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Importance of Optimism

3/31/2015

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"Drive, competitiveness and determination.  Commitment.  These are the qualities we associate with winners.  But each one of these characteristics depends on one other: optimism.  Without optimism – that gut-level belief that we can succeed – we are far less likely to realize our dreams.  Setbacks and slumps will stop us cold if we don’t have basic faith in ourselves.  No matter how badly we want to succeed, if we don’t feel optimistic about our abilities and our potential, every day is going to be a struggle."

- Joe Torre



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Great Defenses

3/31/2015

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1.      Have a “your not going to score on us” mentality
2.      Determined to get stops
3.      Are locked and engaged
4.      Applies ball pressure
5.      Contains the ball
6.      Active hands, mirroring the ball
7.      Active in gaps
8.      Helps the helper (ready to help teammates)
9.      Closeout with high hands, under control
10.    Don’t lunge out of position
11.   Move on the flight of the ball
12.  Contest shots with fouling
13.  Finish possessions with a defensive rebound
14.  Communicate the entire possession

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Equange

3/29/2015

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Although it was almost six years ago, it seems like just yesterday when I met Jayare on the couch of our dorm common room at Trine University.  Our first conversation ever we discussed our goals and plans for the future.  I told him about how I wanted to be a basketball coach, and be a positive role model and influence on kids from my neighborhood.  He told me about his plans to start a clothing line with a goal to help people in need.  

I am happy to say not only are we both doing what we talked about over five years later we are also helping each other along the way.  I am the the assistant coach at Cincinnati Christian University, and founder of SHA, and he has given away over $25,000 through the sale of T-shirts, and is now re-branding and working to take the new line nationwide.  Thanks to cell phones and the internet, we are able to maintain our friendship.  We are still able to talk almost daily and are very much involved in each others projects.  

The mission of Equange is to make people AWARE of the fixable problems in this world, INSPIRE them to change those problems for the better, and to HELP those who are less fortunate than most.  The vision is to CHANGE the world or AWARE + INSPIRE + HELP = CHANGE.  This is called the "equation for change."    

From the sale of clothing and accessories and promoting the core values of the business Jayare is raising money through Equange to put together kits for underprivileged and homeless Americans.  These kits can have anything from blankets and clothes, to toiletries and food.  The Equange website has been officially launched and products will be available soon.  Like, follow, and share Equange's website and social media for for information, updates and more!

Instagram/
Twitter: @Equation4Change
Facebook: Wuo Wear (the name will be changing to "Equange" April 7)
Website:
www.equange.com

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Characteristics of a Good Drill

3/12/2015

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Tournament time! Now that it is tournament time high schools are looking to practice on college courts. As I sit here and watch one of the local high school teams practice on our court before their regional semifinal game, they have some really good practice drills. Each drill is ran effectively. They have all the making of a good drill. Practice drills can sometimes be overlooked. A drill is of no value in practice if it is not ran effectively. Here are my characteristics of a 'good drill.' 


  1. Score - winner and loser in every drill. "Losing is not acceptable"
  2. Time - not too much time for players to get bored but enough time to get good reps
  3. Rotation - guys know where and when to go
  4. Whistle - indicates tempo and "your out"
  5. Emphasis - the more emphasize the less you get 
  6. Teaching - correcting guys mistakes, do not allow guys to get away with bad habits
  7. Communication - Everyone on the court is talking
  8. Involvement - the guys not in the drill are still involved in the drill on the sideline, being another coach
  9. Purpose - every drill has a purpose to your team success (don't practice trapping if your not a trapping team, unless it's in the scouting report)

Whether it is a team drill or an individual player development drill, these are important aspects of a good drill. Good luck to all the teams playing in the post season!


"In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me."
-John Wooden

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No Days Off

3/12/2015

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As the basketball season begins to come to an end I begin to get ready for next season. Now, I like relaxation as much as the next person but reaching goals reguires sacrifice.  There is a small window of opportunity to make dreams and goals become reality. They say the harder you work the luckier you get. My success is determined by my commitment to prepare everyday for opportunites to elevate my team and clients basketball skills. I give my best day in and day out when my number is called on. I will do whatever it takes to help an athlete get to where he/she want to be!

