WiseBall “Traits from the Greats”

You think you're a good player? You're a young player with dreams? If you're reading this article, chances are you want to become a great ball player. Chances are you do not have much guidance outside of your team basketball coach. Your coach probably does a great job, but he only has a limited amount of time. So you don't have much to help you work on your individual game.

I'm sure you look at NBA games and try to copy "superstar" signature moves, don't you? Though some of these moves are great, It’s not the most important thing you need to master. Have you ever noticed that great players are not necessarily the one with the best moves? Would you agree is one of the best guards in the NBA? Would you agree he's not the most skilled, or the most athletic?

Great players constantly do things that others don't. It has very little to do with skills or even athleticism. If you want to make it as a player, why not duplicate what great basketball players have always done? Do you want to know what they do? They play hard, they play smart, they play with heart!

Offensively Great players:

 Catch the ball on a triple threat position (Don't dribble right away)  Minimize . Great offensive players only need 2 dribbles to beat their defender.  Are able to go both ways (left and right)  Always make the right decision (shoot, pass, dribble at the right person at the right time)  away from the ball for their teammates (and open up to the ball after the screen)  Always know clock and score  Are vocal - Help teammates get in the right position  Know their teammates, and pass to the right person at the right time  Don't yell at the refs (ok they do sometimes, but it's bad!)  Crash the boards (and don't get boxed out)  Know how to position themselves to get in the right passing lanes  Don't jump to pass the ball  Throw strong chest passes  Use screens to perfection (Curl, fade...)  Don't turn the ball over (especially not in the last 5 minutes)  Listen to the coaches during time outs  Run the floor in transition (everyone in their lanes with space)

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Defensively Great players:

 Don't give up middle penetration  Make offensive players take more than 2 dribbles to beat them  Are in great defensive stance the entire defensive sequence  Contest all shots. ALL SHOTS!  Are always in good position (Deny or help side)  Are extremely vocal (I got ball or I got your help...)  GET AFTER IT! hustle  Box out physical  Get loose balls  Always see the man they guard and the ball when they're away from the ball  Take charges  Never a jump shooter  Never get screened  Hedge screens hard  Never let their man cut in the paint  Don't allow backdoor cuts

Roles, Training, Intelligence, and Determination What does it take to be a great basketball player? I think that it is very important that we answer this question before we talk about how we can become the best that we can be. If we took a survey most of us would answer this question by saying a good basketball player is someone who can score a lot of points and hit the big shot at the end of a game.

This answer would technically be true but it also leaves out so much of what goes into being a great player. To be a great player you do NOT have to be the leading scorer or hit the game winner. Let me repeat that one more time, to be great you do NOT have to always score. Too many young players focus primarily on scoring and they limit themselves on where they can go with their basketball careers.

To be the best player that you can be you need to buy into your role. This does not mean that you can't expand your role and add to it but if you are a catch and shoot player be the best catch and shoot player you can be, don't try to drive to the basket and dunk on someone.

As a sophomore in college I was strictly a catch and shoot player and I did a good job of that and shot 58% from the three-point line. I basically spaced the floor and shot the ball if my man helped off of me, that was my role and I did it well. However, the next summer I busted my butt in the gym and became a much better ball handler, slasher, and passer.

My new role was not just a catch and shoot player but also a driver and a creator on the offensive end. My strength was still shooting the 3 but I became more versatile and complete as a player.

HAMFAMOUS.COM Eye of Tiger WiseBall “Traits from the Greats” I have seen so many young players trying to do things that they simply just don't do well and it makes them a worse player. If you can't shoot a step back 3 that is fine, just don't shoot one. Give the ball up to a teammate and come off of a down screen or shoot when your man helps off of you. Put yourself in a situation where you are going to succeed.

Adding value to your game outside of scoring is so important to your team and to yourself individually. You might not get a write up in the paper but coaches recognize the little stuff and this will lead to more minutes.

Take for example Joakim Noah for the Chicago Bulls. If you watch one of the Bull's games you will see that they maybe run two plays for him the whole game, but he still is a player. His defensive effort, rebounding, and screening is so valuable to the bulls success.

