Coach Cooley's Basketball Blog

Affecting the Entire Program

2012-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Saban said Richardson "probably had as good a football season as anyone that I've ever had the opportunity to coach.""I always use the analogy that you really can't be a great player unless you affect somebody on your team," the coach said. "Players make plays. Good players affect somebody on their team. Great players affect their entire unit."And Trent's competitive spirit certainly affected everybody on our team."

Manigat quickly has become CU's leader

2011-11-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

From the Omaha World Herald:

Jahenns Manigat went from lost freshman to a guy his Creighton teammates look to for direction in the span of a calendar year.

That rapid transformation is not lost on Bluejay coach Greg McDermott.

"He's made as good of a stride in one year as anyone I've been around," McDermott said.

His teammates' respect for the progress Manigat has made is shown in their selection of the sophomore guard from Ontario, Canada, as one of Creighton's three captains.

"He's our gel guy. He's everyone's best friend," Creighton forward Ethan Wragge said. "He deserves to be captain because he communicates the best."

That part, at least off the court, comes easily for Manigat. He's a gregarious jokester, that guy who keeps the locker room loose with a comment that cuts through the tension a long season creates.

But just as he's had to work to develop his skills, Manigat said he's had to put in time to become the team's vocal leader once the ball is tipped.

"Off the court, I have a pretty good personality and I've never been shy around people," he said. "But being vocal on the court is something totally different. It's about the stuff that needs to be communicated when you're playing games — helping guys through screens and making sure guys know where they're supposed to be.

"I think having a vocal leader was one of the things that was missing on last year's team, and I really didn't want us to struggle because of that. I'm just trying to make sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Talk alone will only get a player so far. Manigat is backing up his words with an improved game on both ends of the court. Offensively, he scored 33 points in Creighton's first two wins. Defensively, he continues to show the growth that first started blossoming at the end of last season.

"The last 10 or 12 games of last season," McDermott said, "Jahenns was really doing some really good things. But he's taken it to another level this year with his leadership, his communication and his intensity on the defensive end of the floor."

Manigat started Creighton's final 15 games last season. He averaged 8.1 points and shot 55 percent from the field in the final 14. He often found himself matched up against the opposing team's best backcourt player.

Manigat used last season's solid finish as a base to build on this season.

"He really got into the gym and worked on getting a lot of 3s up," forward Doug McDermott said. "He knew he was going to get a lot of 3s because our frontcourt draws a lot of defenders."

Seventeen of the 18 shots Manigat has attempted this season have come from behind the arc. He's made 10 of the shots (58.8 percent) and also has seven assists while committing only two turnovers.

That's not the kind of production that his coach anticipated he'd be getting from Manigat when he first joined the program.

"A year ago, Jahenns was an awful defender and he really didn't understand how to play the game offensively," McDermott said. "He's really bought into what we've asked him to do, and I'm glad he's on our team. He's going to have a great career here."

Manigat's early struggles had him wondering what he had gotten himself into — he was the final recruit signed by former coach Dana Altman in April 2010. Altman left for Oregon later that month.

Like many freshmen, Manigat struggled to adjust to the speed and intensity of the collegiate game when he first got on campus.

"I remember after one early individual workout asking myself what was keeping me from getting on a plane and going back home," Manigat said. "That's something a lot of freshmen go through when the realization of how tough college basketball is hits them.

"I think a lot of the things I went through got me to where I am today. I'm a better player, more level-headed and more mature."

That experience has Manigat mentoring the new players that joined the program this season.

"I'm trying to help them through that transition," Manigat said.

His willingness to embrace such a role is one reason his teammates voted him a captain along with senior Antoine Young and junior Grant Gibbs. McDermott said it's the first time in his coaching career that a sophomore had been selected as one of the captains.

It's a responsibility that Manigat takes seriously.

"I'm honored," he said. "It's truly a special group. These guys really and truly are for me, being so far away from home, my brothers. I'm going to do everything I can to represent them and to help us have the kind of season that we all want."

The Process

2011-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

"The scoreboard has nothing to do with the process. Each possession you look across at the opponent and commit yourself to dominate that person. It's about individuals dominating the individuals they're playing against. If you can do this...if you can focus on the possession and wipe out the distractions...then you will be satisfied with the result.

-Nick Saban

Don't Quit

2011-11-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

"We were saying, 'Don't quit'. You never quit, even if it looks ugly. If you quit every time something looks ugly, you miss an opportunity to do something special."

-Chiefs Linebacker Andy Studebaker after the Chiefs 23-20 OT win over San Diego

Kellen Moore's Work Ethic

2011-10-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Good article on Boise St. quarterback Kellen Moore in last week's Sports Illustrated. His mindset is top-notch:

Moore is also working on his master's in kinesiology. And this fall he's immersed in an independent study project with left tackle Nate Potter. They're steeping themselves in the subject of "what highly successful people do to become successful," says Moore.

Among the books he's read on this topic: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. Moore's preliminary conclusion: "There's no magic. A lot of times there's this misconception that people are just given this talent, that they never had to work hard to get where they are." Their common denominator, he says, is the willingness to submit to "that grueling, grinding, not-fun task, and to do it over and over. That's what successful people do."

He cites the 10,000-Hour Rule from Outliers, which holds that greatness requires the investment of massive amounts of time. Moore, it turns out, has been investing since at least the second grade. For show-and-tell, recalls Kris, he would draw a play on the whiteboard: "He'd tell the class, 'This is what the [Prosser] Mustangs are going to be running this week.'"

Your Best Effort

2011-09-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

From "Stuff" by Dick DeVenzio:

What excuse do you give yourself for not doing your best every play of a game or every drill in practice? Have you ever considered a coach could watch you play, even on a night you score 20, and he could tell you dozens of things you never bother doing?

Undoubtedly there are many things that you should do that you don't. But if you really want to be a good player..if you strive to do the little things consistently, there won't be any doubt in anyone's mind what kind of player you are. People may not say that you are great or wonderful or fantastic, but coaches will do better than that. They will say YOU CAN PLAY.

There is no higher compliment in the game.

The Little Things Go a Long Way

2011-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Green Bay Packers WR Greg Jennings on his study habits and work habits. Here is the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Says Jennings:

"I approach the game a little differently. I think the No. 1 thing that separates the men from the boys (at wide receiver) is the mind-set. A lot of guys talk about being the best but some don't really have the mind-set that it takes to be the best.

"Honestly, it's more of a mental (test). My physical assets are there; I'm going to display those. It's your study habits, your work habits throughout the week. That goes a long way."

The Red Bandana

2011-09-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Intensity of Kevin Garnett

2011-08-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

From Last February:

While the Celtics were on their post-All-Star road trip, ESPN the Magazine's Eddie Matz got a chance to be a fly on the wall for the Celtics practice in San Francisco, paying close attention to Kevin Garnett's manic practice habits.

“Garnett doesn’t do easy. When assistant Lawrence Frank begins a walk-through of the Golden State offense, Garnett interjects, “Why we walkin’ through it? The Warriors ain’t gonna be walkin’ through it!” Just like that, it’s starters versus subs, and even the stars, following the lead of their motivational big man, go all-out. Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen make this a veteran squad, and veteran squads understand how quickly championship windows can close.”

Low Maintenance, All Work

2011-08-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Heisman Trophy winner and rookie Saints RB Mark Ingram is getting rave reviews from his new teammates in New Orleans:

"I respect him for his demeanor," Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "He comes in, a Heisman Trophy winner, prolific runner in college and all he wants to do is work and all he wants to do is get better. You can respect that. You can admire that more than a guy that feels entitled to something. I feel like that's the last thing that Mark Ingram feels right now is that he's entitled to anything. He goes out, he proves his worth every day in practice and shows that he can play."

Never Satisfied

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is the simple fact that I have had to scratch and claw for everything to get where I'm at. Even though I was a first round pick and a pro bowler I never feel like I've arrived. I don't think I'd be in the position I'm at today if it weren't for all the setbacks and people telling me I couldn't do it. It is what drives me to be great.

-Clay Matthews Jr.

Michael Jordan: Mind of a Champion

2011-08-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts from Kevin Eastman

2011-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Every now and then we should just sit and think. Never know what you will come up with.

• Success has a price and players have to know that they have to pay it just as much as you and your staff have to.

• Success does have downpayments: work ethic, discipline, preparation, consistency.

• We are the sum total of the experiences we've had and the people we've met. What have you done? Who have you associated with?

• Preparation is so important because it can help eliminate fear and doubt.

• Before we can eliminate excuses that keep us from improving we have to recognize what those excuses are. Write down your top three excuses and then eliminate them for the next month. This will create a habit of not using them any more!

