Coach K welcomes team to USA Basketball

The Relaxed Phillies Keep on Rolling

Good article here on the Philadelphia Phillies, who are in 1st place in the NL East, keeping an even keel on things:

“It’s the mentality in here,” pitcher Joe Blanton said. “We go out, play hard and stay relaxed whether we’ve won eight in a row or lost eight in a row. Everyone trusts in their abilities.”

“I think it becomes a feeling where you expect to win, but on this club, you get that feeling all the time,” Raul Ibanez said. “Even when we lost a couple and went through that little rut, you can’t tell. Guys are preparing the same way, guys are intense every day. Nobody gets complacent in here.”

“The way I look at it, and I’m sure the way a lot of our players look at, is we do the day-to-day thing,” Manuel said. “We come out here and try to win every day. Having a lead is great. Challenging yourself to add to that lead is good. That kind of shows what kind of team we have. We want to add to that lead and see how big of a lead we can get.

Going hard in everything you do

Good article in the USA Today about K-State head football coach Bill Snyder. He is a good quote from OT Nick Stringer, one of a handful of players left from the previous Snyder era:

A lot of guys came to us. They'd heard stories about practices and workouts and how hard he used to work and the things we used to. They asked us if it was true, and we were like, 'Yeah, but it pays off.'."

Take the simple 40-yard sprint. "You run 42 yards through the line, not running 39 and coasting the last one. Stuff like that," Stringer says. "That's when you get better, when you're going as hard as you can in every rep in everything you're doing."

Manning's mantra for '09 Colts: 'You better be getting better'

From the USA Today:

Reigning league MVP Peyton Manning is chasing a second Super Bowl championship by coaching up his young Indianapolis Colts teammates like never before.

Manning seems to draw added energy from a challenge. And, boy, does this offseason ever qualify.

Known for his legendary work ethic, Manning heeded the inner call to do more after the team's most tumultuous winter since he was drafted by the Colts in 1998. The three-time league MVP must overcome the retirement of beloved head coach Tony Dungy and the departure of trusted receiving target Marvin Harrison, who was released after declining a pay cut.

Not even an April pro-am golf pairing with Tiger Woods in Charlotte kept Manning from meeting his self-imposed leader's responsibility to get a workout in that night.

"My goal is to be a better player this year than I was the year before," Manning told USA TODAY. "I need to have another good offseason, get the timing down with the new receivers and tight ends and backs.

"You better be getting better, because these defensive players are working hard to get better."

Talent is Not Enough

Morris Peterson (former Spartan 2000 National Champion and current NBA player) speaking about this past years' Michigan State team:

"You can tell just from watching them that they care about each other," "Talent can get you so far -- it's your work ethic that makes a difference. Those guys work hard."

-

Michael Conley: Keep the Ball on a String

steve nash in 20 minutes

Posted this last summer, great workout from one of the best. Lots of great commentary.

Brandon Roy: Nike Skills Academy

Rick Majerus & Post Play

Transition:

1. 1st 3 steps in transition are the most important

2. Post players have to be strong and be able to run the floor. Have to beat the defense down the floor.

3. Post players have to be able to shoot free throws. Being big is not a reason for missing free throws.

3 Things to do Everyday

1. Transition Defense

2. Skill Development- 20-40 minutes per day (Mikan Drill)

3. Free Throws

3 Things to Develop Hands for Post Players

1. Soft hands to catch

2. Strong hands

3. Soft touch when shooting

Why Post Players Miss Shots

1. Not low enough

2. Don't focus on target

3. Don't get the ball high enough

Post Player Philosophy

1. Low- sit in stance

2. Slow- be patient

3. Under control

4. Need to have 1 go to move

5. Need to have 1 counter move

Muhammad Ali on Preparation

"Before I get in the ring, I'd have already won or lost it on the road. The real part is won or lost somewhere far away from the witnesses-behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road long before I dance under the lights."

100 % all the time

Jeff Garcia, the 39-year-old Oakland Raiders QB, is No. 2 on the depth chart and working on a one-year deal, but that doesn't mean he's conceding anything to starter JaMarcus Russell.

"Not knocking JaMarcus or anybody else on the team, but I just have a belief in my own abilities; those things have me feeling that I am the best quarterback on the team. That's just how I approach the game. That's how I approach my situation."

"I have a certain work ethic that is a part of me. When I step on the field, there is no 50%. It's 100% all the time. It's sprinting from drill to drill. It's doing everything full speed. It's, when I throw an incomplete pass, showing that I care that I threw an incomplete pass. Not just, 'Oh, shucks, I just didn't throw the ball as well.' I'm very critical of myself. Because I'm critical of myself . . . that's where I feel I help myself."

"When I come into a situation, I feel like I inspire people."

Tom Crean Notes

General Philosophy

1. Passion is critical to success

2. Be honest with yourself

3. Analyze what goes right as well as what goes wrong

4. Learn from the good and bad

Assistant Coaches

1. Have ones that want to be head coaches

2. Make your boss Coach of the Year

3. Everything you do leads you to be a head coach-make your boss become better (take problems away from him)

Teach Your Players

1. Unselfishness

2. Giving

3. To be a great teammate

4. Camaraderie

Championship Teams

1. Execute under pressure on both ends

2. Find a way to get the most easy basketbs (off reb, turnovers, fastbreaks)

-Everyone knows who takes the bad shots, who won't pass, etc... but most selfish act is not running back on defense every trip

-All practices test how you play through fatigue

-Crean feels that in the 40 minute college game: 35 + deflections a game + 42% field goal % = 85-90% win percentage

Kevin Eastman's 3 terms for today's players to understand

Hard Work
-It is the price of admission
-If you don't work hard you don't get on the floor
-Everyone works hard so hard work won't seperate you. It will get you in the door

Competitveness
-Most are competitive once they seperate from a group
-Inside Determination
-Desire to win anything you are involved in

Committed
-This is an elite group (Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, etc.)
-People talk about it but don't understand it
-Think about what it takes to be great
-Everyday trying to get better, think long term, never have arrived

Billy Donovan's Attitude Plan

1. Always make today my best day

2. Taking pride in a job well done

3. Treating others with respect

4. Isolating my negative thoughts

5. Treating tasks as opportunities

6. Utilizing my talents everyday

7. Doing the job right the first time

8. Expecting positive outcomes daily

9. Speaking well of others every day

Little Things to Remember: From Northern State & Coach Meyer

*Every little thing counts, If not, why do it?

*When closely guarded, do not go toward the ball. Go back-door.

*Whenever you cut, look for a return pass.

*When you commit to a cut (or back-door) do not stop and do not come back to the ball.

*Bad shooters are always open.

*On offense, move the defense

*A good player knows what he is good at. He also knows what he is not good at and only does the former.

*You want to be good at those things that happen alot.

*Defense involves three things: courage, energy, intelligence.

*Whatever you are doing is the most important thing that you're doing while you're doing it.

*Hardly any players play to lose. Only a few play to win.

*The way you think affects what you see and do.