A Winning Attitude

New Orleans Hornets forward James Posey (pictured left) has won 2 NBA titles in the last 3 years (Miami & Boston). The intangibles that he brings to his team are seen as priceless to this teammates.

Says coach Byron Scott: "He has changed our culture because we came into training camp talking about how our defense has to get better in order to win a championship, and no one knows that better than James.

And he's always the first guy off the bench to scream and yell. We needed that. All the guys ask him questions, and you know they're going to listen to him because he has two rings and these guys want to win one.He's like a few players in this league that can affect a game without scoring. He's going to take the charge, he's going to guard the best players, he's going to communicate at all times. I loved him for all those reasons. He's won where he's been. He hits big shots in big games, he defends the best players almost every night."

"It's a mind-set, and I'm trying to get my teammates to buy into that. I'm just trying to share some of the things that I've learned on those two teams where I won and the mind-set as far as preparing yourself to actually win a title. What I keep telling them is: It's a process. You can't get bored with it.

You have to prepare for it each day by practicing hard, getting better and looking at the bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve. You can't get too high in this game in this game and you can't get too low. You've just got to keep working and keep pushing."

The "Glue Guy"

Tayshaun Prince was selected for the USA Basketball team this past summer not because he was one of the top 12 most talented players at the team tryouts, but due to his willingness to do the grunt work.

Said Prince, "You have to have guys that are willing to sacrifice and do some other things, and I definitely feel that I am that guy."

Coach K describes a glue guy as someone who always keeps the team together.

"He's the ultimate team player and a star. I don't want to reduce guys' egos and say, 'You're the 11th or 12th man.' I want them to be a star. And I'm not saying Tayshaun is the 11 or 12th man, but wherever we put him in the ballgame, we want him to come in with a high level of ego, worthy of championship team. He's a glue guy on the team."

Frazier's guts inspire Illini

Injured guard rallies teammates with play of game:

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - It was a night sophomore Mike Tisdale always will remember, but not for all the reasons one might think.The Illinois center scored six of his career-high 20 points in overtime Friday as Illinois rallied to beat Kent State 69-63 in the semifinals of the South Padre Island Invitational. Mike Davis (17 points, 13 rebounds) made three free throws in the final 22 seconds for the Illini (5-0).But Tisdale and his teammates also will remember a courageous performance from senior guard Chester Frazier.With the score tied 62-62, Frazier, playing with a deep thigh bruise, launched himself over the Illinois bench to keep the ball in bounds and keep an overtime possession alive.

"That was the play of the game," Tisdale said.The Illini didn't score on the possession, but the emotional lift was palpable."Somebody had to pick it up, Chester started doing it, and it was contagious," said Tisdale, who had seven rebounds and three blocked shots.To make the play, Frazier sailed over a ducking 6-9 freshman Stan Simpson, with whom he collided in practice Thursday when he got the bruise that made it difficult for him to walk for a time. But Frazier played 42 of the 45 minutes against Kent State, scored seven points, led everyone with eight assists and turned the ball over just once.

Frazier played the lead role in holding Kent State (3-1) leading scorer Al Fisher to 18 points, five below his average. Farragut grad Chris Singletary added 15 for the Mid-American Conference preseason favorites."You have to give Chester so much credit," Weber said. "He couldn't even go to shootaround and do anything. He plays with a big heart and he plays to win."

New Jersey Nets' Harris no longer gets down on self for poor play

New Jersey point guard Devin Harris would be the first to tell you that he might not have been as mentally tough as he needed to be in his first couple years in the NBA. However, he is 'thinking foward' more and try to play through his mistakes. Here is a good article on his mental state right now & how he kept fighting through a rough game recently to help his team defeat the Kings on the road.

Says Harris: "It's good for me mentally, just knowing the first, second, third quarter, (that) I didn't have it," he said in the aftermath of the Nets' bizarre 116-114 overtime victory. "I could have beaten myself up easily. I've done it in the past, where I just totally locked down in the fourth quarter. But tonight wasn't the case. It was a good game for us mentally."

"Early on in my career, I would have just totally let down in that fourth quarter. But I can't afford that here," Harris said. "Guys are depending on me and I've got to deliver."

There is a Reason They are Great Shooters

From Celtics Assistant Coach Kevin Eastman:

Ray Allen always shoots three hours before every game — like clockwork. Since the main floor wasn’t available for another hour, we had to find an alternative. We found out there was another court in the arena, so we headed down there. So as we’re walking into that small gym we hear a ball already bouncing — it’s Mike Miller already into his shooting workout. Two of the best shooters in the game today, three hours before the game, making sure that they continue to work and prepare for the game!

There is no magic formula that makes them two of the best shooters in the league. They work at it all the time. There they were, at opposite ends of the court working on their game shots — game shots from game spots, and each repetition at game speed.

We had three assistants on our end working with Ray and there were two on the other end with Mike. Very little talking — just tremendous concentration — both players proving that even though they are the best, they continue to work to stay there. Being the best gets harder as time goes on so you need to continue to work on your game. Both guys went full speed and had a lather going by the time they were done.

When I walked into that gym I wished every player in the country — at any level — could have seen Ray and Mike working ON GAME NIGHT! Small gym, opposite ends of the floor, opposing teams, but one common denominator — working to get better and focusing on preparing for the game.

The lesson is that preparing for the game is what the best do so well. Working at your game at every opportunity is what makes a player the best at his skill.