• It's very important to take a close look at your locker room. Whose voices are being heard? Are these the messages that you would want being sent?

• What messages are on your locker room wall? May seem corny but it's something that players will see -- and probably read -- almost every day!

• Never be concerned about repeating a message; repetitive verbal teaching is a great form of teaching. Teaching doesn’t always have to be physical.

Post Development

2011-07-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Brandon Jennings Offseason Workouts

2011-07-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Bucks PG Brandon Jennings and his offseason workouts:

"I'm just getting back to the basics of basketball," said Jennings, who worked out regularly at the team's training facility before the NBA lockout was imposed July 1. "Just working on my fundamentals. Getting set back last year with the injury made me have a different approach to the game. It's not (taken for) granted.

"Next year will be my third year and I need to establish myself as one of the best point guards and one of the best players in the game. It's just trying to get better and better every day. Working with Scott Skiles (before the lockout), getting in the weight room, dedicating the summer to strictly basketball. It's going to be my third year, so it's time to become an all-star."

Shortly before the lockout was imposed, Jennings was asked if he had been working harder than he normally would at that time of the year.

"I haven't worked this hard since I was 18," said Jennings who will turn 22 in September.

Skiles praised the work Jennings put in at the team's training facility before the lockout.

"Brandon has always been a hard worker, to a large part because he loves to be in the gym," said Skiles. "He was working out like it was September . . . very serious and very focused."

Since Jennings can no longer work with the coaches, it's now on him to continue with the workout program that was provided by the coaches.

Jennings wasn't kidding when he said he was getting back to the basics both in his pre-lockout workouts - mainly with assistant coach Bill Peterson, who was also impressed with the positive daily work habits Jennings brought to the gym - and on his summer "to-do" list.

The left-handed Jennings has worked on improving his right hand since he came into the league, and that mission continues - dribbling and passing with his right hand as well as taking contact around the basket and finishing with his right hand.

He has also worked on other very basic things such as catching the ball with two hands, his foot work and balance and his hand-eye coordination.

The Bucks would also like Jennings to tighten up his shot and shoot the ball with a more consistent form.

Jennings has a tendency to shoot off-balance sometimes or from different spots on his body. The Bucks want Jennings to improve at getting the ball in his shooting pocket - the starting point of his shot - staying balanced, and releasing the shot from the same spot on his body every time.

"We don't feel like there's anything wrong with his shot or anything he needs to really correct other than just shooting the same shot all the time," said Skiles. "Brandon has a lot of ability and a lot of talent and it just needs to revolve a little bit more around tightening up his fundamentals.

"There's no magic dust to any of this. If you have some level of talent, which he clearly does, and then if you have the work ethic to go with it, usually you get better. He's always been kind of a gym-rat guy and so it's not a whole lot different other than there's a real hungriness to him."

Bob Hurley 60 Minutes Interview

2011-07-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Living in the Moment

2011-07-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

Forward Abby Wambach of USA Soccer:

"I was nearly brought to tears just thinking about how surreal this all seems," Wambach said after scoring the deciding goal to lead the USA into its first Women's World Cup final in 12 years with a 3-1 victory against France.

"I feel like I have to give all of myself and more of myself in order to secure wins, and of course I am willing to do that," she said. "I feel like I have to make sure I don't regret a moment. I want to smell what the stadium smells like. I want to breathe in all of this experience, because who knows if I'm going to get another shot in four years? Who knows if I will be healthy? Who knows, who knows?

"These moments are rare, these feelings are extreme, and I just hope to keep it going forward, and if we can get that win on Sunday (in the final), you will see the happiest human being on the planet."

Brady's Intangibles

2011-07-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

Rip Hamilton Moving Without the Ball

2011-07-12T15:16:00.001-07:00

CP3 Workout

2011-07-11T11:31:00.001-07:00

Chris Paul Nike Skills Camp

2011-07-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Stephen Curry Shooting

2011-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Dell Curry Shooting Drills

2011-07-07T18:56:00.001-07:00

Jordan on Offense

2011-07-07T17:48:00.001-07:00

The Value of Hard Work

2011-07-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

UCONN guard Shabazz Napier on what made former teammate and NBA lottery pick Kemba Walker so good:

"I won't say I can replicate what he did. But one thing he taught me and the rest of our team is the value of hard work. You go out there and give it your all no matter what. Every practice we had, he practiced like he was a guy that was trying to make the team. He's the star of our team, but you looked over at him and he was always pressing himself, challenging himself. It was like he was a walk-on."

Jordan Flu Game- 1997 Game 5 Finals

2011-06-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

Marquette Basketball Practice

2011-06-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

Marquette Boot Camp

2011-06-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

Jordan's Defense Part I

2011-06-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Mavs Team Attitude

2011-06-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

"We just kept playing. That just shows the character of this team. No matter how old you are, we understood how to play the game, by passing the ball and making sure that we didn't take shots where three or four guys are on you. We just made the extra pass. We didn't care who put the ball in the basket."

-Jason Kidd

Urgency

2011-06-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

"I don't allow myself to sit back and relax now. In these playoffs, one win or one loss can switch the whole momentum. You don't ever want a snowball to start. I don't allow myself to sit back all of a sudden and be satisfied.

"We got one more big win hopefully to get, and then I can be satisfied."

-Dirk Nowitzki

Ray Allen on Shooting

2011-06-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

More From Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle

2011-06-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Said Carlisle: "Persistence is our game. We're an old-school team. We're not high-fliers. ... Our game is near the ground. We have to play with brains and guts."

Defense is Simple

2011-06-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

"The schemes we're using aren't very complex. It's just all about hard play."

-Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle

Kobe Bryant/Chris Paul Workout

2011-05-25T06:48:00.001-07:00

Mental Toughness from Dallas Mavs

2011-05-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

"I think mental toughness comes from believing in yourself and at the same time not getting rattled," center Brendan Haywood said. "If a team runs off eight, nine, 10 points in a row, you don't get rattled, you stay the course, you stick to the plan and you don't fray from the team system. That's mental toughness to me."

How can we make our teammates better?

2011-05-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Good article in Sports Illustrated on the leadership of Colorado Rockies teammates Carlos Gonzalez & Troy Tulowitzki:

CarGo and Tulo have formed a thriving partnership, not just in the middle of the order, where they bat third and fourth, but in the clubhouse.

"We talk all the time about how to set the right tone," Gonzalez says. "We do our running in the outfield, and we're talking about how we can help our teammates. Is somebody in a slump? What can we do for him? What can we do today to make this team better?"

Defense helps morale

2011-04-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

From ESPN.com:

More so than engaging the gang, the Lakers' defense has brought the group together at a time when team chemistry cannot be overstated in its value to winning.

"It's kind of like this bond that starts to happen," Lamar Odom said. "Intensity picks up. Communication picks up. Eye contact amongst each other kind of picks up and collective energy and synergy picks up."

"When things work [on defense], it helps morale," Kobe Bryant said. "It helps generate momentum and the right kind of energy that you need to win games -- even more so than offensively."

Bulls' Deng relishes role

2011-04-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

"I feel like as a team everyone has a role all year. Guys have done a good job of bringing something to the team every time. The position I'm in, a lot of times, I'm guarding the other team's best perimeter player. I know if I play with a lot of intensity, everyone's going to pick it up. I know our defense is the key. I've always been able to score and rebound. But defense is something I'm trying to add."

-Luol Deng, Bulls Forward

When your best players are coachable, it makes your team coachable

2011-04-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an article on Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and his leadership progression. Many of the quotes are from Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau:

Several times this season, Rose has said he enjoys Thibodeau's intensity and that Thibodeau knows he can yell at Rose because Rose, who is equally intense, can take it. "You say scream. I say coach," Thibodeau said.

"When your best players are coachable, it makes your team coachable. That sets the tone for everything. The way he works and studies and is never satisfied and is so unselfish and totally into winning, that's what makes him so special.

"When you have a player with that talent that has those intangibles, it makes your team special. A big part of leadership is helping sell the vision of the team to teammates. He does that by example and he's being more vocal now."

Butler Goes Down Its Way

2011-04-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

Terrific article from Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel about teammates helping each other after a difficult lose:

HOUSTON – Shawn Vanzant sat in the corner of the Butler locker room, sobbing, his teammates said, at an almost uncontrollable level. Next to him was Matt Howard, a towel draped over his head, the tears coming just as hard.

Together, the two seniors had shot 3 for 23, an absolutely abysmal, crushing performance in the biggest game of their lives. Connecticut was outside clipping the national championship nets. In here it was just hell, the aftermath of a great team gone bad – 12-of-64 shooting, a record-low 18.8 percent from the floor, losing 53-41, the fewest total points in a title game since the shot clock was invented.

