Saturday, September 30, 2023

Repost: Coaching Profiles

Here's an old post, a repost from 2017 with coaching profiles. They seldom go out of date.

Enjoy. I always learn by review.  

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Friday, September 29, 2023

Basketball: Leadership

The best teams have 'player-led' leadership. The coach doesn't have to micromanage because players understand the mission and lead each other to accomplish it. 

"Silent leadership" anticipates and teaches what can happen so players respond in real-time without continuous communication. 

That doesn't mean the coach isn't leading. "Leaders make leaders." Great coaches cite chapter and verse about their team leaders through the years.  

Yelling doesn't make leaders. Remember the proverb, "an empty barrel makes the most noise." 

Coaching is about relationships. Relationships flourish with communication, respect, and trust. Coaches deliver messages that players don't always want to hear. 

Great leaders listen. Nelson Mandela's father always spoke last after hearing everyone's opinion. Young Nelson attended those meeting and learned that processing others' voices allowed for nuanced comments. 

Understand "Commander's intent" as in Belichick's "Attack weaknesses, utilize strengths." The lionesses don't attack the fastest strongest prey. They attack the most vulnerable when possible. Commander's Intent is how the leader intends to execute the mission.

A team devoid of leadership is no team at all.

Lagniappe. Well-designed BOB with a slip. 

Lagniappe 2. Urgent cutting and passing starts in practice.  

Lagniappe 3. Creating space. 

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Thursday, September 28, 2023

How to Give Praise (Credit to Kim Scott)

"Shout praise and whisper criticism."

Praise is part of the feedback process. It shows appreciation and encourages more of the same good work. It 'asks' for more. 

A lot of this piece is unabashedly stolen from Kim Scott. 

How can you go wrong? We can direct praise to the wrong person. 

How much? Focus on the good stuff (be specific).

What does great praise look like? HIP


The point of praise is that it's about them not about us. "If it's something you would say to a dog, it's probably not helpful."

If not immediate, we may forget. 

The purpose of praise is reinforcing what needs to be continued. 


"In the meeting, when you gave both sides of the argument, you earned credibility." A sentence gives the context, observation, and result. What's next?

Avoid qualifiers. "You did well BUT" differs from "You did well AND." 

The ratio of positives to negatives should be at least 3:1 and ideally 5:1. 

Some people share praise easily while others find it harder. Put ourselves in the position of the recipient. Praising better takes practice. 

Lagniappe. Intangibles. 

Lagniappe 2. Want to be our best.  

Lagniappe 3. Get more resources.  


 

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Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Sport Through the Quotes of a Great Author

Find ideas that resonate. Explore more authors and more ideas. For example, Oscar Wilde simplifies friendship, "your friends stab you in the front." Directness comes from the heart.

Let's explore "basketball ideas" from Colombian author, Nobel Prize winner, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it." Perception is reality. Some players and families see our coaching as a godsend and others as the work of the devil. 

"A true friend is the one who holds your hand and touches your heart." Players do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Above all, coaching is about relationships. 

"I discovered that my obsession for having each thing in the right place, each subject at the right time, each word in the right style, was not the well-deserved reward of an ordered mind but just the opposite: a complete system of pretense invented by me to hide the disorder of my nature. I discovered that I am not disciplined out of virtue but as a reaction to my negligence, that I appear generous in order to conceal my meanness, that I pass myself off as prudent because I am evil-minded, that I am conciliatory in order not to succumb to my repressed rage, that I am punctual only to hide how little I care about other people’s time." One element I love about sports is that you cannot hide who you are on the court. You are generous, selfish, tough, soft, energized, lazy. Your play is uniquely you. 

"A lie is more comfortable than doubt, more useful than love, more lasting than truth." Kevin Eastman says that you cannot fool dogs, children, and basketball players. They see authenticity, value, and sincerity...or not. 

"She felt the abyss of disenchantment." They say that "hell knows no fury than that of a woman scorned." They never coached. 

"Cease, cows, life is short." Athletic careers, like youth, are short. Treasure what you have while you have it. 

