"The true measure of a man is not found in times of comfort and convenience. The true measure of a man is found in times of conflict and controversy." -- Martin Luther King

"In the face of adversity the true guy comes out." -- Rollie Massimino

"STOP AND MAKE A DECISION" -- By Ralph Miller Oregon State

If you will watch a game closely you will see a number of turnovers when players are going hard off of the dribble (full and half court), do you know why they turn it over? It is because they pass the ball while they are still moving at a high rate of speed (I call this speeding) Here is how to correct speeding. Teach your players to "Stop and Make a Decision". I'll explain, if a player will come to a jump stop and get his balance and wait a second or two and see TWO RECEIVERS not just one receiver (most average players just look for one player not two or three players to pass the ball to) *You need to yell this all the time in practice "Stop and make a Decision"!!!!!!

*MORE and this is also important: The passer after he comes to a jump stop and makes a decision needs to remember this. He cannot get the ball deflected by the man guarding him, most turnovers are deflections by the player or players guarding the man making the pass (did you know this?). Here is what the passer does wrong and it happens all of the time. Players don't know when to throw a bounce pass and when to throw a pass in the air to their teammates. If the defenders arms are up you throw a bounce pass and if the defenders arms are down you throw a chest or over head pass. How tough is this?

*They will also need to fake a pass to make a pass.

*If you will teach your players to "Stop and make a Decision" you will cut down on lots of your turnovers. You must make this saying part of your everyday coaching vocabulary. ______

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company. -- George Washington

Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. -- George Washington ______

“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” -Dr. Dorothy Height

“The common denominator of success — the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful — lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.” - Albert Gray ______

The Seven Wonders of the World by Author Unknown

Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World . At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World . Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt 's Great Pyramids 2. The Taj Mahal in India 3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona 4. The Panama Canal 5. The Empire State Building 6. St. Peter's Basilica 7. China 's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are: 1. to touch... 2. to taste... 3. to see... 4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...) 5. to feel... 6. to laugh... 7. and to love.

The room was so quiet; you could have heard a pin drop. May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them. Enjoy your gifts! ______

My favorite saying about your associations and my way of saying it is, “You are the same today as you’re going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” Hang around thinkers; you’ll be a better thinker. Hang around givers; you’ll be a better giver. Hang around workers; you’ll be a better worker. Hang around a bunch of thumb sucking, complaining, griping boneheads; and you will be a better thumb sucking, complaining, griping bonehead. -- Charlie Tremendous Jones ______

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." -- Abraham Lincoln

"The fastest way to succeed is to double your failure rate." -- Thomas J. Watson, Founder of IBM ______

The time is always right to do the right thing. You achieve according to what you believe. More harm has been done by weak persons than by wicked persons. The problems of this world have been caused by the weakness of goodness rather than by the strength of evil.

The true measure of a person is in his height of ideals, the breadth of his sympathy, the depth of his convictions, and the length of his patience. Eddie Rickenbacker encouraged us to "think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience." The right train of thought will take you to a better station in life.

To try and do what's best and to remain essentially ourselves are really one and the same thing. Coach said, "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of being." One secret of success is being able to put your best foot forward without stepping on anybody's toes.

If you seek greatness, then forget greatness and ask for God's will. You will find both. Elevate your personal standards of quality. Whatever you thought was good enough for now, add 10 percent more. Better is better.

The biggest mistake you can make in life is not to be true to the best you know. George Barnard Shaw remarked, "Keep yourself bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." - John Mason, from the book An Enemy Called Average ______

Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don't think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire. -- Samuel Johnson

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? - Vincent van Gogh ______

Many people believe that support is something that you give to someone you feel sorry for or that it means propping up someone who would fail unless you were there to give him a boost. But that's not the way I see it. Support is the boost you can give someone who can help himself but who needs a partner to open a window or push aside a roadblock. -- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's ______

Dreams are necessary to life.

