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Saturday, February 16, 2019

Basketball: Resonance, What Resonates with You?

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heav'n in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour." - William Blake*

In his MasterClass on Investigative Journalism, Bob Woodward shared that every article he writes carries a minimum of six points to take away. He share facts. Readers develop opinions. Find something to take away from the Big Six. 

Brand excellence. Ideas resonate positively and negatively. 1 Find sticky ideas, save them, nurture them. Write them down, photography them, blog them. A former player is now a JV coach. I drew a play for her and she grabbed her phone and snapped it. 

Years ago as after a blowout loss, the head coach asked me to address the team. "You can win or lose, but you can't allow a team to push you around and just take it. That says so much about you. 2 You play the game as you live your life." Not exactly the Gettysburg Address. Maybe six months later, a girl from the team came up to me and said, "that play as you live your life really got to me.



3 Learn from everyone, just as Abraham Lincoln did. 

4 Talent isn't enough. Years ago I saw a highly skilled, athletic high school boy get called for a foul. He picked up the ball and instead of handing the ball to the official next to him, tossed it maybe thirty feet to the other ref. That act of defiance didn't earn him a technical, it labeled him to me as disrespecting the game...talented or not. 


Annie Leibovitz connects with us, tells stories, through her photographs. Players learn to see at different velocities. Pete Newell informed coaches that our first responsibilities is 5 teaching players how to see the game


Mental models provide constructs for decision-making. Warren Buffett's partner, Charlie Munger relies on INVERSION. The Buffett-Munger partnership relies on both good decisions but especially on avoiding bad ones. 6 "Invert, always invert." What would happen if you choose the opposite strategy? Your opponent scores consecutive transition hoops and seizes momentum. Timeout or hands in the pockets? 



The Seinfeld "Opposite George" episode teaches us. "If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right." 

Against the 2-3 zone, we know the power of 7 distorting the zone. Ball movement, pass and shot fakes, ball reversal, paint touches, and 4-5 collaboration create chaos. 

This FastModel series above illustrates key principles. 

Phil Jackson preached, "basketball is sharing." 8 Share what resonates. 

Lagniappe: Beautifully combine multiple actions via Chris Oliver
First, an Iverson cut.
Second, baseline drive (right out of Villanova wing attack drills).
Third, weak side Hammer action, Spurs style. 

*Blake's poem is a share from a 13th birthday card I got from my grandmother...it resonated.