"She would not shed a tear, she would not waste the rest of her years simmering in the maggot broth of memory." Tens of thousands of thoughts fly through our consciousness daily. We choose to dwell on disappoints or move ahead looking for better times. 

Lagniappe (something extra, basketball-specific education). Develop a versatile portfolio of finishes. 

Lagniappe 2. Teach players to find ways to attack the paint. 

Lagniappe 3. Fight for your culture every day.  

Lagniappe 4. BOB.  

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Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Basketball: Horns Reimagined - Five Considerations for "Core" Actions

Why horns? Fifty plus years ago we ran a 'simple' 1-4 high offense with  6'6" and 6'7" twin high posts. Cross-screens and post roll downs got lots of size mismatches down low. 

Horns improves the spacing and fills both corners creating chances for open threes if defenders help. There's no 'natural' weak side and horns opens the lane for driving, cutting, and passing. 

Additionally, the great spacing helps 'teach' young players core offensive actions. 

1. Good action from Marc Hart. Iverson action. 

2. Favorite action, double downscreens sets up curls, flare lifts, or a drive for proficient point guards.


In a 7th grade playoff game years ago, horns "down" helped upset a better team as we scored seven points in five possessions using the action. 

3. Duke Elbow "Handoff/Iso" Series. 


4. Simplicity works. High ball screen, curl across post screen, corner 3 off help. 


Few teams in high school defend the PnR well. 

5. 15 'Get' 


For teams with a 5 who can take the ball to the hole, this is another option. 

Horns offers flexible, versatile, and simple actions depending on the skill and basketball IQ of players. Urgent cutting and on-time, on-target passing get emphasized for any offense. 

Lagniappe. Cross-step and rock. 

Lagniappe 2. SLOB double zipper entry with backscreen for inbounder.  

Lagniappe 3. Winners. 









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Monday, September 25, 2023

Basketball: In Search of Excellence

"Excellence is our only agenda." - Sign in UNC Women's Soccer Locker Room

Everyone talks a good game about excellence. But walk the walk. Excellence starts with attitude and continues with preparation, execution, and revision. Nobody is so good that they cannot improve. 

Where do we begin? Study excellence, including Tom Peters' book In Search of Excellence. 

For example:

In Search of Excellence: Key Points

  1. Focus on customers: Put yourself in the customer's shoes and determine what they need and want. In other words, focus on creating value for customers.
  2. Embrace innovation: Be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Reinvest in your business to stay competitive and create a culture that encourages experimentation and risk-taking.
  3. Adopt a hands-on, participative management style: Allow employees to take initiative and make decisions on their own. Encourage problem-solving and collaboration among staff members.
  4. Cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit: Nurture a corporate culture that rewards creativity, encourages risk-taking, and celebrates success.
  5. Practice decentralization: Delegate responsibility to lower levels of management and empower employees to make decisions without having to seek approval from senior executives all the time.
  6. Measure performance against goals: Establish quantifiable objectives so you can monitor progress and measure results.
  7. Develop strong teams: Foster a team-oriented atmosphere where communication is open, trust is high, and everyone works together towards a common goal.

Petty also generously shares slides about his lifetime search. 

Each of us has our own experience as a 'boundary'. In medicine, it was said the only problem with being on call every other day was "you miss half the great cases." Learning opportunities do not take time off. 

Use coaching exemplars to study excellence and mediocrity. For instance:

- Dean Smith's "shot quality scoring" in practices. He felt that talent and emphasis on shot quality led UNC to the highest shooting percentage in the ACC

- Pete Carril conditioned within drills. The high academic demands at Princeton reminded him to seek maximal efficiency. Brian McCormick says, "no laps, no lines, no lectures." 

- Many coaches are readers. Get our heads in a book as do George Raveling, Mike Neighbors, Greg Popovich, and Steve Kerr. 

- Make dead friends. The Petes (Newell and Carill), John Wooden, Pat Summitt, and many others share basketball and life lessons. 

