THEY WILL TRUST YOU OR HATE YOU

The behavioral patterns of players haven’t changed. Kids are kids. They do what you let them do, and they don’t what you don’t let them do. Sure, the league has changed, but I am going to coach the same way I have always coached. I will confront them in the same way. I think they get closer to you quicker when you do that. They learn to either trust you or just hate you. You find out quickly whether they will be on the boat or not.

-BILL PARCELLS

"WINNING EDGE" QUALITIES IN AN ASSISTANT COACH

One of my favorite books, and one that I would strongly suggest all coaches read (regardless of sport) is “Finding the Winning Edge” by Bill Walsh. He goes into great detail about every phase of running an organization including what he thinks is involved in being a good assistant coach. Here is what he had to say:

Among the qualities that you, as the head coach, should look for in an assistant coach are the following:

A fundamental knowledge of the mechanics of his position.

An assistant coach must be technically competent. If you hire an assistant who does not have the technical knowledge necessary to do his job properly (a fact that will soon become apparent to the players he coaches), you may create an environment where the players will begin to question your competency as well.

Ability to communicate.

An assistant coach must be able to communicate with the players in a relaxed, yet authoritative manner. Such a quality is the fundamental basis of an assistant’s ability to effectively teach and interact with his players—perhaps the two key responsibilities of every assistant coach. The assistant coach is the most direct link a player has with the game and learning how to play it well.

Ability to evaluate and project talent.

A relatively high level of energy.

Assistant coaches must exhibit an appropriate level of energy that enables them to be upbeat, motivated, and animated while in the presence of the players and their fellow employees. It is not unusual that a group of players will collectively take on the personality of their position coach. If a team has an assistant coach who is a negative, complaining type who sees inadequacies in everything around him, the situation can be quite downbeat.

Loyalty.

Assistant coaches must exhibit loyalty at all times, both to the head coach and to their fellow coaches. No offense should be viewed more seriously than disloyalty, especially among coaches who should know better. An assistant coach who feels compelled to criticize or demean a staff member to others in the organization, media, or fans can be an extraordinary disruptive force. Accordingly, the head coach must not tolerate disloyalty in any form.

GOAL SETTING GUIDELINES FROM BRIAN TRACY

Here is some great stuff on Goal Setting guidelines from Brian Tracy -- good for us and our players!

There are several important rules that accompany effective goal setting.

First
Your goals must be in harmony with one another, not contradictory. You cannot have a goal to be financially successful, or to build your own successful business, and simultaneously have a goal to spend half your day at the golf course or at the beach. Your goals have to be mutually supportive and mutually reinforcing.

Second
Your goals must be challenging. They must make you stretch out without being overwhelmed. When you initially set goals, they should have about a 50 percent or better probability of success. This level of probability is ideal for motivation, yet not so difficult that you can become easily discouraged.

Third
You should have both tangible and intangible goals, both quantitative and qualitative. You should have concrete goals that you can measure and evaluate objectively. At the same time, you should have qualitative goals, for your inner life and your relationships.

Fourth
You need both short-term goals and long-term goals. You need goals for today and goals for five, ten, and twenty years from today. The ideal short-term timeframe for business, career and personal planning is about ninety days. The ideal long-term period for these same goals is two to three years. These time horizons seem to be the ideal for continuous motivation.

Fifth
The ideal life is focused, purposeful, positive and organized so that you are moving toward goals that are important to you every hour of every day. You always know what you're doing and why. You have a continuous sense of forward motion. You feel like a "winner" most of the time.

Sixth
The decision to become a goal-setting, goal achieving, future focused person gives you a tremendous sense of control. Your self-esteem increases as you progress toward your goals. You like and respect yourself more and more. Your personality improves and you become a more positive, confident person. You feel happy and exited about life. You open the floodgates of your potential and begin moving faster and faster toward becoming all that you were meant to be.

Action Exercise
Map out your short-term, long-term, qualitative, and quantitative goals for your future in both your personal and professional life.

