HOOP THOUGHTS

BILL WALSH: ON BEING A TEACHER

2012-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

The following comes from the classic "Finding the Winning Edge" by Bill Walsh with Brian Billick and James Peterson. It is the most thorough text book I've ever read in regards to ALL aspects of coaching. And in the Coach Walsh tradition, it is completely detailed -- much in bullet point. It has become an extremely rare book to find and incredibly expensive when found -- but it is an amazing read foe coaches on all levels of any sport. Here are some thoughts from Coach Walsh in regards to teaching;

No aspect of coaching is more important than teaching.

Without properly executed fundamentals, the entire system can break down. Accordingly, you must ensure that every player gets the information and hands-on instruction that he needs to develop and refine those skills that are required for his position.

You should recognize that individuals often have distinctly different responses to the learning process. As such, you must adjust you r teaching approach and methods to account for individual differences.

Among the steps that you can take to ensure that the teaching process for the team is appropriate are the following:

1. Use a straight forward, broad-based vocabulary that allows you to communicate in very specific, descriptive terms.

2. Employ clear, concise language the ensures that your explanation to and exchanges with other individuals will be clearly understood.

3. One of your responsibilities is to generate interest in and excitement for a given matter among your players. The most effective way to accomplish such an objective is to utilize a high level of energy and show ardent enthusiasm for the subject when discussing it with your players.

4. Ensure your relation with the team has a light, relaxed side.

5. Emphasize to the group that note taking is strongly encouraged. This practice not only helps them to thoroughly recall the information that you presented, it enables them to be better prepared to connect the details of one point to another and one teaching session to another.

6. Ensure that the teaching process for a given subject accounts for those individuals who may struggle to fail to keep up with the material or the expected schedule of learning.

7. Make certain that any theory, concept or precept you initially offer to introduce a particular topic is thoroughly comprehended by your audience before you discuss more complex aspects of the subject matter.

8. Be aware of and sensitive to the limitations of a group of individuals to learn a give task or subject.

9. Employ a somewhat unpredictable presentation style.

10. Keep the length of your presentation an appropriate duration.

11. Organize and give your presentation in sequential “building blocks.”

12. Employ visual aids to illustrate a point, to add variety to your presentation, to enhance the attention span of the audience, and to place specific emphasis as intended.

13. Ensure that members of your audience have confidence in the material that you are presenting to a point where their desire to learn the material and to be better prepared to achieve their (individual or team) goals is enhanced.

14. Educate your athletes to the highest levels possible.

Keep in mind the thoughts of Sun Tzu, the renowned military strategist, in his classic work "The Art of War," who concluded that with more sophistication comes more control. Furthermore, with sophistication occurs a visualization beyond common concepts and progress toward the path of perfection.

HIGH, AVERAGE, LOW ACHIEVER -- HOW DO YOU OPERATE?

2012-02-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

The following are some great thoughts from "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect" by John Maxwell. Once again letting us know that above all it comes down to people -- the people we have around us, and how we treat them.

Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great," observes, “Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products. It is the one thing above all others—the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”

The ability to connect with others begins with understanding the value of people.

High Achievers:
• Care about people as well as profits.
• View subordinates optimistically.
• Seek advice from those under them.
• Listen well to everyone.

Average Achievers:
• Concentrate on production.
• Focus more on their own status.
• Are reluctant to seek advice from those under them.
• Listen only to superiors.

Low Achievers:
• Are preoccupied with their own security.
• Show a basic distrust of subordinates.
• Don’t seek advice.
• Avoid communication and rely on policy manuals.

CHARLIE SPOONHOUR: SIX STEPS TO WINNING

2012-02-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

This was originally posted on my blog June 21, 2009:

This morning I came across some old clinic notes from Charlie Spoonhour. I enjoyed the fact that we was obviously looking back as well and recalling some lessons learned from Coach Hank Iba.

"I'm going to talk about Six Steps To Winning. This is a rehash of all of the things Mr. Iba used to talk about at Oklahoma State. He said that there are six things you must do to win. If you three of them, you will win about half your games. If you do four, you will have a good season, five a better one, etc. Most of them involve nothing more than hard work."

#1 Get Back On Defense
You have two different areas. Getting back after a turnover or miss, which is the most crucial, and getting back after a made shot.

#2 Half-Court Defense
The main thing that you must do is commit yourself to one defense, and then make them play it well.

#3 Defensive Rebounding
It is all about effort. Height is the most overrated thing in basketball. It has nothing to do with rebounding.

#4 Running the Break
I am more convinced than ever that you must have a good transition game to flow from defense to offense.

#5 Half-Court Offense
The main thing about half-court offense is that you must convince your players what their limitations area. You must tell them.

#6 Offensive Rebounding
Once again, it's effort.

Here are some links on stories regarding Coach Spoonhour:

Charlie Spoonhour dies; brought "Spoonball" to SLU
http://bit.ly/y2imHc

Charlie Spoonhour will be missed my many
http://es.pn/yY13Qs

Beloved Coach Charlie Spoonhour dies
http://bit.ly/xLLVVR

JOHN MAXWELL ON DEALING WITH RELATIONAL DIFFICULTIES

2012-01-31T05:35:00.000-08:00

The following comes from The John Maxwell Co. - "For Leadership Growth:"

Following a 34-17 loss on October 2nd, Santonio Holmes, wide receiver and team captain for the New York Jets, suggested fault for the defeat lay with his team’s quarterback and offensive linemen. In venting his frustration, Holmes violated a team rule to keep criticism of fellow players internal to the organization. The wide receiver’s comments raised the ire of teammates who publicly voiced their disapproval of his leadership. When asked by the media about the effect of his critical remarks, Holmes defended himself and remained largely unapologetic.

The seeds of dissension sown by Holmes eventually sprouted into full-blown discord, culminating in an embarrassing display of disunity during the Jets’ final game. Entering the last contest of their regular season, the Jets needed to beat the hapless Miami Dolphins to have hope of making the playoffs. Throughout the game, Santonio Holmes appeared distracted and unmotivated to his teammates. When they questioned his lackluster attitude, Holmes erupted, shouting at teammates and provoking an altercation in the huddle. Exasperated by the situation, coaches chose to bench Holmes for the closing minutes of the 19-17 loss, despite his prodigious playmaking ability.

The way Santonio Holmes behaved during the 2011 season serves as a case study for how NOT to address problems on a team. Leaders should never let the situation mean more than the relationship. Holmes may have had every right to feel disappointed in the performances of his teammates, but his manner of response disrupted team chemistry by wrecking relationships.

Three Steps for Dealing with Relational Difficulties
As a leader, the first step in dealing with relational difficulties is to acknowledge problems privately. In complaining to the media about the play of his teammates, Holmes communicated more than dissatisfaction with their performance; he also expressed disrespect. People have a hard time handling criticism, but if delivered behind closed doors, in private conversation, they may respond constructively to it. However, when leaders disparage a teammate in public, they always damage their relationship with him or her.

Once the problem has been voiced, leaders must be willing to seek or extend forgiveness. When asked about his critical comments, Santonio Holmes offered an unremorseful and disingenuous apology. “If anybody feels bad about [my comments] then I’m sorry, but as a captain, that’s my job to point it out amongst ourselves.” In his so-called “apology,” Holmes essentially placed additional blame on his teammates for “feeling bad,” or taking offense, to his criticisms.

After a rift has occurred, leaders have to verbally commit to cooperate in repairing the relationship. Instead of putting in overtime to shore up his bond with teammates, Holmes did just the opposite. Leading up to the team’s last game, quarterback Mark Sanchez called for two extra meetings between the quarterbacks and wide receivers to improve their in-game cohesiveness. Holmes came to the first one, but sat in the back and complained throughout about having to attend. He then skipped the second meeting.

Closing Thought
As leaders, ideally we want to rebuild trust and restore relationships with teammates. However, in some cases, trust may be irrevocably broken. As a leader, at what point can you justify giving up on a work relationship?

PERSEVERE -- KEEP PUSHING

2012-01-31T05:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I read the following tweet from my friend and CEO of Point Guard College, Dena Evans:

@dena10: "Just before u break through the sound barrier is when the cockpit shakes the most." -Chuck Yeager in interview after record-setting flight

This morning, via my Brian Tracy daily email quote I got this one:

"Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad... when the business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at their lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner."

- Walt Disney

Message: Keep pushing through...perseverance is a major characteristic trait of those that succeed.

BUILD CONFIDENCE FACTORS INTO YOUR PRACTICE

2012-01-31T04:44:00.000-08:00

I got this from Coach Creighton Burns' most recent newsletter. I am a big believer that practice is the singular most important developmental tool in the success or lack thereof with your team. Obviously your ability to teach, instruct and motivate are important, but as Coach Burns points out, what are you doing in and with your practice format that helps develop confidence. I believe that true confidence can only come from demonstrated performance so a well-thought out practice will finds ways to create areas where athletes can demonstrate success. Here are some great pointers from Coach Burns:

Building and maintaining confidence is a daily practice. Here are some suggestions that apply to you as a coach AND can help your athletes build their confidence:

1. Be prepared! The more prepared you feel, the higher and more stable your confidence level. Make everything more precise: your practice plans, your diet, your game-day preparation and your sleep schedule.

2. Tune into your confidence formula. What kinds of practices make you feel the most confident? What drills? Is there a particular person whose advice gives you confidence?

3. Set realistic yet challenging goals. Have daily, weekly and monthly performance goals and keep a record of your results. These should be goals you have full control over – as opposed to winning and losing – which are not in your control.

4. Get fit! Top performers know the connection between feeling confident and being physically fit.

5. Build strong, supportive self-talk. Do this in the same way you build physical strength: through repetition.. Confidence is a FEELING – as such it is powerfully influenced by what you think, what you say to yourself and how you act! Negative or sloppy thinking tears away at precious confidence levels.

6. Learn from failures, then dump them. If you have a bad loss or practice, face it, take away whatever positive lessons you can, then forget about it. Leave the past failures behind. Don’t carry mistakes with you – correct them, then move on.

YOU MUST THINK OR FAIL

2012-01-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Success Strategies of Henry Baldwin Hyde -- founder of The Equitable (take from Selling Power July/August 1997)

WORK HARD...When a reporter asked Hyde for the secrets of his success, he replied, “In order to succeed you must rise earlier, sit up later, and work harder and more skillfully than those around you.” Hyde believed that there was pure genius in hard work saying: “You may say that this is a hard life. It may or may not be hard, according to disposition of the individual. The successful man derives more pleasure and real satisfaction from his hard-working life than ever comes to the one who neglects his business and suffers the penalty which such neglect brings.”

IMPROVE EVERYTHING...Hyde made it a practice to thoroughly investigate each department. From time to time he would review the work flow, question the validity of established routines and systems, analyze records, watch workers do their jobs, scrutinize his managers’ performance and make suggestions for improvement.

INNOVATE...In 1987 he purchased land to build the first office building for The Equitable. At that time there was not a single office building in New York with passenger elevators. Against the advice of experts, Hyde ordered the elevators and proved that the new technology increased efficiency and enhanced the company’s image.

LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMER...Hyde was an enthusiastic salesperson and enjoyed spending time in the field. He traveled extensively through the country, visiting agents’ offices. He listened to customers and often encouraged his agents to use listening as a sales tool saying, “Don’t talk too much. The tongue is a dagger which often assassinates success.”

INVEST YOUR TIME WISELY...Hyde firmly believe that time was more important than money. He told his staff, “At the close of each day, think of what you have done, and not how much time you have wasted. You can do a great work if you will never let a day pass without gathering some valuable result, and you will be surprised at the end of the year by the progress you made.”

THINK BIG...Hyde didn’t hide his ambition and encouraged others to aim high, saying, “It is astonishing how much more a man can do if he has in his mind a definite object that he is striving to accomplish than if his efforts lack purpose and concentration.”

“Think! If you don’t think, you deserve to be a failure. Perhaps you say you haven’t time to think — you have too much work to do. But heedless work is profitless. You must think or fail. Take your choice.”

THE SUPREME QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP

2012-01-28T04:33:00.000-08:00

“To be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, you must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestioned integrity. Without it, no real success is possible whether it is in a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

THE COACHES

2012-01-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in my office is a framed written piece called "The Coaches," by Bill Libby. It was given to me by Coach Dale Brown back when I worked for him. It hung on my office wall while I worked for him and at one point Coach Sue Gunter told me how much she liked it so I gave it to her to hang in her office. When she passed away, I reclaimed and it has remained on my office wall where ever I worked. After a difficult loss tonight, I took the time to read it once again:

Coaching is a difficult job, and there is no clear way to succeed in it. One cannot copy another who is a winner, for there seems to be some subtle, secret chemistry of personality that enables a person to lead successfully, and no one really knows what it is. Those who have succeeded and those who have failed represent all kinds – young and old, inexperienced and experienced, hard and soft, tough and gentle, good-natured and foul-tempered, proud and profane, articulate and inarticulate, even dedicated and casual. Most are dedicated, some more than others, but dedication alone is not enough. Some are smarter than others, but intelligence is not enough. All want to win, but some want to win more than others, and just wanting is not enough in any event. Even winning is often not enough. Losers almost always get fired, but winners get fired, too.

He is out in the open being judged publicly almost every day or night for six, seven, or eight months a year by those who may or may not be qualified to judge him. And every victory and every defeat is recorded constantly in print or on the air and periodically totaled up.

The coach has no place to hide. He cannot just let the job go for a while or do a bad job and assume no one will notice as most of us can. He cannot satisfy everyone. Seldom can he even satisfy very many. Rarely can he even satisfy himself. If he wins once, he must win the next time, too. In the end, almost certainly, he will be fired.

They plot victories, suffer defeats, endure criticism from within and without, and brook rumors that they are on their way in here and out there. They neglect their families, travel endlessly, and live alone in a spotlight surrounded by others.

Theirs may be the worst profession – unreasonably demanding and insecure and full of unrelenting pressures. Why do they put up with it? Why do they do it? A few retire, but most hang on desperately, almost unreasoningly. Why? Having seen them hired and hailed as geniuses at gaudy party-like press conferences and having seen them fired with pat phrases such as “fool” or “incompetent,” I have wondered about them. Having seen them exultant in victory and depressed by defeat, I have sympathized with them. Having seen some broken by the job and others die from it, I have been moved to write this book.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR "QUARTERBACK"

2012-01-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

The following comes "Run to Daylight" by Vince Lombardi. Coach Lombardi is talking about all the characteristics you'd like to find in a quarterback and you can actually translate it into point guard play on the basketball side:

Because of the enormous load he must carry in the way we play the game in this league, you spend more time with your quarterback and his back-up man than you do with any of the others. Without a good quarterback, you just don't operate.

His I.Q. must be above average, because he must not only be able to absorb the coach's game plan each week but he must also have a thorough knowledge of what everyone does on every play, and he must know the opponent, the qualities and characteristics of each individual on the other team.

He should be strong physically and able to take punishment when those 270-pounders unload on him, and he should have enough height to see his receivers over those opposing linemen.

A quarterback must have great poise, too, and he must not be panicked by what the defense does or his own offense fails to do. he must know the characteristic fakes and patterns of his ends and backs and anticipate the break before the receiver makes it. Then there are those times when, by the nature of its rush, the defense overextends and leaves itself open to a run, so the quarterback who can also run has a great advantage.

If you find all this in one man you have found a special person, and each year you try.

WHAT OFF THE COURT EXPERIENCES ARE YOU CREATING FOR YOUR TEAM?

2012-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

The following comes from a great book I'm reading "Your Greatest Victory" by Ken Rohlf -- great read for anyone that coaches any sport on any level. I obviously love this passage because it deals with one of my mentors, Coach Dale Brown. I made a couple of trips with the Tigers to Angola and I can you tell you it's a powerful experience. Here is Ken talking about choices:

You have created the life you’re experiencing right now by the choices and decisions you’ve made or those that you have failed to make. You have absolute control over these choices as well as your actions, your reactions and the thoughts you think. Taking full responsibility means that you cause all of your experiences. If there is anything in your life that is not exactly how you want it to be, it’s up to you to change the outcome. You are solely responsible. Don’t blame others for circumstances that cannot be changed. Rather, what is most important is accepting the way things are and understanding that the choices and decisions you make impact what happens from this point forward in your life.

Former Louisiana State University men’s basketball coach Dale Brown always stressed the importance of making good choices to the players on his teams. So that each one of his classes was able to have the experience, every fourth season, Brown’s LSU teams would hold a practice at Angola Prison. Angola, located in Louisiana, and aptly nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the South,” is known for being one of the fiercest prisons in the United States. At the end of practice, to drive his point home about the importance of making good choices, Brown would have his players sit in a solitary confinement cell, walk them past the inmates located on death row, and, to make sure he got through to his team, Brown had each player briefly sit in the prison’s electric chair. These inmates, Brown would preach to his team, have created the life they have by the choices and decisions they made. The choices you make, big and small, will be critical to the life you experience.

Order your copy: http://www.yourgreatestvictory.com/index.php?id=1

THINKING OF YOU TODAY COACH YOW

2012-01-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

"I feel like I had zero control over getting cancer, but I have 100 percent control over how I will respond to dealing with cancer."
-Coach Kay Yow

I can vividly remember coaching at LSU and being in the regionals in Fresno, California along with UConn, Florida State and North Carolina State. I was sitting in my hotel room with my wife Sherie and we were watching ESPN doing a special on Coach Yow and her battle with breast cancer. The report talked about the struggles and pain of treatment as well as her fight to continue to coach her team. Part of the report was her actually having a treatment in the charter plane on the way to Fresno. Sherie looked at me and simply said, "What an amazing woman."

Though her camps and recruiting and working for Coach Gunter, I had come to know Coach Yow on a professional basis -- and "professional" would be a great way to describe her. She coached the game with great integrity -- always willing to help anyone in any way.

Two months after watching that special on ESPN, Sherie was diagnosed with breast cancer and Kay Yow immediately became a much larger hero for her. We discussed it in our home and decided to take Sherie's fight public to help raise awareness and support for this horrible disease. We begin in our own small way working for and assisting local organizations along with the Kay Yow Foundation. The following year at Final Four in Tampa, Sherie and I had the privilege and honor to speak at the tip-off luncheon for the Kow Yow Foundation.

For Sherie, it was a double thrill because she finally got the opportunity to meet Coach Yow who treated her as if she had known her all her life -- a trait that both made her and Coach Gunter special. As for me? Well Coach Yow wanted to talk basketball. "Tell me about your team?"

During my address at the tip-off I said the following:

"It is always difficult during these times to understand why God would allow something as horrible as cancer to evade those we love." I then looked at Coach Yow and said, "But I know why he picked you. And while the burden is more than I can understand I am so thankful for your courage and leadership. I only hope you know what you mean to so many. We love you."

WE STILL LOVE YOU!
http://www.kayyow.com/

BRIAN BILLICK: BE A COMMUNICATOR

2012-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part VII deals with being performance-oriented:

“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that is have been accomplished.”
-George Bernard Shaw

During the course of a season, for example, I sometimes use a movie clip from a popular film to emphasize a particular point.

Without question, the telephone is potentially one of the most effective communication tools a person can employ.

Remember that “how” you say something can be more important than “what” you say.

Anytime you can insert color and movement to animate your subject matter, it can increase your players’ ability to comprehend and retain the game plan almost ten fold.

Steps for an effective presentation:

Step #1: The first step is to identify the objectives of your presentation.

Step #2: Your nest step is to know your audience.