Vanzant thought it was his fault. Howard felt no better.

And that’s when Ronald Nored, eyes red and tear-filled as well, noticed his teammates, got up, crossed the locker room and reminded everyone what this entire pursuit is about.

He pulled Shawn Vanzant up off his stool and hugged his friend, physically and emotionally attempting to lift him out of his depression. After a few seconds, Nored stepped over to Howard and did the same.

And soon enough, his teammates followed.

One after the other, from the freshmen to the managers, from the benchwarmers to the starters, every last Butler Bulldog was taking a moment to remind each other, particularly those bottomed-out seniors, that this was about a lot more than some basketball game.

“It [was] hard for me to watch; it’s hard for me to talk about,” coach Brad Stevens said of the scene, his voice catching and his eyes watering behind his glasses.

“But it’s the best part of the story.”

The story of Butler, the one that’s captured underdog hearts for two consecutive NCAA tournaments, was always about a group finding a way to be better than its individual parts.

The Bulldogs were a family, they said. They were a brotherhood, they reminded. They believed they could reach back-to-back NCAA title games when there was no logical reason to think such a thing was possible. This is what all kinds of teams say, of course. And it’s easy to be a family when the shots are falling and victories are piling up and you’re shocking the world night after night. It’s another when you take the grandest stage in college basketball and proceed to experience a failure of historic proportions.

Butler hit just 3 of 31 shots inside the arc. It made just six baskets in each half. At one point, the Bulldogs missed 13 in a row. They clanked open shots and blew gimmes they make in their sleep. As much credit as the long-armed Huskies’ defense deserves, in the back of every Bulldogs’ mind was the thought that they gave this away by playing the worst game of their lives at the worst possible moment.

“All the people who played in the game think they let us down,” Stevens said. “And that’s ridiculous.”

That’s also when everything gets tested. Butler blew it and that’s when fingers tend to get pointed and playing time gets questioned and selfishness can rise up. If only he had made that lay-up. If only he had knocked down that open jumper.

“It’s very easy to just think about yourself and be frustrated in the situation,” Howard said.

Instead, the Bulldogs showed all the talk was real. They did it one hug after the next. One whispered “I love you” after another. One pat on the back and look into the eye and honest bit of concern.

The harder some cried, the harder the rest worked to ease the pain. Stevens stood in that locker room, took it all in and saw the kind of miracle for which coaches strive – collective support in the lowest and rawest of moments. Kids caring about kids. Perspective and purpose on display. It may not get you a clipped net, but that’s some kind of championship in itself.

“Hard, hard to put into words,” Stevens said, his voice trailing a bit.

“It’s probably the great thing about sports,” assistant coach Matthew Graves said.

Nored said he never hesitated. Once he noticed Vanzant in such a state, the game didn’t matter. Only his friend did.

“That’s what we’re here for, we’re here for each other,” Nored said. “In the big picture, who really cares about basketball? It’s about the guys in this locker room. I wanted Shawn to know we don’t really care that his shot didn’t go in; we care about him.”

Howard, just a half-hour later, could only marvel at the entire thing. Butler had come to win the title on Monday, but when he gathered the team pregame in the tunnel, he told everyone to forget what was at stake.

“Don’t think about the national championship,” he shouted. “This is our last time playing together.”

With that, the Bulldogs broke huddle and sprinted out into the dome. A couple hours later, his message meant more than ever. The national championship was gone. The appreciation of playing together was not. He couldn’t hide under that towel after the game. His teammates wouldn’t let him.

“[They] come over and give you a hug and tell [you] how much [they] love [you] and appreciate [you] and that is what this team is about,” Howard said.

“It’s really uplifting because no matter the result, they want to be a part of this team and that is all that’s on their mind. They want to pick you up. “It’s a special group. That’s the only reason we’ve been able to do what we have.”

They talk a lot about the “Butler Way” around here, although no one has a specific definition of it. Mostly it’s about being selfless, not caring who gets the points or the headlines or the accolades. Here on the night of a bitter, bitter defeat, Brad Stevens was reminded it can mean a whole lot more than that.

“You know if someone has to go 12 of 64 and lose that game and do it that way,” he said, “these guys have the character to handle that.”

The game had been a nightmare. The embarrassment of all those misses will linger. The frustration of so many good players failing to make simple shots will haunt them. But it won’t happen alone. Not with these guys. Not after Ronald Nored hugged Shawn Vanzant in the corner of that locker room and just wouldn’t let go

One Shining Moment

2011-04-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

He'll do whatever it takes

2011-03-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

VCU guard Joey Rodriguez's high school coach Reggie Kohn on his toughness:

“Whether it was a real game or just three-on-three, Joey was willing to dive headfirst into the bleachers. For a guy his size, you have to be tough. He has that willingness to fight for every possession and for every ball. His mind-set is ‘if there’s a loose ball, I’m getting it 100 percent of the time.’ Whether he has to push you into the bleachers or tackle someone. He’ll do whatever it takes.” -

Attitude adjustment sets Butler on another magical Final Four ride

2011-03-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

Great article in the Chicago Tribune about how Butler overcame a tough losing streak during the season through a change in their overall attitude:

Butler's frustration mounted so high that Stevens sensed the need to do what good coaches do. He let his players take ownership of their team in a way necessary for it to grow. But before turning over the meeting that changed their season, Stevens told everyone he needed to improve too. That's when senior Zach Hahn actually shouted at his coach. "I had had enough at that point and yelled, with a few choice words, 'It's not about what you guys are doing, we've got to be better,' " Hahn said. "

Everybody agreed.

" Everybody agreed that a team built on attitude needed an adjustment and that the mid-major powerhouse had developed a major ego problem.

"We kind of got the big head a little bit," Mack said. "We had to get people back to doing things we'd been doing."

Butler hasn't lost since.

"Our whole thing when you come to Butler is it's not about you," guard Ronald Nored said. "The focus is sacrificing everything for your teammates, your school and each other."

Butler Way isn't just an access road in front of some academic buildings. It's the aw-shucks, almost corny method Stevens has used to attract fundamentally sound players and build a program special enough to be the first non-power-conference school to reach back-to-back Final Fours since UNLV in 1990-91.

"It's not brain surgery," Stevens said. "You can buy a book, you can read about it. People know what the critical components of success are. Everybody in every business and every industry talks about values, mission and vision. The key is holding to them."

The line at the souvenir store inside Hinkle Fieldhouse snaked out the door. One older couple made sure to remind me that the Milan High team immortalized in "Hoosiers" lost in the 1953 Final Four the year before winning the state title. That's the script they see their Bulldogs following this weekend. On the court, as players met the media, fans of all ages took pictures and sought autographs considered priceless in a state that loves God, corn and basketball — not necessarily in that order.

"One of our core principles in our locker room is humility," Stevens said. "If you don't have that, you're not here. You've got to respect everybody."

Somebody mentioned to Stevens that he has gained enough respect to be compared to Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams. It's deserved praise but dangerous too. Around here, they would take losing Stevens harder than losing to VCU.

"That's nice for people to say, but like I tell our team, 'You're only good if you're good today,'" Stevens said. "We also say, 'You're good if you play good. You're great if you do that every day.' "

It would be great for college basketball if Butler won it all playing by these rules, especially in a sport where so many coaches make their own rules.

When Stevens reflected on the pivotal Youngstown State loss, he remembered telling Howard that the three-game losing streak would be "the most valuable thing you took from Butler."

Stevens also recalled the cartoon his coach at DePauw University, Bill Fenlon, sent to encourage him through the rough patch. It's an image of a dejected superhero sitting alone under a palm tree on a deserted island. The thought bubble read, "Oh, yeah, I can fly."

"That was kind of the way we were," Stevens said. "We had the ability but we were down. We weren't far from being good. It's easy to get caught up in the negatives, but they didn't. That is the most rewarding thing about this team."

Clint Hurdle positive on the Pirates

2011-03-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

New Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is taking over the Pirates with many wondering why he would put himself in such a tough situation, being that the Pirates have been one of the least winning teams in the MLB in the last 20 years. He has taken on the task with lots of energy and enthusiams. Here is a little from an espn.com article: Hurdle has charged his entire coaching staff with this mission: Bond with these players. Do whatever it takes to forge a connection that keeps this entire locomotive steaming down the same track. "I'm not talking about a Kumbaya campfire thing," Hurdle quipped. "We just want to make sure, from a coaching standpoint, we don't have any 'oh-no' coaches here. And by that I mean, we've all had a coach in our life where, when you saw this guy coming, the first thing you thought was, 'Oh, no. Here we go again.' We want to open up the line of communications where they see us walking up to them and they go, 'I wonder what he's got for me today.'"