Buying into defense

"When you're playing defense, everybody has to buy into it. You can't just have two or three guys saying that they're going to play defense. Everybody has to wholeheartedly, 100 percent believe in it. I can honestly say that everybody on our team, when they step on the floor, knows their assignments. Knows they're either going to have to get on the floor, get dirty or do some things they don't necessarily want to do. But it's all in the character of what we are, and we carry it out from the first man on the roster to the 12th and 13th men.''

"It's like harmony when we get it right, and when one or two guys slack off, it shows. We've embraced the defense, but I don't think teams in this league embrace the defense. Everybody wants to score, score, score. They think, I guess, that offense gets you limelight. But it's defense that gets you wins.''

-Kevin Garnett

Defense is Getting Contagious

Good article here on cnnsi.com about scoring being tougher in the NBA. In the article it talks about how teams are starting to realize the importance of team defense more and more due to the Celtics championship run last year that was stressed by defensive intensity. Here are some good quotes from the article about players/coaches upset at their teams' defensive effort.

*Even more telling than the statistics, perhaps, is the attention being paid to defense up and down the NBA spectrum, from organizations with pedigree to those less proud. The Lakers lost just once in their first 12 games but beat themselves up after two or three of them, cranky over what they considered defensive underachievement.

"I'm not happy with this win,'' Kobe Bryant said after Sunday's 118-108 home victory against Sacramento. The Kings shot 53.4 percent, scored 58 points in the paint and became the third team in five games to score at least 100 points against a Lakers team that dedicated the preseason to stopping people.

"It's a mentality,'' Bryant said. "We want to get better each game. We don't want to give up 100 points.''

Joe Johnson of the Hawks: "One-on-one, we haven't been really guarding our man particularly well. And I'll take a lot of heat for that. But at the same time, we haven't been manning up and guarding our guys. Guys are flying by and getting to the hole and then breaking our defense down.''

"We have lost some of our defensive swagger, intensity or whatever you want to call it,'' coach Mike Woodson said earlier this month after back-to-back losses to New Jersey in which the Hawks gave up 234 points in barely 48 hours.

Controlling Games on Defense

Chris Kramer's theory on pain- "It's just weakness leaving the body"- is one hard often in Marine boot camp. The junior guard has adopted that creed because he knows plenty about pain. He suffers from a condition known as compartment syndrome, which causes high pressure levels in muscle tissue. Two times he had to undergo surgery for it in 2007, and the seven-inch scars on each of his shins are a reminder of that. While he would prefer not to have them, he admits that the scars "do fit my identity".

The reigning Big Ten defender of the year, Kramer is 6' 3'', 205 pounds and built like a football free safety. "I'm usually bigger than players I'm guarding," he says, "so I try to body them up and get them frustrated." Never was this more evident than on Feb. 12 last season, when he went up against Michigan State's 6-foot, 185-pound star, Drew Netizel, and held him to six points on 1-of-7 shooting. "Every time Neitzel came off a screen, Chris was right there," says sophomore guard E'Twaun Moore.

Kramer says he can tell when he's doing his job well because his opponent starts blaming his teammates, and in that game Neitzel "was yelling at every other person on the court," Kramer says. "Once he gets to a point where he's that frustrated, you know you've won the battle.

Kramer's 2.3 steals per game last season helped Purdue rank eighth nationally in the percentage of opponents' possessions that ended in turnovers (25.5). His meager offensive stats- 6.8 points, 21.7 % three-point shooting- belie his value to a team that surprised the Big Ten by coming within one win of a regular season title. Says coach Matt Painter, "Very few people affect the game as much as Kramer does without scoring from the guard position. If you affect the game without scoring, you're normally a big man, dominating the glass, getting a lot of blocked shots. He's able to do it by disrupting the flow, getting in passing lanes, shutting down scorers and just playing tough basketball."

"Chris gets up in a guy's face right from the start," says Morre, "and you can tell that guy is thinking, Oh, man. He ain't ever going to stop."

-Story from Sports Illustrated

Accepting his role

From the Charlotte Observer:

It’s easy for an NBA player to become selfish and self-absorbed. This is a league where statistics matter, particularly when your contract expires at the end of the season.

And that’s what makes me admire Raymond Felton so much these days.

Everyone says they’ll do what it takes to win, but Felton lives it. When Larry Brown moved rookie point guard D.J. Augustin into the starting lineup, Felton could have treated this like a threat. Had Felton frozen out Augustin, leaving him to figure out the NBA by himself, Felton would have been no more selfish than half this league.

Instead, Felton took charge of the transition. He mentors Augustin so much, he should draw a coaching salary atop his player salary. With Augustin scoring and passing, Felton has channeled his energy toward defense and rebounding.

The two of them carried the Bobcats past the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday in an almost organic process. Felton and Augustin simply shot so well (16-of-22 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point range) that it didn’t matter much what any of the other Bobcats did.

That won’t happen every night, and I’m not sure Felton will be here next season, once restricted free agency takes hold over the summer. He might well be more valuable to some other team than he is to the Bobcats.

But the Bobcats are better for Felton’s presence: he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s accountable. He sets the right example.