Check out Brian's site at: http://www.briantracy.com/

TIME FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT

From "The Gold Standard" by Mike Krzyzewski:

How can a team reach its potential if it cannot look at itself with a critical eye? There is always a need to valuate performance in battle or in business and then retrain based on your assessments. In team building, self-assessment must take place both at the group level and on and individual level for each of the team members. This doe not exclude the leader, whose individual self-assessment may be the most crucial of all.

Our teams, self-assessment should take place not just from year to year or quarterly, but from day today. There has to be room for change. And when you recognize a need for change, you and your team have to e willing to make it. Improvisation and flexibility should coexist with planning and preparation. And, when you really think about it, it shouldn’t be hard. You should always want to find ways to get better.

Becoming your best is an ongoing process

BRAD STEVENS ON PLAYING SMALL BALL

- Reasons why Butler was successful this past year.

1. Entire team bought in to all details of the program (academics, strength & conditioning, workouts, etc).
2. Had players with great play-making ability (off the bounce).
3. Able to use his player’s great defensive versatility.
4. Didn’t have the biggest guys, but every player was tough & physical.
5. Has had 2 or more All-Conference players on each successful team that he’s been a part of at Butler (good players are good players, regardless of size).

- 4 Misperceptions of Butler Basketball
1. Butler doesn’t recruit size
.....a. Butler recruits players
2. Butler doesn’t utilize the post
.....a. Butler thinks outside the box of traditional posting ideas (post up perimeters, etc).
3. Size will dominate our league
.....a. Last 10 years, nobody that is 6’8” or taller has made All-Horizon League.
4. Undersized = Undermanned

.....a. Find out who your best players are, and get them on the floor.

- Bigs that are used to playing in a traditional setting have a tough time guarding non-traditional (smaller) post players (pick-n-pop, 33, etc)... Must be able to shoot

- There aren’t a lot of great back to basket players: The college game is extremely physical...if you can shove the post out 10’ to 12’, you’re in great shape.

-Defensive Thoughts

1. Butler square’s the ball up, doesn’t force to a side.
2. All positions must be able to guard the post
3. Front the post on the block when ball is on wing  if post moves you up, at some point you have to adjust, roll below to take away lob, and on the catch, hold ground.
4. When ball is on top – on the line, up the line.
5. Use your feet – don’t wrestle

- Disadvantages of playing small

1. Ability to contest shots – not just post shots. Playing small = need helpside defenders more active helping in the lane, so more susceptible to kick outs for open 3’s. Must play the %’s on bad shooters
2. Defensive Rebounding – Guards have to rebound. Some players only job may be to keep their man off of the glass.
3. Can get in foul trouble quickly
4. Finishing plays on offense

- Advantages of playing small
1. Traditional bigs struggle to guard undersized players
2. Increased # of ball-handlers & decision-makers
3. Increased defensive versatility
4. More disruptive defensively

PLAN YOUR ACTION...PUT ACTION INTO YOUR PLAN

The followign is an article by Paul J. Meyer and Kevin Rhea on planning. As a young coach we all want to learn plays and schemes. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Dale Brown and Don Meyer was the art of organization. Planning is a big part of making sure we are getting all the things we need to do in priority. It helpts our level of exeuction. Here is what Paul Meyer and Kevin Rhea:

Every day, every week, and every month will take you closer to your goals IF you are planning your action and then putting action to your plan. These three steps will help you reach your goals:

Step One: MONTHLY PLANNING
* Reserve one hour at the end of each month to plan for the coming month. (This can be a quick review if you plan in 90-day cycles.)
* Survey your goals for the year/quarter and your progress on them.
* Break goals and projects down into steps you can accomplish each week.
* Designate specific due dates for completing these interim steps.
* If what you plan will take several months, divide it into steps so that you can accomplish a little each month.
* Make a copy of your monthly plan for your sponsor—have your team leaders and their team leaders do this as well.

