Loving Your Family (from Tony Dungy)

Merry Christmas to all! Most of us are lucky to be spending the holidays with our families, people we should truly value. Tony Dungy had some great thoughts in his second book, "Uncommon", about how we should love our families. Most of them are directed toward adult men but everyone can apply these in your own life.

1. Be a leader around your home, but lead for the benefit of your wife and children, not your own benefit.
2. Give your wife breaks from her daily responsibilities.
3. Make memories.
4. Keep your vows sacred. Sometimes better comes AFTER worse.
5. If you are not married, be careful in selecting a spouse. It is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
6. Be present with your family - emotionally and physically.
7. Be careful what you say and do.
8. Write notes to your children.
9. Honor those in authority over you.
10. Be careful with authority and influence that you've been entrusted with.
11. If you can't come to grips with your parents and your past, find a professional to walk with you through it.

Thoughts from Larry Bird

My old roommate, Matt, called me tonight from the Indiana Pacers game. He wanted to let me know he had gotten Larry Bird's autograph for me tonight. So in honor of Larry Legend, I thought I would post some of his wisdom from a book I read by Mark Shaw titled "Larry Legend."

- "Once I realized I could pass the ball, my game changed completely."

- "I never wanted to leave the court until I got everything just right. I would practice different kinds of moves for hours on end and work hard to make my left hand as strong as my right."

- "The way I see it, if I put two hours in by myself, then someone who is working out with somebody else has to put in four hours in order to beat me. That's the way I've always gone about it."

- "I've never really understood why more players don't make the effort to become great free-throw shooters. It just takes practice and hard work and concentration."

Thoughts from "How Lucky You Can Be"

ESPN baseball guru Buster Olney recently authored a book about the Coach of Coaches", Don Meyer. Coach Meyer broke Bob Knight's All-Time College Basketball wins mark while coaching at Northern State University in 2009. Upon emergency surgery after an almost fatal automobile accident on a North Dakota highway in 2008, doctors diagnosed Coach Meyer with cancer. Olney's book in both motivational and inspirational...one of the best I've read. The following are a few highlights from Olney's book:

- Coach Meyer had three rules for all of his players in his program:
Rule No. 1: Everybody takes notes.
Rule No. 2: Everybody says, “Yes, sir,” “Yes, ma’am,” “No, sir,” and “No, ma’am.” In other words, be courteous to everybody.
Rule No. 3: Everybody picks up trash.

- Meyer coached that their goal should be small and immediate: Execute the next play properly. That’s all.

- Don Meyer focused on the process and taught his players to think more about the process than the results – but of course, he understood that a preponderance of correctly executed plays would almost inevitably lead to victories. (Sounds a lot like his mentor, Coach Wooden!)

- A student coach had once remarked to Baruth that in Meyer’s program, every person doing every job was essential, whether you were preparing a tray of food for the players at a meal or you were an assistant coach working with the guards on transition defense. No job within the Northern State program was any less important or any more important than any other.

ESPN has covered Coach Meyer's story...

To view a preview of Coach Don Meyer's story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_019GcX-lyc

To see Coach Meyer's ESPY's Awards Speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoOkHawZKa4

Coach Wooden's "People Blocks"

Between Coach Wooden's two "Cornerstone" blocks in his "Pyramid", he included his "People Blocks." Coach Wooden said that it is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest. His three "People Blocks" are "Friendship," "Loyalty," and "Cooperation."

FRIENDSHIP
"Friendship comes from mutual esteem and devotion. God created us to be interdependent. We were not designed to go through life alone."

LOYALTY
"Loyalty is the foundational quality that gets us through hard times. Will we compromise our integrity when temptation is great? Or will we remain loyal to our beliefs and core values?"

"Loyalty is the force that forges individuals into a team. It's the component that moves teams toward great achievements."

COOPERATION
"Cooperation in working with others for the benefit of all."

When Coach Wooden was a young boy, he learned two important lessons by watching his father talk calmly to a team of horses trying to pull a load up a steep hill:
1) Gentleness is a better method of getting cooperation than harshness is, and,
2) A team can accomplish more when it works together than individuals can when they work alone.

Coach Wooden on Industriousness

Coach Wooden defined his first Building Block of his "Pyramid of Success," Industriousness (or Hard Work), as having two components - work and planning.

"There is no substitute for hard work. If we only put out a minimum effort we might get by in some situations, but in the long run we won't fully develop the talents that lie within us."

"During my tenure in Westwood, I never took an extended break after the season was over...I would begin research on some aspect of the sport. I would talk with other coaches, read books and examine every angle...My research would last for the entire off-season."

This passion that Coach Wooden had is one that I have truly learned to value. I love the preparation of a season and talking with other coaches and learning from them. Not enough value is placed on learning new aspects of the game, particularly by younger coaches. Everyone should be willing to share their knowledge for the betterment of the game and for kids!