Step #3: Next, you need to define what you’re going to do.

Step #4: Your fourth step is to gather information on your subject.

Step #5: Once you have gathered the information for your presentation, you need to organize your material.

Step #6: Your next step is to develop your presentation — shape all your ideas.

Step #7: When you reach a point where you have basically defined the points you are going to make in your presentation and the order in which you plan to make them, you need to decide what kind of visuals you will use to enhance your talk.

Step #8: You final step is to rehearse your presentation.

Ideas are like eggs — they can be served in several ways.

...the single greatest attribute of an effective leader: the ability to listen.

The ability to listen is a learned skill that requires considerable personal commitment to develop.

Work at listening. Listening is hard work. Effective listening requires that you apply yourself.

...when you take the time to document what you are doing, you bring clarity and definition to the situation in a way that verbalizing along cannot accomplish.

--Rules for writing:

--Write the way you speak.

--Get to the point.

--Be clear and concise.

--Be positive.

--Create visuals.

It is my style to challenge an associate’s point of view, even if I strongly believe in it. This approach is designed to find out how strongly he or she believes in their opinions. In other words, I want to test the courage of their convictions.

As a leader, if your memory is poor or inadequate, you are at a distinct disadvantage when communicating — either as a sender or a reciever.

Steps to improve your memory:

--Repetition. Repeat what you want to remember.

--Visualization. Make strong and very specific images.

--Association. Associate information with something you already know.

--Exaggeration. Assign something embellished (can be comical).

--Linking. Picturing information with something you already know.

--Acronyms. Use of a memorable word or phase by using first letters.

--Rhyming. Use of rhyming words for association.

--Key words. Recall of information through use of key words.

Much of the communicating you do is wordless. In fact, over 90 percent of your communication is nonverbal.

How you say something sometimes convey more meaning than what you actually say.

The final major category of nonverbal communication involves the way you dress and how you groom yourself.

“Give it to them loud and dirty, that way they will remember it.”
-George S. Patton

BRIAN TRACY: PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS

2012-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

Some great thoughts from Brian Tracy:

Get Better Results than Ever Before
There are several principles of military strategy that you can apply to your business, every single day. These can help you to think better and get better results than ever before.

Do the Unexpected
One really helpful military principle that can be applied to business is the Principle of Surprise. The principle of surprise says, "do the unexpected!" In sales and marketing, this means to be continually seeking ways to out-flank or upset your competition.

Do the Opposite of Before
Sometimes doing exactly the opposite of what you have been doing up till now can turn out to be the perfect solution. The natural tendency for a person, when they find themselves in a hole, is to dig deeper. In many cases, the solution is to go and dig somewhere else. Remember, the first law of holes is, "When you find yourself in one, stop digging."

Follow-up and Follow-Through
A second military principle that applies to business is the Principle of Exploitation. The principle of exploitation emphasizes the importance of follow-up and follow-through. In business, this means that, when you get an opportunity, you exploit it to the fullest extent possible. If you have a great promotional idea or product or service, you sell all you can. You take advantage of your idea or breakthrough and use every opportunity to capitalize on it.

Work Harmoniously With Others
The third principle of military strategy that applies to personal and corporate thinking is the Principle of Cooperation. In business, this is often called the principle of synergy. In military terms, this is often called the principle of "concerted action." In business terms, your ability to work effectively and harmoniously with other individuals and groups is more responsible for your success than any other quality.

Win the Cooperation of Key People
A key part of strategic thinking is for you to identify the individuals, groups and organizations whose cooperation you will require to achieve your goals. Make a list of them and then organize the list in order of importance. Then ask yourself, "How am I going to win their cooperation?"

Answer Everyone's Favorite Question
Everybody wants to know, "what's in it for me?" The effective executive is always looking for ways to help or assist others knowing that this is the only sure way to create within them a desire to help you to achieve your goals.

By doing the unexpected, by following up and following through, and by constantly looking for ways to get other people to cooperate with you, you will accomplish more in a shorter time than you might ever have imagined.

THE BASKETBALL DIARIES

2012-01-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

7:10 AM (Monday) January 23, 2012
Back in the office after a few hours of sleep and it's time to do it all over again. Our next game is on Thursday and I have the scout so that will be my priority today. This will also be the final post of the Basketball Diaries -- an idea from Greg Brown. We sincerely hope that you got something from it. It was different an unique in terms of what we normally blog. For our team, we started the Basketball Diaries coming off of a win last Sunday, captured an overtime victory on Thursday and than grabbed a road win yesterday so from that point it's been a great week. And in the true Seinfeld fashion we will join with George and get out on a high note.

12:49 AM (Monday) January 23, 2012
Well, we are just pulling back on to campus after a flight delay getting back. It's amazing what a victory does for energy. Our players seem wide awake right now chattering and laughing after a long day that started with a 7:30 AM Walk Through. If this was a weekday game I'd be in the office for awhile tonight breaking down tape. But because tomorrow is our mandatroy NCAA day off I can head home and get a fresh start tomorrow.

6:38 PM (Sunday) January 22, 2012
We are sitting at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia only to find that our flight is late. The problem is that we have a quick connection in Charlotte so we are keeping our fingers crossed. The good news is we can enjoy our wait in the airport after a solid win over Marshall University this afternoon. Airport delays are a big part of coaching whether it is team travel or recruiting trips. It's easy to get frustrated but it won't get your plane to the gate any quicker.

Back to the game...we played well and competed against a good, tough Marshall team. We have been working through out the season to cut back on our turnovers and have had little success in getting our numbers reduced. Couple that with the fact that Marshall is athletic, aggressive and extends their defense full court for the entire 40 minutes and certainly it was a concern for our staff. Instead, our team turned a season low 8-turnover outing. We were sure and strong with the ball and did a great job of passing away from the defense.

Another area that we pushed with our team was to defend without fouling. Marshall does an excellent job of getting to the free throw line -- I mean about 27 times a game! They do a great job of getting to the rim in transition, look to penetrate in half-court, and crash the offensive boards -- all three of these areas creating opportunities for the defense to foul. We talked to our team about playing with their feet and working hard to take away penetration. But when penetration did occur, "wall up" and make them shoot over us. Again, our team did a great job of executing and we limited Marshall to only 6 free throws for the game.

For me personally, it was a great return to the Henderson Center. After coaching a Southern Conference Championship team with Judy Southard, I moved on to LSU and had not been back to the Marshall campus since. I was fortunate to have a lot of friends and family here cheering us on.

One supporting "fan" was very special for me. It was my junior high school coach and mentor Allen Osborne, the legendary high school coach at Poca High School. Much I've learned about this game I've learned from Allen. He has been with me throughout my career and it always means a lot to me when he comes to watch one of my teams play. Allen taught me not just what to teach but how to teach. To this day he remains the person I call first for advise on anything in my professional or personal life. That Allen pictured to the left with my mother-in-law Marvel Hammicks at the game today.

Following the game we took our team to Chilli's to eat. There's something special and enjoyable about being with your team after it plays well. Our team knows that we certainly have a lot to work on and areas that we must improve -- but they also know that competed today and road wins in C-USA are huge. In fact, they were feeling so good that they told the staff at Chilli's that today was the birthday of Khalilah Mitchell -- a member of our staff. Of course it wasn't but she played along. Team bonding!

9:48 AM (Sunday) January 22, 2012

Walk Through is in the books as is the pre-game meal and the waiting games begins. The best thing about today is the 1:00 PM tip. It was great walking into the Henderson Center. It's changed a little bit. They've adjusted the seating and added some stuff on the walls -- to represent the tradition though I wish there was a greater appreciation for women's basketball here. They have some great players in the 70's and 80's. Karen Pelhrey was one of the most prolific scores in the history of Marshall (men or women) and Judy Southard (whom I worked for) won five consecutive conference championships.

One of my favorite things about the Henderson Center is the huge portrait of Cam Henderson that hangs in the end zone. It's one of the things that has remained constant since the opening of the building. Coach Henderson is one of the games all-time greats. He was not only a great basketball coach but a great football coach as well. Is biggest contribution to the game was the inventor of the rule-break. He dictated lanes for players to fill in transition. One of my prized collections in my library at home is a rare book titled "The Cam Henderson Story."

In some ways much has changed on the Marshall campus since I was last year but much is still the same as well. I got a chill when we bused by Ole Main. Well, time to iron some clothes -- and pass some more time.

6:22 AM (Sunday) January 22, 2012
An early rise this morning in Huntington, West Virginia with a 7:30 AM Walk Through time. A lot of teams would not take their early time but we always did at LSU and Coach Williams has the same philosophy here at UCF. Let's get 'em up, get 'em going, and get 'em to starting thinking about the game today.

Our thought for the day comes the book "Run To Daylight" from Vince Lombardi: "I know of now way but to persit."

On a personal note, I am excited this morning to head back to the Marshall campus, It will be my first visit to the Cam Henderson Center since I was an assistant at Marshall University over 25 years ago.

9:34 PM (Saturday) January 21, 2012

After getting checked in to the hotel it is time to meet with the team. We give them about 30 minutes to get settled in which allows us time to set up the video equipment in a meeting room here at the hotel. One of the things that I believe is important to have road success is to have routines. You team should be concentrating on our game plan and our opponent and not changes in the schedule. Greg was responsible for the Marshall scout so he ran the meeting which included a video report as well as going over the written report. The written report is again always the same. There is a cover sheet followed by a sheet of stats that we believe are important. The third page is primary notes on team offensive play followed by a page of notes on team defensive play. Then comes two pages of individual player notes. The individual player notes will speak to each player's strengths and weaknesses and how we will defend her.

As for the scouting video, it is broke down into chapters as well. Generally the video will have transition offense, man offense, zone offense, transition defense, man defense, zone defense, press defense and special situations. Within each of those groups or more subheadings. Such in man defense, we will have clips in ball pressure, ball screen defense, off ball screen defense and post defense. We think by showing the clips in this manner that our players can really concentrate on certain areas and get more out of the video. The video itself usually is about 20 minutes but last longer in actual viewing as our staff makes points throughout the showing.

Of course, our players have their notebooks with them and area expected to take notes and encouraged to ask questions. The session ends with Coach Williams addressing the team and give them some key thoughts for the night. She encourages them to get settle in quickly so they can rest. Tomorrow will comes soon enough and we all know what that means -- GAME DAY!

6:32 PM (Saturday) January 21, 2012
We've pulled off the Barboursville exit to eat at O'Charley's and it's been a nice drive down I-64 for me. I was born and raised in Charleston and could see the patch of houses in our neighborhood in North Charleston across the Kanawha River. A little further down the road and we drove past the Institute, West Virginia exit and home of West Virginia State College where I was an assistant coach for a three years including a NAIA National Runner-Up season. Still further down the road and we drove past the Teays Valley exit where my parents live to this day. There were a few more landmarks along the way that brought back some great memories but I think you get the picture -- you can come home!

5:22 PM (Saturday) January 21, 2012
On the ground in Charleston, West Virginia. There are not to many experiences in terms of flying than landing at Yeager Airport. They literally shaved the top of a mountain off and built the airport. Being a native of Charleston I've flown in and out of this airport quite a bit but it is still a little unnerving when you come in and you see the tops of mountains on each side and than bang -- you hitting the runway. All in all it was a great flight. Ironically, my mother-in-law who came to visit us this weekend was on our flight back into Charleston so I got to spend some more time with her which was great.

11:05 AM (Saturday) January, 21, 2012
A good, crisp practice this morning by our team. I loved the energy we had, especially from our senior captain Aisha Patrick. You can tell as we get deep into the C-USA play that she understands that is her last go around and she wants to make it count. It helps so much when your best player brings it everyday in practice -- when they have the sense of urgency.

There are a lot of reasons to not have a good practice today. We're sore and tired from the rigors of play this season...we had an overtime battle on Thursday night...it's 72 degrees outside on sunny Saturday day in Orlando...we have to go back to the dorms and pack for this road trip after practice.

There is only one reason to have a good practice today. Because we want to be the best we can be -- that's Pat!

8:20 AM (Saturday) January 21, 2012
With some time before heading to practice, thought I'd give you a partial tour of my office. I spend a lot of time in my office so how it looks is important to me. Obviously the most important thing is for it to be functional so that it can help me maintain organization allowing me to be as efficient as possible.

But I also have some reminders up through out the office. Photos and items to remind of where I've been and why I am where I am. On top of my filing cabinet I have a shoe collection from some pretty good players that I've been honored to have coached. The shoes belong to Shaquille O'Neal, Syliva Fowles and Temeka Johnson. And I bet you can easily guess whom each shoe belongs. To the left of the shoes is a WNBA basketball that has been signed by ever player I've coached that has went to the WNBA. I think there's around 15 signatures on it -- so far.

Across from the desk is a book shelf that I look directly at everyday that includes a bobblehead of Coach Sue Gunter and some shoes that especially made for Nike to honor her after she passed away. I certainly learned basketball from Coach Gunter but also learned a lot about life from her as well -- and I promise you that is exactly what her players would say. I like the location of the bobblehead because it is something that I easily see each day looking up from my desk.

I also have a framed photo of General George S. Patton, Jr. He is someone who I have been fascinated with for some time. I own around 20 books that are associated with him or battles that he has fought. The writing on the photo comes from the last scene in the movie "Patton" and is aptly titled "Fleeting Glory." It is a reminder to me to quickly move on from success and to continue to keep my eyes straight ahead.

A photo of our staff at LSU can be found in my office as well. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has had a more profound effect on me as a coach and, more importantly, as a person than my relationship with Coach Dale Brown. I've said it often but working for Coach Brown has made me a better coach, a better person, a better friend, and a better husband. It's how he coaches -- how he teaches. He continues to mentor me to this day and I feel blessed that he came into my life.

Finally, directly behind my desk is a group of photos and items including a couple of photos of my best friends and biggest supporter -- my wife Sherie. There is also a bobblehead and photo with a message from Coach Don Meyer who had meant a great deal to me. There is also a framed photo of Coach Gunter. To the right you will see a cardboard photo of the late Stu Aberdeen who once coached at Marshall University. As a freshman student at Marshall I took a basketball coaching class from here where he taught the role of a coach in molding young people. He had a quote that said, "In so much as you shape the man, you shape the world." After taking his class I knew I wanted to coach. And ironically, this afternoon we will catch a plane and fly to West Virginia where we will play Marshall tomorrow.

6:39 AM (Saturday) January 21, 2012
In the office early on a Saturday morning. Prepping for a morning practice before heading to the airport for our road game. Morning readings are done and our thought for the day is: "Success demands singleness of purpose." -Vince Lombardi

In the Maxwell Daily Read, it talks about the value of time and a great quote in the reading comes from Charles Spezzano who says, "The phase spending your time is not a metaphor -- it's how life works."

4:26 PM (Friday) January 20, 2012
I've spend the past couple of hours getting a head start on my next scout which is SMU whom will play next Thursday. But I thought I'd take a break and give you an inside look at what goes behind the scenes in the UCF locker room on game night.

After stretching and getting some game shooting in, the team will come into the locker room. At the point, there will be a player assigned to go over keys areas of our game that we want to emphasize. This past game, junior Kayli Keough was in charge. She actually gets up in front of the marker board and gives a verbal scouting report to the team. This is the first time I've seen this done and I really like it. It involves the players at a higher level and creates leadership building and promotes player communication. It has been great to watch throughout the season as each player gets up front and gives the game plan. You can see their confidence rise when the get up a second time.

After that we have a team prayer and head to the floor for our official pre-game warm-up. When we return the coach in charge of the scout gives the match-ups. Since Rice was my scout, I was responsible. I simply tell each player who she is defending and that player has to respond by telling me a couple of things about who she is guarding including defensive instructions. For instance I could say, "Pat you have #12," She would respond by saying, "She runs the floor well in transition so I have to find her early and pick up her. She's gets most of her shots off dribble penetration so I want to influence her to her left and make sure I don't bail her out with a foul if I do get beat. I need to closeout on her as a driver and make sure I block her out."

After the match-ups, Coach Williams reviews the game plan giving important details in key parts of the game. She will go over our process goals and then remind the team of what we are doing defensively on made and missed shots as well as in special situations. She also has some motivational words for the team with a short story or quote before the game. I can see now why Coach Williams' teams have always played hard. She exudes confidence and intensity when she talks. Her voice and body language commands the attention of the players -- and it's the same in timeouts. And after she is done, we break with "Compete" and head to the floor to do battle.

2:19 PM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Just finished a late lunch at Tailgaters. Khalilah Mitchell and I took our Marketing Department there for lunch to thank them for the great job they did in our UKnight for Education game which broke the school's single game attendance mark. I literally love Gene, Tyler and Samantha! They are not only have a great work ethic but they genuinely care about each sport and the student-athletes. They have a great imagination which is really important in line of work. We are extremely fortunate to have them on our team!!!

12:35 PM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Practice for today is in the books. The first order of business was to watch some video clips from last nights game vs. Rice. Specifically we looked at our turnovers, where and how they occurred and how we can correct them. From there it was up toe the practice floor. We started today with pre-practice as always on the perimeter end we concentrated on some ball handling drills and on finishing in traffic. One of our problems last night was not going to the rim strong and either not finishing or travelling. Hopefully today was the start of shoring that up a little.

Last night we have four started that played 41 minutes and another that played 36 so from that point on most of our practice was a mental one. We walked through some areas of offense and defense that needed corrected and Greg started laying out some of the game plan for our Marshall game.

We finished out practice with the remainder of our team going against our male scrimmage guys. We took them through a couple of whole method drills including 4/4 No Dribble to work on our motion cutting and screening. Then we worked on 5/4 Open Perimeter which is a great drill to work on help and recover out of our man defense.

9:15 AM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Dena Evans is a dear friend of mine -- but she is also someone that I respect professionally at the highest of levels. She is the CEO of Point Guard College and one of those people that I refer to as a "difference maker" in the sport of basketball. She has recently started a new blog www.keystothegym.com . Here is video clip on the difference between being a dribble and a ball handler with a classic reference to the great Dick DeVenzio. We are sending this to our players via email today!

8:03 AM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Morning readings are done and our thought for the day is: "A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations." -Patricia Neal

In my Maxwell Daily Reader, the passage today dealt with developing relationship before leading. It goes back to the old saying, "The don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." I think this is critically important in coaching. As a coach, you should look for "relationship development moments." You might run into a student-athlete walking through campus....take an opportunity to sit down beside one at the airport waiting for a flight...or, as I like to do, have them stop by the office. The key? Talk about things other than basketball. Find out what's going on in their life. How's their family? How are classes going? I like to have them over to my house. The more you know about them (and they know about you) the better we can all grow together.

7:02 AM (Friday) January 20, 2012
I had an absolute Seinfeld moment last night. Leaving the office around 1:30 in the morning and obviously a little tired with an overtime game still racing in my head. I could blame it on that or the fact that I was driving my wife's car yesterday -- and forgot that I was looking for one to drive home. He have a five-story parking garage here at the arena and I got a little cardio in before stumbling upon my car. I'm just thankful I didn't have to sacrifice any goldfish in the process.

12:48 AM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Offensive charting is complete. It took a little longer to chart turnovers -- especially when you have 26. Still, it's important to do so. One of the things that Bob Knight would often talk about was the ability to understand those things that go into the losing of basketball games. If you can understand those things only then can you begin to correct them. And once you correct them you can move forward to better levels of execution. Tomorrow morning we will watch each turnover and discuss why it occurred and how we can eliminate it. Of course you must back that up with practice work as well.