I cannot say it enough about buying into your role as a player. There are players who are getting paid millions of dollars for simply buying into their role.

The great thing about basketball is that there is an off season, and this means that you can work on the weaknesses as well as increase your role on the team for the next season. It is never too early to be doing ball handling drills, shooting drills, rebounding drills, etc.

Don't just work hard though work smart. Watch players in the NBA or that are better then you and do your best to learn from them. To this day I am still learning the game and will continue to for the rest of my life.

Another thing you can do is find good basketball drills. During the summer between my sophomore and junior year I started working out with a trainer and I learned so many new drills and workouts, this really helped my skill set expand.

Looking back I wish that I would've known these drills at an earlier age. It is not just enough to work hard you have to work smart. Learning the tools to becoming a good player can be the difference in becoming great and almost getting there.

The mind can be a powerful tool in becoming your best. It is not just enough to go to the gym and do ball handling and shooting drills. You need to learn the game as a player and develop a good basketball IQ. This will allow you to make the right play when you are in the game and give your coaches trust in you.

Being able to read a defense and make the right play is more important than being able to windmill dunk. When you watch a basketball game try to pick up a couple of things during the game. Be a student of the game and continue to learn every day.

It is up to you to become what you want to be. There will be people that will tell you that you can do it and those that say you can't. Neither of these people actually decide whether you as a player can or cannot accomplish your goals.

Michael Jordan didn't make his high school team the first year he tried out, and now he is known as the greatest of all time, he was also told that he couldn't shoot the basketball but he is the best clutch HAMFAMOUS.COM Eye of Tiger WiseBall “Traits from the Greats” shooter of all time.

From my own personal experience I have had coaches tell me that I wasn't good enough but I knew what I was capable of and I kept working. If I would have listened to them then I would never have accomplished what I did.

On the other hand if everybody is telling you about your potential and how good you could be it doesn't mean you can just take it easy. Potential is just the chance to do something good, you still need to work to do it.

Hopefully this BIQ information will give you the knowledge you need to become the best player that you can be. However now that you have read this it is up to you. Don't sit back and dream about what could be, go do something about it. Go get in the gym or anywhere and work on your game. These are some of the things that make a player a standout above the rest. The exceptional player:

1. Always plays great defense, even when his/her offense is "off".

2. Always hustles, boxes-out and rebounds.

3. Sees the whole floor and is an excellent passer, able to find the open teammate.

4. Is a good ball-handler, avoids costly turnovers.

5. Can shoot from outside.

6. Can drive, "take it to the hoop". You can't rely on just an outside shot, or just your ability to drive. You've got to be able to do both. If you can't score from outside, the defense will "sag" and not allow you to drive. If you can't drive, they will guard you close outside, and not allow your outside shot. You’ve got to be able to do both so that the defense cannot key on either aspect of your game.

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7. Looks for the open shot all the time. Doesn't stop shooting just because of missing one or two shots early in the game. If a great player starts off "cold", he/she will usually get it going by hustling, playing good defense, getting a or two, and getting into the flow of the game, and getting an easy lay-up or free-throw. Then the shots will start falling.

8. Can make clutch free-throws.

9. Stays out of foul-trouble.

10. Has "mental toughness"... is able to sense the critical times in a game and elevate his/her game and teammates a notch (especially with defense, hustle and rebounding). Is able to make the "big plays" in crunch time.

Is able to do the "little things" needed to win...like making the pass to an open teammate, setting a perfect screen, making a steal, etc. Keeps focused...does not get upset by a bad call. Is able to forget mistakes and keep playing hard. Understands the game situation, the clock.

11. Inspires and leads his/her teammates by example, hard work and hustle in practice and during games. The exceptional player works harder than anyone else. You can't ask your teammates to practice and play harder if you're not there yourself. Exceptional players are not born...they become exceptional by hard work and dedication.

12. Understands the concept of "team" and "family". It takes more than skill to have a championship team. You must have team "chemistry", respect for each other, a common goal, and help and encourage each other.

13. The exceptional player is "coachable". Listens and works closely with the coach. Is willing to try new things and is willing to "step up" when the coach needs some leadership on and off the court.