I'm committed to preparing myself everyday and will take advantage of every opportunity to help athletes succeed on the court and in life. Being a basketball coach and trainer, that is my job. Whether it is Labor Day, Christmas or one on one skill session, I am committed to helping athletes grow. Success requires us to be willing to sacrifice who we are today for who we wish to become in the future.  Because time plays a factor in us reaching our goals and dreams let's not risk falling short by taking days off. My passion is helping athletes succeed at their passions. 
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Blueprint For A Successful Coaching Philosophy 

3/5/2015

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The following are notes from Jimmy Dykes at the Coaching U Live event in Indianapolis a couple years ago. Jimmy Dykes is the head women’s coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

1) Everyday guys will beat sometime guys every day.

-High talent guys that are sometime guys will be a year of frustration.

-Key areas of recruiting: evaluation of talent and evaluation of character.

-Everyday guys go every day, every possession.

-When evaluating a player, watch how they respond in a bad game

2) If you are not tough, you will not win.

-Do not flinch on a loose ball

-Blow up screens

-Do not let one mistake become two

-"Toughness is doing what is right when it is really really hard to do what is right"

3) If you cannot talk it, you cannot execute it

-Players must be able to talk the action

4) Practice for 5 - 10 minutes without talking

-Will drive home the importance of talking real quick

5) If you aren't talking loud enough in practice to be heard in a silent gym, you not be heard in the loudest arena  

6) Where are we scoring from? 3 key areas:

-The free throw line should be a number one priority in an offense

-Are you scoring off of rim shots?

-Clean 3's.

- The quality of shot of us vs. them will 90% of the time determine who wins the game

7) How hard are your cuts?

- Be in good enough shape to still be able to hard cut in the last 5

-6 minutes of the game, not just for a half

- Cut with purpose and passion

-Hard cuts wear people down

8) 24/24 last final four teams have shot 32% or higher from the 3pt line

-Who is shooting your 3's? Has a lot to do with what you shoot as a team selection of the 3: are you open? Are you balanced? Are you shooting a bad pass? Quit shooting bad passes and shot percent will rise as a team. Good 3pt shooting teams and good passing have direct correlation.

9) It is not the number of plays you have but the number of plays you can run with perfection.

10) You cannot be a great player if you avoid contact

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Books On My Shelf

3/4/2015

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A Father First                                                                        Dwayne Wade
Aspire Higher                                                                        Avery Johnson
Beyond Basketball                                                                Mike Krzysewski
Boring Meetings Suck                                                           Jon Petz
Coach Wooden's Leadership Game Plan for Success            John Wooden
Eleven Rings                                                                        Phil Jackson
Fab Five                                                                               Mitch Albom
Foul Trouble                                                                        John Feinstein
Good To Great                                                                    Jim Collins
Hardwork:  Roy Williams A Life On and Off the Court           Tim Crothers
How Good Do You Want To Be                                           Nick Saban
Inside Out Coaching                                                            Joe Ehrmann
Leading With the Heart                                                        Mike Krzysewski
Never Eat Alone                                                                   KeithFerrazzi
No Complaining Rule                                                            Jon Gordon
Outliers                                                                                Malcolm Gladwell
Presenting To Win                                                               Jerry Weissman
Quiet Strength                                                                     Tony Dungy
Raise the Roof                                                                      PatSummit
Rebound Rules                                                                     Rick Pitino
Relentless                                                                             Tim Grover
Sum It Up                                                                             Pat Summit
Talent Code                                                                          Daniel Coyle
The Carolina Way                                                                 Dean Smith
The Energy Bus                                                                    Jon Gordon
They Call Me Coach                                                              John Wooden
The Worst Times Are The Best Times                                    LeVelle Moton
Toughness                                                                           Jay Bilas
Training Camp                                                                      Jon Gordon
Uncommon                                                                          Tony Dungy
When March Went Mad                                                        Seth Davis
Winning Every Day                                                               LouHoltz


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Keep A Losing Team Motivated

3/3/2015

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This topic is one I hope to never experience again (from losing). I have coached at a variety of levels from junior high, high school, college and aau. Last summer was probably the toughest team I've ever coached; a group of 8th grade girls that only had one player that ever played aau. It was a fun, but rough summer for me. I learned a lot from that group of girls and would not trade that experience is for anything. Winning teams usually have no problems with motivation but the old saying of… losing teams have team meetings. We stayed away from that philosophy because I felt it brought the wrong focus.