"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty (Proverbs 21:5).

The passing of the Great John Wooden last week made me, like so many others, reflect on his teachings about basketball and life. One of my first memories of Coach Wooden's impact on the game came as a young child visiting the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, Indiana. There is, and may still be, an exhibit with an electronic image of Coach Wooden teaching his team his definition of success. I still have, to this day, a copy of the "Pyramid of Success" that I picked up on one of those early visits to the HOF.

In honor of Coach Wooden, I am going to run a series of blogs on some great things that I have picked up from Coach Wooden, mostly from "Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks For a Better Life," a great book about the "Pyramid" by Coach Wooden and his writing partner Jay Carty.

Coach Wooden defined success based on a teaching from his Father and from a poem. Here they are:

What He Learned from His Father...
1. Don't try to be better than anyone else.
2. Always try to be the best you can be.

The Poem...
At God's footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
"I failed," he cried. The Master said,
"Thou didst thy best, that is success."

These wise words were the premise for Coach Wooden's famous definition of success, which he first wrote in 1934...
"Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

Xavier Women's Basketball Shooting System

These are thoughts from Xavier Women's Assistant Mike Neighbors on the shooting system they use in their program...

- They always want game shots from game spots at game speeds. In any drill, they will emphasize at least one of these.

- They use a specific emphasis on each shooting drill - i.e. good footwork, good positioning, making the shot.

- They use simulation in their shooting drills - simulating a defense, a screen, setting a screen, etc.

- Chart and record. Makes it competitive and kids like personal records.

- Variation of skills and drills - This keeps intensity levels high. "Repetition without being repetitious"

Characteristics of an Effective Coach

Tom Crean and Ralph Pim co-authored a book titled "Coaching Team Basketball: Developing Players With a Team-First Attitude." Most know Tom Crean as my alma mater's, Indiana University's head coach, and Dwayne Wade's college coach at Marquette. Ralph Pim was also an extremely successful coach in his time at Barberton (OH) High School, Alma (MI) College, William & Mary, NW Louisiana, Central Michigan, and Limestone College. I have become a big fan of Coach Pim's writing, particularly he and Jerry Krause's "Lessons from the Legends", and have enjoyed hearing he and Coach Krause speak annually at the NABC Convention. Coach Pim gave Coach Crean his first college coaching job at Alma in 1986 and they partnered together again to write this great book, published in 2007.

One of the things they discussed in their book was "Characteristics of an Effective Coach". This is a great list for a coach at any level to remind themselves of on a regular basis...

- Be trustworthy.
- Be passionate.
- Be knowledgeable and competent.
- Be a team builder.
- Demonstrate personal courage and mental toughness. - "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - MLK, Jr.
- Be a communicator. (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) - "Most players only hear. The key is listening to what you're being told, what's being said, what is expected of you in your role as part of a team." - Bob Knight
- Be a teacher and motivator.
- Be compassionate.
- Be competitive.
- Focus on the important tasks. - "In the Army, this principle is accomplished by completing a Mission Essential Task List. This list identifies tasks that are the most important in accomplishing the mission. It helps team members prioritize their work since there is only so much time in every day. Army Field Manual 25-101 clearly states, "Do essential things first...Nonessentials should not take up time required for essentials."
- Be a Guardian of the Game.
- Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
- Learn from the legends.

Setting Goals from Lou Holtz

One of my favorite motivational speakers, Lou Holtz, had these things to say on choosing a profession and his categories of goals from his autobiography "Wins, Losses, and Lessons"...

What's Important in Choosing a Profession:
1) You have to do something you love
2) You have to find something you do well
3) You have to find somebody who will pay you

5 Categories of Goals to Obtain in Life:
1) Things I want to do as a husband and a father
2) Things I want to do religiously
3) Things I want to accomplish professionally
4) Things I want to do financially
5) Things I want to do for excitement (personally)

Clinic Notes from Ben Jacobson

Coming off the biggest upset in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and a new contract extension, Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson shared some offensive insights in Las Vegas on April 30th which I will share with you...

3 Things to Start With
1) A solid foundation
2) Belief in what you're doing
3) Work hard!

3 Things they talk about offensively at Northern Iowa -
It doesn't matter what offense you run, you need these:
1) Spacing
2) Pace - Best definition of "pace" is watching Michigan St. run their stuff
3) Screening

Offensively, try to force help. What can you do to force help?
1) Post up
2) Ball screen

Jacobson also talked about how all of their secondary options and sets are called ahead of time (out of time outs). They will run these until the next media time out.

