Division I Opponent Liberty beats Anderson

Big South member Liberty University took down Anderson University 88-46 on Monday night in the Vines Center. Check out the Box Score here. Liberty has non-conference wins so far this season over Virginia and George Mason and only lost to Clemson by five points.

Freshman Nick Trull named Conference Player of the Week

The following was taken from Anderson University Sports Information Director Cobb Oxford:

Anderson University's Nick Trull (3-4 overall, 1-1 Conference Carolinas) has been selected as the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas men's basketball Player of the Week during week number four in the 2008-09 season.

In Anderson's lone game of the week, Trull, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C., came off the bench to score a career-high 30 points in 37 minutes to help lead the Trojans to a dramatic double overtime victory over Carson-Newman.

Trull made a 3-point basket late in the first overtime to tie the game at 98 and finished the game 6-for-10 from behind the arc. He also had eight rebounds and four of Anderson's 11 steals.

The game set Anderson school records for most points in a single game and most points by both teams in a single game at the Abney Center.

Trojans Score 117 Points in Win vs. Carson Newman

The Anderson University men's basketball team set a new scoring record in a single game during their 117-109 double overtime victory against a very talented and deep Carson Newman team. The Trojan's improved to 3-3 with the win. Five players scored in double figures led by Freshman Nick Trull's 30 points on 11-19 shooting from the field and 6-10 from behind the three point line. The following article was written by Anderson Sports Information director Cobb Oxford:

The game set Anderson school records for the most points in a single game by an AU team and the most points by both teams in a single game at the Abney Center since AU joined Division II in 1999. Anderson, 3-3 overall, led 47-42 at the half and led by 10 points twice and 11 points once in the second half. Kevis Cornwell and Jarret Johnson added 18 points apiece for the Trojans, Young finished with 17, and Britton tallied 11. Young played all 50 minutes for Anderson.

Box Score

Trojans 1-1 in Conference Play

Anderson University men's basketball team pulled to 1-1 in conference play with a convincing 79-62 victory over Limestone. The win moves the Trojans to 2-3 overall and 2-0 at home. Sports Information director Cobb Oxford wrote the following about the game on autrojans.com:

The Trojans led 35-28 at the break, but the Saints got a basket from Bobby Grier at the 12:59 mark to cut the Anderson lead to three -- 48-45. From that point, Stephen Cobb and Brandon Young scored six points apiece in the next five minutes to give Anderson a 60-50 lead with 7:31 remaining. Anderson, 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference, was led by Cobb and Jarret Johnson with 19 points apiece. Young added 14 and Taylor Shugart chipped in 13.

Johnson was 9-for-11 and had eight rebounds, six steals, and four assists in 29 minutes. Shugart was 6-for-6 from the field and had a team-high nine rebounds. Anderson dominated the boards, 47-28, and had 17 offensive rebounds. The Trojans had 19 second-effort points and 40 points in the paint. Anderson shot 50 percent or better in both halves and 52 percent for the game. Limestone shot 34 percent in the second half and finished the game at 37 percent.

Trojans Beat Tusculum 71-57

The Anderson University Men's Basketball team opened the season at the Abney Center with an impressive 71-57 victory over a tough Tusculum team. The following write up was taken from Cobb Oxford, sports information director at Anderson University.

Stephen Cobb scored 20 points and Brandon Young added 18 points to lead Anderson University to a 71-57 victory over Tusculum in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon at the Abney Center.

Anderson, 1-0 overall, outscored Tusculum 20-9 in the first 10 minutes of the second half to take control of the game. Anderson's lead never dropped below double digits in the final 10 minutes.

Anderson's largest lead was 17 points -- 60-43 -- with 5:35 remaining.

Anderson shot 50 percent from the field in the second half while limiting Tusculum to 32 percent from the field.

Cobb, a sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., was 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Young, a sophomore from Belmont, N.C., had five of Anderson's eight assists.

The Trojans scored 17 points off 17 Pioneer turnovers and limited Tusculum to 38 percent from field for the game.

Kevis Cornwell added 11 points and Jarret Johnson chipped in 10 for Anderson.

Box Score

The Trojans travel to Lander on Wednesday, November 19^th to take on the Bearcats.

Trojans Begin Season Saturday with Home Opener!