Players are aware of all the games they've won and lost, they don't need to be reminded. When motivating this group of young ladies I chose to focus on what motivates the individual to see the 'big picture' and why they were playing basketball.



One of the girls always stepped up and her words that day were " we are paying to play, let's not waste our parents money and get the most out of it."



When I heard this statement it made me think. Some of my thoughts included:

1. Attention to realistic events around us

2. Variety in all we do

3. Team chemistry on and off the court

4. Compete with a purpose

5. Positive attitudes are contagious

6. Enjoy each day and each member of the team



I can and will elaborate on each topic (later) as I am sure many people have the same issues. I can say that everyday was a good day after that despite losing 95% of our games that summer. As I stated earlier, it was huge learning experience for a young coach like myself.  Now that I look back on it, it was actually quite satisfying in a strange way.  If any of my aau parents from last season read this… thank you for your patience!

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Jon Gordon: 11 Thoughts About Teamwork

3/2/2015

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1. Teams rise and fall on culture, leadership, relationships, attitude and effort.

Great teams have a great culture driven by great leadership. Relationships are meaningful and teammates are connected. The collective attitude is very positive and everyone on the team works hard to accomplish their mission.

2. It’s all about teamwork. Sometimes you are the star and sometimes you help the star.

3. If want to be truly great you have to work as hard to be a great teammate as you do to be a great player.

I tell this to athletes all the time but the same is true for any profession. When we work hard to be a great team member we make everyone around us better.

4. Your team doesn’t care if you are a superstar. They care if you are a super team member.

5. Three things you control every day are your attitude, your effort and your actions to be a great teammate.

It doesn’t matter what is happening around you and who you think is being unfair. Every day you can focus on being positive, working hard and making others around you better. If you do that great things will happen.

6. One person can’t make a team but one person can break a team. Stay positive!

Make sure you don’t let energy vampires sabotage your team. Post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires” allowed and keep them off the bus. Most importantly, decide to stay positive.

7. Great team members hold each other accountable to the high standards and excellence their culture expects and demands.

8. Team beats talent when talent isn’t a team.

9. Great teams care more. They care more about their effort, their work and their team members.

10. We > me

Unity is the difference between a great team and an average team. United teams are connected and committed to each other. They are selfless instead of selfish. They put the team first and know together we accomplish more.

11. You and your team face a fork in the road each day. You can settle for average and choose the path of mediocrity or you can take the road less traveled and chase greatness.

It’s a choice you make each day. Which path will your team take?

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Disease Called Average

3/1/2015

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AVERAGE is what the failures claim to be when their family and friends ask them why they are not more successful.

AVERAGE is the top of the bottom, the best of the worst, the bottom of the top, the worst of the best. Which of these are you?

AVERAGE means being run-of-the-mill, mediocre, insignificant, and also-ran, nonentity.

Being AVERAGE is the lazy person's cop-out; it's lacking the guts to take a stand in life; it's living by default.

Being AVERAGE is to take up space for no purpose; to take the trip through life, but never to pay the fare; to return no interest for God's investment in you.

Being AVERAGE is to pass one's live away with time, rather than to pass one's time away with life; it's to kill time, rather than to work it to death.

To be AVERAGE is to be forgotten once you pass from this life. The successful are remembered for their contributions; the failures are remembered because they tried; but the AVERAGE, the silent majority is just forgotten.

To be AVERAGE is to commit the greatest crime one can against one's self, humanity, and one's God. The saddest epitaph is this: "Here lies Mr. and Ms. Average -- here lies the remains of what might have been, except for their belief that they were only AVERAGE.

-Edmund Gaudet

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