Poise & Great Communication

2011-03-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article on Butler coach Brad Stevens: "Sometimes we'll be in the huddle during a tight game and look up at coach Stevens and he's just so calm," senior Zach Hahn said. "You wonder 'How's he doing that?' But it definitely has an effect on everyone else. We don't get rattled easily." Butler sophomore Chase Stigall said Stevens is a master of motivation, with an ability to mold his style to fit different players. When the Bulldogs were on a three-game losing streak in February — something unheard of for many of the players on the current roster — Stigall said Stevens didn't panic or do anything desperate. He just did what he does best, communicate. "He has a different way with every player," Stigall said. "When he's tuning into a certain player, he has a different way of treating each guy. He knows that my high school coach was a yeller, and he knows that I can be yelled at and that's how I respond the best. Other people can't respond to that — and he knows it."

Leader of the Huskies

2011-03-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

"I'm just trying to do the best I can do. Whether it's scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I'm just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team."

-Uconn guard & 1st Team All-American guard Kemba Walker after his team beat San Diego St. to advance to the Elite 8

It Always Starts With Defense

2011-03-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

"We have a lot of confidence. When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we're not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We just go through the motions. So it always starts with defense."

Bulls forward Luol Deng after the Bulls beat the Hawks last night

Shot Selection

2011-03-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Quote from Arizona forward and All-Pac 10 player Derrick Williams on efficiency:

"Just think about it. If you're shooting 20 times a game, of course you're going to score at least 20 points. But I want to get to the free-throw line, not take bad shots, just be the most efficient player I can be. I only need to shoot open shots."

Says Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller:

"I know it sounds too good to be true when you're talking about a kid who is as talented as he is and as good of a kid as he is," Miller said. "But that's what makes him a special kid.

"It's easy to coach your team when you have your best player on board."

When Things are Hard, They Don't Pass the Blame

2011-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

“Our kids acted this season like I wish our society wouldact. That means that when things get hard, they don’t pass blame. They don’t run away from it. They don’t roll their eyes. They don’t quit.”

-K St Coach Frank Martin on his team fighting through a midseason slump to reach the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

Butler All-Access

2011-03-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Looking for guys who have "gotten over themselves"

2011-03-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

"We get guys who want to do their job and go home and aren't impressed with the hoopla. One of the keys is to bring in guys who have gotten over themselves. They either want to prove that they can play in this league—or they want to prove nothing. They fill their role and know the pecking order. We have three guys who are the best players, and everyone else fits around them."

-Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs Head Coach

Outwilling Your Opponent

2011-03-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

"I think what wears opponents down is, you can't get him to slow up. He's gonna try to outwill you. We talk a lot about that with our team. If you're really good you can outwill another team.

"Kemba is probably the personification of that. ... You know what? If I could have every player find what he finds, then we wouldn't even be talking about us not being the Big East champion or winning the national title. It's the greatest gift a player can have."

-Jim Calhoun on UCONN's Kemba Walker

Bill Self on Toughness

2011-03-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

From the Kansas City Star:

Self defines tough basketball as staying focused in the now, chasing every rebound or loose ball with two hands, remembering to play defense with your head and feet when the other team’s in the bonus, things like that.

“And even when we played poorly, we guarded and we rebounded,” Self says. “That’s usually the toughness stats that show up the most.”

Summer Two-A-Days help Rose & Friends Turn Potential Into Polish

2011-03-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES -- St. Monica High School sits near the corner of Lincoln Blvd. and Washington Ave. in Santa Monica, an intersection of potential and stardom. There is nothing inherently impressive about the St. Monica basketball gym -- "It's pretty small," said trainer Rob McClanaghan, "and a little grimy" -- except for the NBA players who walked through the doors last summer and kept coming back.

Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love arrived at St. Monica last May, full of promise, but still in need of polish. They had just finished their second season in the pros. Rose made the All-Star team. Westbrook wowed in the playoffs. Love was not even a full-time starter yet.

They worked out six days a week at St. Monica, McClanaghan putting them through full-court and half-court game simulations, peppering them with hypothetical questions: "How good do you want to be? You want to be an All-Star? You want to be an MVP? You want to be a champion, or lose in the conference finals?" McClanaghan's assistant was a 3-foot black football pad he used to punish the players so they would not forget what it feels like to rush into a power forward.

The group trained twice a day, once at 9 a.m. and again at 6 p.m., in their white T-shirts and practice shorts. Sometimes they came straight from photo shoots still wearing makeup. When McClanaghan tried to give them one Sunday evening off, they showed up anyway. When other NBA players stopped by and went half-speed, the regulars told them to stick with the program or drop it. "The intensity was unbelievable," McClanaghan said. "Russell would do something great and you could see Derrick and Kevin telling themselves they would do even better. It became their gym."

As the summer wore on and word spread, coaches in Southern California went to St. Monica just to watch. Former Lakers general manager Jerry West made an appearance. What they witnessed were three young players preparing each other to take one simultaneous leap into the elite. "We put so much pressure on those workouts," Rose said. "You felt like you couldn't miss a shot in there."

While Love and Westbrook had their own summer to-do lists, Rose built a jumper almost from scratch. A transcendent driver, Rose rarely used to take outside shots because he could easily race to the rim, with his Iversonian crossover. But as opposing teams sagged off him, he found fewer driving lanes, and grew frustrated that he could not make defenses pay. He shot 26.7 percent from three-point range last season, and on the rare occasion that he let fly, his release was low and his arc flat. The ball invariably smacked the front of the rim. McClanaghan told him, "If you can just get to 39 or 40 percent, where guys have to respect you, it will be over."

McClanaghan lifted Rose's release point, gave him the mantra "no short shots" and made him hoist upward of 1,000 threes a day at St. Monica. Rose's practice percentage ticked up, from 60 to 68 to 72. It became clear that defenses were not going to sag off him anymore, but to take advantage of openings he had to throw himself into big men as often as he slithered around them. "I spent a lot of time getting hit by that pad and trying to finish off it," Rose said. By initiating contact instead of avoiding it, Rose has already attempted and made more free throws than he did all of last season.

He has also identified yet another way to expand his game. He plans to spend this summer developing post moves. He already knows the perfect workout partners and the ideal place.

-------------------------------------
From cnnsi.com

Staying Even-Keeled

2011-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

"I think his approach has been pretty even-keeled, and I think that certainly helps him. Doug's not one that is going to get too disappointed in himself for too long when things aren't going right, nor is he going to pat himself on the back for very long when things are going well.”

-Creighton Coach Greg McDermott on his son Doug earning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year & Player of the Year

Your Best Player Sets the Standard

2011-02-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

“When your best player is also your hardest worker, you’ve got a chance to do something. Your leaders help sell the vision of what our standards are going to be, what we’re trying to accomplish. And that’s to never take anything off — a practice, a play, a possession.”

-Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau on PG Derrick Rose

Last Opportunity

2011-02-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

"Any time you're approaching the last opportunity in anything you do, you want to maximize your experience. If someone is going to beat me, they're going to get my best shot."

-Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame Shooting Guard

Do You Want to Win? Don't Do These Things

2011-02-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

By Jay Bilas, ESPN

I had a great discussion recently with one of college basketball's best coaches about a Bill Parcells concept regarding how teams lose games. Parcells is credited with saying that you have to understand what causes you to lose because until you do, you will never truly understand how to win.After thinking about it, speaking to several coaches about it and consulting so many of the basketball materials I have collected and been given by some of the best coaches I have known, I came up with a list of things in college basketball that cause teams to lose. This list is by no means exhaustive or original, but these principles have been emphasized by many of the best coaches in the game.

1. Defensive Breakdowns

Teams with defensive breakdowns lose. The best defenses are difficult to score upon and do not allow open shots. The best defenses are "help defenses" that require little help because they guard the ball well by closing out under control to take away the open shot and because they take away the middle drive. The best defenses sustain a physical and intense defensive effort, play the ball and communicate at a high level, and they do it consistently throughout the game. Bob Knight has said that action is quicker than reaction, and help defense is the solution. If the defender containing the ball gets beat, he must have swift and decisive help, and the helper must be helped with a similar sense of urgency. The best defenses are committed to taking away any open shots and forcing one quick and contested shot, with five defenders committed to getting the ball before converting to offense.

2. Outcompeted on the Glass

The best teams understand the worth of additional possessions and make rebounding a priority on both ends. The best teams understand that defensive rebounding is a five-man effort to deny the opponent the opportunity to get additional possessions to score before you can. The best teams understand that offensive rebounding allows you to get additional possessions to score before your opponent can. The best teams are committed to going to the glass and not surrendering to or staying attached to blockouts, but instead overcoming obstacles to pursue the ball with both hands and secure it.

