"Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." - Director Werner Herzog
Quotes don't win basketball games or many arguments. But they convey many truths when simple and direct. Provide attribution when known.
"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson An opposing approach withholds info...Don Meyer was among if not the greatest sharer ever.
"Get over yourself." - Gregg Popovich Team first.
“Every battle is won before it is fought.” - Sun Tzu Teach players preparation.
"The main thing is the main thing." What is our main thing?
"People don't quit jobs. They quit people." - David Cottrell If you are going to survive in a competitive field, you'll need overwhelming skill to overcome an abrasive personality (Think Dr. House)
"Never be a child's last coach." How does it feel to be coached by me?
"Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say." Our words mean little if they don't match our actions.
"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior." Few coaches or personalities can redeem the person with character deficits.
"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso Be on the lookout everywhere for ideas or principles to steal. Learn analogies and the value of general knowledge.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that there is a limit to genius." - Einstein
"It is better to be generally right than exactly wrong." - Charlie Munger Warren Buffett's deceased partner said a key to their success was avoiding stupidity. Easier said than done...
“Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses.” - Sun Tzu Leverage your strengths.
“Every happy family is alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in a different way.” - Tolstoy in Anna Karenina There is no "classic defective basketball culture." It can go wrong many ways.
"A lion never roars after a kill." - Dean Smith Stay humble because basketball and life will always deal out setbacks.
Lagniappe. Stay curious.
"If you really want to be a game changer out there, be a master observer." - Peyton Manning
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) August 30, 2025
Champions don’t just play the game; they study it.
Observation creates anticipation.
Anticipation creates advantage. pic.twitter.com/WG2JtTyTDZ
Lagniappe 2. Teaching players to separate and finish goes a long way.
“Villanova” finishing series ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/l0Imbukv2Q
— Anthony Pugh (@Anthony_Pugh2) August 29, 2025