Season Preview written by Cobb Oxford, Sports Information Director At Anderson Univ.

Last season was a big step forward for the Anderson University men's basketball team.
With a roster that featured seven freshmen, the Trojans were 12-16 overall and 10-10 in Conference Carolinas. Reaching the .500 mark in a difficult conference with a young roster has created higher expectations for the 2008-09 season.

"We've taken a step to where hopefully we have some expectations," said head coach Jason Taylor. "It has taken us two years to develop expectations inside and outside our locker room. I think we will define those expectations as the year goes along. We're still learning how to win. We've got to learn how to win and handle winning. "If there's a concern, it's that most of our experience is sophomores. We don't have a senior on the roster."

The Trojans are led by sophomore Brandon Young, who was an all-conference selection last season. Young led the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game and scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games.

"In a perfect world, Brandon becomes our leader," Taylor said. "He has to do that. The big thing for him improvement-wise is turnovers. He has to take care of the basketball. He has the ability to be a pass-first point guard and still score 15 points per game. That's what I expect out of him.
"He's still learning how to pick his spots to get his own shot and when to get other players involved. He's got a lot of learning and growing to do."

The leading returning rebounder is sophomore Stephen Cobb. Cobb was third on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game and averaged 6.1 boards per game. "Stephen is extremely versatile," Taylor said. "He can step out and shoot the three. He's still learning to put the ball on the floor. The biggest sign of improvement is on the defensive end. My expectations for him are really high. He has the ability to be a special player."

Taylor says the rest of the sophomore group also took major strides during the summer.
"Jarret Johnson, Trey Britton, Quinton Baines, and Kevis Cornwell all have gotten better," he said. "Before he leaves here Jarret might be known as the best athlete to ever wear the uniform. The things he can do vertically are extremely special. What sticks out for me are the effort plays. He is athletic and explosive, and he is one of our best defenders. "Kevis wants to do everything right. He's probably the quickest player on our team. He's really improved his shooting, which will enhance his ability to drive."

Taylor is also expecting major contributions from a solid group of juniors. Taylor calls them "a strong character group." "Jonathan Mattox, Josh Beale, Stoney Hill, and Jamelle Lowery all had good summers," he said. "Nobody outworked Jonathan this summer. Josh got stronger and Stoney worked on his shot. Jamelle can be a high-energy guy who can give us something on the defensive end and he has improved his ability to pass the ball."

Taylor has added two freshmen to the roster – 6-2 Nick Trull and 6-7 Taylor Shugart.
"We've continued to add athleticism," he said. "We've added some shooting with Nick Trull and another interior presence in Taylor Shugart. We knew both of them would be good. We still don't know how quickly they're going to produce, but we've been pleased with how they have progressed."

With the large influx of new talent last season, Anderson's style of play started to evolve. If given the opportunity to run, the Trojans turned up the tempo. "We're continuing to adapt to our talent," Taylor said. "As a coach you have a system you want to run. The truth is I'm not going to turn down really good players. We'll figure out how to coach them. We have consistent principles. You have to adapt that to the players you get. I think our talent level is improving. Our style of play will continue to evolve.

"We want to attack the basket as much as possible. Last year, we felt like we were pretty good in the mid-range area. This year, we have to take the next step and be a penetrating team. We also want to develop more aggressiveness on the defensive end."

Program Building

7 Strategies for Building an ELITE Program

1. Long term vision of success
2. Committed for the long run
3. Don't judge success by wins/loses
4. Selectively bring in recruits and staff members that share their vision and values
5. See their work as a platform for teaching people how to succeed in life.
6. Build life-long relationships with their people
7. Provide their people with perspective

Click here to read the full article about strategies for Building an Elite Program

Ubuntu!!!

It is championship night in Boston with the Cavs in town. The players just received their rings and raised the championship banner. Craig Sager just reported that every ring has the word UBUNTU engraved on one side. Ubuntu was and still is the Boston Celtics team motto. So what is the meaning or message behind the word? Ubuntu is an African word that means, "Humility to others" or "I am who I am because of who we all are." It also refers to a "philosophy of life that promotes the greater good rather than individual success."

Do your players understand that individual honors and accolades are rarely awarded to players on losing teams? Look at your All Conference teams and you will usually see where the top teams in the league are usually awarded the most spots on each team.