12:10 AM (Friday) January 20, 2012
Finishing up with some of the video breakdown and as I've mentioned before, I really like the Possession Evaluation Chart that we got from Dean Smith at North Carolina. You can scroll down for more information.

The Possession Evaluation Chart tonight shows just how close the game was as both teams were nearly identical up down all the categories. After shooting 50% in the first half and 44% for the game, our Points Per Possession still fell far below where we'd like for it to be. Of course there is one reason for that -- turnovers. Each turnover counts as a possession and it's a possession with 0 points. We must continue to work with our team in the fundamental phases of the game including passing, dribbling and footwork but we have to get them to completely understand the importance of a possession. When they understand how vital each possession is, then they will come to truly value the ball.

As I've mentioned often, I believe it's a "process" and we must continue down that path to look for ways to improve our team.

11:12 PM (Thursday) Janaury 19, 2012

I was walking through the hall and heard the bouncing of a basketball coming from our practice facility and walked out to see Meghan Keough shooting. Here is a freshman, after a game, going to the practice facility to work on her game -- absolutely the highlight of my evening.

In fact, I had to share the following story with her:

I was excited to join the men’s coaching staff at LSU. Besides working for Dale Brown I would have the opportunity to coach Chris Jackson. Chris was coming off of a freshman year where he was named All-American and broke the NCAA scoring record for all freshman by averaging 30.2 points a game — as a freshmen! In fact, 2007, ESPN named him the best freshman of all-time in the history of college basketball.

In our second home game of the season, we defeated McNeese State 85-49 in a night game. Chris had 27 points that night on 10 of 15 shooting from the floor. But he had missed a couple of shots he thought he shouldn’t have and he had missed a free throw.

After talking to the team I left the locker room with long-time LSU assistant Johnny Jones. We were standing in the hall when Chris walked by us with a basketball, still wearing his sweaty uniform from that night.

I looked at Johnny and said “Where’s CJ going?”

He replied, “To the practice gym to shoot.”

I said, “Are you kidding me. Right after we played?”

Johnny said, “Absolutely! That shooting performance wasn’t good enough for him. He’s such a perfectionist and takes how he shoots and how he plays personally. He’ll be in there at least two hours tonight.”

10:50 PM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
It really doesn't have anything to do with our game tonight or the diary but I saw this quote on Pat Williams facebook page today and wanted to make sure to share with you:

"It's not about collecting talent. It's about building a TEAM. Some players fit better into one system or style of play than they do in another." - Bill Belichick

10:21 PM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
As coaches you tell your players that they play the game with all they got -- that you need their absolute best for 40 minutes...well tonight we needed 45 minutes to defeat Rice 65-63. It was one of those games where you "win ugly." I've always struggled with those. As weird as it sounds I've never been about winning. I want to play hard and to play well -- do that consistently enough and the winning will take care of itself. It goes back to being "process oriented." The process is "how you play." The final score is the "result." You have to be careful with getting to happy with wins when you play poorly -- it will disguise things you truly need to work on. The same can be true of a tough loss where you played well.

We did not solve our turnover problem. We dished out 26 and it lead to 17 points for Rice. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, the points of turnovers would lead to paint points for which Rice had 29 in 45 minutes. I thought what we did do well was to defend them without fouling. They only shot 10 free throws for 45 minutes and half of what they usually shoot in a 40 minute game.

Offensively we shot 50% in the first half but then struggled a bit at the beginning of the second half with our zone offensive execution and ended up shooting 44.3% for the game. A huge key in finding a way to win was outrebounding them 46-33.

It certainly wasn't the type of game we wanted or thought it would be but finding a way to pull out the victory will hopefully give us the energy we need to correct some things before head on the road. We had some nice leads in the second half and we need to learn the importance of a sense of urgency at those times. I may not seem like it but when you are up 49-40 with about 10 minutes to play, a couple of stops and good offensive possessions can put you in a great position to win. Unfortunately we are not at the point yet where we can sustain high level of executions and we will go to work on that tomorrow.

Well, time to watch some video!

5:40 PM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
As tip off looms ever so close, let's take a look at some areas of importance for us tonight if we are to have some success on the court.

One of the things I like to do in scouting is to do a comparative stat report on wins vs. losses. It almost always tells a story of what is important for a team to be successful. Two things really stood out for our opponent tonight. The first was that in wins, they scored 30.8 Points in the Paint and in losses that number was significantly lower at 20.5. Another key stat was that they scored 21.9 Points Off of Turnovers in victory while only 12.0 in games they lost.

One of the problematic areas for our team has been our ability to take care of the ball. So certainly that has been an emphasis the past few days. If we are unable to take care of the ball we can contribute to the points off turnovers (which also often time contributes to their points in the paint).

There was also a difference in 2nd Chance Points where they scored 15.9 in wins and 11.5 in losses -- again, many of those lead to paint points. So the past two days we have stressed taking care of the ball and blocking out. Of course the key to take it to the floor and execute. But I do think it helps if you stress that what is important. If I could repeat an early diary quote from Coach Don Meyer, "It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize."

Practice this week dealt with things we could do offensively to better take care of the ball. Our opponent will most likely press for 40 minutes so we made a couple of minor adjustments to our press offense to hopefully help us attack in that area. In the half-court, we continue to work on key concepts such as spacing and proper dribble usage.

Defensively we are looking to take away paint points. Ironically, I've always believed the offense has a lot to do with good defense. Good defense starts in transition and transition defense is always better when the offense:

1. Takes care of the ball
2. Takes good shots
3. Has good floor balance

There are some other things of importance in our half-court defense that we hope will help us take away some paint points. Greg is incredible at putting together a defensive game plan.

I think when we come back together tonight in our diary we would hope that we would

1. Limit their paint points to 22 or less
2. Hold them to 12 or less 2nd chance points
3. Limit our turnovers to 17 or less

Another key stat is that they get to the free throw line for at 20 free throw attempts a game -- but they've done this in wins and losses. We want to get back defensively, ready to defend and not bail them out on penetration -- again, easier said than done against this team.

Now obviously that is easier said then done. What has to be considered is the opponent knows what they do well and will have a game plan to try and exert their will on us -- and that's what it comes down to -- a team out executing the other for longer periods of time. We certainly have a worthy opponent tonight and that creates a great challenge. Talk to you later

4:02 PM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
Well, the final preparations are complete. Coach Brown would say the "Hay's in the barn," and I've used, "The cake is in the oven." Either way, the game plan is in and it is really a waiting game now. For home games, we have our Shoot-A-Roundat 2:00 PM (for a 7:00 PM tip off) followed by our pre-game meal at 3:00 PM). We actually watched some video today at 1:00 before our Shoot-A-Round. I thought our focus and energy level was excellent today but that doesn't always translate to success. Still, as a coach, I know I'd rather go into a game with a good walk-through than not.

For Shoot-A-Round, we break down into perimeters and posts and do game situation shooting for 15 minutes. That is followed by offense and defense review. Coach Brown will have one group going over defensive details for tonight's game and I will have another group going over our offensive game plane. And they they will switch ends. After that we take about 30 minutes to go over the game plan 5/5. We usually finish with a little shooting.

Pre-game meal for a night game is going to consist primarily of salad, chicken, potatoes and pasta. The food's always great. Kim Boes is our Director of Basketball Operations and is one of the best in the business. It is amazing the amount the amount of responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of a DOBO but you'd never know it here. Kim runs things in such a way that they are seamless. I'm sure it is a high stress level for her along with a great deal of work but like the great DOBOs in the business, she never lets the staff or players know.

I'm in the office now with a little jazz playing and actually pulling stats and a roster to do some preliminary work on my next scout which SMU. I have to stay busy right now.

9:18 AM (Thursday) January 19, 2012

Game Day -- when the game it tipped off in the evening -- makes for the longest day for a coach. While there is still measures of preparation to be made you wake up with anxiety to play. People always ask me if I'm "nervous" on game day and my answer is always "No, but I am anxious." Game day tends to be a little more quieter than most. Not as much traffic in the office. This morning I am going through some clips on our opponent tonight as we will watch a little more tape today at 1:00 followed by our 2:00 Walk Through. It will also be a good time to get some paper work done. I have a fairly high stack of vouchers to turn in for recruiting travel I've made recently. I will also knock out a few recruiting notes and get them in the mail. There's a ton of stuff not related to the game tonight that will get done tonight -- all those things in coaching that the common fan doesn't realize has to be done.

But all the time I'll be watch the clock.

8:01 AM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
I've got to take some time out today to congratulate our men's team on their great win over Memphis last night. I think I'll quote John Denton from Knights Insider when he wrote: "This was a snapshot moment that will forever be etched into the history of UCF basketball - the Knights showing grit and resolve down the stretch, finding a way to finally beat Memphis in the closing seconds and then celebrating with a joyous fanbase that had stormed the court."

I've been blessed in my career on the women's side (as well as the men) to work with other staffs that have not only been cooperative but mutually respected each other and the difficult jobs we have in coaching on the collegiate level. I've had a few instances where the group on the other side were completely disrespectful of our efforts and were less than cooperative. At UCF the two staffs share offices on the same floor -- in fact you come through the same door to get to both programs. Both staff's care greatly about the other and openly cheer for each other. It's a wonderful environment and there will be two staff's happy today about the big victory last night!

6:45 AM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
Morning readings are done. Are thought for today is “What you want to do, and what you can do, is limited only by what you can dream.” -Mike Melville.

The passage from the Maxwell Daily Reader today is what John Maxwell refers to as the 30-Second Rule. Summarized it means take thirty seconds with each person you meet today to add value to them.

6:08 AM (Thursday) January 19, 2012
Game Day! Play until the whisle blows!

4:20 PM (Wednesday) January 18, 2012
Watching more tape on Rice -- as a coach you always feel you can watch a little more -- hopefully pick up one little thing that might help. But I think I'll take a break to let you know where the overload of change in my draw goes. I posted a picture yesterday to show that my drawer runneth over with loose change (you can scroll down and see the picture and read the little blurb).

For years I have let change pile up in my drawer and then gather it and pass it on to a child -- usually a child of someone in our basketball family. The past few years that recipient has been Riley Braud who is the daughter of two of my dearest friends in Baton Rouge, Renee' and Stan Braud. Even now I gather the change and mail it to Riley back in her home in Baton Rouge. I once gave Riley a huge piggy bank as a gift and just assumed that she was dropping the coins in there.

Then, as Paul Harvey would say, I learned the rest of the story.

I asked Renee' how much money Riley had shoved in her piggy bank. She explained that they would take Riley to the bank and deposit some in a savings account created for her and the rest was up to her on how she spent it. Even they were surprised when they found out that Riley took every additional penny to school with her and put it in a big container where the school kids could make donations to other children in need! Every additional penny! She saved none for herself or bought herself anything! Poor thing was robbing her own piggy bank for the poor -- LOL!

Last fall, Chico Garcia, a former LSU cheerleader and current LSU cheerleading coach was in a horrible boating accident. It has been an incredibly difficult road to recovery for him and his courage has inspired a lot of people in the Baton Rouge community. When Riley found out, she decided that they should start collecting money to help Chico -- what a kid! She even made a jar for her home so that her parents and two sisters and friends could pitch in!

You can read more about Chico's story here:

http://cheeringforchico.com/

Of course she may have taken the donating thing to far -- actually steeling a $20 bill from her sister and placing it in the container - LOL! Mom and dad were able to fish it out and give it back to it's rightful owner.

Love me some Riley Boo!!! Get ready Riley, got some change coming your way!

1:49 PM (Wednesday) January 18, 2012
Back from an extended lunch at Tailgaters enjoying the conversation and catching up with a dear friend, Lynn Bria. Lynn is the head coach at Stetson University and took time on her day off to watch us practice. I always respect a coach that is constantly looking to learn. Lynn could've easily stayed at home and relaxed today but instead chose to come visit with us. Lynn and I are both natives of West Virginia -- both born in Charleston. We both had the honor of working with Judy Southard at Marshall University (thought at different times). In face, Judy refers to us as her son and daughter. When I was at LSU, Lynn would often come stay at the house. She was one of Coach Gunter's favorites. So you could imagine that our lunch dealt with basketball and memories.

P.S. If my wife is reading this blog, I had a salad!

12:30 PM (Wednesday) January 18, 2012
Preparation for our next game is complete in terms of practice though we will watch some more video tomorrow and have our Walk Thru segment. One of the things that I think has a long term effect on the improvement of our players and their skill development is our Pre-Practice segment. We start every day with anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes with Greg working with the post players and myself and Coach Fortune working with the perimeter players. Let me start by saying that Greg is excellent working with the post players -- it's a clinic everyday...I hope that they understand the level of expertise that they are are getting down on that end.

With our high number of turnovers, we continue to work on ball handling in parts of our pre-practice. Today we utilized some overload principles where we work with more than one ball. We started out doing some 2 Ball Stationary Dribbling. In this segment we have a leader that takes them through a variety of dribbling maneuvers with each using two basketballs. This allows them to utilize the strong and weak hand at the same time. We have a leader that calls out maneuver and the team must give an echo yell in return. We do this for about two minutes.

From here we move to a drill we call the Alford Drill. We actually got the base of the drill from a Steve Alford drill video many years ago. You start at half-court and dribble to the corner then to the lane, the elbow, back to the baseline, the corner and finish at the other side of half-court. To make the drill more challenging we added some cones down the sideline and have them utilizing two basketballs. Sometimes we will do this drill in a slow, controlled fashion and at other times we want them pushing the ball through as quickly as possible.

We finished up our disadvantage work with 2/0 w/2 Balls. In this drill we partner them up with each set having a tennis ball and a heavy trainer ball. We want them down in their stance making one-handed push passes. It the coaches call of "change" they must instantly go from making the right-hand pass to the left-hand pass. They should also be calling out the name of the person they are passing to.

9:14 AM (Wednesday) January 18, 2012
Out of a great meeting with Greg to design our practice this morning. It might be my favorite part of the day. I really enjoyed putting a practice plan together and it's magnified doing with Greg and talking about the game and what we need to teach.

We strongly believe that the structure and organization of a practice session is without a doubt the biggest determinant for the success or lack of success of our team. We tell our team that our practice time will strongly lay the ground work for the kind of season we can expect to have.

What we do, how well we do it and our total approach to practice, both mentally and physically, will greatly enhance or hinder our ability to reach the goals of our program. There are several aspects to our practice program that must be addressed. They are preparation, teaching structure, repetition, teaching emphasis, overload drills, emphasis of the day, practice outline, practice statistics and practice video.

So, as with a game plan, the key is to now go out and execute the plan!

6:36 AM (Wednesday) January 18, 2012
The "Thought for the Day" is posted. I actually read it last night from Ken Rohlf's book "Your Greatest Victory." The quote is from Satchel Paige: "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" One of the benefits of coaching is that I think it keeps you feeling younger than you really are -- from working with young people. It's also your attitude -- a state of mind.

As for my passage today from the Maxwell Daily Reader, it makes the point that we must take time to understand people. As John Maxwell points out "Becoming a highly relational person brings individual and team success."

Have a great day everyone!

6:12 AM (Wednesday) January 18,2012

When Greg and I sat out to put together this week long diary, we were excited about what we could share with our readers. We said from the beginning that we wanted to be transparent and try to give everyone and inside look as to what it looks like to be a college coach for a week -- at least the two of us. However, transparency has reared it's ugly head and bit me in the butt. Little did I know that my wife read the blog -- especially the meals. Needless to say Pop-tarts and Pepsi Max for breakfast and the "mile-long hoagie with chips" for lunch wasn't cutting it at the Starkey home. The result? Well you can see it. Aquafina water with Crystal Light and an Adkins Bar! The "Summer of George" for me is over!

9:08 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012

Home early -- mother-in-law safely in tow and have some time for a little reading. Really looking forward to pouring into "Your Greatest Victory" tonight. The book was writing by my friend Ken Rohlf who put an amazing amount of time an energy into this project. I promise you when the diary runs closes up on Sunday you can expect some blog post from this book!

7:18 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012
Heading out a little earlier than usual -- but have to head to the airport to pick up the mother-in-law. I can imagine there are a few snickers out there but the truth is, I've got a great mother-in-law! Great father-in-law as well. With it being in-season I won't have much time to spend with her this week but always love for her to visit.

One more thing, when reaching into my drawer for my car keys I came across and overflow of change. It's actually a common occurrence -- I take the change from my pocket or my backpack and throw it in the drawer -- been doing it for sometime. You may think this is a pretty boring entry but check back tomorrow and I share a great story about a great kid and where the money ends up going!

7:01 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012
Well, I've finalized our complete Rice Scouting Clips for tomorrow...we showed some key clips today before practice and will watch the rest tomorrow before practice. I've said it before but I really enjoy watching (and more importantly) studying tape. Of course it helps your team but it's a great way to learn about the game. There are some base parts to the game of basketball but a variety of way to achieve them and you can learn this from video. I also love watching a good player or a good team play -- until it hits me that we have to compete against them!

4:41 PM (Tuesday) January 17. 2012
Obviously spilling out from his standing me up for lunch, Greg and I nearly came to blows when arguing the merits of our individual writing pens -- no doubt Coach Meyer would be proud of us taking a stand. It started with one of our associates Brett Fink announced he was making a run to Office Max (notice how we name drop brands like an episode of Seinfield). Greg wanted to know what pen I was ordering so I took one of mine in for him to sample. After scribbling a little he looks to Brett and says, "If you can't find mine and I'll take these." You know what I mean -- like he would be settling for my pen if his weren't available. For those keeping score it's a Pentel Energel -- medium tip -- great writing tool. I think Greg is dipping a feather in a well of ink.

3:18 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012

Just got back from a good meal at Tailgaters which is yet another restaurant located across the street from our office. For the second day in a row Coach Brown has stood me up and I've been forced to eat alone. I mean George wouldn't stand up Jerry -- and in this equation Coach Brown must be George! Obviously we have issues that must be ironed out. Some good wings -- though not to the level of Sammy's in Baton Rouge -- and it's time to knock out a few more clips for our Rice scouting video.

2:29 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012

12:54 PM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012
Practice is done for today -- on the court. When you practice in preparation for your next opponent you replay parts of practice all day. You are not only thinking about the how strong your game plan is but how strong is your back up plan. I think it's critical as a basketball coach to make sure that you have the best plan available for your team but you have to know that any time you play a good team or in a game of importance things are going to happen where you have to have another means to succeed. It might mean a different substitution pattern because of an injury...it might mean that your opponent throws something out there you haven't seen before...or it could mean that something you are doing isn't working as you had thought.

Possibly you are trapping ball screens but they are making great reads and slipping to the rim and working the ball inside -- you'd better have another way of defending ball screens that you've work on. The best basketball systems that I've been a part of or have observed have one thing in common -- flexibility in their system.

9:45 AM (Tuesday) Janaury 17, 2012
Time to head to practice...will start with some film first in our film room and then look for some carry over on the court. Our team has had great physical energy the past two weeks -- we need to make sure we match it mentally as we put our game plan in. Here is our player passout for the day (click to make it larger):

8:01 AM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012
Off to a good start this morning...Pepsi Max and vitamins starting to take effect! Just posted the Thought For Today: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” -Epictetus

Ironically I opened my Maxwell Daily Reader today's passage was also about communication. I loved this quote Maxwell had in there from Coach Bill Walsh: "Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment." Perfect thought for me to take in practice.