- Find the sharers. Most coaches willingly inform insights into their path and experience. Some leave footprints of their legacy on the Internet such as Coach Don Meyer. 

Develop your portfolio of stories and quotes. What did your coaches teach and what pieces of gold do you distribute?

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson 

"The ball is gold." - Sonny Lane (Take care of the basketball)

"Are you spending your time or investing it?" - Nick Saban

"Be specific." Players learn nothing from 'play hard' or 'play smart'.

"Show up." Don't allow fatigue or distraction to prevent us from 'getting after it' at work or our avocation. 

"Next play." - Mike Krzyzewski  Don't let one mistake bleed into a series of mistakes. "Stop the bleeding." 

"The ball is a camera." If you want to be seen, then you have to get open.

"How you do anything is how you do everything."

Lagniappe. Sometimes the best way to work on ourselves is hardware not software. 

Lagniappe 2. Ball pressure, rotation with help and recover, and switching made for good defense. 

 

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Sunday, September 24, 2023

Basketball: Mentoring

Mentoring matters. 

I've been blessed to have great mentors in medicine and in basketball. In medicine, CAPT Tom Walsh (Pulmonary) and CAPT Bill Baker (Cardiology) were exceptional role models and clinicians. In basketball, my coach Sonny Lane (New England Basketball Hall of Fame) is a mentor and still a friend. I count many readers/group members as mentors, too numerous to mention individually. 

First, a saying I've stolen, "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Second, "Find a mentor...and become one." 

*Adapted from MasterClass lesson from Rosalind Brewer, Fortune 500 CEO - This took place at Spellman. 

Rosalind Brewer shares her mentoring process.

Normally it takes place over years. 

The first session is "ask me anything." 

"Make sure people feel nurtured and comforted."

"...Shows up as complex problems solved." 

"Is the data real? How does it come to life?" She worked as an organic chemist and feels comfortable with problem solving. 

"I hope people see me as a full-spectrum leader...I'm growing the people around me and they're gaining something from being on the team." 

"I feel obligated to make changes in that space" (to promote diversity and advancement."

"Stay steadfast to your dreams." 

She took demotions to change industries. She took a step back to learn new skills, embrace change, and earned back her position. 


Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. 

 

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Saturday, September 23, 2023

Basketball: Responsibilities of a Reserve Player

*Cross-posted but applies to most basketball activities. 

Reserve players have responsibilities. Some are "dos" and others are "don'ts." All have importance. 

1. Be ready for your opportunity. You probably heard this story before. In 2005 at Andover, who lost in the Division 1 State finals, setter Amanda Hallett broke a shoelace and had to come out. Taylor Pearson came off the bench and the team won 6 of 7 points. Melrose beat the D1 powerhouse 3 to 2. 

2. Excel in your role. Everyone's job is to bring the best version of themselves to the team daily. Play every practice scrimmage, every "Queen of the Court" opportunity as though it's the Sectional Championship game. 

3. Be in the game. Know the game plan, the strategy, and observe the ebb and flow. Maybe a back row opponent is weaker. If you were serving, could you 'attack' her? Have the courage to point that out to your teammates and perhaps to the coaches. 

4. Support your teammates. Enthusiasm on the bench matters. In an earlier post, I highlight video of the bench during a late game victory. You were exemplary. 

5. Impact winning. You impact winning by making everyone around you better. You change lives every day at home and at school. Take care of business. 

6. Impact your world. When Kayla Wyland played, I spoke with her parents saying how impressed I was with her as a person. Her mother told me that she was every bit as pleasant and helpful at home, not needing to be asked to help with chores like shoveling the driveway. I will always be a Kayla fan. 

7. "Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." Coaches coach, players play, officials officiate. Stay on task with your job. 

8. Stay conditioned. If that means doing extra sprints or five minutes of jumping rope twice a day, then do it. 

9. Be intentional. Have purpose in your warmup, your preparation, your study of the game, your study of video.  

Watch on YouTube setting the playback speed to 0.25. Watch her "runway" and steps, attack preparation including back arm swing, and her arm swing, contact point (excellent), and follow through. There is a lot to like and a few points to fine tune. 