T-Wolves guard Randy Foye on Kevin Garnett

'One thing I miss about him is, he just let me go. That's why I was so successful my rookie year,' said Foye, who has sputtered in the season-plus since. 'No matter what happened, if I made a mistake, I'd look at him and he'd go [Foye balls up a fist and pumps it], like 'It's all right. Keep your head up.' It makes you feel better. It'd be like that for anyone in their work, if there was a legend who pumped you up. For a young player, that just boosted my confidence. Sometimes, in my rookie year, I felt like an All-Star out there because he let me do what I wanted and when I got it going, he let me go.' In games, Foye said, it was like having your big brother there to hold your coat in a schoolyard fight. 'There was a swagger,' he said. 'KG would come out and hit a shot, and it was like, 'Everybody, we're in this together. I'm patrolling it, but everybody who's got a white jersey on, we're in it together.''

Improbable Rise

An amazing story on tragedy and triumph from 2 years ago on Harvard football player Matt Curtis. Coming from the depths of poverty & heartache to making something of himself, this is a great story. Here is what Harvard head coach Tim Murphy has to say about him:

“If you ever have a day when you question why you are in coaching, Matt Curtis will put an end to it because he represents everything that is good about college football. Football, more than any other sport, allows character and heart to transcend ability. And while Matt has tremendous talent, it pales in comparison to his work ethic, toughness and ability to overcome adversity.”

This is the Boston Globe story written by Jackie McMullan and here is the Harvard athletics website for another story.

UNC Practice

Dummy Offense- Boston Celtics Philosophy

There are 3 levels at which teams go about running their Dummy Offense:

*Running through the set: this is a team that actually goes through the proper patterns of the sets but with no purpose; they feel that getting the patterns down is all there is to it

*Execution: this is a team that understands it’s more than just getting the patterns down; it’s an emphasis on timing and spacing, putting passes on time and on target, cutting hard with game speed cuts, cutting with a purpose. It’s an emphasis on the details of the pattern and the fundamentals of the pattern that separates them from other teams

*Perfection: this is a step that only the very best understand. Only the best know it’s not just a warm up and that it’s execution with perfection — (1) on every rep….(2) from every player….(3) every time!

The Little Things

"As a player, I always had to pay attention to all the little things because those were the things that gave me an opportunity, gave me a chance," Curry said in an earlier interview with Booth Newspapers. "I've always been really big on the little things that go undetected in the whole scheme of the game. But they're very essential to getting a win."

-Michael Curry; former Pistons player and current head coach

Stephen Curry Feature - CBS NCAA March Madness (HD)

Little Things- They're the difference between good teams and great teams!

Courtesy of Coach Don Meyer

*A jump stop

*A loose ball

*A bad close out

*A one possession mental lapse

*A quiet bench

*A bad attitude or not necessarily bad but not as great as it could be

*One bad shot in warm-ups

*Not tagging the guy you came in for

*Tossing a towel

*Not accepting a hand when you have come out

*A missed lay-up (no backboard)

*An intentional vs. 1-1 foul

*Bad warm-up

*Talking to an official

*Not giving ball to referee properly

If you concentrate on the little things it takes to be great, then the offense and defense take care of themselves!

Defensive Communication by Coach Kevin Eastman

Communication gives the defense a head start on the play or the action. If your teammate tells you a back screen is coming, you are able to react to it prior to the contact; if your point guard yells out the set that the opponent just called, it allows your entire team to “sniff out” what is about to be run

Communication develops trust. If we communicate properly and follow the talk with the appropriate action defensively then we begin to trust each other; once we get that trust we find that our defense gets more aggressive and more confident because we know someone always has our back

Communication intimidates. We strongly feel that if we can constantly communicate with each other that we can — and will — gain an advantage because they know that we know what is about to be run and who the play is for; this becomes a tremendous strength of the defense.

Communication keeps every player more alert. In order to communicate, you must be paying attention to what is going on on the floor. The more you pay attention, the more you can cover up a mistake made by a teammate; you can “plug a hole” in our defense.

Effective communication is a three-step process. It must be (1) early – communicate as early as possible; (2) loud – communicate as loudly as you can so that your teammate can hear it; and (3) continuous – you must repeat your command three times to ensure that your teammate hears it — “PICK RIGHT – PICK RIGHT – PICK RIGHT.”

Communicate with more than your voice. Many arenas are very loud so you should communicate with your hands and fingers by pointing at actions. You can also communicate intensity by your body language; players and coaches know who is into the game by the body language on the court.

Four Traits of a Perfect Point Guard

Quotes about Jason Kidd playing the point guard position and the traits it takes to be successful. These are from his teammates and coaches of the USA team. Check out his leadership with TEAM USA. (Fast forward to the 5:00 mark OR watch the whole piece. It is good)

1. Court vision: "He sees things," guard Dwyane Wade says of Kidd's sixth sense. "When you're on the court and you see him do something, you think he had to see that like three minutes ago."

2. High basketball IQ: "His mind is his best talent, "Krzyzewski says. "And his ability to instinctively react to situations on the court is at the highest level, as high as anyone who has ever played the game. "Krzyewski compares Kidd's basketball IQ to Magic Johnson's.

3. Not just passes; perfect passes. "He grew up being a passer, understanding the angles. With Jason, you get wide-open looks. He puts the ball right on the money." During shooting drills last summer, Kidd turned to Carmelo Anthony and asked, "Where do you want the ball?" Anthony, not quite sure what Kidd meant, gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" When players realize that Kidd can deliver the ball to their sweet spot, Krzyzewski says their reaction is: "You mean, I'm going to have room service and you're going to cut my meat too? You're going to give it to me in a certain position?" So where does Anthony wnat the ball?" Whereever he gives it to me," Anthony says.