Also just finished a 30 minute film session with Greg to go some key points for practice today in regard to our game plan for Rice. Rice has some key areas that we need to make a few adjustments for and those will begin today with about 10 minutes of film before practice and then taking those adjustments to the practice floor.

6:40 AM (Tuesday) January 17, 2012

Made it in to work safely this morning -- no easy task thanks to my lack of discipline. You see one of my absolute worse habits of driving and pushing my vehicle to brink of an empty gas tank -- I do it all the time. So far it hasn't bit me in the butt but this morning I had to have come extremely close. The needle was on the left hand side of E! The gas station is literally 1/4 of a mile from the arena so I had a tension-filled drive. But the ole Jeep made it...pull in and got her some fuel -- me too (Pop-tart and Pepsi Max). One thing's for sure -- I know Kramer would be proud!!! Looking forward to another great day of being a coach!

8:35 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Majority of tape is done...have poured through six games now and ready to put scout clips in order. We will actually watch two segments of Rice's game tomorrow before practice and watch the rest of the scout clips Wednesday before practice. Tomorrow we want to work specific on some key areas of importance that will take two days of preparation.

Ready to head out the door and walk into two of our players, Sarah Green and Bryeasha Blair, heading to the practice gym to get some shots in -- going home smiling for the second night in a row!!!

7:14 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012

Just took a 30 minute break to spend some time with J.P. Clark of the UCF Men's Basketball staff -- love this guy! He's one of those young coaches that you know are going to be special one day. He has tons of energy and enthusiasm, cares about the game and it's history, and has a tireless work ethic -- not sure he ever goes home. He also is helping spearhead the Coaching U Live Newsletter. He was sharing with me all the people on board and the various concepts they will use to help get great information out to coaches on all levels. They have a tremendous vision that includes technology that will best assist us all to become better teachers. The first newsletter comes out on Wednesday -- I can guarantee you I signed up and I find it hard to believe that anyone coaching wouldn't. It's free information from some of the great minds in the game. I also wouldn't hesitate if I coached a sport other than basketball. Teaching is teaching and they are going to share information on that as well as organization, motivation and much more. If you haven't signed up yet, here's the link:

http://bit.ly/zy0kFc

5:30 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Still pouring over tape on Rice to prepare our game plan. Just finished a meeting with Coach Williams and Coach Brown talking about things we need to work on in practice this week to implement how we want to attack. Today was our NCAA mandatory day off for our team. I love the rule. I think it is great that student-athletes get an entire day away from practice, weights, meetings and everything else and can relax and just be students on campus. Today they got a double bonus with it being a holiday and they got a day off from being a student as well (though we certainly hope they found time to do some studying). The day off is also great for our staff. It gives us a great opportunity to prepare and get caught up in the office in a variety of areas. During conference play, with us playing on Thursday and Sunday, our day off comes on Monday -- the perfect day to plan out the week. Well, I still have about two more hours of tape to go through so back to work!

5:03 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Just got back from a run to the yogart shop located right beside Jimmy John's. Litterly 45 seconds from my desk. There are so many neat places right here connected
http://youtu.be/NIr6v5LYPdc

1:23 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Stood up by Greg for lunch today (he had a business lunch to attend) but still made it to our primary lunch location - Jimmy John's. If you go to eat with Greg, he's going to ask you what your "go-to" is? You know, like a player has a "go-to" move when she has to score, what is your "go-to" order when you have to beat back starvation. The funny thing is I really do have a "go-to" at restaurants. Unlike my wife who needs time to read the menu and orders something different each trip.

For me at Jimmy John's, the "go-to" is the Bootlegger -- or ole #14 if you want to get the order through a bit quicker (hold the tomatoes please). Jimmy John's is perfect for us because it is actually built into our arena. We can walk to it in about 45 seconds. They turn out the order quick and we are back in the office in 30 minutes. As coaches we are always looking for speed aren't we.

And of course, being on the UCF Campus there is always a view...the photo below comes from the booth!

12:46 PM (Monday) January 16, 2012

11:51 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
It seems I rely a lot on things I've learned from my mentors -- good thing I've had some great ones. At LSU, I learned a great deal from Skip Bertman who really went out of his way to teach to be a better coach. One of the key points he would try to get across to all coaches was to understand the importance of EVERYONE in the department. He would say, "at some point, each person in the department will be the absolute most important person at some crucial time." He would give examples of ticket takers, custodians, maintenance workers, and everyone else that keeps the team moving forward.

At this very moment, Khalilah Mitchell is the most important person in the UCF women's basketball program. She has a ton of responsibilities including the operation of our XOS Video Editing system. 30 minutes ago I encountered a problem that I was unable to solve and so I desperately needed Khalilah to solve it.

Of course Khalilah holds a special place in my heart. She also played for me at LSU for five years. In fact, the Lady Tigers made it to the Final Four all five years she played. She had great enthusiasm and a wonderful work ethics and she has brought those things to her professional life -- glad she's still on my team!

10:45 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
As my junior high coach and mentor Allen Osborne would say, I needed to "pause for the cause." The cause was to have a conversation with a former player. Two other mentors in my past Dale Brown and Sue Gunter had a policy that they not only shared but demanded of their staff as well was to drop everything when a player or former player came by or called. To them it is about relationships first!

The former player in this case was Temeka Johnson. She is currently playing in Russia so our communication was direct message through Twitter at first and then via email. I'm proud at this point of my career to be on Temeka's HOPE Foundation Board of Director's. Her foundation has done some incredible things. For instance, Temeka wrote a book a year ago titled "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions." It's a children's book that got rave reviews and sold at an amazing rate. The proceeds go to a scholarship in her late-grandmother's name. Ms. Mae (as she was to me) was a teacher and an educator so Meek has started the scholarship for those majoring in Education. The reason for our conversation today is that she wanted to email me the first draft of her second children's book to read -- which she did --- and I did. It's going to be an amazing book.

I've said it over and over and over -- there's not a better day for a coach when they hear from a former player!

9:42 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Among many things that I have in common with Greg is a love for Seinfeld. Both Greg and I are fanatics. There's probably not a day that doesn't go by that something doesn't happen in our office, at practice or on the road that we can't relate back to a Seinfeld episode. In fact, when Greg first came up with this idea and asked him what would we be blogging about. He laughed and said, "Nothing. It will be a blog about nothing."

8:33 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
On to the next one! Time to turn my attention to completing our scout on our next opponent, the Rice Owls. At UCF, Greg and I handle the scouting. We alternate the scouting assignments. Greg had the Southern Miss scout from yesterday's game, I'll have the Rice scout for Thursday and then it will be Greg's turn again with Marshall this weekend. We are fortunate to have all the technology you could need to breakdown video here at UCF. Our program comes XOS which is utilized by a lot of NBA and WNBA teams as well as a lot of collegiate football and basketball teams. It was the same program we used at LSU which made my transition seamless in that area. Later I will take a break and talk about some of the things I'll be looking for as we breakdown video but for the rest of the morning I will be glued to this screen on the wall.

7:03 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you have probably already read my "Thought for the Day."

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
-Dr. Martin Luther King

I picked this "thought" for two reasons, with the first to honor the tremendous accomplishments of Dr. King. Last night in the office I was having a conversation with one of our players, Racine Davis, and I was trying to point out to her the importance of learning and understanding history. Maybe it's me, but it seems class of players that I coach, they become less interested in history. Not the dates -- but the people, what was accomplished, and how all these years later it has a great effect on them and their lives.

The second reason is that this particular quote by Dr. King speaks to servant leadership. It is a concept that we preach to our team via the lessons both Greg and I have received from Coach Don Meyer. If we can make this a permanent attitude, we will be great teammates -- on the court and off.

6:22 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012

I would imagine all that goes to work have their morning traditions. For me, the first thing I'm going to do when I get in the office is turn on my ITunes on my computer. I love music. You'll almost always hear music in my office and my car. My next order of business will be to type my "Thought of the Day" which I do via Twitter and on my Facebook page as well. I then take a few minutes and read a daily passage from John Maxwell's "The Maxwell Daily Reader." This morning's passage speaks about managing your attitude on a daily basis and how we must understand that we control our attitudes. After than it is pretty much the same breakfast everyday -- Pepsi Max, Pop-tart and my vitamins. I'm actually not sure of the effects on the body that comes from chasing vitamins down with a Pepsi Max but it's what I do.

5:31 AM (Monday) January 16, 2012
Why I don't need an alarm clock!!!

Each morning, beginning around 5:00 AM, I will feel a wet, cold nose on my face. My dog Miles will be on the side of the bed trying to get my attention -- he's hungry! It's amazing how his inner clock works. I usually don't feed him until after I shower and shave which will put it closer to 5:30 but he obviously has figured out that the sooner he wakes me the sooner the process can begin. If we can convince our team to pursue rebounds the way he pursues the food bowl, we will lead the NCAA in rebounding!

9:07 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
At least I thought I was on my way out! Then I have a late night visitor -- senior Racine Davis. This will fall under the category "Things That Make Coaches Smile." Racine had come back up to our practice gym tonight to shoot some free throws on her own using The Gun. We played today, it's Sunday, it's late, tomorrow's a holiday -- and she's up here working on her game. I'll be smiling all the way home on that one!!!

But I also had an opportunity to talk to her about things other than basketball. We spoke about Dr. King with the holiday tomorrow and I found out Racine will be walking in a parade in his honor. We spoke about the appreciation of some of our basic human rights such as education and voting. I greatly enjoy these conversations with our student-athletes because it allows me to know them on a more personal basis. Racine is a special young woman that is going to do great things with her life. I'm glad I got here to coach her before she graduates this spring.

8:58 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
Well, I'm about to close it down here for the night and take it to house. I love breaking down tape -- I know Greg does as well. It makes a difference when you enjoy something that for others can be boring and tedious. The perspective is that it is a great way to learn about your team and what can be better than something that can help them improve. It's about attitude. I love this quote from 4-time Super Bowl champ Joe Montana:

“For me, as soon as the game was over, win or lose, I focused on what I could learn from my actions in this game and take to the next game. I was ready then and there to throw myself into preparation for the next contest or following weekend, because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

It's obviously a great quote for players and certainly you hope players can obtain and sustain that attitude but it's just as important for a coach as well.

8:18 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012

Here's an additional chart that we give to our staff in regard to turnovers...it has the same information as the first one but it is broke down and a different manner to give us quick glimpse at turnovers regard who, when, and where. (Click it to make it larger)

I'm a big believer in stats. You don't have to stat what we do at UCF but find

#1 It allows you to measure what is important to you.

#2 Players are into stats -- so create one that will help you get their interest in an important part of your game.

One of the most important things I learned from Coach Don Meyer: "It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize." Stats help you emphasize what you believe to be important.

7:59 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
Turnover Chart is completed. Here is an old post where I talk about the Turnover Chart as well as some others that have been beneficial: http://bit.ly/n7UasE

This chart works for us because it gives great detail. Instead of just looking at the box score and seeing a number of turnovers besides a player's name, we can tell what type of turnover it was as well as what phase of offense we were attempting to execute when the turnover occured. Of course, this also comes with video clips for the players to see. Not only does it help the player to understand areas of improvement that is needed but helps us as coaches as well. As you can see by our chart today we had 17 turnovers and six of those game in our Press Offense phase. Obviously we need to make sure we work on some press offense in the next few practices to clean up some of these mistakes.

You should be able to click on the chart to get a larger view.

7:12 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
Believe it or not the most valuable thing in this photo might be the Pepsi Max. I'm not a coffee drinker and need the "boost" from my soft drink!

6:06 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
Just took a quick break from breaking down tape to send out a quick email to Gene Martin and Tyler Edwards who work in the UCF Athletic Marketing Department. We've worked hard with these guys putting in a pro-reading campaign similar to the one we used at LSU. Our UKnight For Education game was today and the result was a new single-game attendence record 2,178. In the world of collegiate athletics there are so many important people that don't get the spotlight when they deserve and I justed wanted to let Gene and Tyler know that we appreciate them and that when we find some time we will be showing our appreciating by taking them out to eat...THANKS GUYS!!!

5:28 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
Just finished a meeting with Coach Williams -- discussing her thoughts on the game as well as recruiting and what we needed to do in the next week. If you are an assistant coach you will greatly appreciate this next comment: when your head coach is a quality person that cares about people and the game it makes the world you live in special! We are lucky at UCF to have someone with Coach Williams' leadership and vision!

4:34 PM (Sunday) January 15, 2012
One of the first things I do after a game is figure out our Possession Evaluation Chart. It is something we got years ago from Dean Smith and his North Carolina program. Here is a blog post I did sometime ago about it: http://bit.ly/zgvoRk

Here is what ours looked like today. We need to be better offensively. Turnovers really eat into your possession evaluation. Defensively we certainly did a nice job with the exception of fouling too much as you can see by the Opponent's FT Possession number. One thing that does standout however was the fact that we had 85 possessions to our opponents 77. That comes from a combination of rebounding and taking care of the ball for both teams.

The thing that's important to understand about the Possession Evaluation Chart is that it tells you how efficient you are per possession. If you play slow and have a low number of possessions you may not be as good defensively as your "points allowed" show. It how many points you allow per possession...how many points you score per possession. Same thing with turnovers. If you have 100 possessions in a game and 14 turnovers, you are taking better care of the ball than a team that has 12 turnovers but only has 64 possessions. Click on our chart today to enlarge it.

4:12 PM (Sunday) January 14, 2012
So let the week begin -- and what a great way to begin the week. First, our team scored a hard-fought 65-47 C-USA victory over Southern Miss. What made it special is that we set the single-game attendance record at UCF with 2,178 fans. As our players sign autographs in the arena our staff has made it back to the office and we are preparing for our post-game work. For me, I will breakdown the tape from the offensive point of view. There are a couple of charts that I will utilize including on for turnovers that I'll share with you when I'm done. I'm sure Greg, who watches the defense will be utilizing his defensive rebounding chart. Why are those two areas (turnovers and defensive rebounding) so important? It's all about possessions. Turn it over and you give up a possession. Miss a blockout and you give up a possession. I'll check in with you later.

2:41 PM (Saturday) January 14, 2012
I have the pleasure and great opportunity to work with Greg Brown on a daily basis. It is obviously a tremendous learning experience for me. The other day we were discussing “30 Days to a Championship,” the special blog I worked on with Jim Boone which was an inside look at how Jim approached his new job at West Virginia Wesleyan. We got a lot of positive feedback for it and Greg came up with the idea of us jointly doing one that would give readers an inside look at all that goes into college coaching — both professionally and personally.

One of the best books I’ve read is “Run to Daylight” by Vince Lombardi. It starts with Lombardi walking off the field of a Green Bay Packer victory and concludes with them playing their game the following week. In between is a week of thoughts from Lombardi on how he approached everything in preparation for that next game. You are literally with him each step he takes through the week.

So we are going to take you through all that goes on in our world as college basketball coaches. Now certainly you shouldn’t be sitting on the edge of your seat expecting profound philosophical thoughts as you would in Lombardi’s book (at least not from me). But hopefully it will give you some insight as to all that goes on. We are going to take you through as much as we possibly can from the basketball aspect to even the parts of our personal life that we have to juggle through coaching.

As in “Run to Daylight” we will start posting following our game this Sunday (January 15) with Southern Mississippi. We will go through the week in which we have a home game with Rice and finish out the blog with our road game against Marshall on Sunday. It will be all that we’ll do this week. All our blogging will center around our life as a coach for an entire week.

Make sure you follow along with Greg as well at: http://ucfwbbthoughts.blogspot.com/

We hope you enjoy!

ENERGY

2012-01-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

“Our energy is in proportion to the resistance it meets. We attempt nothing great but from a sense of the difficulties we have to encounter; we persevere in nothing great but from a pride in overcoming them."

-William Hazlitt

WHY-POWER

2012-01-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

Forget about willpower. It’s time for why-power. Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams. The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned with that which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and your highest values. You’ve got to want something, and know why you want it, or you’ll end up giving up too easily.

From "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy

JOHN MAXWELL: THERE ARE NO HALF-HEARTED CHAMPIONS

2012-01-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

1. Commitment Usually is Discovered in the Midst of Adversity. People don’t really know whether they are committed to something until they face adversity. Struggles strengthen a person’s resolve. Adversity fosters commitment, and commitment fosters hard work. And the more you work at something, the less likely you are to give up on it. As NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi said, “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” Committed people don’t surrender easily.

2. Commitment Does Not Depend on Gifts or Abilities. Sometimes when we know of talented people who are highly successful, we may be tempted to think that commitment is easier for them because of their talent. But that isn’t true. Commitment and talent are unconnected—unless you connect them.

3. Commitment Comes as the Result of Choice, Not Conditions. Far too many people think that conditions determine choices. More often, choices determine conditions. When you choose commitment, you give yourself a chance for success.

4. It’s one thing to make a commitment in a moment. It’s another to stick with it.

From "The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player" by John C. Maxwell

BO SCHEMBECHLER'S THOUGHTS ON TEAM MEETINGS

2012-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

First, if you don’t have anything important to say, don’t schedule a meeting for the heck of it. When you do have something worthwhile to address, know what your message is—and just as important, know what you want them to get out of it.

The person who knows how to run a meeting will get twice as much out of his people, because when the meeting’s over, they’ll be ready to act on the message. That’s what a meeting’s supposed to accomplish!

The most important meeting you will ever have with your people is your first one—because it is absolutely vital that everyone knows exactly what your values are, from Day One.

When the players walked in, they picked up a thick Michigan football binder with everything they needed to know to be a Wolverine inside. Well, almost everything. Instead of spoon feeding them the opening speech by printing it out, I had them write down everything I said so they would remember it.

And it worked.

Before the meeting even started we established that, from now on, early is on time, and on time is late. That’s why we locked the door right at seven o’clock.

“If you plan to succeed as a Michigan football player, you need to understand our meetings are just as important as our practices. They are practices, mental exercises where we learn to eliminate mistakes! And trust me, when we take the practice field, we know immediately who was paying attention and who wasn’t. So, if you have a question, you better ask it now.”

From "Bo’s Lasting Lessons" by Bo Schembechler and John U. Bacon

RILEY IMPACTED COOPER THROUGH VIDEO

2012-01-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

A special thanks to Clarence Gaines Jr., for point out this story written by Rick Wright for the ABQJournal on Michael Cooper:

Back at the height of Showtime in the 1980s, Michael Cooper recalls, Los Angeles Laker coach Pat Riley used to hand out individual scouting videotapes to his players.

As insurance against failure to complete the homework, somewhere on each player's tape would be inserted a key word— sometimes near the beginning, sometimes toward the end, sometimes in the middle.

"You'd come to practice the next day and (Riley) would say, 'What's your key word?' '' says Cooper, 49, the former Lobo great and Laker defensive stopper who's now head coach of the NBA Development League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds. "You got fined $500 during the season and $1,000 in the playoffs if you didn't know it."

The accountability drilled into him by Riley remains a key word in Cooper's vocabulary, and a cornerstone of his coaching philosophy, as he enters another phase of his three decades-long relationship with Albuquerque.

Several other key words, however, come to mind.

COMPETITIVENESS: John Whisenant, who coached Cooper at UNM and coached against him in the WNBA, knows his student-turned-colleague's competitive side well.

Whisenant, a Lobo assistant coach under Norm Ellenberger from 1972-79, remembers the night in Cooper's senior season (1977-78) when Brigham Young and Danny Ainge, the Cougars hot-shot freshman guard, came to town.