Return to Coach Donny's "Elevate Yourself" attack footwork video. 

Great players have the desire, maybe the obsession to excel technically and tactically (how and when).

10. "Always do your best." Take pride in sharing the experience of being on an excellent TEAM more than playing on a mediocre or weak one. We recently had our fiftieth high school reunion and almost all the living seniors from 1973 returned for a pre-reunion gathering and the reunion, including both managers, one from San Diego.

Commit and compete.  

Lagniappe. It's not enough to be the best player on a TEAM.  


 

 

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Friday, September 22, 2023

Basketball: Developing Better Habits

"We make our habits and our habits make us." 

James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits" has become the King of Habits. Whether through his book or his MasterClass, he helps us improve our habits. Nick Saban might say that we're working to invest more time and spend less. Do more of what must be done and less of what shouldn't be.  

Incremental gains, that one percent more, drive long term progress. 

First, examine some truths.

"Champions do extra." - James Kerr, Legacy

"Do five more." - Dan Pink, influencer

"Do the unrequired work." Kevin Eastman, basketball coach and author

Share stories, some you know, others you don't. 

  • Larry Bird shot 500 free throws before school.
  • Kobe Bryant took 1,000 jump shots a day in the offseason.
  • Isiah Thomas played for eight hours a day on Chicago playgrounds.
  • Bill Bradley, from age 12, practiced 3 hours a weekday and all day Saturday. 
  • Abraham Lincoln walked miles to borrow books to read. 
  • He cut a road through an Indian mountain with a hammer and chisel.

Clear reminds us that our actions 'vote' for the person we want to become. 

Imagine we want to exercise more. How do we apply the habit cycle? 

Cue - Set our alarm for noon. Have workout gear with us.

Craving - know that exercise releases endorphins, feel good chemicals.

Response - Do our workout.

Reward - Have more energy, better weight, better mood and sleep. 

Consider the emotional correlates. When I was 'cross-training' from the Navy in the Walter Reed ICU, the doctors (at least more senior ones) were expected to run at lunch. 

Obvious - The corpsmen reminded me. "Gotta run at lunch, Doc."

Attractive - A concrete border surrounded the hospital, perfect for running and there were plenty of others out running. Sometimes the staff guys would invite me on their five mile run. 

Easy - Bring workout gear with you. There was also a shower which made cleaning up before resuming work easy. 

Satisfying - The Army set a fitness 'expectation' and also promoted closer relationship between their Medical Department and Operational Forces. Exercising met Army culture expectation and showed commitment to mission readiness. 

Figure out how to apply the habit cycle to your training and practices. 

Lagniappe. Slip, sliding away. 

Lagniappe 2. What great players do. 

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Thursday, September 21, 2023

Basketball: Navigating Cancel Culture

"Cancel culture is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a culture in which those who are deemed to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner are ostracized, boycotted, or shunned." - Wikipedia

Does society cancel individuals or do individuals cancel themselves? 

No industry is immune. In basketball, Donald Sterling got canceled, forced out to sell... at about a two billion dollar profit. 

Coaches get fired but that's seldom cancellation, just "going in a different direction" because a team doesn't win 'enough' in the view of ownership, fans, or both. 

The question implied is "what is unacceptable?" The Celtics parted ways (euphemism) with Ime Udoka but neither side released the details. "Move along, nothing to see here."

Leagues and teams widely promote legalized gambling but suspend players who participate. When Michael Jordan took time away from basketball to play baseball, speculation was rampant on whatever cause. We never learned. 

Navigating cancel culture means avoiding provocative behaviors. Don't poke the bear. 