Black/White Scrimmage

The Anderson Trojans men's basketball black/white scrimmage took place on Saturday, October the 25^th. The black team won the 36 minute scrimmage 69-57. The scrimmage was a good gauge of where we are offensively and defensively as well as what areas need a little more attention before our first live action against other teams. Overall, the intra-squad scrimmage was a success. The energy and effort level of every player was high and intense. We were very pleased with how both teams competed.

While the chemistry between both teams was outstanding, there were several highlights from the scrimmage. Sophomore Stephen Cobb led the black team with 24 points on 5 for 7 shooting from three point range. Also in double figures for the black team were sophomore guard Kevis Cornwell, who scored 20 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the field, and Freshman Nick Trull, who chipped in 16 points, while shooting 4 for 10 from the three point line. Quinton Baines and Cobb led the black team with 6 rebounds apiece. Point guard Jamelle Lowery dished out 5 assists and had only 1 turnover.

Two players posted double doubles for the white team. Sophomore Trey Britton had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Taylor Shugart had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Jarret Johnson also scored in double figures for the white team scoring 13 points.

Old school baller: 73-year-old makes the team at Roane State

Interesting video about 73 year old man that is lacing them up with Roane State, a junior college in Tennessee. While it is obvious that it is very difficult for him to compete athletically, his hard work, dedication and fitness level for his age are all worth noting.

Maxwell on Leadership

According to Leadership expert John Maxwell here are ten things that all leaders need to accomplish before the age of 40. Excerpt taken from Maxwell's article, The First Step Toward Success.

Specifically, where should leaders start? What areas should take precedence at the beginning? From my experience there are 10 things you should do as a leader prior to reaching age 40:

Know yourself
Settle your family life
Determine your priorities
Develop your philosophy of life
Get physically fit
Learn your trade
Pay the price
Develop solid relationships
Prepare for the future
Find purpose for your life

Thoughts on 1st Two Days of Practice

Defensive rotations and closeouts are key: both happen every possession

Shell Drill is the most versatile defensive drill. Continue to build on it

Some post players just have touch and for others it is almost impossible to develop

There is nothing better than a shooter who can knock down three or four 3 balls in a row

Good floor spacing leads to better shots

You will have sloppy turnovers the first couple days.

The returning players need breakdown work too.

If you see carryover from practice to practice or from breakdown to live then you are doing something right.

You better talk shot selection early

Components of a Good Practice

October 15th (17th for Division I) is the date that Coaches have been looking forward to for a long time. After weeks of preparation through skill development, conditioning and lifting weights, it is finally time to practice. Coaches have already begun to plan their team’s first practice. Listed below are 13 of my components of a good practice.

1. A good practice is always planned. Stick to the practice plan
2. Competitive Drills: Keep score. It helps players learn about winning and losing
3. Skill Development: No substitute for getting up shots. Tailor to offense
4. Conditioning: Use a ball for conditioning
5. Keep Drills under 12 minutes: Players lose focus. Go harder, more intense, shorter
6. Play 5 on 5
7. Breakdown Drills: For example, closeouts on one end/ball screens on the other
8. Quote of the Day
9. Offensive and Defensive emphasis: Remember, you are what you emphasize
10. Be creative with Dummy Offense. While it is sometimes necessary, players hate it!
11. Don’t forget to Teach
12. Work on special situations
13. End practice on a good note

Mike Dunlap on Practice: The more things you try to do in practice the worse you get. Write out your practice plan 3 times. Each time you write it, don’t add anything but take something away. That will make your emphasis clear

Terry Porter and the Suns

Terry Porter has taken over as head coach of the Pheonix Suns. Here is what GM Steve Kerr was looking for when he was hiring the next head coach for the Suns. This exerpt taken from an article in the Arizona Republic titled Porter stresses pushing defense. Kerr's check list:

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said he had four main qualities he was seeking in a head coach. Here is how Terry Porter fit each:
Leadership qualities: As a player, Porter had a team-first approach and strong presence. He is a tough coach but has humility.
Communication: A former teammate friendship will make the coach-GM relationship better than it was this past season.
Championship-caliber experience: Porter was Portland's point guard in two NBA Finals and was a Detroit assistant for the past two Eastern Conference finals.
Experience: Porter was the only known candidate with head-coaching experience. He also played 17 NBA seasons under some of the league's top coaches.