Step Two: WEEKLY PLANNING
* Set aside half an hour every Friday afternoon or Monday morning to plan for the upcoming week.
* Look over the goals you’ve set for the week, and consider any additional tasks that you need to accomplish.
* Divide tasks planned into steps, and choose a day to work on each step.
* Make note of previously scheduled meetings and appointments.
* Be sure that your weekly routine includes activities that are directly related to your goals.
* Have your team leaders and their team leaders do this as well.

Step Three: DAILY PLANNING
* At the beginning of each day, review your progress on yesterday’s work, and note any pending items.
* Spend a few minutes deciding what tasks to work on today.
* Order the day’s tasks by priority level with “must do” items first.
* If possible, schedule items that will require more concentration for the time of day that you work best.
* Leave roughly 20 percent of your time unscheduled to make room for new items, delays, etc.
* If appropriate, start with your top-priority item and work on it as long as you can or until it’s completed. Once you’ve tackled your No. 1 job, move on to the next highest priority on your list. * Have your team leaders and their team leaders do this as well.
When you put daily action to your plan, your goals will quickly come to pass!

LOU HOLTZ NOTES

Thanks to Coach Eric Musselman for these notes on Lou Holtz:

* The only things that change you from where you are today to where you are going to be five years from now are the people you meet and the books you read.

* There are certain things in this world we all have in common, such as time. The difference is what we do with that time and how we use it. "If you're killing time, it's not murder, but pure suicide."

* Everybody has enthusiasm. Some people have it for thirty minutes. Some have it for thirty days, but the individual who can possess enthusiasm for 30 years will be the one people feel has been born on third base.

* Self discipline is the greatest asset any individual can possess. Without it, we cannot control our own destiny. We have scientists who have conquered space and the oceans but we cannot conquer ourselves.

* I have never known anyone who stood up and said the reason I'm successful is drugs or alcohol, but I have seen and read ofthousands who said my life is a mess because of drugs and alcohol.

* Ability determines capability; attitude dictates performance.

* We don't sell the next 4 years to our players. We sell thenext forty.

KEVIN EASTMAN'S 5 WAYS OF SCOUTING THE PICK AND ROLL

1. Do they change who the screener is?
2. Do they change who the ball handler is?
3. Do they change the angles?
4. Do they come anywhere at anytime?
5. Do they have a shooting big?

BRIAN TRACY'S LAW OF CLARITY

A great aricle from Brian Tracy on the importance and need to "clarify" your goals and your vision:

Clarity accounts for probably 80% of success and happiness. Lack of clarity is probably more responsible for frustration and underachievement than any other single factor. That's why we say that "Success is goals, and all else is commentary." People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine. This is true everywhere and under all circumstances.

The Three Keys to High Achievement
You could even say that the three keys to high achievement are, "Clarity, Clarity, Clarity," with regard to your goals. Your success in life will be largely determined by how clear you are about what it is you really, really want.

Write and Rewrite Your Goals
The more you write and rewrite your goals and the more you think about them, the clearer you will become about them. The clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to do more and more of the things that are consistent with achieving them. Meanwhile, you will do fewer and fewer of the things that don't help to get the things you really want.

The Seven Step Process for Achieving Goals
Here, once more, is the simple, seven-step process that you can use to achieve your goals faster and easier than ever before.

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!

Join the Top 3%
Fewer than three percent of adults have written goals and plans that they work on every single day. When you sit down and write out your goals, you move yourself into the top 3% of people in our society. And you will soon start to get the same results that they do.

Review Your Goals Daily
Study and review your goals every day to be sure they are still your most important goals. You will find yourself adding goals to your list as time passes. You will also find yourself deleting goals that are no longer as important as you once thought. Whatever your goals are, plan them out thoroughly, on paper, and work on them every single day. This is the key to peak performance and maximum achievement.

12 SIMPLE YET SIGNIFICANT DAILY TO DO'S FOR LEADERS

Special thanks to Coach Steve Smiley for his list of daily do's for leaders. And while I'm at it -- Happy Birthday Steve!

