you a better coach?' No. You get better at what you do by doing it. If you coach, and coach every day, you should be getting better if you're self-evaluating and you've got people around you telling you the truth. If you don't, you're not using the same skills. 'Oh, you have a different perspective.' That's such bulls---." -"There are certain aspects that I miss of coaching. But you can't just pick out the good parts. You've got to be all-in and understand there's some negatives too. I like it and feel a responsibility, Man, I want this to be great for the players, and I want us to comport ourselves well and I want us to win. One thing you can't recreate, the competition and camaraderie. No matter what you do, you're not going to have that same feeling of a great win. To me, coming into the locker room for the first five minutes after a great win, with a staff you love, and a team you respected, there was nothing like that. That's what you miss.