4. Ability to facilitate: "What's fabulous for our team is if you put Kobe, Carmelo and LeBron in the game, you need a point guard who's really just looking to facilitate and that's what Jason does, "says assistant coach Jim Boeheim. "Other great point guards have a scoring portion of their game, some of them have it as a large portion of their game, whereas Jason never needs to take a shot." This approach fits the team-oriented aspect of the international game, with the emphasis on passing and selfless play.

Intense Dotzler making his point

Don't expect to find the impact Josh Dotzler had on Creighton's first victory neatly summarized in the box score.

Guard Josh Dotzler got Creighton's "defensive motor going" against New Mexico, Bluejays coach Dana Altman said.Dotzler made one layup and two free throws in the Bluejays' 82-75 victory over New Mexico. He chipped in three assists, tied his career high with five steals and had one turnover.

The numbers were modest but Dotzler's teammates and coaches came away from the dramatic comeback win convinced the senior guard's contributions were every bit as important as the 30 points scored by P'Allen Stinnett or the 26 Booker Woodfox added.

"Without his ball pressure, we probably wouldn't have been able to come back," Stinnett said. "He got the whole team going. It was like a virus. Once we saw Josh giving it his all, we figured we had no choice."Once he got it going, we just followed."

Creighton coach Dana Altman had no doubts Dotzler was the key to the rally that saw Creighton erase a 16-point deficit in the final 10 minutes."If it hadn't been for Josh getting our defensive motor going," Altman said, "I don't think we would have gotten back into the game, period."

Dotzler had all of his points and assists and two of his steals in the second half. What the numbers don't reflect is the defensive intensity he brought to the court. He harassed New Mexico point guards Dairese Gary and Nate Garth, preventing them from getting into position to set up teammates as they did repeatedly in the first half.Gary finished with 14 points but he had four turnovers, including two down the stretch when Creighton went on a 14-0 run. Garth had five points and five assists but committed a game-high six turnovers.

"A lot of our fans don't appreciate what Josh does for our ball team, but our players do and our coaching staff does," Altman said. "Today was an example of what he does for us. He got the right people the ball and he gave us a defensive presence when nobody else could."For a team that really needed a spark and for somebody to start competing, he was the guy that got us going."

The 6-foot-1 Dotzler has never been a big scorer for the Bluejays but his offensive contributions really dipped after injuries mounted at the end of his freshman season and the start of his sophomore campaign.He averaged 6.4 points a game as a freshman before a knee injury sidelined him for the season's final seven games. Creighton was 17-6 that season when Dotzler was in the lineup and 3-4 without him.The Bellevue West graduate was at less than full strength at the start of his sophomore season, then suffered dislocated fingers on both hands in a December game against Valparaiso.

He had surgery to repair the injury to his left index finger and struggled the remainder of the season, finishing with a 2.2 scoring average.Dotzler came back to start all 33 games last season, averaging 3.4 points while finishing fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in steals and eighth in assists. He came into his senior season ranked second in steals (126), third in assists (267), fourth in games started (61), sixth in minutes played (1,953) and eighth in free-throw percentage (.759) among active players in the league.

The number his teammates respect the most is 100. That's the percent of effort Dotzler gives whenever he is on the court."Josh always is going as hard as he can," Woodfox said. "Guards don't want to go against him. He's strong. His nickname is 'Diesel.' Whenever he's on you, it's tough to get by him."

Dotzler said former teammate Nick Bahe hung the nickname on him. "Diesel" also is one of the nicknames for Shaquille O'Neal, considered one of the strongest players in professional basketball.

"I've always worked hard in the weight room, which is where I think it (nickname) came from," Dotzler said. "I do take pride in trying to be a physical player and trying to be aggressive. Guys know in practice that I'm not going to give up any layups."I'd rather give a hard foul than give up a layup."

When the Bluejays needed someone to give them a lift against New Mexico, it was Dotzler who stepped up.

"He got us into the fight," Altman said. "We weren't even in it until Josh got us going."

Effort and Attitude

Florida has been rolling teams since Tim Tebow made this comment after their loss to Ole Miss over a month ago:

“I’m sorry. Extremely sorry. We were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal. It’s something Florida’s never done here. But I promise you one thing: A lot of good will come out of this. You’ve never seen any player in the entire country who will play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. And you’ll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season. And you’ll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season. God bless.”

Here were his comments after Florida defeated South Carolina on Saturday:

"What I said was something I could control, and that was that we were going to play with a passion, an enthusiasm and love for the game like this university has never seen before," Tebow said. "I knew I could control beyond a shadow of a doubt my effort, our team's effort and the kind of intensity we play with.

"I said what I said to give our fans confidence and our team confidence that we were going to come out and play with the kind of effort and passion that we're playing with right now."

Being A Team Player

San Antonio Spur veteran Bruce Bowen had started every single game he has played in since coming to the Spurs in 2001. After 555 games of starting, Coach Gregg Popovich decided last night that Bowen would be better serving the team coming off the bench.

Bowen had two options; he could have whined and complained about the situation, or he could accept his role and fulfill it to the best of his abilities. His response? The best game of his season with 13 points in 28 minutes of play.