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

Good things happen to those who hustle.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. -- Quotes from Anas Nin

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else. -- John Burroughs

Together Everyone Achieves More ______

Jabs are taken almost daily all around the internet on everything from players attitude to their individual work ethic. It’s rare you see a positive article on the ‘good guys’. Here’s a piece on Sonics rookie Kevin Durant taken from Sports Illustrated.com back on December 12. “The best thing about Kevin is his attitude,” Carlesimo said. “[He and fellow rookie Jeff Green] know they don’t have all the answers. They know they have a long way to go to become really consistent NBA players, and that’s a huge step in itself. They know how important it is to work, how important it is for the assistant coaches to be working with them before practice and after practice and watching tape with them. “If I’m sitting in my office late in the afternoon or at night and I hear the ball bouncing, it’s 50-50 it’s Kevin. He texts [assistant coach] Brian Keith when he’s on his way in and he’ll get a couple hundred shots up. You can’t teach that. You can make people do that, but it doesn’t work when you make people do that. They have to want to do that. It’s the kind of enthusiasm for Magic had. There have been some very good players in this league who don’t have that enthusiasm for basketball that he has.” ______

Jim Leyland “If somebody said what’s the most important thing for you as a manager,” Leyland said, “I would say, particularly with a team like this, that I don’t want anybody at the end of the season to say, ‘Oh, yeah, they’ve got really good players but they played (poorly). They didn’t move runners over, they didn’t hit the cutoff man . . .’ “That’s the only thing I care about from a manager’s standpoint and for my coaching staff. I don’t ever want to hear that my guys didn’t play the game right. “I don’t ever want our team to take the field where we don’t respect somebody, where we don’t show them respect, or we play the game disrespectfully,” he said. “I’m very respectful and I want to make sure that comes across to these guys at all times. That’s very important to me; doing things the right way. “It’s not about doing things my way,” Leyland said. “I’ve got nothing to do with it. It’s doing things the right way. It’s that simple to me. “There’s a right way to do things and a wrong way. “We’re going to play the right way, and I’m going to stay on them to do things the right way. I’m not going to tolerate anything else. If it’s not good enough, that’ fine, but I want to give ourselves every opportunity.” ______

"10 Pointers for Winning the State Championship" by Don Meyer.

Get there Gear for it. Everything is pointing to getting there! "Practice to beat the best" - Dick Bennett Must have a system to accomplish that, had that system with the Pistons and stick to it. Princeton plays to beat the best When your team gets there - it´s not a big deal. Don´t make it a big deal. A big deal is winning the championship. Our Attitude: We are going there to win!! Do what you did to get there. Freak out with changes vs. Faith in the system. Ordinary players making ordinary plays every time = extraordinary players On good team, two players will do the dirty jobs (take charges, get on the floor, etc). On GREAT teams, all the players and coaches do the dirty jobs. Be Aggressive. Look for ways to win. Play to win, don´t play not to lose. like to press on the first possession and he wasn´t a press coach. He just wanted to come out and be aggressive early in the game. Avoid Super Bowl Stupor. Rest. Mentally and physically; short, intense practices. Duke goes dummy in tournament practice. No real contact. More gold medals are lost by overtraining than under training. Give no easy baskets. No lay ups - no uncontested shots - block out - no put backs. Get easy baskets. a. Run - Must run but don´t have to shoot. b. Offensive rebounding - only possible flaw in Princeton system. c. Get fouled - neutralize athleticism (make more free throws than opponents attempt). d. Take the ball at their best player or any player prone to foul. Make free throws. Big part of our skill development workouts. Free throw swish...swish = +1, rim make = 0, miss = -1...play to +2 or -2 Make lay ups. Emphasis: perfect lay-ups in practice - no rim touches, net only. Pressure lay-ups in practice with a defender. You can also use reduced rims. In all drills, if not using reduced rims stress the clean lay-up. Give your team a reason to win. "Deserving victory" - Pitino. Those who work hardest are the last to surrender. Fight the feeling of championship games against team that are inferior to a team you have already defeated. In a championship tournament you will likely have a bad night. You must play hard enough to win when the ball doesn´t bounce right. ______

You only have 1 choice you can make -- Darren Ventre

Are you going to be IN it or INTO it? If you are in school, you are enrolled. If you are into school, you are involved. If you are in a job, you are just punching a clock. If you are into your job you have a career.

It is your choice. If you are in a relationship, you may have problems. If you are into a relationship, you find solutions.

But the most important question is, How excited are you every morning to live out the life that you chose for yourself? Are you into your own life? Or are you waiting for something else to make it exciting.

"With a charismatic person, the room lights up when they walk in. A non charismatic person is when the room lights up after they leave." ______

“The best predictor of the future is the past in anything you do.” -- ______

The Reason Coaches Yell!

The reason I yell at players is because I like them and because I know they have talent they are not using. If I didn’t like you and if you didn’t have talent and potential you wouldn’t have been selected in the team in the first place.