Outdoor Basketball/Streetball

Even though it is only preseason NBA basketball between the Suns and Nuggets, there is a twist that has me flipping back and forth amongst all the quality sporting events (Florida/LSU blowout and RedSox/Rays homerun derby ). The game is being held OUTDOORS at the Indian Wells Tennis Center. For me, there was nothing better than playing basketball outside on the blacktop. Whether it was shooting by myself in the cul-de-sac for hours or playing pick-up at Carmel and Park Road parks in Charlotte, NC, the battles on the blacktop taught me a lot about the game of basketball. The following are some of the lessons I learned.

1. Toughness: Play hard or you will not survive.


2. Shooting: with wind, no nets (I used to love the chain nets) or hard rims.


3. If you can't shoot inside, you definitely can't shoot outside (btw, neither the Suns nor Nuggets are shooting it good outside)


4. Play through contact


5. Winning: You have to win if you want to play. Losers sit and you might be 3 games down (that is the worst).


6. Playing with older guys regardless of skill level makes you better.


7. You have to make a few shots to get respect.


8. Learn to take game winning shots

Closeouts

It's no secret that the offense has the advantage when a defender is closing out. Even the slowest players can get by the defender if he/she does not close out properly. Every coach has different philosophies on how their players should closeout. Some like for players to closeout with two hands high, while others require only one hand. Still others would say that they don't care how it gets done, but that the player find a way. I would not argue that one way is better than the other so long as the skill is drilled with regularity.

With that said, I want to run through several keys to becoming a good closeout defender and containing the offensive player.

1. Anticipation is vital. Defender must anticipate the pick up, move on airtime and arrive on the catch
2. Be in a stance. If the defender is standing upright at any point they have no chance
3. Be in good defensive positioning according to the coaches philosophy.
4. Footwork. Every good closeout defender has the ability to fight for their feet
5. Balance. If the defenders weight is forward they are beat
6. Breakdown into short sprint to recover. There will be times when the defender has to stop sliding and sprint to a spot.
7. Know who you are guarding. A three point shooter or a driver? Closeout short on a slasher and long on a three point shooter
8. Have some pride!

Closeouts are very important. Keeping the ball in front and containing the straight line drives will limit the number of defensive rotations your team will have to defend.

Jaime Nared Got Game!

This story about Jaime Nared aired two nights ago on E60, one of my new favorite shows. What do you think? Should she or should she not be allowed to play with the boys?

My personal opinion: I do not think the boys in this video should be allowed to play against her. I think her skill level is so much more advanced then the boys her age. If she wants to get anything out of the experience she needs to compete against boys a couple years older than her.
Even then I am not sure the boys will be able to keep up. What is interesting to me is that it is the parents, not the players, that do not want her playing.

Trojans Finish Community Service Project

Once again, the Trojans men's basketball program helped give one of the local Anderson parks a much needed face lift. Here are some pictures of the Community Service project.

Band of Brothers

I hate to get away from Basketball topics, but as I sat in my apartment watching game 4 of the Sox/Angels series I was trying to figure out why for the past month or so I have been drawn to the Red Sox (no I am not jumping on the bandwagon...I am still an Orioles fan unfortunately). With the exception of the playoffs, I really do not enjoy watching baseball (it bores me!). However after reading an article by Ken Rosenthal on Foxsports.com I figured it out. Here is what Rosenthal said about the Red Sox.

A relentless band of brothers, greater than the sum of their considerable parts, impossible to hate…Manny is gone, Josh Beckett is down, Mike Lowell is out. And the Sox keep going

Who knows what will happen the rest of the playoffs. I know one thing is for certain…I will be pulling for the Red Sox!

Validate Competitions During Practice or Open Gym

As October 15th nears, I found myself thumbing through some clinic notes and came across a clever practice idea from Vance Walberg. He called it "Validation." The following description is taken striaght from the clinic notes.

In practice, he uses “Validation.” Each drill is win or lose. To truly win a drill, team must make a free throw to get a victory. If they miss the free throw, 5 pushups for winning team. Validate the win. He suggested that you do this in your open gym. Have them make a free throw to win in Open Gym.