"As a competitor, you may not want it to happen,” he said. “It's a matter of just being as professional as you can, and not allowing those things to affect you from the standpoint of not withdrawing from the team.

“Coaches have reasons for doing things, and it's important for you to trust in the things they're trying to get accomplished.”

That is refreshing to see!

Seven Habits of Successful Student-Athletes

By Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan:

1. Be Proactive

Being proactive means making the first move, not waiting for others to act first, and being responsible for what you do.

Says Ryan: "The amazing thing about us as human beings is we actually can control how we handle something that happens to us. The things that make us different is how we react to it, then respond to it."

2. Begin with the End in Mind

Plan well, and think things though.

Says Ryan, "Have you ever taken time to write down what you would like to have people say about you if you were to die tomorrow? What is it you want to do, and what is it you want to accomplish?"

3. Put First Things First

Put priorities in order.

Says Ryan: "Plan ahead, and if you put things in order, things will work out."

4. Think Win/Win

Says Ryan, "If you're willing to give something, and ou know you're looking to get something, and you're hoping both will happen, then both people come up winning."

5. Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood

Ryan compares this trait to the relationship he's had with the players he's coached at every level

Says Ryan, "I wanted them to understand me, but first I had to understand them. If I don't understand my student-athletes, how can I expect them to understand me?"

6. Synergize ( dynamic state in which combined action is favored over the sum of individual component actions.)

The way to achieve synergy is through the creative process, which can be intimidating, because you never know where the creative process will lead you.

Says Ryan, "If you go with your gut instinct and do what is right, go ahead and do it. Sometimes it might not work out the way you wanted, but at least you're doing something.

7. Sharpen the Saw

In other words, take care of yourself, and the other six steps will be easier to accomplish.

Says Ryan, "Take care of your body. Don't let it get away from you. Stay in shape. Sharpen your saw, your physical conditions. You will be able to perform the other habits with a lot better results."

Entitlement vs. Investment

From Celtics assistant coach & individual workout coaching guru Kevin Eastman:

As I travel around the country and work out with the best from the High School, College, and NBA levels, I am continually reminded of what these players have in common that makes them great:

*They want to get better

*They want to know everything they can that will help them become a better basketball player

*They are committed to improvement of their bodies and their game

*They are very serious about the game every time they hit the floor

*They want to be coached

The best example I can give you is Kobe Bryant. He once told me that he does not work out anymore.... he now blacks out. He said that a workout just isn't enough anymore if he's going to stay on top of his game and take on all the players he knows are going to challenge him. He said he has to go beyond what all other players do. He took his to a higher level. He took his to black out status!

What Kobe also was saying is what all players need to hear and need to know. He is willing to invest in his improvement and not stay the same. He was willing to invest in his future and not stay the same. He is willing to invest in his game and not feel that he is entitled to be great, entitled to take every shot, entitled to have everything given to him. He was, and is, going to earn it.

The lesson here is one that I tell every one of the great players I work with: it's not about entitlement if you want to be the best. It's about investment.

Getting the Most out of Practice

With the Lakers only having one game this past week, Kobe Bryant wanted to make sure that his teammates didn't relax. Here is a little from the L.A. Times article:

Do you want to be great or just good?

That was the question Kobe Bryant posed to his young Lakers teammates during practice today.

He doesn't want his teammates to become complacent with a 4-0 start, or for them to relax because they have so much time off in-between games, or for them to not put in a high-level effort in practice.Come to work and work hard ever day, Bryant has impressed upon his teammates.

"That's our message for the week is we can either be good or we can be great," Bryant said.

"This is the time that we can really use to get better to make another step forward."

"We're striving for perfection," Lamar Odom said. "We're striving to be perfect."

The result? Last night: Lakers 111 Houston 82

"The Rock"

Tulsa's football team brings this with them everywhere they go. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Here is a great article on a Tulsa football player's fight with cancer and his inspirational story. Also, here is an all-access look into the Golden Hurrican program.

Mbah a Moute defends his turf

Defense Wins Championships! Courtesy of the Milwaukee Sentinal

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a prince.

Literally.

Back home in Cameroon, his father is an elected village chief, so he's got that going for him.
But this is why he is a prince in a basketball sense:

"The most important thing is defense," he said. "My main thing is to play defense."

A defense-first declaration from a Milwaukee Buck? And a rookie and a second-round pick at that?

Believe this, he plays NBA defense the way it is supposed to be played. He gets it, really gets it, after all of five games in the league.

Think about that for a minute.

Who was the last rookie to actually help a team defensively?

Probably Tim Duncan.

For the Bucks, it was a guy named Sidney Moncrief.

Already, this is the class Mbah a Moute is approaching.

He played 34 minutes Wednesday night. A lot of his court time came in the fourth quarter and in overtime of the 112-104 victory against Washington, which tells everything. It doesn't matter who starts NBA games. It matters who finishes the close ones.

More than that, it matters who finishes for Scott Skiles, a coach who rewards defense. Mbah a Moute finished against the Wizards with Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bogut, Luke Ridnour and Ramon Sessions.

Think about that, too.

Without Michael Redd, the best five players were Jefferson, Bogut, two point guards and a rookie second-round pick.

If you're looking for a reason to get excited again about a team that has given you almost none for the longest time, there it was, right there, that game against the Wizards. For almost all of a fourth quarter and overtime, Skiles stayed with a feverishly energetic quintet that dived on the floor, made stops and steals, finished plays and got the Bradley Center jumping as it hasn't jumped in a while.

