This is a follow up to the Great Coaches Post from Alan Stein’s Stronger Team Blog.

Recently I posted a hurricane of Tweets on what great players do. Here is the entire list… plus a ton of additional ones submitted by my followers:

1. Great players… go after every rebound on both ends of the floor – they are crafty and aggressive.
2. Great players… run the floor as fast as possible on fast breaks AND defensive transition.
3. Great players… are defensive stoppers – they stop their man as well as help teammates. They do the things offensive players HATE!
4. Great players… contest all shots. They don’t go for ball fakes or shot fakes. They deflect passes, bump cutters, and take charges.
5. Great players… don’t gamble on offensive or defensive. They aim to make the RIGHT play; not the HIGHLIGHT play.
6. Great players… are strong with the ball. They rip through hard on offense, ‘chin’ all rebounds, and don’t expose the ball when dribbling.
7. Great players… play under control and play at different speeds. They know that playing slow can be VERY effective.
8. Great players… practice just as hard as they play in games. They don’t have an ‘on and off switch’ – they are ALWAYS on!
9. Great players… allow themselves to be coached. They make eye contact, listen, and welcome coaching. They crave getting better.
10. Great players… are great teammates. They are supportive, high energy, and make their enthusiasm contagious.
11. Great players… ‘Play Present.’ They focus on the process, not the outcome. They focus on what they can control. They don’t get distracted.
12. Great players… take advantage of every opportunity to get better. Every workout, every practice, and every game is a chance to improve!
13. Great players… are mentally and physically tough. They are comfortable being uncomfortable.
14. Great players… can pivot both ways off of either foot and can dribble, pass, and finish around the basket with either hand. They don’t have a ‘weak’ hand.
15. Great players… love and respect the game of basketball. They don’t play for money or fame; they play for love.
16. Great players… are unselfish passers. They hit open teammates. They know the goal is to get THE best shot; not THEIR best shot.
17. Great players… don’t commit stupid fouls.  They know their greatness is eliminated if they are on the bench in foul trouble.
18. Great players… are students of the game. They watch film. They study opponents. They study themselves.
19. Great players… value every possession.  They aren’t careless with ball.  They make smart passes and take high percentage shots.
20. Great players… don’t wait for the workout or practice or game to start… they prepare for it! They prepare mentally and physically.
21. Great players… are super competitive. They hate losing more than they enjoy winning. They compete in everything they do!
22. Great players… always know the time and score. They know how many time-outs they have as well as who is in foul trouble on both teams.
23. Great players… log the game in the mind. At any point in time, they can tell you exactly what happened, on both ends of the floor, the last 3 possessions.
24. Great players… are assertive with the ball, welcome contact when driving to the cup, and get to the free throw line.
25. Great players… immediately think ‘Next Play.’  They don’t dwell on mistakes (missed shot or TO)… they make up for it on the other end.
26. Great players… make plays, not excuses. They don’t care if the refs suck, if the floor is slippery, or if they have a cold. They get it done.
27. Great players… are the first ones in the gym… and the last ones to leave EVERY day.
28. Great players… don’t worry about getting exposure.  They focus more on never getting exposed!
29. Great players… elevate their teammates to become great players too!
30. Great players… know that their legacy will be judged on their ability to win championships.
31. Great players… would rather play ball than anything else.  They truly love to play.
32. Great players… are well rounded and have a complete game.  They can ‘hurt’ you in a variety of ways.
33. Great players… are top notch communicators.  They talk with a presence on both ends of the floor.
34. Great players… want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line because they know they have put in the work to DESERVE success.
35. Great players… train with a purpose. Their workouts are focused, intense, and progressive.  Nothing they do on the court is casual.
36. Great players… give back to their program and are humble and grateful for what basketball has done for them.
37. Great players… are responsible for tone and effort of the entire team… every workout, practice, and game.
38. Great players… are always thinking two plays ahead.
39. Great players… hold themselves, their teammates, and their coaches accountable. They believe in collective responsibility.
40. Great players… play in straight lines and sharp angles. They make hard basket cuts and set solid screens.
41. Great players… love playing and competing against other great players.
42. Great players… know that no detail is too small and that the smallest of details can make them even better.
43. Great players…have high values. They value their teammates, winning, and self improvement.
44. Great players… are never content and never complacent.

You know my favorite part about this list? Nearly every trait on this list is 100% controllable! They are characteristics you choose to have! It doesn’t say, ‘great players… are 6’8”’ or ‘great players… can jump out of the gym’ – it lists things that you can make the conscious choice to work on and improve.

Are you up for the challenge? Are you ready to be a great player?