Cooper, always up for a defensive challenge, was ready.

"The first two or three times Ainge shot the ball," Whisenant says, "Coop blocked 'em into the stands. ... I think Ainge only got seven or eight points (actually 13, nine below the BYU star's average, on 5-of-15 shooting) that night."

A quarter-century later, in the summer of 2003, Whisenant witnessed Cooper's competitive streak again— this time, aimed at him.

Whisenant was at the time the brand-new head coach of the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. Cooper was head coach of the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Sparks.

After Sacramento's 83-75 upset of L.A., Cooper refused to shake Whisenant's hand— alleging his old mentor had not returned some phone calls.

"You made this personal," Cooper was heard to say.

INTUITION: Whisenant doesn't recall Cooper ever talking about becoming a coach during his playing days at UNM. Still, Whisenant says, he wasn't surprised to see his former player wind up on the sidelines.

Cooper was, he says, the proverbial coach on the floor.

"There was never any question about his intelligence, his basketball mind," Whisenant said. "He was one of those guys you only had to tell something once.

"He was one of the quickest we had to recognize why we were doing something from a team standpoint and get caught right up in it. You didn't have to pound on him to get him to understand."

Basketball intuition? Perhaps. But it was also basketball absorption.

DETERMINATION: Cooper's athletic career almost ended before it started one day in his native Pasadena some 44 years ago. His uncle had brought home a puppy, and Michael, 5, raced outside to see it. He tripped and cut his left leg to the bone on a coffee-can rim.

Doctors told his mother young Michael would never walk normally again, much less run and jump.

"I had that Forrest Gump (brace) with the boot," he says. "I had that for, like, three years.

"I remember I used to sit at the window and watch my cousins and friends outside playing football, running. I used to say to myself, 'If I ever get a chance to run, I won't stop.' ''

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/AciMgy

ASSISTANT COACHING SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCED FOR MEN'S COACHES

2012-01-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Each year I know that many of you read my reports from ASTEPUP (A Symposium To Elevate Professionals and Uplift Performance). It is strictly designed for women's basketball assistant coaches helping them with a variety of areas that cannot be found at clinics, in books or on video. Some of the top assistants in the nation (along with some head coaches) provide the teaching. I have been incredibly honored to have been a present at the first two but can promise you that I came away a better assistant coach from listening and communicating with all that were present.

This year the symposium will be held in Dallas (after stops in Atlanta and Chicago). The dates for the women's symposium will be April 29 through May 1.

But I think the real exciting news is that for the first time, they will also be holding ASTEPUP for men's assistant coaches. The location will be the same -- Dallas. The dates for the men will be May 4-6. I had a conversation with Felicia Hall Allen and her husband Johnny Allen and they are finalizing an incredible list of presenters -- some of the best in the men's game.

As soon as they are finalized, I will release them to you through my blog. But if you are a men's collegiate assistant coach, I'd do everything I could to make plans to be in Dallas -- you have my word that you won't be disappointed!

THE APPROACHES OF TWO SUCCESSFUL COACHES

2012-01-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

I am often asked with my LSU background what makes Les Miles so successful as coach and my first answer is that he conducts himself in such a manner that his players play extremely hard for him. That is an oversimplification of it but it's amazing how few teams play hard for their coaches. There is an art to it and I think Coach Miles masters it. He communicates with them in such a way that they have great respect for him and want to give him their best. If you observe him during a game on the sideline with his players you can see it.

One example was this quote following last night's 21-0 loss to Alabama in the National Championship game. Without hesitation Coach Miles took complete responsibility for the loss and took it off the shoulders of his players:

"Give credit to our opponent, they had a great game plan. I told our team that I did not see it coming, and that's my fault. I don't know that the adjustments we made since Nov. 5 were the right ones."

On the other side of the field was Coach Nick Saban, who I had the honor of learning from while he was at LSU. There is no one I've met that so fiercly teaches the concept of "process over result" to his team. He is consumed with it -- thus so is his team.

Losing to LSU earlier would have been a death nail to many other teams because their goals would've been about winning the SEC West or the SEC title and when they lost to LSU those early goals would've been over. But at Alabama their goals will be about dominating your opponent on each possession -- has nothing to do with the score or the opponent.

Here are Coach Saban's thoughts on that after the game.

“The goal today was, ‘You control your destiny, you control what you do,’ ” Saban said. “As good as LSU was, (the game) will be determined by how we play and what we do. And I think the players really responded well to that.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-ESTEEM: YOURS, YOUR STAFF, AND YOUR TEAM

2012-01-10T05:22:00.000-08:00

A wonderful post from Brian Tracy. This relates to you as a coach, your staff and your players. As coaches and leaders, we need to work on and continually develop our self-esteem. It allows us to do our jobs better and serves as an example to others. But we must also keep others in mind in regard to their own self-esteem. It is critical to confidence and energy levels which of course leads to success. Continue to give them corrective coaching but make sure that you, as Coach Don Meyer says, "catch them doing something right." Even after a loss, when watching video clips, include clips of them executing a phase of the game properly. Make sure you have individual meetings and team meetings to go over all areas needed to grow your team but make sure you include what they are already doing right. You'd be amazed but a person or team could be doing something well and if they aren't told they may not know it -- therefore they may cease to repeat it.

Hear are thoughts from Brian Tracy:

Did you know that self-esteem is the foundation of a positive self-concept? It's true that high self-esteem and self-acceptance are the critical elements in sales success.

The Reactor Core of Your Personality
Your self-esteem is the most important part of your character. This is the emotional part of your self-concept. It is the "reactor core" of your inner power. It is the emotional component of your life. It is the most important single element determining your attitude and your personality. It is the key to your success in life.

The Definition of Self-Esteem
Your self-esteem is best defined as how much you like yourself. The more you like yourself, accept yourself and respect yourself as a valuable and worthwhile person, the higher your self-esteem is. The more that you feel that you are an excellent human being, the more positive and happy you are.

The Source of Self-Motivation
Your self-esteem determines your level of energy, enthusiasm and self-motivation. Your level of self-esteem is the control valve on your performance and effectiveness. Your self-esteem is like the fuel in the first and second stages of a rocket blasting off from Cape Canaveral. People with high self-esteem do well at everything they attempt.

Who Do You Want to Be?
Your self-ideal can be defined as the person you want most to be, sometime in the future. Your self-ideal determines the direction of your life, of your growth and evolution as a person. Your self-image, on the other hand, determines the way you perform in the present. You self-image is the way you are now, today, this moment. Your self-esteem is largely determined by the relationship between your self-image, how you are performing in your day-to-day activities, and your self-ideal, the way you would perform if you were the very best person you could be.

ON TURNING ADVERSITY (A LOT OF IT) INTO A POSITIVE

2012-01-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

"I'm not afraid of it. I'm not backing down from it. I think a lot of things I experienced in my life helped me get to this point."

-- Tyrann Mathieu on his past

Excerpts from an article written for ESPN.com by Mark Schlabach:

As No. 1 LSU prepares to play No. 2 Alabama in Monday night's Allstate BCS National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Tigers star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who has become affectionately known as the "Honey Badger," has returned to the city where he was raised.

Mathieu, who was named a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the country's top defensive player as a sophomore, said his troubled childhood helped him become the player he is today.

"It teaches you to fight for everything," Mathieu said. "Nothing is going to be given to you. With that being said, you try to take that to the field. You don't want to take any play off and not take any opponent lightly."

Mathieu, 19, spent the first few years of his life living in his grandparents' home in the Central City section of New Orleans. His mother, Tyra Mathieu, was never around much, and his biological father, Darrin Hayes, has been incarcerated nearly every day of Tyrann's life.

After Tyrann's grandfather Lorenzo Mathieu died following a long illness in 1997, Shelia and Tyrone Mathieu decided they would adopt their nephew. Shelia and Tyrone already had three children -- sons Tyrone Jr. and Devon, and daughter Toya' -- when they chose to adopt Tyrann.

Their home was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More than 4 feet of water flooded the house, causing the family to relocate to Humble, Texas, for five months while their home was being repaired.

But even with a standout career at St. Augustine High School, Tyrann Mathieu was more of a recruiting afterthought before his senior season in 2009. Smaller Football Bowl Subdivision schools such as Florida International, Miami (Ohio), Tulane and Louisiana-Monroe recruited him, but high-profile programs such as Alabama and LSU weren't especially interested in signing a 5-foot-9, 160-pound cornerback.

Finally, LSU offered Mathieu a scholarship -- but only after missing out on a few bigger cornerbacks.

"Those other schools didn't want me," Mathieu said. "That's why I've always played with a chip on my shoulder."

This season, Mathieu's play has helped him become a household name from coast to coast. Nicknamed the "Honey Badger" for his ferocious play -- the moniker came from a YouTube video about the feisty carnivore -- Mathieu was named SEC defensive player of the year and was nearly a unanimous All-American. Shops in the French Quarter are selling "Honey Badger" T-shirts, and bars throughout the city are pouring the "Honey Badger" drink, a concoction of honey whiskey and a locally brewed beer.

"I think the Honey Badger nickname came from the fans back in Tiger Nation," Mathieu said. "The honey badger is such a relentless animal. He's fierce, and he definitely doesn't fear anything. So I just try to take that same approach to the field, and just try to play smart and violent football for my team."

But don't count LSU coach Les Miles among the moniker's fans.

"I don't use it," Miles said. "I think it's cool and funny, but there's so much more to Tyrann than the Honey Badger."

Read the entire article here: http://es.pn/wBnr8k

JOHN MAXWELL ON PASSION

2012-01-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

The following comes from John Maxwell's Leadership Wired email newsletter where he states that "passion is the fuel of persistence."

Key Points about Passion

1) A person’s inner fire propels him or her to excel. Put simply, desire determines destiny. As a rule, leaders attain influence proportionate to the size of the blaze burning within them.

2) Passion supplies leaders with an extra edge over the competition. After a championship contest, sports commentators occasionally observe how the winning side “wanted it more.” All else being equal, the more passionate team typically prevails.

3) Passion makes the impossible possible. People are wired so that when their souls ignite, they no longer shrink before the barriers in front of them. That’s what makes a passionate leader particularly effective. He or she conceives of possibilities and opportunities for progress whereas dispassionate persons only see roadblocks and reasons why a vision can’t be achieved.

Application: Take Your Temperature
Consult three people (such as a spouse, mentor, or trusted co-worker) to give you an honest assessment about the level of passion they see you exhibit toward your job. Inquire about the ways in which your passion manifests itself most evidently. If they consider your passion to be low, then do some soul-searching to recapture enthusiasm for your work. Why did you enter your present profession? What once excited you about work that no longer may be a source of inspiration? In light of your answers to these questions, ponder ways to ratchet up your passion.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDE IN HANDLING ADVERSITY

2012-01-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

The following comes from a book I've just started to read (and enjoying it greatly) by Ken Rolf titled "Your Greatest Victory:"

“I can honestly say, from the bottom of my heart, I have never had a crisis in my life or a setback thatʼs not made me stronger, and itʼs turned out to be a positive thing in my life -- if I reacted positively to it. And many times I feel that the adversity and the setbacks that you experience are preparing you for something bigger and better, so when you get in that situation, or even a tougher one in the future, youʼll be able to handle it.”

—Lou Holtz

Great read for coaches - http://www.yourgreatestvictory.com/

DOC RIVERS NEVER WORRIED ABOUT RAY ALLEN

2012-01-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

A special thanks to my friend Joey Burton (Mississip State) for passing along this article about Ray Allen written by Scott Souza -- a great one to pass on to your players!

For five months Celtics coach Doc Rivers had no contact with his team during the NBA lockout. He didn’t know who half of his players would be this season, never mind whether they were eating right, getting their shots up or hitting the weight room.

Because of that, the coach had a lot to worry about when training camp opened just two weeks before the first game of the year. One person Rivers didn’t have to worry about was Ray Allen. That’s because Rivers knew Allen had spent the entire summer worrying about himself being ready to go the minute the doors were unlocked on the new season.

"That’s like the sun setting," Rivers said. "I would put him up against anyone in the league with his conditioning. I don’t know how he does it."

He does it because he always has. Allen admitted at times this summer he had to fight the urge to take a break when it became apparent the season would not start on time, or say "Why bother?" when pessimism reigned over whether there would be a season at all.

But something inside wouldn’t let him do it. Something kept pushing him to the gym, to the golf course, to the streets around his Wellesley home to run — anything to keep his body working at age 36 as close as possible to the way it did when he was 26.

"There were those mental tugs of war that I had with myself," he said following Friday night’s home opener. "You know what you get bad news – the season’s not going to start. You kind of, in your mind, say that, well, I’ll just kind of lay back a little bit more.

"But my lifestyle, what I try to create, is a habit of just always working out. It’s just part of my daily life. If I weren’t playing basketball, I would go out and do something just to make my body better on that particular day. I tried not to equate what was going on (in the lockout) to that. I just said to myself: ‘Take care of your body.’"

And because of that his body has taken care of him after the five-month layoff.

Through four games, he is Boston’s leading scorer at 20.0 points per game in just over 34 minutes a night. The NBA’s all-time 3-point king is shooting 58.1 percent overall and a stunning 58.3 percent (14-for-24) on 3-pointers.

He has made all 16 of his free throws.

If it’s possible to have actually gotten younger during the lockout, Allen might have just figured out how.

"He’s a great example for young kids because he’ll do what he wants to do, but he is still going to the gym," Rivers said. "He’ll play 36 (minutes the night before) and he’s still going to the gym because he knows at the end of the day that’s his job. With a lot of the younger guys, if they did that they’d take the day off because they’re tired. But Ray just doesn’t do that. That’s who he is."

Allen has spent his 16-year career trying to perfect who he is and avoid becoming who he does not want to be. He was there during the last NBA lockout 13 years ago and saw players around the league come in overweight, out of shape and watched them become poster children for the perception of fat, lazy, millionaire athletes who lacked discipline and pride.

That wasn’t going to be him this time.

"I’ve been the type throughout my whole career to watch everything everybody’s always done," he said. "As bad as this is to say, I’ve always appreciated when someone’s done something bad around me because it’s helped me. Whether it’s someone in my locker room, or someone in public, someone around the world, it helps you live your life a little bit better because you know the mistakes not to make. Obviously, when you see the good things people do you incorporate that into your life too.

"When I went through this back in ’99, I saw all the guys who came in out of shape. That’s all I thought about when I worked out. Don’t be that guy. You’re one of the older guys, so if you come back in and you’re not in shape they are going to expect that from you. I wanted to be on the other side."

So he has been. Through four games, at least, he’s looked in midseason form while those around him continue to shake off rust and overcome nagging injuries. He’s looked every bit the player he did when he came to the Celtics five seasons ago, and has looked like a player who could still be suiting up in the NBA three, four, five seasons down the road.

"Working out-wise, I know nobody else did what I did," he said. "It’s pushing yourself. If I’m not playing, I’m still working out. When it was November, I was thinking that we would be playing typically. So instead of me sitting at home, I was thinking that I should be in the gym every day."

A GREAT MESSAGE FROM A GREAT COACH

2012-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

On January 4, Coach Don Meyer stopped by the UCF campus to address our women's basketball team. He was at his best giving a tremendously enthusiastic message. Here are some of my notes:

Coach Meyer started his message to our team by quoting Doulas MacArthur: “Never give an order that can be understood; always give orders that cannot be misunderstood.”

Talked to our team about the “Foxhole Test.” He said he would give it to his team during the middle of the season after they had been given an opportunity to handle some success and some adversity. We have always done this with our team and it will give you as a coach and your players some great insight.

A player is to place her name in the top slot. She is in the foxhole and they are being fired upon. It’s a life and death situation. She then fills in the name in at the #3 slot which is directly behind her — this is the most important person in the foxhole. She is responsible for having your back. You are not looking to put a buddy or a pal in this slot. You are looking for someone with toughness who is trustworthy. The next slot in terms of importance is #2 because we tend to spend more time looking to our right. This again has to be a person that is tough and that you can count on. The same is true about the final spot — #1. Remember, you are fighting for your life — who do you want in there with you.

"There’s a big difference between playing and competing. Decide on being a competitor. It’s all about toughness. Learning to compete is a life a lesson. I used to lean down and tie my shoe. Now I lean down and put my leg on. I cried the first time I did it. I’m glad I was taught how to compete."

Competition is also about your ability to think. Smart competitors know when to walk away. Coach Meyer mentioned the fight in the Nebraska-South Carolina bowl game and the Xavier-Cincinnati basketball game.

Your mindset has to be to “bring it everyday.” Coach Meyer mentioned Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin as an example in the coaching profession.

You can’t pick and choose when to bring it. You can’t just bring it on the days when you feel good. Coach Meyer asked our team if they knew when NBA players were healthy. He told them on the first day of the first practice. After that they had to play through soreness and pain — it’s comes with the territory.

Coach Meyer than went over the Beswick Scale talking about the combination of “Talent” and your “Mindset.”

For instance, if you have a player that gets an A grade in Talent and A grade in Mindset then you have a special player. This player is your hardest worker. He mentioned players like Peyton Manning and Albert Pujols. He explained to our team how precise Pujols is in his performance — locked into routines created by self-discipline. He told the team how much preparation was part of his success—looking at film of his own swing constantly as well as other pitchers.

“Don’t just show up — you have to have a sense of urgency.”

If you get an A grade in Talent but a B grade in Mindset than you are a player that has a poor attention span and doesn’t retain that which is important. He went back to Peyton Manning as an example (A Talent and A Mindset) — drafted with the 1st pick of the NFL draft in 1998. The second pick on that draft was Ryan Leaf (A Talent and A Mindset). The result is that Manning is a future Hall of Fame while Leaf went on to drive a grain truck for his brother.

If you get a B grade in Talent but an A grade in Mindset you’re going to make it over more talented players because of your ability to concentrate and learn.

“Don’t know you are going to win, you must know HOW you’re going to win.”

Coach than stopped and looked at Coach Williams and said “I would’ve wanted my daughter to play for your coach. She’s going to go beyond making you a better player. She cares and will make you a better person.”

He spoke to our team about the importance of “complimentary players” and how you must not only accept your role but embrace your role. It’s important that complimentary players play off the go-to-players. It’s important that the go-to-players know they succeed based on the level of the complimentary players.

Every year the team is different.

Coach talked to our team about the importance of roles. He said they must be clearly defined and that is the role of the coaches. It is important that the player completely understand their roles. It is also important for everyone to know that every part of the team is important.

He talked about players holding each accountable but then was quick to point out that you “can’t confront without credibility.”

He told the story of Mike Ditka calling a team-only meeting with the Cowboys and saying “we know that Coach Landry is not a butt-kicker but I’m here to tell you that I’m going to the Super Bowl this year and anyone that brings their absolute best everyday at practice is going to have to deal with me.” The Cowboys went to the Super Bowl that year.

It’s important that each team has a leader — you can’t replace “internal leadership.”

“Each player has to be his own captain.”

He explained that you make your own luck by playing hard. You’d better not count on luck. Luck might win a game but it will never win a championship.

LOU HOLTZ ON THE FOUR THINGS EVERYONE NEEDS IN LIFE

2012-01-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

From "Wins, Losses, and Lessons" by Lou Holtz:

• First, you have to have something to do. Stories of healthy individuals who die within a few years of retirement are too numerous to list. It’s also true that prisoners serving life sentences sleep for twelve to fourteen hours a day because they have nothing in their lives that compels them to get out of bed.