Boston Celtics: NBA Champions

Kevin Eastman, assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, recently posted a blog on individual and team discipline. We always tell our players that there is a reason why these guys are the best basketball players in the world. I am not sure they completely grasp how hard the NBA players work day in and day out to improve and refine their fundamental skills. Here is the proof taken from one of the best skill development coaches in the business.

Ray Allen arriving at the game site 3 hours before tip-off so he can go through his shooting preparations before anyone else on either team is in there (and I will tell you this was the case every night because I was right there with him), to Rajon Rondo making a minimum of 100 shots before each game so that he develops not only good form on his shot but also the workout discipline needed on a daily basis to become an improved shooter (we estimated that he made almost 12,000 shots total before all of the games combined last year — and 12,000 shots if done with fundamental form can improve your shot, to Kevin Garnett working on some part of his game just about every one of those 287 days (he is a very big believer in fundamentals and repetition). And this doesn't even take into account a Paul Pierce working on the treadmill many days whether we are practicing or not.

Anderson Men's Basketball Youth Clinic

The Anderson University men's basketball program put on it's second free clinic today at the Anderson Rec Center. There was another great turnout of 30+ boys and girls who were anxious to practice and learn new skills on the court. Passing, pivoting, footwork and shooting were the four areas that were concentrated on during todays two hour clinic.

Ten things taught at the youth clinic were:

1. The importance of Triple Threat
2. Chest, overhead and bounce pass
3. Front pivot and rear turn
4. Shot Pocket
5. Keep your wrist locked
6. Weak hand development
7. Follow through/elbow above eye and guide hand
8. Buzzer Beater!!!
9. Importance of Academics
10. Definition of Discipline: Do what you're suppose to do, when you're suppose to do it, do it to the best of your ability and do it that way everytime!

Here are several pictures from the event as well as a couple video clips.

Ten Thoughts on High School Basketball

I have watched hundreds of high school basketball games over the past 10 – 15 years. Here are a few of my own observations on high school basketball as it relates to skill development, game situations, recruiting and other aspects of the game.

1. Players need to work on weak hand development. For example, every good point guard on the college level can drive it both ways.
   


2. It seems like every game I go to or DVD of a game I watch both teams are playing zone. The most common: 2-3 zone
   


3. Passing and catching is more important than you think! Work on it. This is true also at the college level
   


4. Every player thinks they are a three point shooter. This is furthest from the truth.
   


5. High School players have poor footwork skills. Developing footwork (jab fakes, front pivots, inside pivots) on the perimeter and in the post is crucial for success in college


6. There is nothing worse than going to a game and watching a player that does not play hard and compete
   


7. They all want to go Division 1 in the summer and fall. In the winter and the spring reality sets in. Did you know that only about 3% of HS basketball players go onto play college basketball? Think about it!
   


8. Most teams have an undersized, strong and powerful football player that plays in the post
   


9. If you have a good offensive system (whether it is a continuity or sets) you will get wide open shots
   


10. Missed Layups are something that happen often

Mike Miller Workouts

Taken from Timberwolves reporter Mike Trudell's conversation with Miller:

One of Miller's hardest drills is this: A three-point make is +1 and a miss -1, and he has to get to 50. So he could make 49 in a row, miss one and he'd need two straight makes to finish. Miss five, make five and you're at zero. Try that sometime with NBA threes ... Or you could dunk on Dwight Howard, out-swim Michael Phelps, beat Rafael Nadal on clay or broker a permanent peace deal between Israel and Palestine.

He made 36-straight threes to conclude Monday's workout. That's decent.

The former Sixth Man and Rookie of the Year (you forgot about those awards - be honest) goes at game speed throughout his workout, and he shoots more than just stand-still jumpers. Try step backs, curls, bumps, one-dribble pull ups and more (game situation shooting, basically).

For his warm up, Miller must make 10 shots from seven spots on the floor, and can't miss more than four shots (or he starts over).

I guess this is why Mike Miller is in the NBA. These guys are the hardest working players in the World!