I believe my job as coach is to help you become the best player you can be, I trust this is also your objective. However some players loaf along some games (if coaches let them) in a virtual “comfort zone” without realizing they’re performing well below their individual capability. Some players don’t even know the score or how much playing time remains on the shot clock or the game clock or which opposing player they have been assigned to mark. Some players even forget what our team is running on offense and on defense, can anyone tell me why?

Understand this, my yells are actually wake-up calls. If I ever stop yelling at you it will be because I have given up on helping you to become the best player you can be. That is a good time to start bringing a cushion to games so your bum doesn’t get sore sitting on the bench. When the coach and most other players are giving their 100% best effort it is extremely difficult to accept that a player in the team is not prepared to at least to be giving their 100% best effort. by Ken Lowry ______

Say what you mean, mean what you say and don't be mean how you say it. ______

You Have Two Choices!

Every time you come to one of my trainings or a game you have two choices. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood, simple! When something happens to you that you don’t like you can choose to be the victim or you can choose to learn from the experience.

Basketball is like life; it’s all about choices. I ask you to please come to all my basketball sessions choosing to listen and learn and determined give your best effort. Is that a big ask, I don’t think so.

Remember, the only thing that is truly yours, that no one can control or take away from you is your attitude. When you choose to take charge and care of your attitude everything in sport and in life becomes so much easier. It is your choice! by Ken Lowry ______

"There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between." -- ______

It Takes 21 Days To Break A Bad Habit

To begin with, choose one unhealthy habit you wish to eliminate or change. Or, choose a healthy habit you want to adopt as part of your behavior. If it is a habit to eliminate, you may wish to go "cold turkey" or have a gradual tapering off. Now that you have decided which unhealthy habit to eliminate, or new habit to adopt, decide on the date you will begin your behavior change. Give this date a good deal of thought and then write it down. For example, "On February 15, 2008, I will become a non-smoker." In order to ensure behavior change, experts agree that it takes a minimum of 21 days to change a behavior. Again, look at the date you are planning on changing your habit. Count ahead 21 days and mark that date down. Now, make a commitment that you will follow your plan for 21 days.

Helpful Suggestions -- Your target date has arrived. It is the first day of your 21-day cycle. Here are some helpful suggestions for habit change:

• Write down your goal. -- There is magic in the written word when it applies to you. Experts recommend stating your goal in positive terms, such as "I want to be lean and physically fit," instead of "I've got to get this flabby body out there huffing and puffing." So, begin with writing down, as a positive goal, the habit you will change.

• List your reasons for changing or eliminating your habit. -- Writing it down will force you to think out in specific terms what this habit represents in your life and the meaning you believe your life will hold for you upon changing the habit. This will also help with your commitment toward taking positive action.

• Find substitute routines. -- For example, if you are changing eating habits and you have identified a particularly difficult time of the day when eating habits are poor, create

an activity, a new routine for that time.

• Talk to yourself. -- Tell yourself you're making progress. Remind yourself that you are moving closer to your goal.. Talk to yourself throughout the day about how you are going to avoid triggers that can get you off track and make healthy substitutes.

• Recruit helpers for support. -- Explain to them why you are making this change. Ask for their support. Their support may be needed encouragement. • Be prepared for people who may sabotage your change. -- Be assertive and tell them what they are doing.

Sustaining Motivation -- The following are some suggestions to follow each day in order to sustain motivation and determination: • Review your list of reasons for quitting or changing. • Create mental pictures of yourself as having already succeeded with your habit change. • Make affirmations, positive self-statements about your habit change. For example, "I am filled with so much health and vitality now that I exercise four times a week." • Reward yourself. Make up a list of self-rewards. Reward yourself verbally. Remember to take one day at a time. If you do backslide, don't label yourself as having failed. Get out your list or reasons for quitting or changing and begin again. Fatigue, boredom, depression, stress can all make it difficult to stick with your program. But having a relapse isn't as important as how you deal with the relapse. If you are so devastated by failure that you call your good intentions into question, that will make habit change harder for you. But, if you allow for an occasional relapse and treat it as nothing more than a slight misstep that teaches you something, then you're on the right track. ______

When you accept the challenge to coach you must also accept the responsibility to never stop Learning -- Ken Lowry ______

"The primary method of moving the ball is passing, a shot is a pass to the basket." -- Ralph Miller ______

"Don't be afraid to ask dumb questions. They are more easily handled than dumb mistakes.” -- William Hanes ______