3. Losing the Free Throw Battle

The free throw line is the best and most efficient place from which to score on a basketball court. The best teams work with a purpose to get to the free throw line, coach to get to the free throw line and hit free throws when they get there. The best defenses keep the opponent out of the middle, play tough and physical defense without fouling, and understand that there is no such thing as "fouls to waste." Fouls should not be wasted, and when a substitute enters the game with no individual fouls, that is not license to commit a needless foul and put the opponent closer to the bonus. Getting into the bonus earlier takes away opponents' aggressiveness, and putting the opponent into the bonus takes away your aggressiveness.

4. Losing the Turnover Battle

The best teams understand the value of the ball, and being loose with the ball provides the opponent additional possessions and results in empty possessions for your team. The turnover total is not the best marker -- it is the turnover margin, because that is the number of additional possessions gained or lost based upon how each team values the ball. Some teams protect the ball better and other teams have more takeaways than miscues. The key is the additional shot attempts gained by valuing the ball on offense and defense.

5. Poor Shot Selection and Offensive Execution

The best teams consistently work for and take high-percentage shots and are committed to passing up early, contested shots to find a teammate with an open one. The best teams are committed to working together and are not hung up on "my" shot, understanding that every shot is "our" shot. The best teams understand roles and have all five players on the court working hard to get open and be threats to score. The best teams understand that working hard to get a good open shot and taking it is not selfish. Taking bad shots, such as contested shots early in the clock, is selfish.

6. Poor Communication

The best teams not only talk, they listen. It does no good to have five talkers on the floor unless you also have five good listeners and actors. The best teams are connected to one another on offense and defense, and are connected to the bench. Whether at home or on the road, breakdowns in communication result in corresponding breakdowns in Nos. 1-5 on this list. Communication is a skill, and the best teams value communication as highly as any other aspect of the game.

You can't come to practice pouting

2011-02-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Bo Ryan on staying consistent as a player and coach:

"I just want our players to be as consistent in their work ethic and how they take care of the ball and the little things that we talk about all the time to give yourself a chance," said Ryan, whose team hasn't suffered back-to-back losses since the 2008-'09 season. "I don't dwell on the loss.....

"People that come to our practices, you have no idea what happened the game before and there is a purpose to that. I've always been like that. I tried to be like that as a player because I was told by my coach if things didn't go well. . . you can't go to practice pouting. It doesn't help anything."

Duke's Thornton makes defense his priority

2011-02-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

DURHAM (AP):

Duke freshman guard Tyler Thornton's passion for defense dates to his time in grade school, when he played center and called out directions to teammates from the low post.

"He takes pride on that end of the floor, where, 'I've got to own my man and not let him be a difference maker,'" said Steve Turner, who coached Thornton at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.

Turner was at Comcast Center on Wednesday night as defensive-minded Thornton made his first career start near his hometown in Duke's 80-62 defeat of Maryland.

Thornton isn't as gifted a scorer as some of his teammates, but he is providing a boost in other areas as No. 5 Duke (20-2, 7-1 ACC) prepares to host N.C. State (12-10, 2-6) at 6 p.m.

Thornton's ball handling ability allows ACC scoring leader Nolan Smith to catch the ball on offense in different places where he can be more effective. Thornton's on-the-ball pressure also adds a dimension to Duke's defense.

"I love playing defense," Thornton said. "So when the coaches were recruiting me, they noticed that was a strong point of my game, and they told me to bring that here."

At the beginning of the season, it appeared that Thornton's chances of playing a significant role for Duke were slim. Another freshman, Kyrie Irving, quickly demonstrated that he was one of the best guards in the nation.

Thornton also was behind sophomores Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins in the rotation. But after Irving injured his right big toe on Dec. 4, Thornton needed to play a larger role.

He made a big impact with four steals in Duke's first meeting with Maryland on Jan. 9. He provided help for a slightly gimpy Smith in 22 minutes against Wake Forest on Jan. 22 and played a season-high 28 minutes against the Terrapins on Wednesday.

He has nine steals since the Jan. 5 win over Alabama-Birmingham; only Smith and Curry have more during that time.

"When I got here, I knew what my role was going to be," Thornton said. "Once I committed to that role, I was going to find my way on the court, regardless of the circumstances."

Having an Identity

2011-02-03T08:39:00.001-08:00

"We play a certain way, and it's not just when you want to. We have a style; this is how you play. Don't matter who's in there. We set picks, we get our shooters open, we get our scorers open. If you're a post presence, you know your job, you know your role. You come outside that role, then it's another guy behind you ready to do what you was supposed to do."

-Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett's Passion

2011-01-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a blog post from Kevin Eastman's website with a list of leadership thoughts on Kevin Garnett:

• He always looks for teaching opportunities to help young players become “true professionals,” from the way they dress to the way they prepare for the game and for practice, to the way they interact with teammates.

• He lives the “team concept” every day in every way. In fact, last year Kevin wouldn’t do interviews without Paul Pierce or Ray Allen with him because he didn’t want the team to be “his” team; he always wanted it to be “our” team.
• He demands that the coaching staff coach him, call him out, correct him -- so that he can become a better player. He understands that coaching is not criticism, but a very important part of his improvement.

• He works on his game just about every day of our 287-day season. Understands that repetition is the key to being good.

• He is competitive and committed: he plays just as hard whether we are ahead or behind and whether he had 3 shots or 30 points.

• He shows everyone that the great ones just want to get better; always wants to know anything that will make him a better player.

• He often says, “it’s about what you are willing to sacrifice; that’s our way of life here with the Celtics. It’s about putting the team and winning before anything else.”

• He often says, “in order for this thing to work, we all have to sacrifice.”

• He always talks about defense: “We said from Day 1 that we were a defensive team that could also score.”

• And the ultimate sacrifice in today's me-oriented world Kevin says, “from Day 1 we said this is Paul’s team.” Everyone else wanted to make it Kevin’s team but he knew Paul deserved it because Paul had been with the Celtics during tough times.

The list could go on and on, but the point is that true leadership is not about oneself. It is the ability to get not only the most from your own ability but true leadership also means getting the most out of every teammate’s ability as well. Kevin does this by example, by teaching, by his public comments and by his unending commitment to team over self.

Cassel learned from on of the best

2011-01-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here is an article from the New York Times on Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, who had a tremendous 2010 season. Cassel was drafted in the 7th round 2005 by the New England Patriots.when the Patriots picked him up as a free agent. This article talks about how Cassel learned his work ethic and leadership skills from Tom Brady:

Drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round in 2005, Cassel became Brady’s shadow. He arrived at the facility to work out before the first scheduled activity of the day because that is what Brady did. Everything he knows about being a leader, he learned by watching Brady, who won three Super Bowls before Cassel’s arrival.

“He’d always yell at me and say you can’t make the simple mistake,” Cassel recalled, “because how are you going to yell at your receivers, your running backs, your linemen for making simple mistakes if you’re making them?”

Once, Cassel said, he made the simple mistake of forgetting about a noon conference Brady had added to the schedule. When Cassel showed up on time for a 12:15 meeting, Brady glowered.

“He was furious,” Cassel said. “He asked me where I had been at 12 o’clock, and I remember saying: ‘Why didn’t you come get me? Because I was in the building, I was just eating lunch.’ And he said: ‘Because I’m not responsible for you. You have to be accountable for yourself.’ ”

Coach McCarthy on building a culture

2011-01-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

"You have three choices in life when looking at any situation. You can take a positive angle, a negative angle or no angle at all.

"I clearly believe in positive mind-sets. Positive needs to be the starting point. I believe in positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is a useful teaching tool, but it is a short-term teaching tool.

"At the end of the day, when you're building a program, it's all about culture. Positive culture equates growth, and that is very important to me - that everyone in our program continue to grow."

Defense & Rebounding

2011-01-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

"When we're setting goals (we said) what we're going to have to do to make this a special year, we must focus on defending and rebounding and being tough," guard Ben Hansbrough said. "We addressed those goals at the very beginning of the year. We continue to carry that mindset with us."

Chandler's Defensive Mindset Gets Mavs Back on Track

2010-12-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Tyson Chandler, who is a NBA veteran in his first year with the Mavericks, has brought a defensive identity to a team that has struggled on that end of the floor in the past. Dallas has one of the best records in the NBA and is coming off a big win at Miami last night.

Here is Dirk Nowitzki on how Chandler's presence is felt throughout the team:

"I don't think Ray [Allen] or Paul Pierce were great defenders before K.G. got there," Nowitzki said. "But, K.G., with his energy, his defense, his mentality and his high-octane self, he kind of changed the whole momentum on the defense. I think that's what Tyson did here."

