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.