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.Facebook.com/StrongerTeam

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for coaching basketball including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

I have had this in my files for a while.  It came from Western Michigan

Being a basketball player does not imply merely wearing the uniform and just being a member of a squad. There are many more important phases to think about if you want to be a winner not only in basketball but in life as well. Ask yourself these questions, and answer them honestly.

1.         Are you coachable? Can you take coaching? Can you take criticism without ever looking for an alibi? Are you a “know it all”? Will you always do your very best to try to improve?

2.         Are you possessed with the spirit of competition which fires an intense desire to win? Does it bother you to lose?

3.         Are you willing to practice or do_you want to practice? You must want to work every day with the same zeal, speed, and determination you use during a ball game. Do you have two speeds‑‑a Practice speed and a game speed? The great playes of the past were the ones who had one speed, and it was the same every day, every practice, every game. If you loaf and cheat in practice, you will loaf and cheat in a game.

4.         Are you willing to make sacrifices? Conditioning to play is not fun. It is stark punishment at times. Training is exacting; the responsibility is heavy. It is rough and includes personal denials in order to remain in tiptop condition, but it has its rewards. You thrill with an inner glow that reflects a feeling of happiness when you are able to dive and save a ball from going out‑of‑bounds. The only way for you to remain in good shape is never to get out of it.

5.         Do you have an ardent desire to improve? Will you practice the things you cannot do three times longer than the things you can do? Are you willing to put in long grinding hours, concentrating on a skill until you have perfected it? Are you eager to work so diligently at the skills you lack that they eventually become your strongest assets?

6.         Do you have the ability to think under fire? Can you concentrate on the work to be accomplished at the moment? Can you shut out from your mind a previous failure, success, rule infraction, or personal insult in order to give undivided attention to the offensive and defensive maneuver in the here and now? Games are not won by yesterday’s score, but by what is happening now, at this moment.

7.         Are you willing to be impersonal‑toward your opponent? Do you shut out all personal feelings about your opponent except to beat him as often and quickly as you can, in accordance with the rules? Our experiences have taught us that the moment a player becomes personal he plays only to release individual grievances and ceases to play basketball as a team member.

8.         Are you willing to study just as hard as you did before coming out for basketball? Basketball was never meant to take the place of studies. The athletic tail must never wag the academic dog. If you must eliminate something from your schedule, it must not be study time. First things come first, and your academic growth is of paramount importance.

9.           Do you believe in your school, your team, and your coach? Your school is as good as you make it. Your coach is a genuine employee of your school given the responsibility of coaching, not his team, but your team. Are you willing to work toward that spirit of oneness so that everyone possesses the feeling of belonging through their contribution? Will you keep uppermost in mind that when a coach blisters the team with criticism his remarks are never meant to be personal affronts? The only intent is to pressure you to want to correct your mistakes so that success for everyone results. Despite his scathing remarks he loves all of you as if you were his very own.

10. Will you strive daily to improve your muscular coordination and speed.  Basketball is a game of movement and daily drills will tend to speed up your reaction time. Speed and coordination are necessary ingredients in a winning combination.

Finally, remember this saying: Hard work guarantees nothing, But lack of it does.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coachingincluding basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

Contributed by Coach Ken Sartini

I always had 2-3 “Thoughts for the Day” for every practice.  I would read one before practice started and one somewhere in the middle if I thought they needed a short break and a good message.  But, I always saved ONE for the end of practice, I always picked one of the players to read it.  There were times they asked me what that meant and of course I would throw it back to them first… asking them what THEY thought it meant.
 
This one day, I had this article and picked a senior to read it because of the message involved.  It was obvious that he was moved by it from the tone of his voice, he was having problems keeping it together.  When he was done, he turned to me and said…..

” I wish you would have warned me about this, it really got to me. “  The team was very quiet and I could tell that this message had gotten through to them too.
 
” IF “ 
 
IF I knew it would be the last time that I would see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
 
IF I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss and call you back for one more.
 
IF I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word so I could play it back day after day.
 
IF I knew it would be the last time I could spare an extra minute or two,
To stop and say “I love You,” Instead of assuming you KNOW I do.
 
IF I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day…..
Well, I’m sure you’ll have so many more, So I can just let this one slip away.
 
For surely there’s always tomorrow To make up for an oversight, And we always
get a second chance to make everything right.  There will always be another
day to say our  “I love you’s” and certainly there’s another chance to say our
“Anything I can do’s?” 
 
BUT just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,I’d like to say how
 much I love you And I hope we never forget that …. Tomorrow is not promised
to anyone, Young or old alike.  And today may be the last chance to get to hold
your loved one tight.
 