"It is quality rather than quantity that matters." -- Seneca ______

"Most players want to be winners, but it is the degree of commitment that determine the extent to which they will succeed." -- Jack Gardner

Things That Will Make You Better in Life and in Basketball

1. Learn & Listen  The best players are the best listeners  Look your parents/coach in the eye when speaking to them and tell the truth  Who are you listening to? Surround yourself with good people

2. Pay Attention  If you are not ready, then you are not attentive  Only you can choose to listen and pay attention  Learn to play basketball in a stance, never standing straight up  Learn to do things that are hard, make the use of your talents

3. Eliminate Distractions  Take care of all your off the court problems  When you step on the court, all you should have on your mind is basketball

4. Work Hard  Everyone says they work hard, but do not confuse activity for work  Learn to work hard at the speed you play - push yourself!  Break a record you set yesterday -- ______

"Your body is the tool of your chosen trade" - look after it! ______

"The credit goes to the man that convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs” -- Sir Francis Drake ______

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one." -- George Washington ______

“There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It's up to you to decide what to do with them. “ Jim Valvano ______

“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.” -- Isaac Newton ______

“Coaches open the door of knowledge but the players still have to switch on the light.” Ken Lowry ______

Knicks Rebounding Drill

Coaches shoots the ball and defenders X1 and X3 must box out O1 and O3. If the defenders get the rebound they should pass the ball to the coaches on the wings. If the offensive players get the ball they play 2 on 2. Variation: Have the defenders cross and block out the player opposite them.

______

Connecticut Rebounding Drill Coach shoots the ball. Defensive players X1, X2 and X3 must block out their opposing player. The defensive players need to get 3 stops in a row before they are allowed to get off defense and play offense. This is also a good drill for encouraging offensive rebounding as the more offensive rebounds the players get the longer they get to play offense!

______

Rebounding by Numbers

This drill is used to practice rebounding when you are playing a zone. Coach shoots the ball and calls out two numbers (eg 2 and 3). Defenders X1 and X2 must block out the two offensive players. Rotation is clockwise (eg. X2 to X1, X1 to O1, O1 to O2 etc.)

______

Passing Drills

The following passing drills are very good to work on agility and co-ordination. Players should pair up facing one another about 3m apart.

1. Players jump both feet side to side while making a chest pass to one another. Right hand left hand push passes should also be used (on coaches command) 2. Players jump both feet front to back while making a chest pass to one another. Right hand left hand push passes should also be used (on coaches command) 3. Players run on the spot with a high knee lift while making a chest pass to one another. Right hand left hand push passes should also be used (on coaches command) 4. Players hop on one foot (either side to side or front to back making various passes on coaches command) 5. Players make a X-out jump (similar to grapevine step) while making a chest pass to one another. Right hand left hand push passes should also be used (on coaches command ______

"Complacency is an ugly monster that sneaks up behind us, trips us, and makes us fall short of our goals." -- ______

"The best players, when they detect a weakness in their own game, go out and work on it until the weakness becomes a strength." -- ______

"It's not what I know, but what they (the players) do on the court that really matters." -- Mike Krzyzewski ______Some Simple Advice!

1: Stop having training sessions! Turn them into teaching sessions for the coach and learning sessions for the players. 2: You cannot coach soft and expect your players to play hard. 3: Teach your players how to listen, teach them how to execute skills properly, then teach them how to do those skills quickly and finally teach them how to make good decisions. 4: Shout praise and whisper criticism. 5: Volunteer for coaching positions at every regional player development camp regardless of your ability and experience. 6: Look to the unlimited basketball coaching resources available on the multitude of Internet sites. ______

For What Do We Want to be Known ?

- Passing. - Offensive rebounding. - Defensively SMARD. - Work ethic (mental commitment). - Game continuation.

Passing The types of passes are not the issue; it is when we are making them (turnovers). Passing concepts - i.e. one look and pass (especially with post feeds). Moving the ball / making a pass from the right spot e.g.. Left hand side, left hand push pass. Receivers need to attack the ball and go and get it. Minimize use of chest pass. Know when to use the chest pass – in transition / open court situation Use of dribble swing to reverse the ball and/or create better passing angles. The overall importance of ball reversal. Understand the value/possession of the ball i.e. 100 possessions v 80 possessions How do we measure this? Stat passes during sessions (completed vs. incomplete).