  • The most sensitive nerve in the body is the money nerve. Touch it and everyone jumps. Enron wasn't about principle. Avoid touching a lot of money nerves. Or pay off the politicians in advance. 
  • Almost as sensitive, politics and religion nerves inspire ire. Wade into the culture wars and risk drowning. 
  • Be selective with your topics. Do you love black licorice? Half the population agrees. Investing a second trying to convince those who don't makes zero sense. 
  • Don't dump on icons. Worshippers see their heroes through one-way mirrors. Moral failings? We don't care. Whataboutism? We don't care. Statistics? We don't listen to freaking nerds, Buddy. 
  • Need more ways to beckon the badgers? Declare that you're the smartest guy in the room or liberally label your opponents "idiots." Nobody wins an article by declaring disagreers dumb. 

Like Luka in The Bear, I've met or worked with guys better than I was in medicine. And like him, I learned everything I could from them, while realizing I would never be them. 

What can we be sure about. Cancel culture isn't going away anytime soon. 

Lagniappe. Do the work. 

Lagniappe 2. Billy Donovan calls it 'the 95', what you do without the ball. 

 

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Deion on Respect

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Young, Old, or Wise?

Are we young, old, or wise?  

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Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Basketball: Five Ideas for Promoting Teamwork

Everyone agrees about that teamwork matters. That's where the agreement ends. 

Charlie Munger informs us about mental biases. A key one: Underestimating bias from own self-interest and incentives.

Translation: People do what is in their interest. 

Coaching response: preach teamwork as a core value... our core values were teamwork, improvement, and accountability. 

1. Awards. We had one award: the Best Teammate award, voted on by the players...not the MVP, but the teammate players thought exemplified team play. Want an award? Be a better teammate. 

One season two players were neck and neck for the award, the winner and the 'glue guy'. It could have gone either way and been right. 

2. Sacrifice. Relearn your why. Put the team first not yourself. Are you more concerned about the scorebook or the scoreboard? Be remembered as a winner not a gunner.

The team led by eight with just under a minute left, with the ball. Run out the clock. The player got the inbound pass and promptly chucked up a three. Brick. As a broadcaster, I remained calm. Had I been the coach, I might have suffered a breakdown. 

3. Minutes. The fight for minutes promotes the antithesis of teamwork. One woman's college hooper called it "crabs in a bucket." In developmental basketball, everyone plays. The higher the level the more precious the minutes. Be honest with players. At the end of the day, coaches don't assign minutes, players do. 

4. Book club. There's no best book. The point is making your point. What are some candidates? Break down the selfishness barrier. 

  • Toughness by Jay Bilas
  • Teammates Matter by Alan Williams
  • Legacy by James Kerr
5. "Group therapy." Times change. When we played, we started together in seventh grade and built relationship for years. Bonding was unhurried and natural. Most teams aren't constructed that way. Players of different ages and schools come together without coming together. Work to grow the group dynamics in other ways with team activities. Coach K has group dinners. 

I won't pretend it's easy or that we solved everything. It's always a work in progress. Care enough to get things right or at least close. 

Lagniappe. Run some core plays from special situations like BOBs.  

Lagniappe 2. How much time do you invest on close and late situations? Invest more. 

Lagniappe 3. Do the work. 

 Lagniappe 4. Be a sharer! 

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Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Basketball: More Underrated Choices

Keep growing. Some here are basketball "lifers." I am not. My day job migrated from Pulmonary Critical Care doctor to primary care. Yet, I've worked to expand my basketball 'circle of competence'. It's a work in progress.

1. Find a mentor. "Look for the helpers." They don't have to be a basketball coach. You could study a great coach like Cal Rugby coach Jack Clark.

2. Make friends with the dead. Abraham Lincoln, John Wooden, Pete Newell, Pete Carril, and Pat Summitt have lots to share and they're not too busy. They have lengthy paper trails. 

3. Lead better. Study leaders. MasterClass provides great courses such as:

  • Doris Kearns Goodwin on Presidential Leadership
  • Jocko Willink on Extreme Ownership
  • Geno Auriemma and Mike Krzyzewski on leading teams
  • Ron Howard, Actor and Director
  • Chris Hadfield, Astronaut and former Shuttle Mission Commander
4. Watch more video. Learn how to teach off video. For example on YouTube, Scout with Bryan (Bryan Oringer) has excellent breakdown. His Twitter feed is good, too.