SO if you’re waiting for tomorrow, Why not do it today?
For IF tomorrow never comes, You’ll surely regret the day.
That you didn’t take that extra time for a smile. a hug or a kiss.
 
AND you were too busy to grant someone, What turned out to be their one
 last wish.  So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear.  Tell
them how much you love them and that you’ll always hold them dear.
 
Take the time to say “I’m sorry,”  “Please forgive me.” Thank you,” or
“it’s ok,” and IF tomorrow never comes, You’ll have NO REGRETS about today.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

I once heard Thad Matta say at a clinic that the number one goal he sets for his coaching staff is to:

“establish a life-long relationship with every player that cannot be broken.”

I changed it a little for our program to include managers and changed the word “player” to “participant” so that the managers would be included.

I carry that statement around with me as a part of my written goals and have continued to look for ways to meet it as I have been at five different schools.

I wanted to share an idea that I had that we put together with a lot of help from some former assistant coaches and one of my former Athletic Directors.

I coached at Winamac High School in Indiana from 99 until 03 and we had a reunion of our teams including players, coaches, managers, parents, administrators, and support staff such as our bus driver, scorekeeper, athletic secretary, etc… and anyone who wanted to bring girlfriends, wives, or children was welcome to.

We didn’t organize any activities (at least I thought we didn’t) other than a cookout lunch. On the invitation, we invited everyone to bring frisbees, corn hole games, and the like. I didn’t know they were going to do it, but the players and some of the assistant coaches put out the word to bring shorts and shoes to play some pickup games on the outdoor court that was right by the pavilion we had reserved. It was fun to see them playing together again. I know they enjoyed it too.

It really wasn’t that difficult or expensive to put together. I started working on it about six months before we had it. Working with my wife, the assistant coaches, and our AD, we reserved the best pavillion in the park which was right next to the playground for the young children, close to the restrooms, and close to the basketball court.

Using e-mail invitations, facebook, and free cell phone long distance, it was very inexpensive to contact everyone that I needed to get hold of. We made it a pitch in and that made the food prep easy.

One really odd coincidence occurred as my wife and I stopped for dinner on the way back home. The drive for us was about two hours and we stopped about half way in Kokomo, which is the main artery for traffic heading from Indianapolis north or heading south to Indy. Of all of the people in that area at the time we were, we ran into the father of one of our 2003 graduates who is serving in the military in Iraq and obviously could not make the reunion. I wonder what the chance of that happening are?. I had not seen the dad since I left Winamac in 2003, but have corresponded online with the former player.

I am putting this idea out for you because I know that those who were able to come really had a good time renewing some dear friendships. We are going to do it every other year and I am already looking forward to the 2011 gathering!

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

I first saw Ed Schilling play when I competed against him in a high school varsity basketball game.  Even though he did not score much, he controlled the game as the point guard for the Lebanon (Indiana) Tigers.  He got all of his teammates the ball where they were most effective with it, hit the big shots, and made his free throws down the stretch as we were fouling in an attempt to catch up.

That was 25 years ago and since then he had a great career as a player at Miami (Ohio), became a head high school coach at age 23, became an assistant at: UMass, the New Jersey Nets, Memphis, and the head coach at Wright State.  Now, he focuses on developing individual skills for players of all levels at his Champions Academy Training Facility in Indianapolis.  He works with all ages and ability levels, including recent NBA first round draft choices Greg Oden, Mike Conley, George Hill, Courtney Lee, and Eric Gordon.

So, with all of that experience and ability to teach players how to play basketball, he has put together what I feel is one of the best DVDs that I have in my coaching library–Mandatory Moves.   In the DVD, Coach Schilling goes shows how he teaches individual moves from various spots on the floor.  The DVD is more than just demonstration.   He is working with three young high school players and you can see not only what he teaches, but also how he teaches it, and how the players benefit and improve immediately from the teaching points he emphasizes.

This DVD is something that players and coaches from every level will be able to apply immediately to their games to improve themselves, or to develop the individual skills their players need to make plays that will improve whatever offense you run.

Here is a link to more information about the Mandatory Moves DVD:

Ed Schilling Mandatory Moves

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching including basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS

I have always attempted to find a way to get a local official or two to come in and work a Saturday pre-season scrimmage during one of our practices.  It really doesn’t have to be a Saturday practice, I just found that it was easier for many officials to come in on a Saturday than a week night.  I also like to use Saturday’s for pre-season scrimmages.