Coach Knight Clinic Thoughts

Be sure this won't be the last posting I have of Bob Knight "stuff". I often get a hard time of being too big of a Coach Knight fan. What can I say? I grew up in Indiana in the 1980s. I have a lot of things to share from when I took Coach Knight's class at IU but I will give you some things he touched upon at the Nike Clinic last week in Vegas...

Coach Knight had two rules for his players on practicing on their own:
1) Never have a girlfriend that won't rebound for you.
2) Always have a manager or another player shoot with you ("No free shooting").

Drills
1) Individual drills no longer than 5 minutes
2) Team drills no longer than 10 minutes

Coach Knight emphasized that the third phase of basketball, conversion, is just as important as offense and defense.

Free throws are the most underappreciated weapon in the game.
- Make it to the bonus(es) before your opponent does.
- Make more free throws than your opponent attempts.

"Anything you can do to make your kids think is of prime importance."

"You must pass, cut, and screen every day in practice if you're going to play against man-to-man defense."

When screening, hold your wrist with your opposite hand. This prevents your elbows from extending out and creating a foul.

Good Stuff from Nike Clinic Las Vegas

I attended the Nike Clinic in Las Vegas over this past weekend. Known as the top clinic in the country each year, it did not disappoint. I will make a couple posts over the next week with some notes from the clinic.

I was one of the rare ones to be in attendance on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. to hear National Junior College Coaches' Association President John Spezia speak. And I was not disappointed. Here are some thoughts he had to share...

Assistant Coaches
- Should have "big eyes, big ears, little mouths"
- Need to be loyal to their head coach
- The difference between the head coach and an assistant coach is a grand canyon (speaking in terms of responsibility levels)

Reasons why fundamentals aren't as good anymore
- Kids play too many games in the summer
- The practice season starts later (He pointed out that it used to start October 1 for him. I remember my high school practices starting October 15. Our practices have started the first or second week in November in recent years.)

Coach Spezia said that he doesn't think times have changed with kids. He thinks adults (parents and coaches) have changed. Our expectations and discipline of kids have decreased.

Coach Spezia made the point that if a coach is willing to overlook enforcement of rules, such as showing up late for practice or ignoring team rules, that will be remembered by the kid 5-10 years down the road and won't be respected. (Aren't we in the business of preparing our players for the future? If we're not, we should.)

He makes all of his three-point shooters make 100 in ten minutes before they are allowed to shoot 3's in a game. (Makes a kid work on his shot.)

Having a Positive Influence

One of my favorite coaches, Tony Dungy, in his book "Uncommon" with some questions to ask yourself if you want to have a positive influence on someone's life...

1. When was the last time you went to visit someone who needed a visit?
2. When was the last time you made a call - or wrote a letter - to someone who could use a lift in his or her life?
3. When was the last time you had a date with your spouse or a "date night" with your little girl, who adores you?
4. When was the last time you sent flowers to someone for no particular reason?
5. When was the last time you did something that will forever be a positive memory in someone's life?
6. When was the last time you were an encourager for someone else?

Butler Bulldog Philosophy

My first post will be from a program very near and dear to my heart, the Butler Bulldogs. I learned a lot about the game as a kid watching basketball in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Most may think that these thoughts are from an overnight success, but I know how important Tony Hinkle's influence still is on the program, and how current A.D. and former coach Barry Collier began the resurrection process for the program over twenty years ago. Enjoy...

Alan Major, a friend of mine and newly-named head coach at Charlotte, and I were talking about Butler sometime around the 2002-03 season (while he was an assistant at Xavier and I was a G.A. Academic Advisor) and "Maj" commented that, "THEIR PROGRAM IS LEGIT." I've never forgot that and Butler's run to the national championship game this year emphasized the importance of continuity within a program, especially amid a few coaching changes.

"THE BUTLER WAY"...Many of you heard this phrase used by the media throughout Butler's tournament run. This is a program philosophy that was coined by Coach Hinkle himself, and rejuvenated by Coach Collier. This is the short version of it...
"The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement everyday while putting the team above self."

Brad Stevens' 8 Components that Make a Great Teammate
1) Selflessness
2) Honesty. "Truth is a prerequisite of trust."
3) Accountability. "We have accountable people. When you don't, you can't improve."
4) Respect
5) Passion. "Kids have to love the game."
6) Enthusiasm. "Attitude is everything."
7) No doubts
8) Servanthood. "If you want to lead, serve first."

Welcome to Xcellence and O's

Welcome! Thank you for following my new blog, "Xcellence and O's." After my recent resignation as head basketball coach at The Summit Country Day School, I am going to need something to keep my mind sharp and keep me connected to the great game of basketball and motivational work. I will be posting thoughts from others, and less frequently my own thoughts, on basketball, leadership, and other topics you may find interesting. I will be using information from books, clinics, and personal discussions on all of these topics. I hope you enjoy the blog and please let your friends know about it, as well!