And in the middle of it was this 6-foot-8 rookie all over Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, this second-round prince from UCLA

"It's not a matter of where you're drafted," Jefferson said. "It's a matter of if you can play basketball. And he can play basketball. Already, he's been asked to guard the best players on the other team. When you're asked to do that, there is no higher compliment you can be paid as an individual."

Credit general manager John Hammond and Skiles for drafting Mbah a Moute, because so far no second-rounder has helped his team so much.

"When we picked him we knew he was an NBA-ready defender, but he needed improvement on his offensive game," Skiles said. "Then we saw him work and the energy and the effort he put into it. His offensive game is going to come around. He's making shots and doing a lot of good things."

Against the Wizards, he made eight of 10 for 17 points. The Bucks had the confidence in him to let him try a game-winner in regulation. He took the baseline in overtime. He made the jumper that finished Washington. He had six rebounds. He is becoming a complete player the right way, by leading with defense.

"That's me," he said. "I'm proof that defense wins championships. It's happened everywhere I've been."

In Cameroon. At his Florida high school. And especially at UCLA, where he knew nothing of the Bruins' singular heritage before enrolling. Soon enough, he knew.

Now he needs to know that the Bucks were once a great defensive team with Moncrief at the fore.

Maybe this is what it will take, a prince to uphold Sir Sid's legacy.

Running the Hill

Article from espn.com on Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan and his conditioning program. Click here for story.

Consistent Leadership

The New Jersey Nets are picked by the 'experts' to finish toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season due to alot of young players replacing all-star veterans such as Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. However, according to Vince Carter and up and coming point guard Devin Harris, they are looking to suprise a few people by simply outworking their opponent:

“It was important to establish my dedication to the team and let the new vets know that I want to win,” Vince Carter said. “Regardless of what’s being said or predicted, I want to win. My mentality is that we have a good enough team to win basketball games. Now, who else is going to jump on board and believe it?”

On Devin Harris:

As he looks to improve on last year, the 25-year-old point guard has prepared himself to take control of the offense. And with only three players on the roster who were on the team at the beginning of last season, the role of floor leader has Harris joining Carter in setting a strong example for his teammates.

“(Coach Lawrence Frank) talked about it during the summer,” Harris said. “The thing about being a leader is, I’m going to have to be the same guy every day. I’m going to have to show the same face every day. Whether we win or lose, I can’t be too hard. Patience is definitely going to be tested, but we have expectations on ourselves.”

Coach Frank added:

“You know whose team it is?” asked Frank, rhetorically. “It’s everyone’s team. It’s not Vince’s team or Devin’s team or anyone’s – it’s our team, collectively. Everyone has a responsibility. No one can abdicate themselves by saying, ‘Hey, it’s not me.’ No. We all have a job to do. And if everyone does their job on a consistent basis, then we’ll be as good as we can be.”

Working as one

"I had a group of guys who were very willing to be coached and weren't stuck on who they were. I hear guys say they want to win it, but I think what they are really saying is, I want to win it as long as I can keep doing what I do. I had three stars who said they wanted to win and they would change to do it. I don't think you get that alot."

-Doc Rivers

Donovan McNabb- The Basketball Player

Very few people know that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was a two sport athlete in college. Although he wasn't quite the basketball player compared to his tremendous talent on the football field, McNabb earning the respect of his basketball teammates while at Syracuse:



Even though McNabb may not have looked the part of a basketball player, his practice habits, work ethic and effusive personality offered hints of future success.



''He's a great teammate,'' Syracuse's basketball coach, Jim Boeheim, said. ''He played hard in practice and pushed guys. He fit in right away, led the team in cheers on the bench. He was a tremendous teammate.''



That became evident during the 1995-96 season, when Syracuse made an improbable run to the national title game, only to lose to Kentucky. During the tournament, McNabb and the other reserves developed a routine of crossing their legs after every made free throw. By then, McNabb had established himself as one of the top young quarterbacks in college football, so the bench shenanigans got him plenty of camera time.



What was never seen, though, was his intensity during practice. His strength allowed him to challenge his teammates and prevented them from loafing.



''Some days, he got the best of us,'' said John Wallace, the star of that Syracuse team, who is now with the Miami Heat. ''He was real athletic and went at us real hard. Before he matured and put on all that weight for the football body he needed, his vertical was 40-something.''

Invaluable 6 Intangibles

This is from Dena Evans who runs the famous Point Guard College. She has her 6 Intangibles to Master That Makes You Invaluable:

1.) SPIRIT

*Good teams practice with enthusiasm and zest...a quiet gym is a losing gym...Enthusiasm = Excellence...demand energy.

2.) COMMUNICATION

*Talk on the floor, call names, give them reminders often.

3.) HUSTLE

*All the time -- not a sometime thing..."sheepdog mentality"...persistent, enthused, work, everyday.

4.) ATTITUDE

*Body language is important.

5.) PRECISION

*Exactness...attention to detail...accuracy...sharpness of approach.

6.) ENHANCEMENT

*Contribute to the environment -- don't contaminate it...make it better doing something extra...expect to do more that your expected to...do extra...come earlier, stay later, compliment someone, smile, push a broom, pick up trash...and don't expect praise for doing something extra.One of Dena's favorite quotes: "Championships are won with high levels of energy, spirit, and enthusiasm."