I am not talking about a public scrimmage, just the section of the practice that you use to go 5 on 5, but I make this one game like with a manager doing the clock, playing four quarters, etc…  I pay them the going rate for a JV game.  If you can’t afford two or three (which we usually can’t), then we have assistant coaches be the second and third officials.

I have found that the officials like it because it does help themto prepare for the new season.  It helps our players because I ask the officials talk to them about new rules and just some quick thoughts on what it is like to be an official.  I think it helps to humanize the officials to the players and gives our players a different perspective on them as people.

We also expect our players to hand the ball to officials rather than tossing it or throwing it.  I think that helps show respect to the officials.  We also address them as “yes sir” (ma’m for lady officials), “no sir”, and respond with “thank you sir” when receiving a handoff or a bounce pass from the official.

I have found as Coach Meyer says that “you get what you expect, inspect, and  accept.”  We strive to expect and then remove players from the game, who show disleasure with an officials call, no matter how much the crowd reacts.  My feeling is that regardless of how much we dislike a call, we cannot lose our poise and focus on playing the game and becoming upset with the officiating does not help the performance of our team.  I am not saying that we are perfect in this regard, but that is what we strive for in practice and in games.

At this time of year, it is always stressful for both basketball coaches and for basketball players who played (or are still playing) a fall sport as to when they should start practice if the seasons overlap.  Even when the fall sport ends on a Friday or Saturday and then basketball practice starts on Monday, it is a tough call.  I would like to express my opinion and encourage high school and middle school coaches that have to deal with this issue to give it a lot of thought.  I do not believe my way is the only way or even the right way, it is just what has worked best when I have had to deal with it.  My belief is that each situation should be handled on an individual basis and that there is no way to have a blanket policy as to when a fall athlete should be required to start practice.   A reasonable agreement can be worked out between the coaches and the athletes who fall into this category with a little communication.

There are several reasons that I feel that each case should be handled differently.  One is that each fall sport is different and affects different positions differently.  I ran cross country in high school, so this is not a slam on cross country runners, but it makes sense that they do not get as beat up as a running back in football who carries 20 times a game for nine or ten games. On the other hand, a cross country runner who competes in the state meet on say a Saturday,  might have a tough time being at a 6:00 am practice on that next Monday.

Even within a particular sport, the physical toll is different.  A setter in volleyball does not have as many landings and as much strain on the legs as a hitter.  I have very little specific experience with specific wear and tear on all of the fall sports, so I am not going to go into more examples. I just believe that it is something that should be discussed with your assistant coaches in order to have a plan in place ahead of time that is the best you can do for each individual who is affected.

One factor that complicates things is that I feel that it is not right to talk to the fall athletes about basketball as they are entering their playoffs and state tournament series.  I believe that there focus should be allowed to be on that sport, just like I hope that the spring coaches extend us the same courtesy in late February and March. I do believe that if a fall sport ended over a week before basketball starts that the player should be at the first practice unless there is an injury involved.  Then they should be at practice to watch unless they have doctor visits and or rehab.

I always like to take the late practice time slot the first day of practice if that works for the other programs that we share the gym with.  That gives us a little more time to talk with the fall athletes whose seasons may have ended over the weekend.  I have never liked to run to them to start the school day to see what they want to do. I want to give them a little space after their previous season ends.  If you can’t practice late, you might have the assistants start practice while the head coach talks with the fall athletes.

It is difficult to get the season going as you are wondering when your players will be out for practice, in some cases needing to make cuts, stay withing state guidelines for the number of pre-season practices required, having a short time to prepare for the opening game, having to take care of the administrative items of passing out equipment, pictures, parent meetings, etc…  And, to top it all off, basketball is the only sport that has the added difficulty of sharing facilities and having to either change practice locations, practice times or both.

I do not believe that it shows that a player is not eager for basketball who asks for a few days to recover from fall sports.  There will be some that want to start as soon as possible, and those are easy to deal with.  I believe that for the big picture of the well being of both the athletes and the program, if they ask for a couple of days off before starting practice, you will be better of in the long run for granting them.    Basketball is a long season and the coach is not giving up much by allowing a little rest and recovery.  I do think it is important that you communicate to the other players when that player will be joining the team and why they want or need the days off.

I wish you the best as you try to sort through these types of situations.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.

I have been so busy working on Hoopclinics that I really didn’t watch as much of the Men’s Basketball (or any of the events for that matter) as I wanted to.  However, I did catch enough of the Men to see that they clearly were on a mission and put their own egos aside for the good of the team.  I am interested to see how much of that carries over to this coming NBA season, or if a team attitude was a one time thing for those players.