Larry Brown Changing a Culture

Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown hopes that giving his players and assistant coaches more responsibility within the team will prove to be beneficial from a leadership standpoint. He has given veteran players the opportunity to enforce rules and to discipline when needed. As for assistant coaches, Brown gives more freedom to coach, teach and give much valuable input. The following excerpts were taken from a recent Charlotte Observer article.

The idea: If you empower people – give them some say in how things work – they're accountable to each other, so things run more smoothly.

"The great teams I've been with all had leadership. The guys got along, and if I got a little crazy, they let me know it."

"I learned from coach (Dean) Smith, you don't always make hard-and-fast rules, you make suggestions," Brown said.

"He wants all of our input, wants to make sure if we see something on the court, (they correct it.) And that's a little bit different'' from last season, said assistant Phil Ford, a carryover from Vincent's staff.

I think it is important to understand that Coach Brown is not passing the responsibilities so that he has less work. Empowering people within your organization can be the single most powerful tool for a leader. The trust and respect that Brown is showing towards his coaching staff and players will pay huge dividends when it comes to effort and accountability. His players will be more willing to give their best regardless of the circumstances.

Remembering Jimmy Riches

A good friend of mine forwarded me an article this morning about Jimmy Riches, a former Belmont Abbey College alumnus and basketball player who was tragically killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Riches will be inducted into the Belmont Abbey Sports Hall of Fame later this week. Excerpts from Richard Walkers article Belmont Abbey offers honor to former student-athlete, Sept. 11 hero that ran 9/30 in the Gaston Gazette

A New York City firefighter, Riches lost his life during the Sept. 11,2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. For his courage, valor andsacrifice, Riches will be honored as one of 12 inductees of Belmont Abbey'sfirst Sports Hall of Fame banquet Thursday at the school's Wheeler
Center.

Riches and a fellow firefighter died carrying an injured woman down the stairs on a stretcher. Jimmy Riches' father Jim Riches, who retired last December after 31 years as a fireman, heard that story on the day of the attacks. The tale was confirmed six months later when Jimmy Riches' body was recovered.

"Jimmy always had fun at whatever he did, whether it was playing basketball, being a policeman or fighting fires," Walters said of Riches, who would be 37 today if he were still alive. "That golf tournament is one of the best days in the year and one of the worst. You don't like why you're there, but you know it's to honor a friend and to raise money for a good cause."

"It's like his life. Jimmy always had this saying: ‘It's not the years of your life, it's the life in your years.' That's how he lived and that's how he's been remembered."

As a fellow Belmont Abbey alum and former Belmont Abbey basketball player, it is great to see that Jimmy Riches will be honored for his service to our institution and more importantly to our country. Although I never had the opportunity to meet Jimmy and do not know him personally, we can all learn a lot about his outlook on life from this story.

LEADERSHIP

There was a great quote a couple days ago in a NY Times article about New Jersey Nets young point guard Devin Harris. In the article, New Jersey Nets head coach Lawrence Frank discusses the reasons why it is difficult for some players to take on a leadership role within the team. The following quote was taken from the article.

“Being a leader is very, very hard for this reason: you have to be the same guy virtually every single day,” Nets Coach Lawrence Frank said. “When things are not going well for the team, when things aren’t going well for you, when there’s a heap of criticism upon you. So leading is tough. It’s hard, but he’s up for the challenge."

While coaches are accountable for most of the leadership responsibilities, successful teams have to have a player step into a leadership role within the team as well. Leaders need to have the ability to motivate the people/players they are leading. This can be done openly with good communication skills or through leading by example. When your leader or leaders are your hardest workers there is a better chance that others will follow. Regardless of the circumstances, leaders always have to remain poised and positive.

Do you remember Jason McElwain???

How can we forget the story of Jason McElwain, the autistic team manager from Greece Athena High School, who inspired us all with this story a few years back.

Regardless of the score and of how hard the defense was playing, Jason took advantage of the one opportunity he had to fulfill his dream of playing basketball. What Jason accomplished during this game was truly remarkable. He was 7-13 from the field and 6-10 from the three point line. More importantly, aside from making a few baskets, he has inspired other people to be ready when they get their shot!

Moments like these are what makes sports so special!

THE LAST LECTURE - Randy Pausch

What would you talk about during your Last Lecture? Randy Pausch's last lecture is inspirational and puts life in perspective. His speech includes several great quotes and exerpts that we can all learn from.