Deron Williams: From two years ago....

Deron Williams never expressed envy toward his more decorated teammate at The Colony High School.

But Williams remembered every honor that was bestowed upon Bracey Wright but not him. He remembered every time a high-profile college coach didn't ask about him during a visit to The Colony's campus.

Williams, a pass-first point guard without a flashy game, didn't complain about being the second fiddle, nor did he begrudge his friend. He simply stored every perceived slight and used them to fuel his obsession of fulfilling the immense potential he knew he had.

"It motivated me a lot to see the attention Bracey was getting," Williams said. "He deserved it, but at the same time, I wanted that same attention. It made me work harder. It made me want it a lot more."

Five years later, the national spotlight has found Williams. He's led the Utah Jazz to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, who are suddenly media darlings after their historic first-round upset of the Mavericks.

Deron Williams ranked second behind Phoenix's Steve Nash with 9.3 assists per game this season.

The duel with Dallas killer Baron Davis represents an opportunity for Williams to prove he's one of the NBA's elite point guards in only his second pro season.

Williams had 31 points and eight assists in Game 1. He spent most of Game 2 in foul trouble while Davis dominated with 36 points. But Williams excelled down the stretch. He had nine points and six assists after the beginning of the fourth quarter, hitting a 10-foot floater to force overtime.

"Deron Williams is going to be a household name after this series," Charles Barkley told the TNT audience after Game 1.

The silent star

Williams was somewhat of an afterthought in the most star-studded class of basketball prospects to come through the area. Wright was joined by Lincoln's Chris Bosh and Cedar Hill's Daniel Horton in the McDonald's All-American Game, which Williams watched from home, determined to prove the selection committee erred by omitting him. There was debate whether Bryan Hopkins, Bosh's acrobatic sidekick on a mythical national championship team, was a better point guard than Williams.

The bumper crop of local talent sparked Williams' competitiveness. He considered the other stars, especially Wright, as measuring sticks.

"Now, everything has changed," said Wright, a shooting guard who will become a free agent this summer after playing sparingly the last two seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves. "I kind of see myself doing the same thing with him."

All the tools to succeed

Williams averaged 16.2 points and ranked second behind the Suns' Steve Nash with 9.3 assists per game this season. At 6-3, 205 pounds, he has a rare combination of strength and quickness for a point guard. But his best attributes are intangibles, according to those who have helped shape his game.

Former The Colony coach Tommy Thomas and ex-Mavericks point guard Derek Harper rave about Williams' desire and work ethic. Thomas said Williams never left school until the gym was locked for the night. Harper, whose son, Darius, played on several youth teams with Williams, said he always knew Williams had a chance to be special because of his eagerness to improve.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan says Williams' intelligence is one of the biggest keys to his success. That's high praise from a grumpy guy who coached all-time assists leader John Stockton for his entire career. Williams works out with Stockton in Washington each off-season and picks his brain about such topics as the intricacies of Sloan's offensive sets.

Williams also has a feel for knowing when to distribute the ball and when to take over a game. He was the third-leading scorer on Illinois' national runner-up team in 2005, but he scored 31 points to spark a comeback over Arizona that clinched a Final Four berth.

"As a point guard, you have to be sort of a silent assassin in a lot of ways," Harper said. "You have to have that kind of attitude. That's his attitude. It's very deceiving from the standpoint that he looks almost like he's shy and quiet, but he has a killer instinct inside of him."

Staying hungry

Williams, whom the Jazz picked third overall in the 2005 draft, hasn't had any problem being motivated since he became a multimillionaire.

Sloan didn't make Williams a regular starter until the final two months of his rookie season. Chris Paul, the point guard chosen fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005, lit up the league right away. Reporters often mentioned this to Williams, who received the only first-place Rookie of the Year vote that didn't go to Paul.

"I thought I could do some of these things last year if I was given the same opportunity, but that's not how it went," Williams said. "I just wanted to have a good summer. I had a productive summer, worked hard, got in the best shape of my life. My confidence level is definitely 10 times higher than it was last year. I'm out there playing free, not worrying about if I make a mistake, I might have to come out or this or that. I can just go out there and play."

Williams has quieted the critics who pounded the Jazz for passing on Paul – "Keep doing it," he says – but he still doesn't think he gets the recognition he's earned. Williams says he considers it a sign of disrespect every time an opposing team's public-address announcer mispronounces his first name; it's pronounced "Dare-in." And he wasn't happy about playing in the Rookie-Sophomore game instead of the All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

"He knew he'd played good enough to be an All-Star," said Thomas, who works for the agency that represents Williams and Wright. "He'll never gripe about it. He never said one negative word about it. All he did was lock it in his mind and say, 'There's some people out there who don't think I'm good enough.' "

His Time

Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams has worked his way into being one of the top 5 point guards in the NBA. After finding a couple of articles on him, it is easy to see why he has gotten to the point of being an all-star caliber player. Here is one of the articles on Williams, I will post the second later on. This article is about him being the leader of the 2005 national champ runner-up Fighting Illini and now with the Jazz:



HIS TIME

After taking a backseat during high school and college so his teammates could collect accolades, Deron Williams makes his mark with the Jazz as one of the best players in the NBA.

By Kyle Flanagan

You would find it a great challenge to find anybody in the United States who isn’t aware of Utah’s rising point guard Deron Williams.

