Praise for Everyone Hates A Ball Hog But They All Love A Scorer “Coach Godwin's book offers a complete guide to being a team player, both on and off the court.” --Stack Magazine “Coach Godwin's book gives you insight on how to improve your game. If you are a young player trying to get better, this is a book I would recommend reading immediately.” --Clifford Warren, Head Coach Jacksonville University “Coach Godwin explains in understandable terms how to improve your game. A must have for any young player hoping to get to the next level.” --Khalid Salaam, Senior Editor, SLAM Magazine “I wish that I had this book when I was 16. I would have been a different and better player. Well done.” --Jeff Haefner, Co-owner, BreakthroughBasketball.com “The entire book is filled with gems, some new, some revised and some borrowed, but if you want to read one book this year on how to become a better scorer this is the book.” --Jerome Green, Hoopmasters.org “Detailed instruction on how to score, preaching that the game is more mental than physical. Good reading for the young set, who might put down that joystick for a few hours.” --CharlotteObserver.com Everyone Hates A Ball Hog But They All Love A Scorer ____________________________________________ The Complete Guide to Scoring Points On and Off the Basketball Court Coach Koran Godwin This book is dedicated to my mother, Rhonda who supported me every step of the way. Thanks for planting the seeds of success in my life. I am forever grateful. You are truly my Hero!!! CONTENTS Introduction Pre-Season Lesson One The Godwin Theory 2 Lesson Two You Are What You Watch 12 Lesson Three Graduating from Shooter to Scorer 20 Lesson Four The Locker Room View 28 Game Time Lesson Five Be Quick but Not in a Rush 34 Lesson Six Convincing Your Teammates 42 Lesson Seven Finding Points 50 Lesson Eight Knowing When to Pass the Ball 58 Lesson Nine Now That They Know Who You Are 64 Post-Season Lesson Ten The Off-Season 70 Lesson Eleven The Fundamentals 80 Lesson Twelve Focus on Go-to Moves 86 Lesson Thirteen Seeking Knowledge 92 Lesson Fourteen Scoring Off the Court 98 Lesson Fifteen Using Basketball to Score in Life 108 Lesson Sixteen Never Stop Shooting 122 Lesson Seventeen Always Follow Through 128 Introduction I once heard the saying, “Basketball is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical.” Of course, this statement made no sense to me in my early years, because to be honest, most of my scoring came from athleticism and flat- out being better than everyone else my age. I remember putting up 30 points at the age of 12 and thinking to myself, “Man this game is easy.” Oh, if only basketball would have stayed that way. When I entered high school, the game of basketball changed drastically. I was bigger, stronger, and faster, but so was the competition. I remember playing AAU ball for a team named Fast Break in the summer. Coach Chris saw that I was handling the kids my age (15) pretty well, so he decided to move me up to the Under-17 team. This is when I learned that the game of basketball was 80 percent mental. That summer, I was playing with kids who were taller, faster, and much more athletic. What usually was an uncontested lay-up became a block into the crowd, and the crossover I used against kids my age was ineffective, and many times it was stolen. This was my baptism into the game of basketball. I was paying my dues and I had to find a way to compete. The next summer, Coach Chris decided to take an interest in me. He coached at perennial basketball powerhouse St. Patrick (New Jersey) and had great knowledge of the game of basketball. He was especially talented at player development and frequently would give lessons to kids in the area who had the money to pay. I never will forget the day in practice when he said, “Be here tomorrow at 4.” I said, “Coach, we don’t have practice tomorrow.” He looked at me and repeated his statement. I walked into the gym on that hot summer afternoon and was welcomed by two other players who were going to work out. We started off with ball handling, and then went on to jump shooting. Drill after drill, Coach was on us telling us to go harder, faster, stronger. The criticism was intense because there only were three of us. There was nowhere to run or hide my mistakes. Position yourself here; concentrate on your footwork there; I was out of my element but learning at a frantic pace. What I learned that summer and what you will learn after reading this book is how to score with your mind and not just your feet. Twice a week, he would call the house and say, “I am picking you up in an hour.” I would look at my mom and say, “This guy is crazy,” but she knew he was giving me the work ethic and direction needed to excel in basketball and life. By the time I entered my senior year of high school, I was full of knowledge and ready to compete at a high level. I was fortunate that someone saw my potential and was willing to work with me. The lessons learned during those hot summer afternoons stayed with me through college, and they are part of the reason why I started JumpStartHoops.com. Now I get to become your Coach Chris as I share with you what it takes to win and score points on and off the court. Turn the page and get ready to see basketball in a whole new light. Pre-Season Lesson One The Godwin Theory When I look back on all of my accomplishments, one thing stands out: I broke a scoring record at every level I competed. At my high school, I hold the single season scoring record (1998), and at the University of North Florida, I am the all-time leading scorer (2002). Though people always asked the key to my success, I never shared it until now. Every basketball player wants to be the Big Man on 2 Campus and score a lot of points. Let’s face it: from the off the court praise to the media attention and respect, how can you blame them? But my question always is: “Okay, so how do you plan to do it?” What I have found out is that everyone knows what he or she wants to do in life; the problem is finding out how to do it. I, too, faced this dilemma and, being the systematic person that I am, I decided to do something about it. Like any task or goal that you make for yourself in life, when it is time to plan and mark objectives, you have to break things down into smaller segments. Let’s look at a high school basketball game. Most high school games are four eight-minute quarters. Right away, you see that the entire game is 32 minutes long. My approach to every 3 game was simple. I would say to myself if I score four points in eight minutes, then I will end up with 16 points. If I add a free throw in there and score five points a quarter, I will end up with 20 points a game and no doubt become the Big Man on Campus. Right away, my confidence went to the next level as I said to myself, “Who can’t score five points in eight minutes?” This simple theory was the breakthrough I was looking for. When you force yourself to think in quarters, it makes the game look easy. Out of all the ways there are to score the basketball—put back rebound, jump shot, lay-up, free throw—I realized that scoring was more about finding points than having the best jump shot. There is a big difference between a jump shooter and a scorer, and I 4 wanted to join the latter. This mindset took my game to the next level. In high school, my goal was to score at least six points a quarter. Once I figured out the importance of rebounding, shot selection, and getting to the foul line (subjects that we will go over later in this book), I started to put up huge numbers. The confirmation of my theory occurred when I scored 38 points the second game of my senior year. Three- pointers, lay-ups, foul shots, and offensive rebounds ensured that I gave myself the opportunity to score every time down the floor. A lot of basketball players shut down when they don’t score the way they think they should. How many players do you know rely on one aspect of their game to 5 fill the stat sheet? If their jump shot is not on that day, or people don’t get them the ball in the right position, their confidence and game are at a loss. I became a nonpartisan basketball player who would accept any form of scoring that came my way. In my senior year in high school, I averaged 25 points a game, garnering both a Central Jersey scoring title and a Division 1 scholarship offer to the University of Buffalo. When I got to college, the same rules applied, except instead of four quarters, I now had two halves. My goal every game was to score at least 10 or more before halftime.