• The second thing you have to have is someone to love. We are put on earth to love other people. Those who don’t have anyone exist without happiness.

• Third, you have to have something to believe in. I’ve always said that not believing in a god is not an option for humans. You might not believe in the Heavenly Father, as I do, but everyone has a god.

• Finally, you have to have something to look forward to.

BRIAN BILLICK: BE PERFORMANCE-ORIENTED

2012-01-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part VI deals with being performance-oriented:

“If a man has done his best, what else is there?”
-George S. Patton

Frankly, the only thing worse than being in an organization that will not or cannot compete financially is not being able to recognize that fact.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.”
-Abraham Lincoln

Your vision is a byproduct of both your knowledge (experience and formal education) and your creative imagination. Your imagination enables you to conceptualize the possibilities that await an organization at the end of a particular destination.

Your imagination is the creative ability of your mind that enables you to combine the existing facts available to your with your mental ability to perceive a variety of possibilities in a way that enables you to envision different circumstances.

If you’re not willing to talk about the success you expect to achieve, it is unlikely you are going to be able to accomplish it.

“Most companies don’t die because they are wrong; most die because they don’t commit themselves...You have to have a strong leader setting a direction. And it doesn’t even have to be the right direction — just a strong, clear one.”
-Jack Welch, GE’s CEO

From Gary Blair’s book, The "Ten Commandments of Goal Setting:"

1. Thou Shalt Be Decisive
Success is a choice. You must decide what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it. No one else can, will, or should do that for you.

2. Thou Shalt Stay Focused
Your ability to sustain focus from beginning to end determines the timing and condition of your future outcomes.

3. Thou Shalt Welcome Failure
You have no choice but to expect it as a temporary condition on the pathway of progress. Rather, the questions is how to anticipate failure and redirect resources to grow from the experience.

4. Thou Shalt Write Down Thy Goals
Your mind, while blessed with permanent memory, is cursed with lousy recall. People forget things; write down your goals.

5. Thou Shalt Plan Thoroughly
Planning saves 10-to-1 execution. Proper planning prevents poor performance.

6. Thou Shalt Involve Others
Nobody goes through life along. Establish your own “Personal Board of Directors,” people whose wisdom, knowledge, and character you respect to help you achieve your goals.

7. Thou Shalt Take Purposeful Action
Success is not a spectator sport — achievement demands action. You cannot expect to arrive at success without having made the trip.

8. Thou Shalt Reward Thyself
Rewards work. Think of what you will give yourself as a result of your hard work, focus, and persistence — you deserve it.

9. Thou Shalt Inspect What Thy Expect
The shelf life of all plans is limited. No plan holds up against opposition. Everything changes. Therefore inspect frequently and closely.

10. Thou Shalt Maintain Personal Integrity
Maintain your commitment to your commitment. Set your goals; promise yourself that you will achieve them.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE SETBACKS: IT'S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE

2012-01-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

Thomas Alva Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, the movie camera and the batteries that start our cars. Toward the autumn years of his life, he worked in a modest building that resembles a barn. There, with his son, Edison would often remain late into the night, laboring to perfect his inventions. One evening, in an attempt to improve the retention of a battery’s charge, an unfortunate combination of chemicals caused his latest experiment to burst into flames. The fire quickly spread through the old wooden structure, and what began as a minor chemical combustion exploded into a towering inferno.

Edison’s son quickly evacuated the building. Using his smock to shield him from the heat of the flames, he desperately called for his father, fearing Edison might still be in the barn trying to save his precious lifework. Running frantically, the young man circled the barn, hoping his father had escaped through another exit. On his second time around the building, he turned a corner and, to his great relief, there stood his legendary father. Edison’s hands were buried deep in his soot-speckled smock, his white hair blackened with ash. He was watching intently as flames devoured the structure.

“Father!” cried Edison’s son. “I was afraid you were still inside!” Without taking his eyes off the flames, Edison said, with a sense of urgency, “Son, go get your mother!”

“Why, dad?”

With a twinkle in his eyes his father replied, “Because your mother comes from a small town and she’s never seen a fire like this before!” When the flames had finished their work, leaving only ash and a twisted frame, Edison turned to his son. “You know anyone who has a tractor?”

“Yes, Dad, but why?”

Edison answered, “Because it’s time to rebuild, Boy. It’s time to rebuild.”

THOUGHTS ON GOAL SETTING: PART I

2012-01-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

One of my dear twitter friends, @Jennifer_Hogan, who has a wonderful blog (http://www.strongmothers.com/) for parents and as I've found, people that work with young people, sent me the following http://bit.ly/tflyu2 which puts into question the validity of goal setting.

I thought I'd weigh in with my thoughts and I'll start with this -- I firmly believe in goal setting and it's benefits. I can speak as to what they have meant for me and the teams that I've been associated with over the years. When done properly, they can make a significant difference.

They key to the last statement is "done properly."

Writing down a list of goals for the new year and expecting things to happen of course never works. That is more along the lines of a list of dreams or even miracles.

Goals must be well-thought out...they must be flexible...and they must have an action plan. Writing them down is important -- but not nearly enough.

I've also evolved to believe strongly in "process goals" as opposed to "destination goals." Your goals must involve things you can control and not be linked or predicated on things in which you have no control.

I think as a team it is important to stay away from "numerical goals" like winning 20 games this season. What happens if due to injuries you find yourself 12-12 with 6 games left to play? Do you throw the towel in because you can't reach your goal of 20? What about the other direction? What if you are 20-4 with 6 games left to play? No need to work hard to excel at this point -- we've reached our goal. Can you imagine the Indianapolis Colts setting a goal of winning the Super Bowl this year only to lose their absolute best player in Peyton Manning? Now what -- another team meeting and trying to come up with some more goals?

If you want an in depth look at process-oriented goal setting, here is an outstanding article on Nick Saban when he was the football coach at LSU and how it made a difference in a National Championship Team: http://bit.ly/sYfArq

Goals are important because they become a road map to what we'd like to become or where we would like to go. One of my favorite paradigms comes from Stephen Covey who says we must "begin with the end in mind." How can we do that without goals?

Someone I greatly respect on the subject of goals is Brian Tracy. In his book "Goals" he starts Chapter 1 with:

"Success is goals, and all else is commentary. All successful people are intensely goal oriented. They know what they want and they focus single-mindedly on achieving it, every single day."

A blog by Corbett Barr (http://bit.ly/vRj0TU) started the discussion and I think Barr made some valid points that are worth repeating:

"Sometimes goals make us crazy simply because we try to control things that cannot be controlled. We usually can’t control outcomes, but people set goals as if they can. For example, let’s say you set a goal to lose 10 pounds over the next month. Can you really control that specific outcome? What if you do everything you possibly can and still don’t achieve your goal? Outcome-specific goals often set us up for failure."

This goes back to my "process-oriented goals" philosophy and I couldn't agree with Barr more.

Barr also stated:

"Live without goals for a while."

I wouldn't recommend that. I mean would you take a trip without a map or GPS system -- just jump in the car and see where you go.

The GPS analogy is a great one that our Associate Head Coach Greg Brown outlined for our team at UCF. Read his thoughts: http://bit.ly/sjhgFw.

Would you want to be operated on by a doctor without goals? Would you want to be represented in a court of law by an attorney without goals? Would you want fly in a commercial jet with pilots who have no goals?

The problem with goals for many is that accomplishing them requires a daily diet of determination, sacrifice and commitment -- that sounds like work! And unfortunately we live in a society that is more interested in the now without thought on tomorrow. Coach Dale Brown refers to it as the "instant gratification syndrome." I want what I want and I want it now.

Setting and achieving goals is not easy. It takes thought and work to develop your goals -- and then to continually evaluate and develop them.

Here is another downside of goals -- sometimes you don't reach them. This is a turn off to some as well. Far too many people today spend time trying to avoid failure as opposed to embracing it and learning from it. Failure is an extremely important tool for success.

Goals are important. I can't imagine where our nation would be without them. But like I said, they aren't easy. You just can't write them down and expect them to work. In fact, here is a list from Brian Tracy on a seven step process for achieving goals:

First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Be specific!

Second, write it down, clearly and in detail;

Third, set a specific deadline. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub-deadlines and write them down in order;

Fourth, make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. As you think of new items, add them to your list;

Fifth, organize the items on your list into a plan by placing them in the proper sequence and priority;

Sixth, take action immediately on the most important thing you can do on your plan. This is very important!

Seventh, do something every day that moves you toward the attainment of one or more of your important goals. Maintain the momentum!

This is the first part of a series of posts on "Goal Setting" and the next one I will be more detailed in regard to what has specifically worked from me and some of our teams.

BILL PARCELLS: THREE THINGS THAT CAN BURN ANY ORGANIZATION

2012-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

One is you competition. If your product line can’t compete, you’re in big trouble—whether your rivals are Toyota and Honda or the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins.

The second is public perception, as shaped by the media. If you’re always seen in a negative light, your groups morale will likely go under—along with your performance.

The third factor? Division from within—and this is the greatest threat, hands down. When your team is united, it can ward off any flak from negative perceptions; it won’t make any difference what outsiders think. And when your team is working together, your competition will have fewer weaknesses to exploit.

But a team divided against itself can break down at any moment. The least bit of pressure or adversity will crack it apart.

The first task of leadership is to promote—and enforce—collective loyalty, also known as teamwork.

Everyone thinks they know what teamwork means, but very few people really understand it. To begin with, you need to ask: What kind of team do we want?

In my line of work, teamwork is all-important. Every player, from the starting quarterback to the special teams rookie, is interdependent. We have this sign up in our locker room: “Individuals play the game, but teams win championships.”

You could place the same sign inside any company in this country.

We were lucky in New York. Our top players—Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, Carl Banks, Harry Carson—were all team-first. The only thing they were “selfish” about was winning. When your great players are team players, everybody else falls in line.

From "Finding A Way To Win" by Bill Parcells

LADDER OF SUCCESS (PART III): WORK ETHIC

2011-12-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

The following comes from a book that I started a few years back and have yet to finish. This is an excerpt from the chapter titled "Prepare and Compete."

CLIMBING THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

The second rung in the ladder is WORK ETHIC. It takes no talent to work – just a great deal of determination. Still, there have been a lot of talented players that have fallen short of reaching their potential because they lacked the commitment necessary to improve their game. Each year we give our players the following passout.

THE MOST VALUABLE THING IN THE WORLD

I am the most desirable thing in life. Without me no one can be healthy, happy or useful...without me, the hidden wealth and vast resources of this earth would have no value.

Men and women who try to get along without me are characterless, selfish, undeveloped, useless, and unprofitable members of society.

I am behind every fortune, every art and science, every achievement, every triumph of man.

Rich men and poor men alike often try to find substitutes for me, hoping thereby to secure a larger measure of happiness, peace and satisfaction, but they are always bitterly disappointed. Instead of gain, every substitute for me brings them loss.

As the creator is greater than the creature, so I am greater than wealth, power, fame, learning, or any other acquired possession or quality of man, because I am the source from which he acquired them.

I am WORK!

-Anonymous

Without question, if you are unwilling to work, it matters not how much talent you have or how great the coaching you receive. If you are unwilling to work, opportunities will pass you by. The absolute greatest are always linked to their work ethic – and we aren’t just talking about basketball players. In any field of endeavor, you must work on a continual basis if you want to stay moving in a positive direction. While Michael Jordan was immensely talented, it was his work ethic that separated him from the rest of the NBA. It was obvious that he fully understood the importance of work when he said:

“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things halfheartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect halfhearted results. That’s why I approached practices the same way I approached games.”

Jerry Rice is to football what Michael Jordan is to basketball. He is simply considered to be the greatest to ever play the position of wide-receiver. Unlike Michael Jordan, he came from a small college into the NFL. To many, Rice is an ultra-talented receiver. But those close to him know better – they know all that he had to do to become the greatest. In his book, “Think Like A Champion,” Denver Bronco head coach Mike Shanahan wrote the following on Rice:

“Most people, for whatever reason, think natural ability is the most important power a person possesses. It’s not. People who achieve the highest level of success have an unbelievable work ethic, the desire to sacrifice. Everybody thinks Jerry Rice is the best receiver out there. He certainly is talented, but I guarantee you he’s not even close to being the most talented. He’s not the strongest or the fastest. Be he is the most determined. Jerry’s mind set was that nobody was going to work harder, prepare better, or sacrifice more. He convinced himself that he was going to outwork every receiver who came into the league relative to conditioning, lifting, studying — everything. He knew that people might not enjoy the practice, but you can’t get to be the best without. Everyday during the off-season, Jerry would be up at 6:00 AM going through his strenuous stretching drills. He would run seven 5-yard shuttles, which he called “stop and go’s,” and fourteen more 40-yard dashes up and down the field. Then he would line up fluorescent orange cones across the field and weave in and out of each one six times at full speed, working on his acceleration and cutting ability. When he finished with the cones, he would run six more 40-yard dashes, and then 20-yard patterns until he was flat-out exhausted. Then he would lift weights in as quick a rotation as possible, no resting. Bench presses, seated bench presses, incline bench press, power lifts, dumbbell curls with increasing weights. I get tired just writing about it. It didn’t take me long to understand why every time we got to the fourth quarter of a game, while most of the players were slowing down, Jerry could run as fast as he did on the first play of the game. On the days he trained, Jerry would cap off his physical work with mental work. He would immerse himself in a game film of the league’s top wide receivers, studying how they ran their routes and what moves they used to get open. It was amazing to me how he had so many of the all-time records, and he was still working harder than anybody. It would have been so easy for him to be spending that time relaxing at the mall or on the golf course. But Jerry was sacrificing his leisure time to be considered the greatest wide receiver of all time. The only way was the hard way, he believed. And eventually, even though you may think nobody notices your extra effort, somebody usually does. Your work will pay off tomorrow, a year from now, five years from now, you don’t know when. But it will!”

BRIAN BILLICK: BE KNOWLEDGEABLE

2011-12-27T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part V deals with being knowledgeable:

“Read intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts. The slow thinker who can finally come up with an idea of his own is more important to the world than a walking encyclopedia who hasn’t learned how to use this information productively.”
-D. Kenneth Winebrenner

There is a tradition adage… "knowledge is power.”...the more appropriate way of stating this point would be “knowledge properly used can be power.”

Understanding the relationship between knowledge and leadership involves several factors.

Knowledgeable leaders do not have to have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of their organizations (businesses). It is beneficial, however, for them to have a broad, working knowledge of the basic activities of the organization, as well as the ability to apply that knowledge as appropriate.

“I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
-Abraham Lincoln

Effective leadership also involves an awareness of the need for lifelong learning.

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
-John Wooden

“Coaching speed”...the speed in which you want it slowed down a little for teaching purposes.

Learning involves at least two steps that many people find distasteful — thinking and changing.

Learning requires thinking — an activity that educational psychologists suggest most individuals devote very little of their time to on a daily basis (less than 40 minutes daily for the average person and probably must less). As opposed to processing information (where your mind is engaged in a series of actions, such as retrieving, sorting, labeling and storing information), thinking involves more complex undertakings, such as solving a complicated problem, making a difficult decision, struggling with an idea, etc.

Learning also involves changing. To learn, to develop, to grow, you must change. To a degree, change involves an element of risk. Although skillful leaders tend to be risk takers, most individuals are relatively uncomfortable dealing with situations that may involve an abandonment of their normal way of doing and thinking about things.

Skillful leaders, however, embrace change as a growth opportunity — not as a challenge to their level of authority or personal comfort zone.

Effective leaders also appreciate the need for creating an environment where their followers have the opportunity to learn not only from their leadership, but also from the group as a whole.

Leaders should foster learning and the exchange of knowledge.

When group learning is effective, problem solving is improved. Communication efforts are enhanced. The followers’ acceptance of the organization’s goals is heightened.

...you, as a leader, need to develop and implement a plan for group learning that makes learning a strategic choice for your organization.

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
-George S. Patton

One of the most valuable traits that a leader can possess is the ability to be an independent thinker. Independent thinking involves reaching decisions and making objective judgments based on your own experiences and observations, rather than simply relying on the statements or opinions of others.

In fact, there is a third level: interdependent interaction with those around you. This level involves having such confidence in your own abilities that you’re not afraid to initiate interaction with those around you.

When people feel like their ideas are being acted upon and can be implemented into the game plan, it heightens both their learning curve and their level of productivity.

BRIAN TRACY WITH TWO QUESTIONS FOR MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS

2011-12-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

Great post by Brian Tracy -- especially as we head into the second part of our schedule with the us and our teams knee deep in the holidays:

There are two questions that you can ask on a regular basis to keep yourself focused on getting your most important tasks completed on schedule. The first question is "What are my highest value activities?"

Put another way, what are the most important tasks you have to complete to make the greatest contribution to your organization? To your family? To your life in general?

Think it Through Carefully
This is one of the most important questions you can ask and answer. What are your highest value activities? First, think this through for yourself. Then, ask your boss. Ask your coworkers and subordinates. Ask your friends and family. Like focusing the lens of a camera, you must be crystal clear about your highest value activities before you begin work.

Keep Yourself Focused
The second question you can ask continually is, "What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a real difference?"

This question comes from Peter Drucker, the management guru. It is one of the best of all questions for achieving personal effectiveness. What can you, and only you do, that if done well, can make a real difference?

This is something that only you can do. If you don't do it, it won't be done by someone else. But if you do it, and you do it well, it can really make a difference to your life and your career. What is your answer to this question?

Every hour of every day, you can ask yourself this question and there will be a specific answer. Your job is to be clear about the answer and then to start and work on this task before anything else.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a list of everything you do at work and then select your most valuable tasks from that list.

Second, resolve to start in on your highest value task and stay at it until it is 100% complete.

THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-12-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

As I head out tomorrow for a recruiting trip we will take a couple of days off from blogging but wanted to wish everyone out there a wonderful holiday season. While working for Coach Dale Brown on the LSU men's staff, I would always be excited to see what motivational passout Coach Brown would come up with for our team. He also was known for massive mailouts to high school coaches around the nation, mailing them our most recent passout. By far, my favorite one was "The Last Day of School" by Roy Exum which Coach Brown always sent out around Christmas time. I believe it is the essence of teaching and coaching and we hope you enjoy it.

When Tony Campolo was in Chattanooga last week to speak at the annual “Gathering of Men” breakfast, the noted sociologist told a story that begs to be repeated, especially on this day:

It seems that there was a lady named Jean Thompson and when she stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first day of school in the fall, she told the children a lie.

Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved them all the same, that she would treat them all alike. And that was impossible because there in front of her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed he didn’t play well with other children, that his clothes were unkept and that he constantly needed a bath. Add to it the fact Teddy was unpleasant.

It got to the point during the first few months that she would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold ‘X’s and then marking the ‘F’ at the top of the paper biggest of all.

Because Teddy was a sullen little boy, nobody else seemed to enjoy him, either.

Now at the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s records and--because of things--put Teddy’s off until last. But when she opened his file, she was in for a surprise.

His first-grade teacher had written, “Teddy is a bright, inquisitive child with a ready laugh. He does work neatly and has good manners … he is a joy to be around.”

His second-grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student and is well-liked by his classmates--but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”

The third-grade teacher wrote, “Teddy continues to work hard but his mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class. His is tardy and could become a problem.”

By now Mrs. Thompson realized the problem but Christmas was coming fast.

It was all she could do, with the school play and all, until the day before the holidays began and she was suddenly forced to focus on Teddy Stoddard on that last day before the vacation would begin.