"It's just his overall willingness to defend," Nowitzki said. "He talks out there. He's always a loud communicator, pushing everybody in the right spots. I think that's what Tyson brings to our team."

Here is Chandler after last night's victory in Miami:

"We got away from that," said Tyson Chandler, who had eight points and 10 rebounds and helped limit the Heat to 26 points in the paint. "It seemed like the longer our winning streak was going, we started to take a step back and relax on the defensive end. It took that loss [to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 13] to wake everybody back up, and now we're communicating out there and we're actually following Coach's game plan again.

"This has to be our identity. If we want to have a special year, we've got to think defense first."

Brady's Championship Preparation & Mentality

2010-12-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Great stuff on Tom Brady this morning from the USA Today:

"I locker next to this guy, and he never ceases to amaze me with how he continues to improve in his preparation and his teaching of the receivers to gain that edge," said Deion Branch, the ninth-year receiver reunited with Brady in an Oct. 12 trade after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. "MVP honors don't do anything for Tom.

"You can see it in his eyes, his preparation and his play. Winning Super Bowls is his destiny."

How has Brady continued raising his game in his 10th season as a starter?

"He's always working on the little things that might come up on one play twice a season," says head coach Bill Belichick.

"He continually prepares at a very high level both on the opposing team's scheme and personnel. And he continues to try to have a better understanding of our offense, what options there are on certain plays and situations. He's always striving to get better."

"With any veteran, you naturally take on more responsibility," Brady said. "I do a little more mentorship and relate to what the younger guys are going through.

"My teammates elected me captain. It's something I'm very proud of and take very seriously."

Know your role, do your job

2010-12-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

Another win for the Patriots in some tough weather conditions at Chicago yesterday. Coach Bill Belichick is always stressing to his players one thing: 'Know your role, do your job'

"Each week is getting better, and guys are finding their roles on the team and they're starting to step up,'' Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. "I just think everybody's doing their job, and they're doing it real good. When we need plays, it seems like guys make plays. This group of guys has grown up a lot, and guys are tuning in to exactly what their role is, and doing it the best they can. And that's pretty good.''

Duke's Talk System

2010-11-30T06:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some portions in an article from ESPN The Magazine about the communication system that Duke has out on the floor & the importance of talking in their program:

--------------------------------------

Eye contact -- they're big on that. Coach K does it too, from the first time he meets a recruit. Squaring up, he promises always to tell the kid the way it is, about his game, about his life, no matter what. And he demands that every one of his players at Duke do the same: Find the eyes; tell the truth.

It's disorienting and, frankly, a bit weird. But if Mike Krzyzewski says the point is to promote an open dialogue, you can't really argue, even if it can freak out a newbie. Let's be honest: If anyone outside of the team's practice facility were to address a player with such unflinching eye-to-eye contact, he'd likely be asking, "Do you know how fast you were going?"

But disconcerting or not, that's how Blue Devils interact off the court. On it, though, blinded by screens, pivots and defenders' waving hands, they can't rely on eye contact. So they resort to a mode of communication that is equally unrelenting: a steady stream of old-school chatter.

In games, practices and open gyms, the Dukies' yelping -- "Ball, ball!," "You're good there," "I got it," "Shoot it" -- is no different from what spews from your standard-issue pickup hooper. It's just way more intense. It draws attention to oncoming screens, but also affirms every pass and shot, encourages every defensive gamble. It announces their solidarity. "When you talk all the time, you will recognize a voice in a chaotic situation," Krzyzewski says. "It builds strength."

To a Devil, hostile invective, intrusive whistles and sneaker squeaks are white noise; teammates' chirps are the real sound track of the game. To opponents, that sound track is like a death knell. "The chatter empowers them," says Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "Combine it with their talent, and it's pretty imposing."

Krzyzewski calls this grating-to-others blah-blah-blahing the lifeblood of his program, one of its building blocks: offense, defense, talk. And of his four title teams, 2010's may have been the one most dependent on it. "Last year they talked better than anyone we played," says North Carolina's Roy Williams. "They also talked more consistently than any Duke team in the seven years I've been back in the ACC." All that verbosity was evidence of a veteran squad finally buying Krzyzewski's well-worn creed; "The beauty in our sport comes when five are playing as one, and five can't play as one unless they're talking to one another"

"You're teaching them a language," Krzyzewski says. "You just can't say, 'All you guys need to talk.' You have to teach them how."

"The coaches' thing is, if you're not talking, you're into yourself," Smith says. "Talking gets you thinking about the game." Problem is, extroversion isn't generally an instinctive response to screwing up. "Guys aren't good talkers inherently," Krzyzewski says. "By talking, you open up your inside to the team." Few All-Americas want to draw attention to an ego-shredding error, but Coach K will tell you that's when teammates need to hear you the most. "What talk does is return you to the moment," he says. "It clears your head."

Putting in the Extra Time

2010-11-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

From the KC Star:

Larry Fitzgerald is convinced that he would be a better-than-average NFL receiver had his path never crossed that of Todd Haley.

He is equally as certain he wouldn’t be a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s premier players if not for their two seasons together with the Cardinals with Haley as offensive coordinator.

“I was a good player when he got here, but I was far from a complete player. I never watched film, I didn’t study my opponent. We started at 8 o’clock. I was getting in the building at 7:55. We were done at 3 o’clock, and I was out of the building at 3:05. I came to work and did my job, but that’s about it.

“Todd made me understand that to be … a great player, you have to do more. You have to do extra. I’ve taken that to heart even since he’s left. I continue to do things he taught me: run routes after practice, catch extra balls.”

Matt Cassel showing leadership during tough times

2010-11-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday wasn’t the best example of reality, at least after Denver zipped to a huge lead up (35-0 at half and up 49-17 late in the game), but that didn’t mean the Chiefs stopped paying attention to how some players reacted.

Coach Todd Haley said this week that his starters were given the option late in the game of calling it a night. That game was finished, and perhaps it was best to bid Denver adieu.

Not everyone saw it that way.

“We have to continue to fight,” quarterback Matt Cassel said this week. “You’re paid to play for 60 minutes.”

But in that game and in these early seasons of the team’s transition, Haley said the Chiefs need players who don’t quit, even when there’s every reason to.

“You just see who your leaders are,” Haley said. “He wanted to continue to lead the team.

“The leader’s got to go down with the ship occasionally.

“He felt like he was part of it from the start and didn’t want to not be part of it in the end,” Haley said. “It just reconfirms my belief and knowledge that Matt is a truly competitive, competitive guy who wants to be a real good quarterback in the league and wants to be the leader of a team that wins a bunch of games.

“He shows that every day out here (at practice), and he shows it in games like that.

“It just shows your teammates that you care and that it’s important to you. And you care about your team, in good times and in bad,” Haley said. “Sometimes it’s even better tested in bad times.”

Kevin Love on Rebounding

2010-11-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

"For me, rebounding is all a mindset. My dad told me back in the day that there is no such thing as a selfish rebound because it's a team stat. If you have to fight one of your own teammates for a rebound, do it -- as long as you get it. Also, I studied the greats. Dennis Rodman had it figured out: he knew that most shots are going to come to the other side of the rim. So that's how I position myself. And Bill Russell always used to say that 80 percent of rebounds are below the rim. I'm not the kind of guy who's going to jump and touch the top of the square every time. I use my body for positioning, and I work relentlessly underneath the rim.

You don't have to be the most athletic guy in the world to get a bunch of rebounds, so I just try and take what my dad said to heart, what Rodman said to heart, and most importantly what Bill Russell said to heart. He's got 11 championship rings so I think he knows what he's talking about."

Boys or Men?

2010-11-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

From http://www.cnnsi.com/

When Illinois players walk into their locker room, a simple question greets them on the greaseboard: Boys or men? The words were put there by Illini coach Bruce Weber last spring after his team's season ended ignominiously with a quarterfinal loss in the NIT. Weber recognized that his players had talent. What they lacked was toughness, physical and especially mental. That's why they folded down the stretch, dropping five of their last seven games to miss out on the NCAA tournament.

"Talent doesn't mean anything," Weber said. "When we played good teams last year, especially on the road, we just couldn't defend well enough to win. Part of defense is toughness and pride and just wanting to fight. We didn't always have that."

"We know we can score with anybody in the country," 6-foot-3 senior guard Demetri McCamey said. "Now we need to show we have that mental toughness where if times go bad, you don't put your head down and start thinking the game is over."

Singler leads through his play

2010-11-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Ny Times article on Duke preseason All-American forward Kyle Singler.