Such was not always the case.

Williams, a native of the Dallas, Texas area, attended The Colony High School. While at The Colony, he began a reputation as a player who had the skills and the potential to eventually play at the highest level.

The only thing keeping Williams out of the spotlight in high school was the all-encompassing shadow of The Colony superstar Bracey Wright.

“I didn’t get all the accolades in high school. I guess I didn’t score enough or whatever, but my team still won and that’s what I cared about.” Williams said. “A lot of coaches noticed what I did even though people who did rankings and stuff didn’t.”

Wright turned his high school McDonald’s All-American honors into a scholarship at Indiana University and the eventual second round pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Former coach of The Colony High School, Tommy Thomas, knows that without Williams, the careers of Wright and others who played around him may have not blossomed quite as much.

“His role was more of making guys around him better.” Thomas said. “He gave Bracey an opportunity to be a McDonald’s All-American, and at Illinois he gave Dee Brown and Luther Head opportunities to be NCAA All-Americans. Boozer and Okur have become NBA All-Stars and they weren’t before they played with Deron.”

Williams escaped the shadow of Wright and after a successful career at The Colony High School, joined the Illinois University Fighting Illini for the 2002-03 season.

Enter two new shadows, Mr. Chicago Dee Brown and the exciting Luther Head.

Williams spent two seasons taking a back seat to the very personable Brown and the athletic Head in the media and in the public. But Illini coach Bruce Weber was always well aware that the driving force of his successful Illini was Williams, despite the lack of recognition.

After the impressive Illini run that eventually led to the National Championship game in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Brown and Illinois teammate Luther Head received First Team All-American honors, Weber received coach of the year honors. While eating at a restaurant on Final Four weekend in St. Louis, the Illini team saw the honors for Brown, Head and Weber being discussed on television, with no mention of Williams to be found.

“(After seeing the announcements) I’m looking at Deron and I’m thinking, man we don’t need any selfishness or jealously to pop up here while we are trying to win a National Championship.” Weber said. “I went right over to Deron and I said, ‘you know you belong on there and you are the reason we are winning’ he kind of came back and said ‘coach, all I care about is that we’re here, I will get my just due when the time comes.”

Nobody would argue that Brown and Head weren’t major contributors to the run the Illini made in the tournament, but Weber knew how critical it was to his team’s success to have Williams on the floor.

“We won because of Deron.” Weber added. “Dee got the publicity because of his personality and Luther got some attention because he was so explosive athletically. But when it came down to it, Deron was the guy that made us go. He didn’t crave to be in the lime light, all he cared about was winning.”

Williams got his just due when he was made the third overall pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2005 NBA Draft, with him he brought an impressive resume that gave the Jazz confidence that he could fill the point guard void left by the legendary John Stockton.

Now in his third season in the NBA, Williams has earned the respect of some of the best players in the game today.

“He’s been solid all year. He’s really been unbelievable man.” Spurs big man Tim Duncan said after a Jazz 90-64 win over San Antonio. “They had chants of MVP out there and they are well deserved, he’s been tremendous since he stepped in the league and I have a lot of respect for what he does.”

So what is it that makes opponents respect and fear Williams on the court?

There is a certain demeanor and attitude on the court that is visible in Williams when the game clock is winding down and the Jazz are in need of a clutch play. This demeanor and drive on the face of Williams is what leaves Jazz opponents nervous and what makes Jazz fans, coaches and players confident.

“I just try to keep calm and cool because even if you do something good or do something bad, the game still has to be played and finished.” Williams added. “I try to keep it even kill either way.”

However, this calm and collective “bring it on” attitude is not something Williams has developed in just his time with the Jazz.

In fact, fans and coaches of The Colony High School knew who they wanted to be in control with the game on the line.

“I trusted him so much his senior year.” Thomas said. “He knew what I wanted and sometimes he knew what I wanted before I did.”

Williams had no problem carrying that attitude over from high school to his time with the Illini.

“There’s no doubt, that (Williams’ demeanor) is why were able to win Big Ten Championships and advance in the NCAA tournament to the National Championship game.” Weber said. “He would make the plays, not always making the shot, but getting the ball to the right people.”

Weber praised the work ethic of his young point guard and credited the time Williams spent after practice as a major contributor to the development of the now NBA superstar.

“I just continued at Illinois, continued to try and get better and do the things to make my teams successful.” Williams said. “A point guard is judged on wins and losses and we only lost two games my senior year and it set me up perfect.”

Now with the Jazz, the third-year point guard has used his confidence and will to succeed on the court to lead the Jazz to a second consecutive playoff appearance.

As one of only 18 players in the league averaging a double-double this season, Williams’ 19.0 points and 10.6 assists per game are proof that he has escaped the shadows of his high school and collegiate teammates and has began casting his own shadows.

Adding to his shadow is the fact that this season Williams accomplished something only two other players in NBA history have (Magic Johnson and Kevin Johnson) by recording over 1,500 points (1,540), handing out over 800 assists (860) and shooting over .500 (.508) from the field in a single season.

To those who knew him in his younger days, Williams is becoming much more than just a NBA all-star caliber player he is becoming an all-star caliber person.

“That was my question mark, would he have the maturity.” Weber added. “He has defenitly developed as a player, but he has also developed as a person and it’s a great feeling to watch that happen.”