5. Be open to the world around us. Sometimes we stumble onto useful information. The five part Netflix series, "The Playbook" informs coaching excellence. 


Summary:
  • Find a mentor.
  • Make friends with the dead. 
  • Study leaders.
  • Watch more video.
  • Be open to the world.
Lagniappe. How it doesn't work out. 

Lagniappe 2. What's your 'why'? I preached playing for the girls next to you every day. Put the team first. 

 




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Monday, September 18, 2023

Basketball: A Work in Progress, Enhanced Jeopardy 2.0

I'll figure a way to make it work better...

Lagniappe. Reference material for a Jeopardy question 

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Sunday, September 17, 2023

Basketball: Basketball Camping Out in Spain

My former player Cecilia Kay is a Boston Herald "Dream Teamer" and commit to American University (2024). She is also an academic heavyweight who may be the next valedictorian at Bishop Fenwick High School. She recently attended a basketball camp in Spain. Here are some of her thoughts. 

RS: Recently you attended a hoop camp in Spain. How did that idea arise?

CK: The idea arose from the father of one of the girls on my club team. She’s from San Sebastián in Basque Country, and her father is involved with one of the club teams out there, EASO. Every year they have a preseason camp, and six of us from my club team decided to go.  

RS: How would you compare with camp in the US?

CK: Camp was similar in most aspects basketball wise. We would have two workouts a day with some lifting/yoga filtered in. Some days we would have stations focused on position play, and others we would be split up by teams and we would practice with our teammates. One major difference that we all noticed was that in Spain they have a “zero step”, which was basically a third step when going up for layups, so that took getting used to for us American girls because when we would play 5v5, it seemed like they were traveling but it’s legal where they play. We stayed in dorms and in between workouts we would go to the pool, play cards, hang out with the girls, etc.

RS: Were there any language issues encountered?

CK: There was definitely a language barrier, but we were still able to communicate effectively. Basketball is pretty universal, and most of the drills were some that we had done before in the US. Most of the coaches spoke at least some English, but our main coach didn’t speak any at all. However, some of us spoke a little, very basic Spanish, and he was extremely helpful in that he would speak slowly, simply, and use hand gestures so that we could understand. The other girls had a fun time teaching us some Spanish and Basque words and we had fun teaching them some American words and slang. 

RS: Were rules differences important? 

CK: The “zero step” I mentioned earlier took time getting used to; for example, at the beginning I would go up to block a shot, but my timing would be off since they had that extra step that we don’t get in the US. 

RS: Did you find any difference in the quality of the fundamentals of players your age? 

CK: The fundamentals of the players were pretty much equal. The specific club team we were working with didn’t have many bigs/taller people, but other than that things were very similar.

RS: What was the best part of the experience? 

CK: The best part of the experience was getting to work on my skills and learn a new culture in the process. The entire program was so welcoming and helpful, and we became friends with so many of the girls and guys. 

RS: Was there anything that you wish had run differently? 

CK: The camp was very well run, so I wouldn’t have changed anything except for the food. It was not typical Spanish food, more like cafeteria food, and the girls there told us that the food is bad every year haha!

RS: Are you in contact with any of the players you met?  

CK: We exchanged contacts and social media with many of them. We all wanted to stay updated on each others lives and keep in touch!

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. EDIRx5 

Lagniappe 3. We know Ryan Pannone is one of the rising stars in coaching. 


 

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Repost: "Leading from the Heart"

K Clips: Coach K from "Leading with the Heart"


Coach Mike Krzyzewski stands among the leading college coaches in history. He built Duke into a perennial powerhouse and studied under Bob Knight at Army. 

He shares many thoughts in Leading with the Heart, a bestseller on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week. 

Here are select quotes from Leading: 

"The principle that "we're all important" is also something that needs to be demonstrated immediately." 

"I expect every player we recruit to graduate." (The book was published in 2000)

"The first rule is NOT DOING ANYTHING DETRIMENTAL TO YOURSELF" because that reflects on the team and the university. 