Her children brought her presents, all in gay ribbon and bright paper, except for Teddy’s, which was clumsily wrapped in heavy, brown paper of scissored grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents and some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet, with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of cologne.

But she stifled the laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and she dabbed some of the perfume behind the other wrist.

At the end of the day, as the other children joyously raced from the room, Teddy Stoddard stayed behind, just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to.”

As soon as Teddy left, Mrs. Thompson knelt at her desk and there, after the last day of school before Christmas, she cried for at least an hour.

And, on that very day, she quit teaching reading and writing and spelling. Instead she began to teach children. And Jean Thompson paid particular attention to one they all called Teddy.

As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded and, on days that there would be an important test, Mrs. Thompson would remember the cologne.

By the end of the year he had become one of the smartest children in the class and … well, he had also become the “pet” of the teacher who had once vowed to love all of her children exactly the same.

A year later she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that of all the teachers he’d had in elementary school, she was his favorite.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. And then he wrote that as he finished high school, third in his class, she was still his favorite teacher of all time.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, that he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and graduated from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson she was still his favorite teacher.

Then four more years passed and another letter came.

This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. That she was still his favorite teacher but now that his name was a little longer. And the letter was signed, “Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.”

The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said that… well, that he’d met his girl and was to be married.

He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering … well, if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the pew usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not she wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing.

But I bet on that special day, Jean Thompson smelled just like … well, just like she smelled many years before on the last day of school before the Christmas Holidays begin.

GOING AGAINST A COACHING AXIOM: IT'S THE STRONGEST LINK THAT MATTERS MOST

2011-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

I have thought often over the course of the past two years about this particular blog post. Rarely do you want to tackle one of those life-long coaching axioms. But that's what I'm going to do.

"You're only as strong as your weakest link."

Now don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying that your team wouldn't be better if your weakest player had a great attitude and was a hard worker.

But I am saying this:

"You're only as strong as your strongest link."

I base my premise on years of coaching. I have been fortunate to have coached some special teams. During my tenure on the college level I have been to six Final Fours -- special teams indeed.

Some of those teams had a player or two that didn't work as hard as they could have or didn't have the best of attitudes. In fact, with a team, it is almost a safe bet that you will have one or two.

But the one thing those Final Four teams had was a player or players that were incredibly committed to having a great team. They were leaders in their actions and in their words. The best players on those teams were the harderst workers. The best players on those teams were the unselfish. Coach Don Meyer said at the very first clinic I ever heard him speak nearly 20 years ago that "if your best player is your hardest worker than you have a chance to be good...but if he's not, you could be in for a long season."

The strongest link is the most important because it is the link that holds the chain together. The stronger that link, the more links it can "carry" and "lift." If you have a team that is top heavy with strong links than you are about to have a great season.

I believe a good coach can minimize the effects of a player with a bad attitude or poor work ethic if they are at the bottom of the chain...but if that weak link is at the top it's going to break at some point and you will be scrambling to hold it together.

As a coach, I think it is important to recognize that and make sure that you put the necessary energy into communicating and motivating your strongest link. Too often we get caught as coaches spending 80% of our time on the bottom 20% of our team.

Work hard to find and develop strong links. Talk to them about how important they are to the success of the team. Let them know that it is up to them to be the hardest workers when the coaches aren't around. They need to be the most enthusiastic whenever everyone else is flat. Yes, they need to get on their teammates when necessary to hold them accountable but they most also know when and how to lift them when need be.

Make the time to meet periodically with your "strongest link" to coach him or her up. Give them the attention they need and make sure the team knows that you have his or her back. Coach your strongest link on what you need from him or her in all areas of the game -- including on the floor, in the weight room and in the locker room.

I have also coached teams that had good talent but did not have a strong link at the top and those teams ALWAYS felt short of their potential.

Last week we watched the movie "Miracle" about the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team and Coach Herb Brooks use the quote "the legs feed the wolf" to explain the need for conditioning.

I would add "the strongest link carries the chain." How strong is your strongest link(s) and what you doing to make them stronger?

BRIAN BILLICK: SELF-DISCIPLINED

2011-12-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part IV deals with self discipline:

Accordingly, self-discipline is an indispensable asset for individuals who want to be effective leaders. Regardless of whatever skills you possess, you will never be able to reach your potential as a leader without this essential attribute.

The single most important component of self-confidence is self-control. Simply stated, self-control is your ability to exercise restraint over your impulses, emotions, and desires.

If your behavior is not guided by your priorities you’ll never be able to inspire confidence in your leadership abilities either in yourself or your followers. If you are not a disciplined person, you won’t be able to lead by example.

“The first person you lead is yourself.”
-John Maxwell

“Procrastination is the fear of success.”
-Denis Waitley

Self-Discipline Methods:
-Develop a daily work-to-be-done schedule

-Break down the “big” jobs you find daunting into more manageable tasks.

-Keep a journal

-Take responsibility for directing your life. Take pride in knowing that you did your best.

“In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world, all rests on perseverance.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

...perseverance is one of the most positive habits you can have if you want to exhibit self-control as a leader. Perseverance involves a demonstrable work ethic characterized by a high level of industriousness and a desire to see the job through to its completion.

Another skill that every successful leader has is the ability to use time in a meaningful manner.

Poor habit: They fail to complete immediate tasks before agreeing to do more.

Maintain control over your work environment. Take whatever steps are necessary to build and sustain a healthy work environment. Establish an environment where you can concentrate so that you can use “real” time to complete tasks before their deadlines. Develop a detailed plan for handling particularly stressful circumstances.

There is not better example in my field than film study. It takes a great deal of experience and focus to effectively look at the extensive amount of video that coaches use to prepare for an opponent and not just end up watching endless hours of tape. A trained eye knows what to specifically look for and what to keep your focus on, rather than be distracted by many other components of a game that might otherwise grab your attention.

The players know the surest way to get me to pull a “blue-veiner” is for them to lose their focus during practice.

As a leader, you must recognize your limitations and either establish a plan for change or surround yourself with people who balance whatever deficiencies you have.

MILES LEARNED FROM BO: TAKE THE "TEAM" APPROACH

2011-12-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

The following was a column written in The Advocate by a friend and fine writer Scott Rabalais:

When the media’s preseason All-Southeastern Conference team was released way back in July, LSU had one player on the first team: Morris Claiborne.

Alabama had eight first-teamers, Georgia three. Even Kentucky had two, and an investigation revealed they weren’t wandering basketball players, either.

In the vote for who would end up winning the SEC, Alabama was an overwhelming favorite. Not surprising since most of the media attending the SEC Media Days in Birmingham is based in Alabama, but objectively most people looked at the team the Crimson Tide had returning and the fact LSU had to play there Nov. 5 and figured that would be the telling moment.

The Tigers, despite their lack of obvious superstar talent, earned the second-most first-place votes. It proved to be a telling statistic.

“Everyone was saying we don’t have anybody on the all-conference team, whereas somebody thinks we have a pretty good team,” LSU coach Les Miles said.

Back when Miles’ mentor, Bo Schembechler, was head coach at Michigan, he made a stirring preseason speech one year, a speech that certainly has to still resonate within Miles.

“No man, no coach is more important than the team,” Bo said. “The team, the team, the team.”

The team above all. The team’s goals. The team that can be greater than the sum of its individual parts.

As the season went on, surely this LSU team had its superstars. Claiborne became everybody’s All-American. Tyrann Mathieu became the Honey Badger, and despite a midseason swoon rode his indelible nickname and incomparable talent for making big plays to a seat in New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

But overall, it has been LSU’s depth that has led the Tigers to 13-0 and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. Players like Mathieu and Mo certainly have had their critical moments, and individual playmakers abound. But it’s LSU’s ability to grind teams down, come at them with waves of players of similarly high-grade talent, that has been the Tigers’ biggest asset this season as they defeated everyone on a schedule that included eight ranked foes.

“This team has found exactly what they’ve needed to do to win,” Miles said. “They took on all comers.”

Certainly by this point on a team this good, it was to be expected that some players would get individual honors.

But you have to imagine this is exactly the kind of team Miles enjoys coaching – and the kind of team that ultimately would have earned Schembechler’s approval.

“I guess what I’d rather have is a guy who has a feel of having his teammates’ back, where if somebody makes a mistake or is out of position or fundamentally doesn’t make a play, that guy has his back and makes that play,” Miles said.

“Just for me is not enough. I want to do it for the other people in this room. That is necessary for any team that achieves significantly.”

The team. The team, the team, the team.

LADDER OF SUCCESS (PART II): SIMPLICITY

2011-12-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

The following comes from a book that I started a few years back and have yet to finish. This is an excerpt from the chapter titled "Prepare and Compete."

CLIMBING THE LADDER TO SUCCESS

We are going to utilize a ladder to talk about how we are going to move forward and upward to become our best. As we start our climb to reaching our potential, we come to the first rung of the ladder which is SIMPLICITY. The drills composed in the following pages is just that – simple. They are meant to be simple so that each player can give their maximum effort, not only physically but mentally as well. There are probably an infinite amount of drills in each fundamental phase but we have handpicked a group of drills that are not only simple to execute but also give attention to the various skills needed to improve as a basketball player. Also, by keeping the drills and routines simple and going about it in a progressive manner, it will allow the individual to devote a high level of concentration to each drill series. The concentration level of each athlete varies and at times an athlete can have a very short attention span which makes our ability to keep things as simple as possible extremely important in gaining maximum results.

The ability of a coach to teach all the they need to be successful but in it's most simplest form is one of the absolute most important parts of teaching. It is also something that I found comes later for most coaches. Young coaches often get caught up in trying new things they learned at clinic even if it doesn't fit their system or their personality.

As my friend and mentor Coach Don Meyer says: "Get all the good ideas you can but only use the ones the fit who you are and what you want to accomplish."

Coach Meyer once told me that before adding something to your system that it should fit these four criteria:

1. Your teaching personality

2. Your coaching philosophy

3. Your players' mental and physical skills

4. Your style and system of play prior to exposure of the new concepts

Here are a few more thoughts on "simplicity" from the masters:

“Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.” -Frank Lloyd Wright

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” -Henry David Thoreau

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art." -Richard Holloway

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” -Charles Mingus

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” -Albert Einstein

JOHN MAXWELL'S FOUR COMPONENT'S OF CONNECTION

2011-12-17T04:17:00.000-08:00

1.What people see—connecting visually

Sonya Hamlin in How to Talk So People Listen advises that between hearing and sight, sight is the more important and powerful sense when it comes to communication. She wrote, “As a species, we remember 85 to 90 percent of what we see but less than 15 percent of what we hear. That means that if you want me to learn and remember, you must also support your words by showing your ideas to me…. You now need to use the power of the visual to help sustain your audience’s interest and bring it to new levels of understanding.” She backs this up with the following evidence indicating how people today are more visual than ever:

• 77 percent of all Americans get about 90 percent of their news from television.

• 47 percent get all their news from television.

• Major U.S. corporations have their own television studios.

• Video and Web conferencing are replacing on-site face-to-face sales meetings.

• Digital video recording systems are becoming commonplace in homes and offices.

• Children now log about twenty-two thousand hours watching television by age nineteen, more than twice the time spent in school.

2.What people understand—connecting intellectually

“If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” (Charlie Parker, Musician)

There’s no substitute for personal experience when we want to connect with people’s hearts.

When you find yourself, you find your audience.

3.What people feel—connecting emotionally

John Kotter, an author and a friend, recently wrote a book titled A Sense of Urgency. In it he states, “For centuries we have heard the expression, ‘Great leaders win over the hearts and minds of others,’” Note that he didn’t say that great leaders win over the minds of others. Nor did he say they win over others’ minds and hearts. The heart comes first.

4.What people hear—connecting verbally

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “The wisdom of the wise and the experiences of the ages may be preserved by quotations.”

What we say and how we say things make quite an impact. People respond to the language we use.

As Mark Twain observed, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

From "Everyone Communicates Few Connect" by John C. Maxwell

MOTION ISN'T FOR EVERYONE: BELIEVE AND KNOW WHAT YOU TEACH

2011-12-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

I have for the past 10 years been working on a book that details the teaching of Motion Offense. I'm very passionate about this book -- actually too passionate which is why it is taking me forever to finish. As I continue to learn, I continue to want to do rewrites.

One of the sections of my book talks about the advantages of utilizing a motion offensive system. But I felt strongly that everyone should know that motion offense isn't for everyone. I can't count the number of coaches who have watched our teams of the years that have complimented us on how effective our motion was and how difficult it was to defend. Yet that doesn't mean they necessarily need to be implementing it. As in all things that are very good -- it is difficult to teach and to maintain.

One of the passages in my book comes from Hall of Famer Pete Newell and was taken from the book "A Good Man: The Pete Newell Story by Bruce Jenkins." Coach Newell recalls Bob Knight explaining how he was developing his form of motion offense and how he would teach it. Coach Newell explains how he knows it will work for Knight but not necessarily for others:

“He set up that motion offense right on the floor of our living room. We have the chairs out, everything spread out all over the place. It was almost like a court and Florence was right there with us. The thing was, Bobby understood that offense and he believes in it. What you do, you’ve got to know. Too often a coach will accept the tenets of another successful coach and go against what he’s seen and known himself. You might appreciate Bobby’s offense, but you don’t have the first clue how to teach it, how to break it down, how to put it together. But because Bobby Knight did it, by God you’ll try it. Some guys don’t realize that a few lectures and a blackboard won’t win them the championship.”

The key I think to Coach Newell's comments is it just doesn't apply to motion offense but all things involved in coaching. I remember when Jud Heathcote and Michigan State won a national championship with Magic Johnson. They had an excellent team that was anchored by Coach Heathcotes' match-up defense. So many coaches spent the off-season wanting to play the Michigan State match-up.

During my tenure at LSU, so many teams were running Triple Post on the offensive set. After all, the Chicago Bulls were winning championships each year with it. But with the possible exception of Stanford's women's team, no one utilized fully to the extent that you needed to to be successful.

Certainly we can study other coaches and systems to help us formulate our systems of play, but as Coach Newell pointed out, a couple of lectures aren't going to get us there. Whatever it is you do, believe in it and commit not only to teaching it but first learning it.

TAKE CARE OF THE BIG ROCKS FIRST

2011-12-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

I first watched this video about 10 years ago. It is simply one of the best illustration at how to prioritize the things you do in life. At Stephen Covey teach us, take care of the "big rocks" first.

BRIAN BILLICK: BE PREPARED

2011-12-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part II deals with being prepared:

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”
-John Wooden

...no aspect of leadership provided by a coach has a bigger or more lasting effect on the players and their performance than the methodology used, in installing and practicing of your system.

“Habit gives strength to the body in great exertion, to the mind in great danger, and to judgment against first impression.”
-Clauzewitz

Maintaining a specific routine and level of preparation gives the players a sense of structure and security.

Entering the new millennium, over one-third of the entire league has a head coach with his roots linked to Bill Walsh. Those 11 coaches represent six total Super Bowls and four of the last five champions.

Teaching Elements:
-Being sure that the information you provide measurable reduces the uncertainty or hesitation in your players.

-Demanding concentration. Being assertive in your insistence that your players focus on the task at hand.

-Being exact, almost to the point of scientific precision

-Being sensitive to signs of physical fatigue.

-Keeping meeting times quality-oriented and making an effort to change the learning atmosphere.

-Constantly monitoring the retention levels of the team members.

“If it’s worth playing, it’s worth paying the price.”
-Bear Bryant

"If I don’t practice one day, I know it. If I do not practice the next day, the orchestra knows it. If I do not practice the third day, the whole world knows it.”
-Ignace Paderewski (pianist)

“Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.”
-Roger Staubach

To a point, it can be relatively easy to have a plan. The difficult lies in the details involved in developing a sound plan.

Keep in mind that however well-intended a plan is, it is only a plan unless it leads to action. Planning should be used as a tool that elicits purposeful activity.

By putting it in written form, a coach is provided with an opportunity to document the exact process needed to develop a specific skill.

Prioritizing your allocation of resources:

-Listing all aspects in your area of responsibility for which you would like to be better prepared.

-Identifying opportunities that you have to be better prepared for each item on your list. Specify what form that improvement might entail.

-Determining the resources that are needed to turn the opportunity into a reality.

-Assessing the feasibility of actually achieving the improvement detailed in the previous step.

-Deciding, relatively speaking, what possibility exists of you wasting your time on a particular area of concern.

-As appropriate, discussing your list with others within or outside the organization.

-Deleting areas of concern from your list that are unfeasible or inappropriate.

Deciding what really needs to be done is only the initial step. The next step is to determine how to achieve your goal of being better prepared.

If your army is not properly fed, your machinery properly maintained, and your communications channels kept open, your chances of success are limited.

When the Ravens were facing an opening 2000 schedule with five of the first seven games on the road, it was vital that we did everything as smoothly as possible as an organization to handle the logistical demands attendant to the situation. It is obvious to me that if we did not support the travel needs of our team (e.g., accommodations, meals, transportation, etc.) the long-term effects could be debilitating.

...while these types of “behind-the-scenes” jobs normally do not get much recognition, they are extremely vital to the success an organization might achieve.

“One of life’s mot painful moments comes when we must admit that we didn’t do our homework, that we are not prepared.”

The basic rule for implementing a plan of attack: “do it right and do it now.”

...there is not such thing as an unimportant detail. While some details may be more important than others, all are important. The reason some leaders are more effective than others is their enhanced ability to focus on essential details.

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
-John F. Kennedy

“The only thing certain about the certainty is that nothing is certain.”
-anonymous

One aspect of contingency planning that you should keep in mind is that people and organizations are creatures of habit.

As a skillful leader, you must be able to respond to your circumstances as they exist — not as you would like them to be.

While life doesn’t always give you roses (even if you deserve a bouquet), you still have an obligation to yourself, your followers, and the organization to act in a responsible manner. You must approach each situation with an open mind and a get-it-done attitude. Whatever the circumstances, to the extent feasible, you must be both able and willing to adapt to your behavior and your actions in such a way to position yourself to be successful.

IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME

2011-12-12T05:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a great message I got today from my Jim Rohn email newsletter:

One of the first things successful people realize is the old adage, "if it is to be, it is up to me." That is, for you, the fact that your success and your course is up to you. This doesn't mean that you do it all alone. It simply means that you take responsibility for your life and your career.

Too many people today look at opportunity and figure it is up to someone else to make sure they get it. They look at financial security and hope that the government will make sure they live safely in retirement or in case of disability. They wait and wait, figuring that it is up to someone else. And then the wait is over, and it is too late to do anything. Their life is over and they are filled with regret.

This isn't true for you however. You know that you must take responsibility for your life. It is up to you.

The fact is that nobody else is going to do it for you “you must do it yourself.

Now, some people may say, "Jim, that's a lot of responsibility." Friends, that is the best news you can ever hear. You get to choose your life. Hundreds of millions of people all around this world would give anything to live in the situation you do “just for the chance to have the opportunity to take control of their destiny. "It is up to you" is a great blessing.

Here's why:

1. You get to chart your own destiny. Maybe you want to start a small business and stay there. That's great because you can choose that. Maybe you want to create a small chain of stores. Maybe you want to have a net worth of $100 million. That's okay too. The idea is that you get to choose. You can do whatever you like. Different people have different dreams and they should live them accordingly.

2. You can reap what you sow. Sleep in and go to work late and reap the return. Or get up early and outwork the others and earn a greater return. Place your capital at risk and earn a return “or place it at greater risk and perhaps reap a greater return. You decide what you will sow and thus what you will reap.