To me, that is why Michael Jordan is the best player ever.  He was the defensive stopper every night, not just on special occasions.  He played with a team attitude every night, not just when there was an Olympic gold medal on the line.  That is probably why he was the leader of the team that won more regular season games than any other NBA team in history.  He delivered every night. I heard Rick Majerus talk at a clinic once about his showing the “Be Like Mike” tape to his teams at the beginning of every season.  Not the one from TV with the dunks and electrifying plays, but the one he constructed showing him diving on loose balls, taking charges, fiercely fighting for rebounds, and the multitude of other hustle plays that he made night in and night out.

In my opinion, a truly great player can be even better when he or she puts the team first, regardless of how superior they are in talent to their teammates.

I think Coach K proved once and for all that coaching does make a difference.  I once heard somebody state that if they had to win one game, they would take Coach K if the team had more talent than their opponent, and Dick Bennett if it had less.  I couldn’t agree more.  He took a group of individuals who were not accustomed to playing as a team and constructed a team.  Their gestures with their medals shows how they felt about his leadership and them becoming a team.  I think his strong leadership was even more necessary on this team with no one with dynamic leadership ability.  I think LeBron will become a great leader in the course of time, but he still has a ways to go to be considered dynamic.

It seems that Coach K has a way of getting along with most players and being able to get a lot out of them.  He is a strong personality, but there seem to have been few personality clashes on teams that he is associated with despite coaching many talented and strong willed players.  I think he personifies the coach as leader.  I know that there are times when you have to get on players, but some coaches do it so much that you wonder if they realize that they are on the same team as their players.

I am interested to see how much of the team attitude carries over to this coming NBA season, or if a team attitude was a one time thing for those players.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.

While we were waiting on the Finals to start a couple of weeks ago, ESPN showed Game 6 of the 1987 NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers. One of the things that stuck me was the number of players from that game who were now in the NBA as head basketball coaches, assistant coaches, or NBA executives.

I could be missing a couple, but here is the list to the best of my ability off the top of my head. Please let me know who I have missed.

Boston had Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Rick Carlisle, Sam Vincent, and Dennis Johnson who all continued their careers in basketball as head coaches, assistant coaches, or front office personnel. Los Angeles had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kurt Rambis, and Byron Scott.

I guess you could also throw in Tom Tolbert (LA) and Bill Walton (Boston) to the mix as they have become television analysts.

I guess that begs the question, Were those teams successful because they had players who thought the game and loved it, or did they become coaches and executives because they were a part of the success that both of those franchises enjoyed during their careers?

It is with mixed emotions that I talk to players when they ask about or want to discuss getting in to teaching and coaching. It reminds me of the time in my life when I was so excited about getting started in the profession and it has certainly led to a lot of joy and positive relationships in my life. On the other hand, I know how consuming it can become and how much time it takes to do the job right, so I worry about that aspect of their desire to coach.

However, I do know that all of the players who wanted to coach were easy to coach and did seem to think and understand the game at a higher level, even as high school players. One of the nicest things you can have in coaching is when a former player joins your staff. It makes you feel like you are doing something right. They also understand what you stand for, what your program is about, and they are as loyal as anyone could be.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.

The Coaching Toolbox is very fortunate that Ed Schilling, former head mens’ basketball coach at Wright State University, and an assistant at UMass, Memphis, and with the New Jersey Nets of the NBA did a 14 minute interview with us for our teleseminar series. The interview is live and you can access it here. Coach Schilling currently is the Executive Director for Champions Academy, which is dedicated to improving the individual skills of basketball players through individual development workouts. He trained four 2007 NBA first round draft choices and is currently working with several players who project to be first rounders in 2008!

Coach Schillings topic is individual development for point guards. As a player, Ed set single game, season, and career assist records at Miami of Ohio. As a coach, he developed many outstanding point guards. One of his recent grads of Champions Academy is lottery pick and point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Conley. Coach also worked with Greg Oden and Carl Landry, so his expertise is not limited to perimeter players.

Our interview is 14 minutes long. (By the way, we have decided that is not long enough, so we are expanding their length to be able to provide our visitors with more of the great information that our guests are providing us with.) During the short time that he has, Coach Schilling covers the topics of developing confidence and skills, creating space with the basketball, and how to utilize the moves that the point guard develops to help him or her “run the show.” We also have some links to Instructional tapes and DVDs that Coach has produced. Click here to listen to the interview.

Our next interview is scheduled to launch on May 19 and is with Jay Wolf who designed the Star Shooter and is a nationally recognized expert on shooting instruction.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of free resources for basketball coaching and for basketball players.