How to impress at tryouts or rating camps, and tournaments games.

If a I'm coach and you are a player trying to make my team. So how do you impress me with your skills, and what is it that I am looking for in try-outs?

The things I look for are solid fundamentals... I like kids who play tough defense, hustle after loose balls, play aggressively (but not dirty). I love kids who box out and . I like kids who are good passers, and avoid turnovers. I like team players.

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Be the first one arriving for practice and the last one to leave. Show me work ethic. Hustle hard and compete in every drill and game. Show respect for the coaches and the other players. Ask the coaches to help you with your weaknesses. We all like to practice the things we are already good at. You get better by working on your weaknesses.

Are you a tall inside player? If so, impress me with your rebounding, defense, and some post up moves. Example: a drop-step baseline move.

If you are a guard, show me you can handle the ball and keep under control. If you can shoot the "3", fire some up during shoot-arounds. I like a perimeter player who can shoot the outside shot, but can also drive to the hoop, can see the whole floor and pass, and can handle the ball well. Show me your outside moves.

Show me your leadership skills on and off the court. And show me your basketball IQ... are you a "gamer"?

Work on your skills at home, or at the nearby playground in the summer (off-season). Work on the correct things, not just the things you are already good at.

Be physically "in-shape" (conditioning) when you arrive at try-outs. Get a good night's sleep before try-outs.

During tryouts, don't be intimidated by better players, or players who made the team last year. There will always be a few players at try-outs who are better players and who you know will make the team. But you too can be an important part of the team to as a "role player".

Remember that hard work, hustle and a good attitude will impress the coach, even if your shooting is off that week.

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Being a low BIQ player is someone who is unintelligent, mindless, foolish, unwise and brain-dead. So, you play with low BIQ when you think or worry about what you don't want to do in the game. You play with low BIQ when you think about what happened five minutes ago or worry about what will happen ten minutes from now. You play with low BIQ when you make a mistake, put yourself down, and think that good players never make mistakes. Playing with low BIQ is thinking about anything that will destroy your concentration, composure and confidence on the . Playing stupid is when your thoughts put you in game-time situations where you make the wrong or bad decisions.

To be a smart high BIQ basketball player and to play a smart game, you must work on your mental game in every practice - whether you are practicing by yourself or with the team. 1. It begins with identifying and continuously embracing your strengths, and knowing how you are using your strengths to become a better player. 2. Next, it is staying focused on what you want to do or accomplish when you step on the court, as well as reviewing the steps that you are taking to get what you want. 3. Third, it's about visualizing and mentally rehearsing how you want to play and perform when game- time comes. 4. Fourth, it's about reminding yourself of what you actually control in the game, and only think about what you do control - which is simply your own thoughts and actions. 5. Fifth, it's about keeping your mind in the present moment, and only thinking about what is directly in front of you.

Playing smart basketball is learning how to make the right or best decisions when you are on the court. And this can only happen if you are seeing clearly and thinking clearly. If you play the game worried about how you look to others or if the refs will make any calls on you, then you are not thinking clearly because you are thinking about things that you don't control. If you play the game where you keep replaying in your mind a mistake you made seven minutes ago or are worried how the game will end, then you are not thinking clearly because you are thinking of things that are not in the present moment. And if you can't think clearly, then you cannot see clearly what is happening on the court.

To play smart is to be mentally sharp and strong. This only happens if you take the time in each practice to work on various mental skills that can help put your head in the right place once the actual game begins. So, before, during and after practice visualize and mentally rehearse your role and performance for specific plays that could be called in that game. Identify various verbal and visual cues that you can use to refocus yourself and keep you emotionally balanced. Establish an immediate mental and verbal response to a mistake you make in a game or what you consider a bad ref call that keeps you thoughts positive, productive and proactive. And don't forget to remind yourself what you love about playing the game and what you are playing for.

Learn this BIQ information by heart! Here's what you should do. Print this article, and put it on top of your bed or in your personal Play book. That will be the first thing you see in the morning, and the last when you go to bed. Study it, over and over again. This will ensure you'll have all these Basketball IQ tips in head at all times. Believe me; you will see a HUGE difference in your game if you implement what you

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