“I’m not really that cocky a basketball player, but I am very confident,” he said. “I just kind of feel like people get in trouble when they’re not themselves and they don’t act like who they really are as people and even as a basketball player.

“I’m not going to change as a basketball player,” he continued. “I’m going to act the same way I always acted, and I think people do respect that. I guess that might be a reason why I’m not that hated as a basketball player.”

Apparently, Singler does not talk trash or swagger, either. He reserves his commentary for teammates, and indeed he has had to work at becoming more vocal as a leader this season.

“He’ll definitely be more of a target this year,” Smith continued. “People are saying he’s going to be the player of the year, and he obviously has that capability, so guys are going to go at him a lot harder, and nothing’s going to change with him. He’s going to stay who he is, stay quiet and just continue to kill people.”

Putting the D back in Dallas

2010-11-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Good article on 'ESPN.com Dallas' about the Mavericks defense leading to a victory over the previously undefeated New Orleans Hornets.

DALLAS -- Is it possible that the Dallas Mavericks actually enjoy playing defense, and even find themselves challenging one another to rise up when games get down and dirty in crunch time?

"I think it would be better to ask the players that question because we identify defense as the No. 1 variable to us being a true contending team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "If the answer is yes, then we're making some real progress. If the answer is something else, then we've got to take a hard look at where we're at."

"But," Carlisle continued, "I think our guys realize that hard, consistent defense and staying with a system is the most important part of our success and it's the most important part of continuing the success that we're having."

Monday night was another example that the answer just might be a resounding, "Yes." The Mavs trailed the previously unbeaten New Orleans Hornets by 10 points with 7:44 left in the game. From that point, Dallas' defense, which entered the game ranked third in the league in points per possession, allowed eight points on 3-of-16 shooting and turned stops into a 3-point barrage at the other end to pull out a dramatic 98-95 victory.

The fourth quarter was reminiscent of one week ago against Boston. The Celtics seized momentum, led 80-74 with 7:25 to go and then scored seven points the rest of the way.

These aren't Don Nelson's Mavericks.

"Yeah, well, we understand what it takes," point guard Jason Kidd said. 'We've seen, come June, the team that holds that trophy is one of the best defensive teams, so at some point you've got to believe that playing defense will win you a championship. I think everybody's in agreement that we have to play defense. Again, six minutes left in the game, you've got to find a way to get stops."

Against New Orleans, Dallas found a way with a mix of tough man-to-man defense and zone to combat point guard Chris Paul, who was hounded by J.J. Barea and held without a point and just three assists in the fourth quarter.

The Mavs didn't force a turnover in the final quarter, but they frustrated the Hornets into 7-of-23 shooting (30.4 percent), and Dallas commanded the boards 15-7. It led to a free-flow offense and a treasure chest of open 3-pointers that, after a long night of firing long-range blanks, finally produced rainbows.

New Orleans (8-1) scored 19 points in the final 12 minutes, which is nothing unusual for Dallas opponents in the first nine games. The Mavericks (7-2) are stingiest in the fourth quarter, allowing on average of 19.7 points a game. They haven't surrendered more than 24 points in a fourth quarter and Monday notched their fifth sub-20-point final period.

"I love it," Barea said. "And with a guy like Tyson [Chandler], you get a stop and he starts screaming and going wild. It's awesome. And then we know when we get stops, hey, we're going to score on the other end fast. That's what we've got to do. If we get stops, we're going to be a great team."

But, that's the same line as every player used almost daily last year: Get stops and we win. Carlisle came to Dallas three years ago preaching defensive demeanor. It didn't stick. The Mavs opened last season 19-7 and talked of yet another recommitment to defense. After a 131-96 beatdown in Los Angeles by the Lakers on Jan. 3, the Mavs' defense might as well have been in Maui.

"I think we're starting to take pride in [defense] because that's the next step to being a championship-level team," said 7-foot tag-team center Brendan Haywood, who was acquired in a February trade. "Look at the teams that have won championships in the last couple of years. They've all been teams that at some point could play very good defense. Look at Boston, the Spurs, Detroit. That's not by accident. That's what has to happen. You have to be a good defensive team to win. That's something coach has stressed from the preseason until now and we're going to keep getting better defensively."

When Trevor Ariza knocked down a 3-pointer to tie it at 95-95 with 40.8 seconds left, Carlisle called timeout.

"We just said we've got to stop these guys," Terry said. "The team with the most stops was going to prevail in this game. New Orleans is the second-best defensive team in the league right now and we're No 3. So, defense definitely wins games."

Terry came out of the timeout and buried an 18-foot jumper for a 97-95 lead with 34.9 to go. Then a scrambling, trapping Mavs defense took over on a wild second-to-last possession for the Hornets. David West missed from short range and off the rebound Ariza missed two 3-pointers.

Dirk Nowitzki gave New Orleans one last chance after he missed the second free throw to make it a 98-95 lead with 0.7 seconds left. Emeka Okafor wound up with the ball and didn't come close with a last-gasp 3-pointer.

And through nine games, the Dallas Mavericks are buying into the concept of team defense.

"Haywood and Tyson help with that. Dirk is believing in it. Jet. J.J. Whoever is out on the floor," Kidd said. "We always feel we might not be quick or we might not be able to jump high, but just playing team defense is a big thing in this league and again, you look at San Antonio or Boston or L.A., they play great team defense.

"I think we're believing in that."

Mark Sanchez's cool demeanor

2010-11-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

From Last Week's New York Daily News :

You don’t have to be a body language expert to notice that Mark Sanchez has kept his emotions in check the past few weeks. He was the sketch of cool after his 74-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards last week. Moments after firing a 52-yard completion to Santonio Holmes in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal, Sanchez simply clapped. He credited his calm demeanor to the new Bad Body Language fine system put in place by the rest of the quarterbacks.

“It’s a fun thing, but also a good coaching point from (Mark) Brunell,” Sanchez told me. “So I jumped on board right away. It’s really showed up and it’s kept us in some of these games.”

“Sometimes the hardest thing is to fight your emotions and deal with the rollercoaster of the game,” he added. “If you can show that even keel demeanor to the team, that stuff is contagious. When our team can see that from me, it resonates. They know, ‘Hey man, don’t mess with this guy in a tough situation. He’s ready.’”

Sanchez has done a good job of "staying in the middle," with his emotions the past couple weeks

“That’s the kind of demeanor that you want to have and the message you want to send to those guys,” Sanchez said. “Because you’re going to need it late in the game. You don’t want to get too excited off a 21-point lead, because it’s never enough. If you throw three picks in the first quarter, you can’t tank. You still have three more quarters to play. Who knows? These are long games. Crazier things have happened. So it’s just about staying in the middle. That’s the biggest coaching point.”

Seymour is changing the culture

2010-11-11T06:31:00.000-08:00

Good article on cnnsi.com about Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour and the influence he has had on a Raiders organization that has not seen its share of successes in the past several years. This year the Raiders have gotten off to a 5-4 start with Seymour helping lead the way through his words and actions:

Greatness. It's a term that's easily understood but difficult to quantify in athletics. Is it measured by championships? Personal accolades? Individual statistics? Or is it something with broader context, like being able to improve the performance of those around you?

In the case of Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour, the answer is "all of the above." He won three Super Bowls in four appearances during his eight seasons with the Patriots; was voted to five Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams during that time; and recorded 39 sacks with the team, tying for sixth most in franchise history by a defensive linemen.

Still, his greatest achievement may be the impact he has had on teammates since joining the Raiders before the start of the 2009 season.

"I can speak personally about it," says Pro Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha, one of the game's top shutdown cornerbacks. "Once he came in I felt like I had to step my game up. Before, it was like -- you never get complacent, you never get content -- but you get, I don't know, kind of comfortable when you're 'the guy' year after year after year.

"But when someone else comes in that's the guy, that has won championships, you're like, 'OK, I've got to step my game up even more.' It wasn't a thing of competition. It was: I have to do better than I was doing for him to trust me and respect me. I have to do more because of whom I'm surrounded by, a guy who is studying, a guy who really wants to be the best. Richard did that for me and didn't even know he was doing it. Anytime you're around greatness, you just want to be greater."

There are similar tales from the Raiders locker room, where Seymour, 31, has come to be viewed as a mentor, friend and standard-setter. During fellow defensive tackle Tommy Kelly's first six seasons, he was known as a player with great potential but limited discipline. For every sack or quarterback pressure, there were two offsides or a mental lapse.

Yet Kelly has been a consistent force this season. In Sunday's 23-20 overtime win over the Chiefs, he had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble. The week before against the Seahawks, he had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hurry. Slowly, he is shedding the underachiever label that has dogged him for much of his career.