Offensive rebounding Emphasis placed on offensive players being offensive rebounders (including the shooter). How do we measure this? Stat offensive rebounds during sessions (score is worth 1 point, offensive rebound is worth 2 points). Emphasis on offensive rebounding will result in the need to become better at blocking out. Reward offensive rebounds (extra points). Penalize missed block outs. "Crash the boards." Receiver’s positions on penetration are the same as offensive rebounder’s positions

Defensively SMARD (smart and hard) Be proactive – make the offence do things they do not want to do.

Be relentless. Know your players' strengths and weaknesses. Play "up and in" defensively on your players weaknesses.

Work ethic "No excuses…get it done!" "Be the best you can be!" "Get outside your comfort zone." **Make a "mental commitment" - the rest will follow** “Challenge yourself to be better”

Game continuation When drilling, play past the play phase eg. Instead of playing to a score or a stop, inbound the ball after a score and play to 1/2 way line, or on a defensive rebound bust out to 1/2 way line. "Up, up, up" vs. "Go, go, go!" "Keep playing!"

Our New Approach (how/when/why?)

HOW? Teach the correct way

WHEN? Recognize/ read game situations

WHY? What is the carrot? Question: “Why are we doing this approach?” Answer: “Because it is a challenge, it is difficult to do and if you do these things you will be successful!”

Coaches are going to tell the athletes “we are doing this…" On every drill we are going to ask the athletes "why are we doing this…?" If we instruct a certain way, then ALL coaches must "back it up." As soon as the athletes do not do as they are instructed we must react (Coaches need to be more alert). Closed stance vs. open stance. Some teams can do their own thing however we will do it "this way." We are not saying it is right, rather this is how WE are going to do it - this will create quicker teaching. How/ when/ why relates to ALL coaches as well.

The Importance of Competition Everything needs to have a competitive nature about it as well as being part of the overall structure. We will still do "breakdowns," (e.g. 5 on 0 and 3 on 0) for teaching purposes. However, we will try and make drills as "game-like" as possible.

Shooting - we need to continue to teach correct fundamentals. However we will put the offensive players against certain defensive situations eg. Vs. soft defense, vs moderate

defense, vs. hard defense.

Physical Fitness levels Overall, physically our standards must be acceptable to get to the next level.

What does this all mean? As coaches, WE need to: - Be more accountable for the players' actions; - Be more accountable for OUR actions; - We need to react to athletes when they do not follow the correct approach; - We need to understand our new approach (how/ when/ why?) ______

Real Basketball Stars

I Grab My Jersey And My Shoes I Am Going To A Game That I Will Not Lose

I Put On My T-Shirt And Throw On My Shorts Because Today I Will Play On The Basketball Courts

I Am Going To Play With My Basketball Team We're Going To Win Gold, Or So It May Seem

I Practice My Lay-ups, Dribbling And Shot I Shoot It And Score, It Was Right On The Dot

Now I Went In A Little Cocky, Because We Began To Lose But My Team Will Not, No Way, We Refuse

So As I Became Angry, Also A One Man Team I Got A Foul And Of Course Wanted To Scream

Half Time Came And My Coach Told Us To Bring It In How Could We Lose, We Needed To Win

We Pulled It Together, And We Became A Squad I Pleaded And Prayed To The One And Only God

There Was 5 Seconds Left, It Was A Tied Game Jamie Passed It To Sam, And We Tried For Our Fame

She Tested For That Lay-up And Did Miss But That Was That And This Is This

That Was Two Years Ago And I Have Learned One Thing Work As A Team And Success It Shall Bring -- Rachel Rosky ______

REBOUNDING DRILLS (Five-Star Basketball) a) Albert King- Rim touching - left, right, both hands, alternations of hands. Jump and

see how many times you can touch the rim on the way up and on the way down. Then just jump and touch the rim as many times as you can. b) - Keep ball over head, pound on back board 5 to 10 times, then take a power lay up. Repeat drill 5 times. Then pound and move across the backboard and take a lay up - then come back in the original direction. c) - Throw ball on backboard go up and take power lay up. d) Superman Drill - Start outside the paint, throw ball up on backboard, jump for rebound keeping the ball over head and ending in 1/4 turn at other side of the paint. Turn and fake outlet pass, then repeat drill again. e) Tapping drill - Jump up tapping ball on backboard using both hands, then use one hand. f) One ball Mikan - Hook shot in lane alternating hands. ______

1 ON NONE OR 1 ON 1 (Five-Star Basketball) a) Play one on one perimeter with three to two dribbles or only one dribble b) Play one on one full court with only 8 to 10 dribbles c) Play one on one post up with only one dribble d) Play one on none - use your mind and challenge yourself.