3. No one else can stop you from getting your dream. Yes, there will always be things that come up and people who may not like what you are doing, but you can just move on and chart your own course. There is great freedom in that.

4. You experience the joy of self-determination. There is no greater pride than knowing you set your mind on something and accomplished it. Those who live with a victim mentality never get to experience the joy of accomplishment because they are always waiting for someone else to come to the rescue. Those who take responsibility get to live the joy of seeing a job well done.

Let me ask you a question: Where will you be in 5 years? 10 years? Or 25 years? Do you know? DO you have an idea? Have you ever dreamed about it or set a goal for it? Are you willing to take responsibility and recognize that, "It is up to you?"

You will be wherever you decide to be in those timeframes. You decide. It is up to you.

And that is very exciting!

A GIFT FROM COACH BROWN: NOT THE BOOK, BUT THE MEANING IN THE BOOK

2011-12-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

My friend and mentor Dale Brown gave me many gifts during my time on his staff -- and in fact still passes on "gifts" to me to this day. Often times those gifts are in the form of advice, motivation and love. He has always been there for me from the first day I served on his staff. Many of his gifts to me have been in the form of books. Coach Brown was a voracious reader. You never saw him without a book in his hand or on his desk. He would underline passages of importance and have our secretary Wanda Carrier type up those notes. He would pass them on to us and use parts of them to motivate our team.

Anytime Coach Brown would gift me a book, I knew it would be for a reason. He would pick a book for our team to read each year as well. Except each player would receive a different book. It would be a book that Coach Brown thought might be significant to that individual.

One of the first books I received from Coach Brown when I first joined his staff was "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. It had an immediate impact on how I viewed things. I wasn't the only one. The Library of Congress named it one of the ten most influential books through a survey of "lifetime readers."

The book chronicles Frankl's experiences as a World War II concentration camp inmate and is based on his method of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most horrific ones, and thus a reason to continue living. It is an amazing study on how with the right reference points, we can always control one thing -- our attitude and how we view things.

Here are few passages from his amazing book:

Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress.

...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any give set of circumstances, to choose one's own view.

Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him -- mentally and spiritually.

Dostoevski said once, "There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings."

If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.

The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity -- even under the most difficult circumstances -- to add a deeper meaning in his life.

Nietzsche's words: "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."

It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.

Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.

THE LADDER OF SUCCESS (PART I): PREPARE AND COMPETE

2011-12-11T05:01:00.000-08:00

The following comes from a book that I started a few years back and have yet to finish. This is an excerpt from the chapter titled "Prepare and Compete."

THE FOUNDATION

If you should ever happen to come upon a construction crew in the midst of building a home or a large skyscraper, take the time to stop and observe as these craftsmen assemble something that very often can stand for decades. Much of what they do to successfully build any type of structure can be carried over to the game of basketball in building a good, competitive basketball player. It is in this book that we want to begin the “construction” of a sound basketball player. Just as a construction crew started out, we want to begin with a solid foundation. In basketball, that “foundation” is fundamentals. They are the key to growing a complete basketball player and will better allow you to compete in what is vastly flourishing into the most competitive of all sports.

To make sure that the fundamental foundation that we are building is strong, we are going to use an important tool of those who construct buildings – the ladder. By working your way up the ladder, one rung at a time, combining your effort with enthusiasm and a positive attitude, you can go a long way in reaching your basketball potential. What a player’s potential translates to, is becoming the absolute best she can be. For a few, this may translate into a college scholarship while for many it will simply help them make their grade school, junior or high school team. Regardless of the end result, just being the best you can be is a tremendous achievement and should be a goal for us all.

Two quotes come to mind when thinking of working to reach your potential. Both come from the legendary John Wooden.

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

It is noteworthy that Coach Wooden used the word “success” in both of the quotes. So often it is easy to set forth numerical goals such as points scored or rebounds accumulated, when the true worth of a player could never solely be defined by statistics. A player may set the goal of being All-Conference or All-State. This too is a goal that can often lead to disappointment because such appointments are often out of our control.

PREPARE - COMPETE: AN ONGOING PROCESS

The philosophy that I have followed throughout my life can be summed up in two words: Prepare and Compete. Together they have served as a formula for the success I have found in all facets of my life. The one thing I have discovered is that life is an ongoing proposition. We have heard it said before, but it is a truth that grows in strength with each passing day – life is a journey and not a destination. With that in mind, I set forth to develop a philosophy that would regenerate with each challenge that I faced in life.

Preparation is such an important factor in reaching one’s potential yet so many look for a short cut. The problem for so many is that proper preparation is time consuming and requires hard work. Many are too impatient or don’t have the work ethic to lay the ground work necessary to be successful.

There is no better example than the Law of the Harvest. For the farmer, there is a great deal of work that goes into the preparation of the soil and the seed. There is the daily grind of watering, fertilization, and weeding of the crops. There can be no day off in the process. It is an amazing period of tedious work that lasts the entire year until the crops are finally ready to be harvested. Could you imagine the probability of having fruits or vegetables if you didn’t till the soil? What if you skipped the fertilization process or didn’t prepare for the drought? Obviously, there would not be a successful harvest.

The same is true of all the challenges we face in life. Any goal worth pursuing must be carefully planned out. In fact, a major part of preparation is your ability to dream. Before you can start any worthwhile journey, you must be able to map it out – you must start with the end in mind! Where do you want to go? Once that is decided then the preparation can begin in earnest.

As Stephen Covey so simply put, "Start with the end in mind." How could an artist paint a picture without the vision of a final product.

And while on the subject, don’t limit yourself. We had a saying in the LSU Women’s Basketball program coined by Hall of Famer Sue Gunter that we are very proud of: Dream Big…Work Hard! Have a belief in yourself and what you can accomplish and then put the formula of Prepare and Compete to work for you, and your achievements will be worthwhile.

Preparing is difficult for so many because they fail to realize that everything you do prepares you for something. That’s a strong concept. I am constantly telling my team (and myself) that there are no “little things.” Everything is important in the overall scheme of reaching your goals.

As a basketball player, it is important to understand that everything is part of the preparation for you to be your best on the court. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind would include practice.

Conditioning and strength training would also help prepare a player for competition. But there are so many other areas such as rest and nutrition. One very important part of preparing is your attitude. It is important because it is an area that we all have complete control of – we all have the ability to choose our own attitude regardless of the circumstances.

While we have taken the time to decide upon a goal for ourselves, life is constantly throwing obstacles at us. Part of a successful philosophy is having the flexibility to adjust to the hurdles thrown at us. Do you have an attitude where an uphill struggle scares you? Possibly a set back has you feeling like you are the target of more bad luck. Or do you possess that attitude that creates excitement with failure because of the great challenge it presents? I don’t know of any successful person that has achieved greatness that didn’t do so after many struggles. Part of preparation is preparing for failure. Whether we want it to be or not, it’s part of the equation. In fact, it’s extremely difficult to persevere if you haven’t previously prepared.

I have for years had a sign that hangs in my office and does today at UCF that quotes General George S. Patton:

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."

Compete is the second word of my philosophy. Quite simply, it is giving the job at hand your very best. Of course, this is easier said than done which partly explains why some are successful and others are not. For most, it is easy to give great effort from time to time. It is the truly great ones that can consistently reach the highest level of effort each time out.

At this point, it is important to define “effort.” Many think we are referring to physical effort. And while giving your very best physically is certainly a prime requisite for competing, you must also give your best mentally and emotionally.

A popular phrase we often share with our team is that “the mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1.” In other words, the mental aspect of preparation and competing is four times more important than the physical phase. It is an important part of competing that you are able to think and make decisions – whether you are on the athletic field, in the corporate office, or raising a family. Life is full of individuals (as well as teams and groups) that had all the physical attributes to be successful but fell short because they didn’t understand the importance of being mentally ready to compete.

You must be emotionally ready to compete as well. The word emotion usually conjures up images of athletes in jubilant celebration, but the emotional factor we’re looking for comes from the inner desire to self-motivate oneself to prepare and compete at the highest level. If you are emotionally ready for any phase of your life, then you have positioned yourself to do your absolute best because it is important to you. Emotional readiness provides you with a passion to achieve. Often, the amount of energy you apply to preparing raises your desire to compete at your best. All great individuals and teams that have met with great results have been passionate about their approach. Emotional preparedness also means that you don’t allow your emotions to overtake you at key junctures in your journey. Leaders and winners exhibit great poise and control of their emotions at the most extreme times.

Another piece of the puzzle in regard to competing is to finish. So many times we put a great deal of energy into preparing and come out of the blocks eager to compete only to pull up a little short of our goal. Sometimes our inability to finish comes because we have run into a hurdle. Other times we are unable to finish because of too much success. That’s right, often success can be a major opponent for us to defeat as well. Complacency is something we must always guard against as we strive to be our best. It has been said that good is the enemy of great and this can be a main reason for us not to finish.

The final point in regard to the Prepare and Compete philosophy is that all that we do in order to succeed involves others. There can be no great achievements without team. We are all dependent upon others to help us succeed. We all have an effect on others and their quest to succeed. Therefore, there must be an understanding of the importance of relationships in any philosophy if we are truly dedicated in reaching our potential. Our ability to mesh well with others and to understand roles (our own and others) is of vital importance in properly preparing and competing.

This is the philosophy that has guided me through life and the philosophy that we try to instill in our basketball team. Prepare and Compete – simplistic in formula but complex in execution. But remember, nothing worthwhile was meant to be easy. That’s why success feels so good. So Dream Big…Work Hard!

Next: THE LADDER OF SUCCESS: SIMPLICITY

BILL WALSH ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM PATTONS "LETTER OF INSTURCTION #1"

2011-12-10T04:28:00.000-08:00

The following comes from one of my favorite coaching books, "Finding The Winning Edge" by Bill Walsh with Brian Billick and James Peterson. It is 550 pages of theory and philosophy written in the form a text book that covers every possible situation a coach could face. It is the most detailed book on coaching and teaching I have read. Unfortunately, it is one of the most difficult books to find and is often very expensive. Click on the name of the book above and it will take you to Barnes and Noble where you can purchase a copy for $139! I would highly recommend looking on ebay, half.com and used book stores to find your copy:

One of the great strengths of General George S. Patton, arguably one of the best general officers in the history of the U.S. Military, was his ability to work with and lead those individuals under his command. In this regard, many of his insights can be applied to the way that coaches work with their players. For example, in his Letter of Instruction Number 1, which he addressed to the officers under his command in his United States Third Army, Patton offered six key dictates -- each of which has application to coaching:

1. Remember that praise is more valuable than blame. remember too, that your primary mission as a leader is to see with your own eyes and be seen by your own troops while engaged in personal reconnaissance.

2. Use every means before and after combat to tell the troops what they are to do and what they have done.

3. Discipline is based on pride in the profession of arms, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the battle or the fear of the death.

4. Officers must assert themselves by example and by voice. They must be preeminent in courage, deportment and dress.

5. General officers must be seen in the front line during the action.

6. There is a tendency for the chain of command to overload junior officers by excessive requirements in the the way of training and reports, You will alleviate this burden by eliminating non-essential demands.

PROCESS ORIENTED TEACHING THOUGHTS FROM COACH RAY LOKAR

2011-12-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt on an article written by Coach Ray Lokar on process oriented teaching. It is an outstanding article and I hope you will click on the link at the bottom of this post to read all of the article in its entirety -- you won't regret it!

When I construct a practice I try to ensure my staff knows which drills, games, or activities are focusing on "teaching" and which we would like to be more competitive. In a *teaching* drill we want to stop instruct a bit more often than during a more competitive phase of practice. I like to treat these competitive sessions like a game, and you can't stop a game to correct every single thing. We want players to develop the confidence to be able to self-correct without waiting for a coaches instruction.

The best way for a coach to assist this process is to create "Effort Goals" instead of goals that are result based. Learning and improvement is more about the process than it is the outcome. For example, in basketball, we have a few non-negotiables that are all effort-based in nature. I encourage players to Be Big on the Little Things.

#1 - Stay in Stance - Always stay in stance. It is your point of maximum explosion. Be just like a track sprinter coming out of the blocks. Be ready to move. You will get open on offense more often. You will guard your man on defense easier. The lowest person usually wins.

#2 - Contest EVERY Shot - The only person who can score is the one with the ball. Go guard him even if he is not your man. Help your teammates when there man is open. Go guard him. Get a hand up on every shooter and contest the shot - even if it means leaving your feet, but don´t fall for a head fake too easily!

#3 - Two Hands - Catch the ball with two hands--concentrate on the catch before you do anything else. Rebound with 2 hands--and try for every one. Pick up a loose ball with 2 hands--pick it up, don´t dribble it. You will get more possessions for your team and each possession is another chance to score.

#4 - Run Hard - You will usually break the opponents will with your first three steps. Get ahead of the defense and your teammates will throw you the ball. It will help you get easy shots on offense with your fast break. If you beat the offense back, they may not even try to run their fast break. Getting back on defense will help stop their fast break

#5 - Pass to the first Open Teammate - Passing the ball is faster than dribbling it. If you move the ball, you make the defense adjust and they might make a mistake and leave someone (maybe you!) open. If you see an open teammate--throw them the ball. Don´t wait for a better pass. Remember - "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Each of these five "non-negotiables" are effort based and something any player can decide to do without getting any better at any one particular skill. Just by making the effort to do these things, a player can actually be better - right now! When the player feels that improvement they will begin to develop more and more confidence. There are "little things" like this in all sports - and it's up to the coach to find them.

PLEASE read all of this outstanding article at: http://bit.ly/nWYtig

BILL WALSH'S 5 DON'TS

2011-12-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

1. Don’t ask, “Why me?”

2. Don’t expect sympathy.

3. Don’t bellyache.

4. Don’t keep accepting condolences.

5. Don’t blame others.

BRIAN BILLICK: BE VALUES ORIENTED

2011-12-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is a series of thoughts from "Competitive Leadership: 12 Principles for Success" by Brian Billick. Part II deals with being value oriented:

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value.”
-Albert Einstein

...the highest predictor of success in an organization is leadership that functions with integrity and honesty. Three other core traits that are frequently attributed to sound leadership are trustworthiness, loyalty, and pride.

...a major reason some leaders are more effective than others is because of who they are as people. All other factors being equal, principle-centered leaders are more capable of inspiring confidence and rallying others to achieve a common purpose.

If you let your vested self-interest or personal concerns override your obligations to your team or organization, you are putting them, and ultimately yourself, at risk.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. You character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
-John Wooden

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.”
-George MacDonald

By doing away with the time-honored “bed check,” a traditional practice among most professional-level sports teams, I indicated to my players that I trusted them.

As long as they acted like men, I would treat them like men.

“Honesty is the cornerstone of character.”
-B.C. Forbes

Keep in mind that if you fail to respond to or overlook a dishonest act, you are implicitly approving it.

Being loyal involves being a person who refuses to compromise your values for personal advantage.

“I don’t see how anyone can truly make the most of his or her abilities without expressing loyalty at all times to the people, institutions, and principles that are important in one’s life.”
-John Wooden

Not letting a team score is the very heart of any defensive mind set. It is the ultimate in team orientation in that no one person can take credit for its success. Indeed, it takes individual sacrifice by certain defensive players to maintain this team profile.

BRIAN TRACY ON STRATEGIC THINKING

2011-12-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

The Quality of Thoughtfulness
The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive. In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness."

Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Your Most Powerful Tool
The most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability. Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

Use a Two Pronged Approach
The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.

Increase Your "Return On Energy"
In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability. And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.

Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.
Be sure to check out www.BrianTracy.com

DEAN SMITH ON PROCESS OVER RESULTS

2011-12-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Although I don't think many of our players listened to me on this one because it was so hard to do, I didn't want our players looking at the scoreboard and worrying about the score until there was five minutes left in the game. At that point managing the clock became an important factor. Otherwise I wanted them to concentrate on each possession and execute well. That was hard to do if they were preoccupied with the score and the outcome of the game. It's important to stay in the present. As coach I seldom looked as the scoreboard until the second half.

From "The Carolina Way" by Dean Smith with Gerald Bell and John Kilgo

DEAN SMITH ON TEAMWORK AND UNSELFISHNESS

2011-12-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else.

To build teamwork, it certainly helps to start with goodpeople. As head coach I was very partial to young men who genuinely wanted to play at North Carolina, who needed no sales job to persuade them.

We didn't necessarily recruit unselfishness per se. It takes some people longer to understand and grasp the personal benefits associated with putting the team firt. We usually thought we could change a self-center behavior pattern once we got the players to North Carolina.

One person' selfish attitude could poison the locker room and make it hard, if not impossible, to establish teamwork. We didn't make many recruiting mistakes in this area, but when we did, we either saw change or helpted the player find another school. this happened only twice in my times as North Carolina's head coach. Had we acted otherwised, we would have violated the very philosophy we taught to our players. We weren't going to allow someone's selfish interests to supersede what was good for the team. That simply was not going to happen.

Building teamwork is harder than it ought to be, simply because of both our society's fascination with individual success and the emphasis it places on winning no matter how it is achieved. For example, when a child comes home from a basketball game, the first thing he or she is likely to hear from parents is "Did you wing?, followed by "How many points did you score?"

Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat. Passing, screening, cutting and movement away from the ball: The game can be almost balletic in its grace and simplicty. A team can accomplish great things when the individual members don't worry about who gets the credit.

From "The Carolina Way" by Dean Smith with Gerald D. Bell and John Kilgo

JIM ROHN ON USING EMOTIONS AS FUEL

2011-12-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful post on the utilization of your emotions by the late, great Jim Rohn. If you don't already, you should check in at www.jimrohn.com and sign up for his email newsletter. Here is what Jim tells us about our emotions:

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones; each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you'll turn your life around.

1) DISGUST
One does not usually equate the word "disgust" with positive action. And yet, properly channeled, disgust can change a person's life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, "I've had it!" That's what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25. I said, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke. I've had it with being embarrassed, and I've had it with lying."

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, "Enough is enough."

The "guy" has finally had it with mediocrity. He's had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is “not going to live like this anymore." Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will, the "I've had it" day, the "never again" day, the "enough's enough" day. Whatever you call it, it's powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

2) DECISION
Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-pronged, three-pronged, or even a four-pronged fork. No wonder decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well-thought-out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it. I don't have much advice to give you about decision-making except this:

Whatever you do, don't camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It's far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

3) DESIRE
How does one gain desire? I don't think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

a. It comes from the inside, not the outside.

b. It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It's a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, "I want it now!"

Therefore, while searching for your "hot button" of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don't erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

4) RESOLVE
Resolve says, "I will." These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, "Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose." In other words, when someone resolves to "do or die," nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, "I will climb the mountain. They've told me it's too high, it's too far, it's too steep, it's too rocky, it's too difficult. But it's my mountain. I will climb it. You'll soon see me waving from the top or you'll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I'm not coming back." Who can argue with such resolve?

When confronted with such iron-willed determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, "We might as well let him have his dream. He's said he's going to get there or die trying."

The best definition for "resolve" I've ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. As is my custom, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, "Who can tell me what ‘resolve’ means?" Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, "I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up." That's it! That's the best definition I've ever heard: PROMISE YOURSELF YOU'LL NEVER GIVE UP.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, "That's it, you've had your chance"? You say that's crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, "My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!" No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, "How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?" I suggest you answer, "As long as it takes." That's what these four emotions are all about.