Quotes from Lecture:
"If you don't acheive your dreams you can still learn alot from trying"

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want"

When your doing a bad job and nobody points it out to you that's when they have given up on you" Pausch said this in reference to his middle school football coach who used to ride him every practice for 2 hours

"The Brick walls in our way are there for a reason, they let us prove how badly we want things"

To Achieve Dreams:
1) Work and play well with others: This means tell the truth, apologize and be patient with people/they will eventually show you their good side.

2) Show Gratitude
3)Don't Whine or Complain/Spend time working harder. Jackie Robinson had it in his contract that he could not complain if people spit on him

"Lead your life the right way and the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you"

This is a must see video. This is the 10 minute version of the Last Lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon. The full length hour video can also be seen on you tube. I recommend that everyone watch it at some point!

2007-08 Anderson University Men's Basketball Dunk Highlights

2007-08 Trojans Men's Basketball Highlights. Please be reminded that this video is from last year. The information contained in this video is not current.

Official Visits

The Recruiting process is in full swing across the country. College coaches are making school visits and home visits in order to persuade their top tier recruits to sign on the dotted line. The high school basketball players are taking official visits to figure out what school or program they will fit in the best with. These official visits can be the deciding factor between choosing University X, Y or Z.

After reading several articles over the past week about some of the top high school basketball prospects in the country (Kenny Boynton and Derrick Favors) taking official visits, I was reminded of an article that I recently read about campus visits. What does it take for a program to host a successful official visit?

Mandy Brettigen, the resident sports psychologist at Selling for Coaches, listed six important tips for a successful campus visit in an article on Dan Tudor's website. They are:

1. The Atmosphere: Are You Thriving or Surviving? In other words, when your prospect gets on to campus, are they going to see a program that is hanging on by a thread in terms of the team interpersonal relationships? Or, is it a healthy, thriving team that has great team chemistry. If the answer is anything other than "thriving", you need to begin building team relationships and doing things internally that will improve the atmosphere.

2. Get the Team's Insights. Many coaches use their team for hosting and interacting with a recruit, but then don't use the team to help assess how well the recruit will mesh with the existing team. Listening to your team in this way can help you avoid a bad mix of personalities that can damage team chemistry. Remember...your team's opinion counts when it comes to adding the right new members to the team.

3. Going on the Campus Tour. How long will the tour be? Who will host it? What's the schedule going to look like? Coach, you need to plan out a campus visit in excrutiating detail. Leave nothing to chance. Since it all comes down to a great visit, you need to do whatever you can to ensure that they have a great experience. And it all starts with a master plan that helps manage the experience your prospect has on campus.

4. Be Careful About the Class They Attend. Part of a campus visit usually includes having your prospect attend a class at your college. Here's an important tip: Make sure they go to a class that is discussion based, rather than lecture based. Why? Because discussion based classes are usually full of lively talk and opinion, which is something that they don't usually see in their high school. Most come away with a positive impression with that kind of class, instead of sitting in something that looks and feels just like high school.

5. Let Other Athletes Know You Have a Visitor! One thing that we discuss in our recruiting guides for coaches is how important it is to have your team, and the other athletes in the department, treat your prospect well. That's the number one way they determine whether they get a good "feel" about the college. Here's a suggestion: E-mail your athletes, and others in the department, that you will have a recruit on campus and if they see them with you or their host, that they should come up and say hello. Sounds simple, i know, but the schools that do it report a really great response from their on-campus visits.

6. Make Sure There's Time to Just Hang Out. When we interview student-athletes as a part of our On-Campus Workshops, they tell us that sometimes they feel really over-scheduled during trips to visit a campus. Meeting after meeting, activity after activity...sometimes recruits report that they feel exhausted by the end, and still haven't had a chance to get a "feel" for the campus they are visiting. What should you do? Focus more time on just relaxing. Let them hang out in your host's room. Let them play games, watch movies, and just be a kid. That's what they want.

Dunk Contest

Jonathan Mattox, Stephen Cobb, Nick Trull and Jarret Johnson participated in the first Dunk Contest of the 2008-09 Season.

You decide the winner!!! Cast your vote by leaving a comment for who you want to win!