1. Be the hardest worker at practice today.
Without fail, one of the quickest ways to impact a team is with your own work ethic. Choose to be one of the hardest workers on your team today. Not only does it set the tone for the work ethic of your program, it is also one of the best and quickest ways to enhance your leadership credibility with your teammates and coaches.

2. Be a spark of energy and enthusiasm today.
Let your passion for the sport shine through today. Spread a contagious energy and enthusiasm amongst your teammates. Think about how lucky you are to be able to play and compete. Remember back to when you were a young child and reconnect with the joy you played with back then. Make your sport fun again for yourself and your teammates.

3. Model mental toughness today.
Because your teammates will look to you under pressure, adversity, and stress, be sure to model mental toughness today. Bounce back quickly after errors to show your teammates how to respond to negative situations. Maintain your poise and optimism despite any mistakes you might make so that your teammates can trust and rely on you to get them through the tough times.

4. Connect with a teammate today.
Leadership is all about relationships. Invest the time to build and strengthen the relationships you have with each of your teammates. Inquire about their day, challenges, and goals. Make a special and ongoing effort to get to know every athlete on your team, not just your friends and classmates. The relationship building you do each day will pay off immeasurably down the road.

5. Compliment a teammate today.
Be on the lookout for teammates who are contributing to your team. Call out a teammate for making a hustle play, pushing through a weight workout, recovering quickly from a mistake, getting an A on an exam, etc. Praise the actions and attitudes you want to see repeated. As Mother Teresa once said, "Kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless."

6. Challenge a teammate today.
Challenge at least one of your teammates today. Positively push them and yourself to make the most of your workout. Make a friendly wager to see if they can be successful at least 4 out of 5 times in a drill. See if you both can improve your times in conditioning. Offer to stay after to help if there is anything they want to work on. Good leaders consistently invite, inspire, and sometimes implore others to greatness.

7. Support a teammate today.
Odds are, at least one of your teammates is struggling with something today - it could be a performance slump, a rocky romantic relationship, a disagreement with a coach, an unglamorous role, struggling with a class, or a sick family member. Good leaders are consistently on the lookout for teammates who might be struggling and are ready to offer an ear to listen, an encouraging word, a pat on the back, or a shoulder to cry on.

8. Constructively confront negativity, pessimism, and laziness today.
As a leader, have the courage to constructively confront the negativity, pessimism, and laziness that will crop up on your team from time to time. Instead of fueling the fire by joining in or silently standing by, be sure to refocus your teammates on solutions rather than dwelling on and complaining about the problems. Left unchecked, these problems can quickly grow to distract, divide, and destroy your team.

9. Build and bond your team today.
Team chemistry naturally ebbs and flows throughout the course of the season. Take the time to monitor and maintain your team's chemistry. Let your reserves and support staff know how much you appreciate them. Stay connected and current with each of the natural sub-groups on your team. Douse any brush fires that might be occurring and continually remind team members about your common goal and common bond.

10. Check in with your coach today.
Invest the time to check in with your coach today. Ask what you can do to best help the team this week. Find out what your coach wants to accomplish with today's practice. Also discuss if there is anything your coach is concerned about regarding your team. Discuss your collective insights on your team's chemistry, focus, and mindset. Work together to effectively co-lead your team.

11. Remind your team how today's work leads to tomorrow's dreams.
It's easy to get bogged down during your season with monotonous drills, tiring conditioning, and demanding workouts. Remind your teammates how all the quality work you do today gives you a distinct advantage over your opponents. Help them see and even get excited about how today's hard work is a long-term investment in your team's goals, rather than just a short-term hardship or sacrifice.

12. Represent yourself and team with class and pride today.
Leaders have the awesome privilege and responsibility of representing their teams. Take advantage of this opportunity by representing your team with class and pride today. Hold a door open for someone, sit in the front rows of class and actively engage in the discussion, say please and thank you, dress in respectful attire, etc. These tiny pushes represent you and your team with class and distinction. And they ultimately set you up for a lifetime of respect and success.