“The smart take from the strong.”
“Whenever two players or teams of equal ability play, the one with the great courage and intelligence will win.”
“What you must realize is that you cannot coach without factoring in the human equation.”
“Two words to avoid in teaching are ‘always’ and ‘never.’”
“I want things to go right all the time every day. Winning is in the details.”
“Whatever you emphasize and to the degree that you do, you get better at it.”
“It is a mistake we all make as coaches to think that there is only one way of doing something.”
“Wherever fast players go, they always get there faster than slower players.”
“As a player, you want to be good at those things happen a lot – that cannot be overstated.”
“The more talent you have, the greater your margin for error, for gambling, for risk.”
“A good mind has never handicapped a player.”
“Passing was the single greatest attribute of my teams over the years.”
“The free throw is the only shot in basketball where it’s okay to be greedy.”
“There is a tendency among some coaches today to give up too soon.”
“Work is the main factor in a player’s success. That is where their character comes out.”
“There’s a difference between the guys who play to win and those who play not to lose. A big difference.”
“Beware of the coach who always talks about winning.”
“Defense is not a variable. It’s a constant. Defense has to be deeply embedded in your attitude.”
“The sterner the discipline, the greater the devotion.”
“When you’re punctual, you’re telling your teammates what you think of them.”
“Praise is the cheapest form of reward.”
“Praise, rings, watches – I guess they’re nice tokens, but I’d rather have the thing that lasts forever: respect for what you’ve done.”
“When you demand a lot, my experience has been that you get more.”
“The main goal of the offense is to get a shot you can make, a good shot, every time you have the ball.”
“There will be no credibility to the cut unless the player executes it with authenticity.”
“You have to prepare your team for whatever the situation calls for. That’s the fundamental goal of your teaching.”
“I’ve always done three things as a coach: watched, listened, and read.”
“The quality of your passing will determine the quality of your shot.”
“It is important to do things right and it is equally as important to be good at what you are doing.”
“The first thing I tell anyone about faking is that if you’re going to fake, your move has to look like the real thing.”
“A good high school coach is the salt of the earth.”