Every made shot is worth plus one point every missed shot is minus one point. Play to ten, twenty or 30. Example: plus 10 you win--minus ten you lose. If you lose, discipline yourself: push ups, run, sprints, etc. ______

13 Keys to Success for Players

1) Eye contact. 2) Concentration is a master skill. 3) The ability to listen, learn and accept criticism. 4) Respect yourself and respect others. 5) Be selfish, but unselfish. You are the most important person in your own life. 6) Determination to be the best person and player you can possibly be. 7) Willing to pay the price and sacrifice. 8) Solid work ethic (Be Hungry). 9) Not afraid of failure. 10) Willing to say my fault or sorry. 11) Cocky but humble. 12) Always be a gentleman. 13) Remember to say "Thank You."

______

Warning Signs of Long-Term Player Fatigue

- Consistently short on shots. - Late game performance meltdowns - Substantially lower free throw percentage, especially late in games - Missed defensive assignments due to lack of concentration - Laboring up and down court - Regularly asking out of games - Lack of enthusiasm for practices and conditioning workouts - Preponderance of minor injuries - Complaints of excess soreness in muscles and joints - Noticeable loss in weight room strength (keep in mind, it’s normal to lose some strength during the basketball season) - Insomnia ______

10 Ways to Know if the Joy Has Been Stolen From Your Coaching

1. Your identity is defined by whether you win or lose. 2. Practice becomes a chore - not a joy. 3. You become "puffed up" and arrogant after wins and angry and mean after losses. 4. Instead of desiring to help players become successful, you focus on whether or not your athletes are hindering or helping your career. 5. The welfare and well being of the game, the basketball community and the participants stops being an important reason for your coaching involvement. 6. Your current coaching job becomes just a means to the next job. 7. Winning a game becomes simply a relief. 8. Your spouse becomes essentially a single parent. Your children get, at best, your leftover scraps of time! 9. Your assistant coaches and/or managers are looked at and treated like your personal servants instead of your looking to serve and to help them. 10. The main reason you are in the business is for the limelight - essentially your glory! ______

The drill comes from respected Wake Forest University coach Skip Prosser. It involves advantage/disadvantage situations and requires communication and thought – key aspects

when trying to identify players in the scramble of a trial.

The drill starts in the 2 v 1 setting, with the offensive players working the principles of driving lane/passing lane. On a score or a defensive board, the initial defensive player is joined by two team-mates, who now have a 3 v 2 opportunity going the other way. At the other end of the floor, on a score or defensive board, two more players come and we now have a 4 v 3 setting. The drill finishes on the fourth “trip” with two players coming in to create 5 v 4. If you choose you can go a step further and add a 5 on 5 segment.

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Screen & Re-Screen

Flare screen, down screen • On the flare screen action, if the pass is not available, the cutter should take the cut low towards the corner • Angle of the screener is “chest to the ball” on the flare screen • On the re-screen, the angle of the screener is “back to the ball”

Down screen, flare screen

• On the down screen action, the cutter reads the situation and makes the cut high to

create space • On the re-screen, the cutter steps towards

Back screen & re-screen

• On the back screen action, the screener must run to create separation away from the block and the help defense (back to the basket on the screening angle) • The cutter should sprint, showing a target hand looking for the pass on all cuts • The cutter stops underneath the basket, toes to the ball, carrying hands • On the re-screen, the cutter reads the defense and comes back off the screen looking for the ball (chest to the basket on the screening angle)

______

Baseline drive Middle drive Kick out, into down screen • On penetration on the post side, the post man “loops out” to create space and force the defender to make a decision

• If the ball is kicked out, on the ball reversal, the 5 man sets the down screen for the penetrating player to read and react

______

“The P’s”

Poise Patience Persistence Pressure Possession Power Pride Passion Preparation Precision PLAY ______

Learn the ‘4 Step’ When Defending a Team Taking a Shot.

1. Hand up and yell shot. 2. Find your man and block out. 3. Move toward the basket. 4. Break.

Remember the 4 steps. Hand, block, seek and go. ______

HABITS Champions do not become champions on the court. They are merely recognized on the court. They become champions in their DAILY ROUTINE. Players do not really decide their future. They decide their HABITS their HABITS decide their future. -- Anon