The offseason affords coaches and players opportunities for reflection and growth.
1. What won and lost games for us (including our coaching)?
- I was committed to development over winning. Winning matters and the ability to close out games impacts that. Situational basketball was a strength.
- Mediocre defensive ball pressure was an issue.
2. Look for "The Invisible."
- What is our team basketball IQ?
- Hard-to-defend actions - are we winning in the halfcourt? If not, are we executing hard cutting, on-time-on-target passing, and hard to defend actions like PnR and complex screens such as Iverson action, Spain PnR, and screen-the-screener?
3. What's our Resilience Number?
- Mental toughness is a skill. Are we nails (10) or soft (1)?
4. Trend
- Over the course of a season, were we getting better or worse? One year we had total collapse with a parental death. Basketball wasn't a matter of life or death...
5. Positivity is a "force multiplier"
- Negativity and/or doubt never made anyone better.
- The "COTE of armor" is confidence, optimism, tenacity, enthusiasm
6. What's the "One More Thing" we can do?
- I didn't teach on-ball defense well enough, based on results.
- That led into too many help, rotation, and recover situations.
7. Who is our mentor, the trusted confidant whom we hear?
- "Everyone benefits from coaching." - Sean McVay
8. Assemble a portfolio of stories.
- Don Meyer kept three journals - basketball, general knowledge, and appreciation for his wife.
- There are always stories worth remembering and sharing.
9. Keep learning
- Have a learning plan - reading, videos, film study.
- Organize it somehow - drillbook, playbook, philosophy, whatever
10. What's Our "Why?"
- MUDITA - "Your joy is my joy." In the past month, former students earned degrees - a doctorate in veterinary medicine, and masters in cybersecurity and in accounting. In late March, Saint Joseph's women's basketball player Cecilia Kay was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.
Lagniappe. Grant Hill commencement thoughts.
Grant Hill shares what his mother taught him about living with purpose and why values are verbs.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 27, 2026
"Number 7 on her set of principles reads: 'Don't be a passenger in life.'"
"She knew that values aren't ideas. Values are verbs."
Character comes from what you do and what you do… pic.twitter.com/bTuBSq0hu3
