MORE COACHING INFORMATION from A PASSION TO LEAD by JIM CALHOUN (St. Martin's Press, New York). * Good organizations, whether big or small, have lots of people who are not only energetic, but who are also willing to sacrifice and give of themselves for the good of the enterprise. * When a player puts in extra time to sharpen his game, that's what I call an everyday victory--and I like to reward the effort. * Another value that is important to me is pride. I want everybody associated with UConn basketball to be proud of their efforts and those of the team. One thing we have in common is a collective pride--it's part of having a championship mindset. * You'll never have a really strong organization if you, as leader, have to apply all the performance pressure yourself--shouting down from the mountaintop, as it were. Ultimately, your core people have to want to win as much as you do. * What is difficult is winning consistently over time, year after year after year. To do that, you've got to build and maintain a culture of winning. That means establishing high standards, making everybody aware of them, and exhorting everybody--in ways both polite and not-so-polite--to reach for those standards every day. * At UConn, I expect my players to practice hard, take care of themselves, learn proper basketball techniques, and to respect their colleagues, teammmates, and fellow students. I set equally high goals for my assistant coaches, medical trainers, managers, and administrative personnel. * It may sound odd, but as a coach I never preach to my teams about the importance of winning games. What I preach is the importance of preparation--of getting yourself ready to play well, to excel, and winning will follow. * Larry Bird often spoke about how nervous he got before games....Why? He said more than once that he feared playing poorly.....he was unnerved by the idea that he might go out, on any night, and stink up the joint.....fear of failure motivated him to play well. He never assumed that he could just stroll out on the court and excel. Every game for him was an opportunity to validate not just his skills--which were many--but also his work ethic, his competitive fire, and his mental toughness. * We work on our weaknesses and try to disguise them. But our emphasis is mostly placed on trying to enhance our strengths. * I have one unspoken rule: In the hours before a game, I want everybody in a no- nonsense frame of mind. I want jaws tightened and minds focused....others call it our " no-joke zone." * As I often tell the kids: Excellence is not by accident but by design. You'd be surprised, but teaching young people to work hard is well, hard work. Most kids don't have a strong work ethic when they get to college. That's because, often, they weren't pushed much in high school. * All good leaders have two key responsibilities which are vital to organizational success. First, you have to surround yourself with good talent to achieve goals. Second, you've got to be a hellacious motivator to develop your talent every day so that it performs at a peak level. * What's the single biggest distinction between an exceptional leader and a mediocre one? In my opinion, it's pretty basic: An exceptional leader maximizes the productivity of his people, while a mediocre leader does not. * Good communication is the way that you build bonds with people, and when bonds are established, motivating people is a lot easier. * I ultimately decide who wears the Huskie uniform every year. And the two things that I always look for in a prospective player are drive--the desire to improve--and ears. Ears? By that I mean the willingness to listen. If a kid listens, and wants to improve, I'm ahead of the game. I know that I'll be able to motivate him--develop him. And that is hugely important in college athletics. * As a leader and coach, I've got to teach my players how to be emotionally tough enough to deal with little failures. You can't lose your confidence as a person, or a player, if you have a bad moment or two, or a bad day. * My motivational philosophy, generally, can be summed up in two words: tough love. I'm a big believer in the tough- love school of coaching. It's the way I was coached when I was a player, and I think it's a very effective way to motivate people. Simply put, I'm a demanding coach. Help us to add subscribers. We would appreciate your forwarding this newsletter to your email friends. STRATEGY & COACHING TIPS: *"When doubling the baseline drive, defenders must get to the ball before it gets to the lane." ....Roy Williams * STRATEGY IDEA: When defending a high scoring player who is very hard to defend, trap him in front court everytime he receives the ball....THEN, overplay him and try to keep him from getting the ball back. * JEFF JONES: "The following questions are the keys to developing your philosophy on inbounds plays. Do you inbound to get the ball in, or are you looking to score? If you are looking to score, is it right away or in the possession? Does your inbounds play vary with man and zone defenses?" * JOHN WOODEN: Expressing his disdain for "attention-grabbing play", "If I want to watch showmanship, I'll watch the Globetrotters."....USA TODAY * JOHN WOODEN: In describing a decision to bench Walt Hazard, "I gave him three choices: Play the game my way, sit and not play, or go someplace else" (Note: Hazard played it Wooden's way and emerged an All-American).... AND MORE WOODEN: "I found the bench to be the greatest ally I had to make individuals comply with what was best for the team."...USA TODAY * DICK BENNETT: Talking about recruiting players who are not high-profile but have heart and a willingness to work and some measure of skills: "You can make a lot of mistakes in falling in love with talent. You can never make a mistake in falling in love with character, plus a degree of talent." Quoted from BASKETBALL TIMES. * “The number one thing on offense is shot selection.”… Ben Howland, UCLA * A RULE OF COACHING: Whatever you allow, you encourage. If you allow the behind the back pass, you will be encouraging it. If you allow a bad shot, you will be encouraging it. If you allow a missed block out, you will be encouraging future lapses also. * "A player must SELL the drive to earn the jumper, and SELL the jumper to earn the drive."... MURRAY ARNOLD * "American players work after they get the ball....International players work before they get the ball."...Craig Ehlo * "Good footwork gives a player the ability to attack regardless of where or how they catch the ball."...Tates Locke * "The more you can do with the ball, without overdribbling, the better player you can become."...Kevin Eastman * "Eyes make the lay-up....the feet make the jump shot."... Kevin Eastman NEW WEBSITE: www.wealthinfoplus.com Ideas for accumulating wealth, saving money, investment instruments, saving on gas, and other financial ideas. NOTES FROM STEVE NASH (speaking at the Nike Steve Nash Skills Academy) * A player should always want his coach to be critical--it is an opportunity to learn or opportunity to overcome adversity. * A point guard sets the table for everybody; he makes other players believe in themselves. If the point guard is not "fun" to be around and if he is not respected, he will have a difficult chance becoming a good point guard. * Everyday work on all of the shots you will use in a game. * No one is going to be in better shape than me. * I don't want to dribble just to dribble...but I don't want to give up my dribble and give my defensive man an advantage. * Know your teammates and where they want their shots. * Early in my NBA career, I worked out after a game. * On an isolation play, read the defense behind your defender and don't make up your mind that you have to score. BILL RUSSELL'S FIRST LAW: You must make the other player do what you want him to do. GREAT QUOTES: * "When you're interested in something you do it only when it's aconvenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. "...Kenneth Blanchard * "Victory is always within reach of a strong defensive team."... Dr. Jack Ramsey * “The only lasting form of discipline is self-imposed discipline.”….Dale Brown * “It’s not what you tell them—it’s what they hear. ”…. Red Auerbach * "If the power of love could overwhelm the love of power - the world might achieve peace."....unknown * "The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert."...Vince Lombardi * "Talent is god-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful."....John Wooden * "Show me a guy who can't say 'no' and I'll show you a guy with problems, lots of problems."....Red Auerbach * "If you isolate your problem from others, your chances of solving it are thin. Problems require wisdom, and wisdom requires perspective.