"Your culture doesn't allow jealousy. That's what the best families are all about." 

Coach K distributes laminated cards with everyone's phone numbers (including his and assistants) because he wants a support system so nobody is stranded. 

"Stress honor in all things." 

"You're only as good as your talent."

Coach K tells a story about getting mud on his shoes as a plebe at West Point. Initially, he was mad at his friend who had splashed mud and led to a royal reaming. But he realized that it was HIS choice not to go back and clean them up, leading him to remark, "Embrace the hell out of personal responsibility." (I'm thinking that times may have changed as evidenced by Grayson Allen).

"Failure is part of success." 

"Discipline is doing what you are supposed to do in the best possible manner at the time you are supposed to do it."

"Bonds have to form among all members of the team. An architecture of leadership has to be created so that the wheel is sustained if something happens to the hub."  

Lagniappe. Create edges. 

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Basketball: Everything Matters, Use Mindfulness and Mentors to Grow

Imagine a pebble tossed into a pond. It creates ripples. Lives are like that as we impact those around us.

Consider this improvement template you've seen:

  • Skill
  • Strategy (game understanding)
  • Physicality (strength and conditioning)
  • Psychology (resilience, mental toughness)
Now imagine a mental tool that can change both the hardware (brain structure) and software (brain and body function). If it exists, wouldn't you want to use it? 

Here's background information in my mindfulness slideshow. Teachers from Reading and Burlington have requested these slides for their curriculum. 

Virtually all serious professional and Olympic athletes use mindfulness.

First, let me list some benefits of mindfulness. 

1. Improves focus (in students as young as first grade)

2. Improves grades and standardized test scores.

3. Improves student behavior and teacher satisfaction. 

4. Increases brain density in learning and memory centers and reduces brain density in stress center (amygdala).

5. Lowers circulating stress hormones. 

6. Reduces anxiety and depression. 

7. Improves sleep. 

8. Lowers blood pressure. 

9. Reduces perceived pain. 

10.Improves athlete performance. 

Here's a quick summary of the classic, "Search Inside Yourself." I've read the book three times. 

How do you get started on something that takes TEN MINUTES a day? Download the UCLA Mindful app and choose a short mindfulness script.

Sit in a comfortable position, feet on the floor, hands on thighs, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and listen to the speaker. Literally clear your mind.

Increase the ripples created by your life. 

"Impossible is for the unwilling." - Keats

Lagniappe. Not sure how to feel about this one. Promote fewer dribbles while 'stacking' many. You can't have too much skill.  

Lagniappe 2. Everything matters.  

 

 

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Saturday, September 16, 2023

"Sorry, Bro"

Once upon a time, Melrose Girls Basketball ruled the Middlesex League. They won ten consecutive titles, four sectional championships, and had five undefeated Middlesex League seasons. They won fifty consecutive regular season games twice. 

Then, it was gone. Poof. Not once did an opponent say, "Sorry, Bro" while delivering gut punches. 

Success demands winning culture, winning preparation, and winning mindset. 

In 59 Lessons, Dr. Fergus Connolly, sport performance expert, starts with the chapter, "Never Bring a Gun to a Gunfight." You need more to guarantee success. 

Bring your best version of yourself. Know that most coaches believe that "it's not who starts it's who finishes." 

British Cycling Coach Sir Dave Brailsford says it this way, "Be Compassionately Ruthless." 


Sports aren't a matter of life and death, but some jobs are. Those engaged in them know the importance of attention to detail and finishing the job.

How you think and how you carry yourself matter. "Do the best you can for the next five minutes." Bring the fight. 


Every team you play puts a target on your back. Years ago Lexington upset Melrose girls basketball by a point during the decline and you'd have thought they won the National Championship, because beating Melrose was something they never did. It didn't matter to them that Melrose only won one game that season. 


Everyone wants to win but not everyone prepares to do what it takes to win. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. 

Lagniappe 3. Player development moment. 

 

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