Trojans Give Back to Local Community

Today, the Anderson Trojans men's basketball program gave back to the Anderson community. With shovels, pitch forks, work gloves and paint rollers in hand, players, managers and coaches took part in the restoration of a small local playground by moving mulch and painting a basketball court. For several of the players this was their first experience using a shovel or a paint brush.

What I was most pleased with was how well our guys worked together to accomplish the task at hand. There was no complaining or whining from anyone. The players didn't just work; they worked hard. They were not worried about getting dirt or paint on their shoes, shorts or shirts. By the time we were done guys were covered in paint. Nice t-shirts, comfortable basketball shorts and nice shoes were ruined. Sophomore Trey Britton was not the slightest bit worried about his black Nike shoes (that probably cost $75 or more) turning green because of the paint. Who knows if he or the other painters will be able to get the green paint off of their gear. All they know is that it was for a great cause.

As college basketball players and coaches, we sometimes forget how lucky we are to be able to play and teach a game we love. It is important to take some time away from the daily grind of being students, players and coaches to give back where and when help is needed. It is unfortunate that we live in a society where people are judged on whether or not they win or lose the game. I can assure you that our program won today. Not because we had more points, but because other young kids and families will benefit from our hard work!!!

Athletes and coaches are in a great position to give back to those in need. We need to continue to help others who are less fortunate than us. NBA athletes, who sometimes get criticized for making so much money, do a wonderful job of giving back to their local communities. Listed below you will find a good article about
Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villaneuva.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/hispanicheritage2008/news/story?id=3589196

JOB WELL DONE GUYS!!!

Q and A with Kevis Cornwell

Sophomore Kevis Cornwell took some time out to visit with Coach Brookman for a preseason Q and A interview. Kevis is a 6'3 170 lb guard. As a freshman, he averaged 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Kevis also led the Trojans with 42 steals on the season. Cornwell came to Anderson University after a stellar prep career at York Comprehensive High School.

As a senior at York Comprehensive High School playing for head coach Kendall McCarter, Cornwell averaged 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and over 4 steals per game. For his efforts, Kevis was voted all-conference, all-region and was one of only two players from his area to be voted to the AAAA all-state team. As a junior, Cornwell also averaged over 17 points per game and was selected to the all-region team.

Q and A with….KEVIS CORNWELL

What game are you most looking forward to this year and why?
Belmont Abbey and Barton because they both beat us twice and pretty bad last year

What do you enjoy doing when you are not playing basketball or studying?
Hanging out with my teammates

What do you like most about attending Anderson University?
The friendly atmosphere

What is your best memory or moment from your Freshman year?
When we upset Queens on senior night. At the time, Queens was the 8th ranked team in the region

What is your prediction for the 2008-09 season?
Regular season Conference Champs

What has been the biggest difference between high school and college basketball?
The speed and strength of the players

What teammate do you look forward to playing with the most this season and why?
It is a tie between Brandon Young and Jarret Johnson. Both are very exciting to watch play and play with

Who on this year’s team will surprise people and why?
Jarret Johnson with his ability to dunk on people

What would you most like people to know about you?
That under all these bulging muscles I have a big heart and I am a good person

What is the best thing about playing college basketball?
I love the atmosphere, the fans and the competitiveness. I love that every game is a big game. There are no cupcake games in college.

2008-09 Anderson University Trojans

3 Trey Britton F 6-7 200 So. Alpharetta, Ga.
4 Nick Trull G 6-2 190 Fr. Charlotte, N.C
5 Kevis Cornwell G 6-2 170 So. York, SC
12 Jamelle Lowery G 5-11 170 Jr. Stanley, N.C.
15 Brandon Young G 6-2 165 So. Belmont, N.C.
22 Jonathan Mattox G 6-2 180 Jr. Watkinsville, Ga.
23 Jarret Johnson G 6-3 190 So. Greensboro, N.C.
32 Quinton Baines C 6-6 225 So. Enoree, S.C.
33 Stoney Hill F 6-5 185 Jr. Fayetteville, Ga.
40 Joshua Beale F 6-8 190 Jr. Flowery Branch, Ga.
44 Stephen Cobb F 6-5 195 So. Raleigh, N.C.
50 Taylor Shugart C 6-8 225 Fr. Rock Hill, S.C