"Big Rich brings the example," says Kelly. "He don't talk it; the résumé talks it. You already know what he means because of the Super Bowls and Pro Bowls. He commands respects, and he gives you respect. So it's easy to follow the example of somebody like that."

For the first time since 2002, the Raiders are playoff relevant in November in part because their effort and work habits are starting to match their talent level. At 5-4 they are above .500 this late in a season for the first time since going to the Super Bowl eight years ago, and many of the players point to the 6-foot-6, 310-pound man with the slow words and Southern drawl as a big reason.

During Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 27, Seymour and Asomugha sat behind the Rangers dugout and spoke about nothing but football for almost 30 minutes. Even when third base Juan Uribe launched a fifth-inning three-run homer to push the Giants' lead to 8-2, setting off fog horns, water cannons and mass delirium in AT&T Park, the two never flinched. Their conversation was too deep and meaningful.

"Everyone is standing up going crazy, and we're just sitting there talking Raiders football," says Asomugha. "We're talking about our futures, our careers, where we've come from in the league, and how we've met on this middle ground. We're talking about him not having five, six, seven years left and wanting to get back to the Super Bowl before he retires, and me wanting to win now, me needing to win now, after some of the most difficult years of my career."

The conversation seemed unthinkable at the start of last season. After being traded to the Raiders on the Sunday before the season opener, he failed to immediately report. There was speculation that he wanted no part of the losing and dysfunction that had taken place in Oakland the previous six years, during which the organization employed five head coaches, signed free agents to megadeals only to cut them after one season -- or sometimes, in the case of cornerback DeAngelo Hall, after only eight games.

After a few days the Raiders sent a letter to Seymour threatening to place on a reserve list that would prohibit him from playing at all in 2009 if he did not report within five days. The truth, says Seymour, was that he was caught off guard by the deal and needed time to prepare his family for the change. Some of his kids had just started a new school and decisions had to be made about whether he and wife Tanya would uproot the family for what might be one year in Oakland, where Seymour would be in the final year of his contract.

"There was never a point that I wasn't going to play football," Seymour says. "But there was a lot going on. My family comes first. I may be a football player, but that does not define me. Once I got to Oakland, I saw that the Lord was really leading me out here for a reason. He was taking me out of one place and putting me in another where I could really have an impact on a lot of young guys. That's something that I've always wanted to do my whole career, what I believe my calling was. I feel like I'm at a place where I was designed to be, so this is fulfilling. I feel like I'm at that place right where I need to be.

"From the outside, people can look at it and say he's going from a team that's won the most games this decade to one of the teams that has lost the most. But I think it takes a special person that can move from that environment and still have a positive effect on others without being discouraged himself. Now I'm not saying they've all been great days. We've had our share of road bumps and issues throughout the way, but that's a part of growing.I'm a firm believer that people can say things to you or do things to you and think that they're putting you in a position to fail, but at the end of the day that situation can be a blessing. And this has been that for me."

It's also been a Godsend for coach Tom Cable, who has a respected, proven winner to carry his message into the locker room. It's interesting now to hear Oakland defenders not only talk about the importance of the little things -- like practicing with tempo, being in the right gaps, playing with effort on every snap -- but actually do those things.

When the Raiders trailed the AFC West-leading Chiefs 10-0 late in the second quarter and appeared to be on the verge of surrendering a back-breaking touchdown just before the half, Seymour gathered the players and told them they would be defined by the moment. In the past it was just the type of situation where the Raiders might have buckled. After all, losing has a way of becoming habitual when it's all you've known during your time in the league. But Seymour looked guys in the eyes and told them that if he were a general manager, this was the type of situation that would tell him about players. Would they fight when times were hard, or would they quit.

The Raiders forced an interception.

"He always says to just make sure you're always playing hard, no matter what the situation is," says rookie defensive end Lamarr Houston. "Don't ever get comfortable or complacent."

"From the first time he got here, he brought an air of, I've been through a lot of battles and I know how to prepare and I know what it takes to be successful," says Cable. "His role is constantly teaching in that locker room what it takes to be successful -- not cutting corners, staying through the course. It's a lot of hard work; there are a lot of setbacks that you go through. But you keep plugging until you get it right. I think he's brought that mentality that you just go to work."

CP3's Leadership

2010-11-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps on the leadership of Hornets PG Chris Paul:

"I was amazed how he works with the young guys," Demps said. "He's a natural leader. And the guys, they believe in him. He's not only helping guys out; he's also asking questions. I see him asking Trevor and David where they want him, what they see out there. He's one of those leaders that listens to input. But he also motivates guys. Guys see that he's playing at a high level."

Leadership

2010-11-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

Warriors coach Keith Smart on newly acquired all-star forward David Lee:

“A leader leads by doing things when no one pays attention. David does that."

The Harbaugh Brothers

2010-11-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Good story in Sports Illustrated on the Harbaugh Family Coaching Tree. John Harbaugh (pictured above) is the current head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of Stanford University while their father Jack coached for numerous colleges throughout the country.

The article takes about the competitve environment that the Harbaugh brothers grew up in along with their passion and work ethic to be the best they can be. Here is a good excerpt:

It is a ruthless world, and the Harbaughs love it that way: There is no faking success, none of what their mother called "mediocrity—let's not let anybody be better than anybody else." John, whose Ravens are 5--2 and leading the AFC North, keeps a plastic armadillo in his office because he thinks people need thick skin, and he often asks his players, "You got your baby-deerskin on today? Or do you have your armadillo skin?"

Full Article on Harbaugh Brothers

Meyer wants practice ramped up, no excuses

2010-10-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Coach Urban Meyer spent last week analyzing every play of Florida's season and came to these conclusions:

It's not the play-calling. It's not the players.

It's not the effort. It's not the energy.

Florida's struggles are directly related to practice. Yes, practice.
Although Meyer has a long list of problems for his offense, which ranks ninth in the Southeastern Conference and 89th in the nation, he attributes all of them to practice. Simply put, poor practices have made the Gators (4-3, 2-3 SEC) imperfect.

"When there's a lack of execution, how does that occur?" Meyer said. "The answer is not to say, 'That guy, that guy, that guy.' Is it because we don't practice it enough? Is it we don't get them in that situation enough?

"We're not into excuses. We're not into, 'This happened because.' It's, 'Fix the issues.' It doesn't look like us out there. It doesn't look like, 'Bang.' We all want that. How do you get that? You recruit it. You develop it. You coach it and you make sure you practice the mess out of it, and that's kind of where we're at."

It's probably not what frustrated Florida fans want to hear. They're calling for personnel changes, blame assessed, maybe even an offensive overhaul. They're expecting anger, finger-pointing, maybe even some promises.

Instead, the Gators believe better practices -- as well as healthier players -- will make a difference Saturday against rival Georgia (4-4, 3-3).

Injuries certainly have been an issue.

Running backs Jeff Demps, Mike Gillislee and Emmanuel Moody are banged up. So are offensive linemen Xavier Nixon and Jon Halapio. And quarterback John Brantley has played with bruised ribs, a sore shoulder and a sprained thumb on his throwing hand.

But the offensive woes have been a problem all season, even when those guys were healthy.

The Gators rank 10th in the league in rushing, eighth in passing and ninth in scoring. They are last in yards per play (5.0), and have twice as many negative plays (58) as touchdowns (26).

The result is Florida's first three-game losing streak since the end of the 1999 season. The Gators managed just two field goals at Alabama, put together two decent drives against LSU and scored a lone touchdown against Mississippi State.

"I don't think anyone wants to lose three in a row," Brantley said. "We're facing some challenges, but we're really going to be able to rise from it. We're sticking together. That's the biggest thing we want to see. We're just going to keep getting better. It's going to turn around."

With more practice, right?

"You practice like you play," center Mike Pouncey said. "It's something that we've been trying to key on this last week, executing a lot better than we've had and finishing. If you practice at half speed, that's how you're going to play. Obviously, we've got to get better in practice."

Meyer partly blamed his revamped coaching staff -- he had to hire four new assistants following the Sugar Bowl -- for practice inefficiency and said those issues were carrying over to games.

"Fundamentals don't improve for a lot of reasons," Meyer said. "No. 1 is you don't practice them at game speed. No. 2 that you're not taught very well. No. 3 is that the player is not good enough. No. 3 is not allowed around here. ... There's no trade or waiver wire. It is what it is, you got what you got, let's get them better and find out what they can do."

"We've obviously had some severe issues here the last three weeks that have been very damaging as far as the won-lost record," Meyer said. "The issue is not finding the blame, but it's finding a solution. That's what we're going to do this week."

Point Guard Duties

2010-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

"At the end of the day, people want to talk about stats and the numbers. But the most important thing as a point guard, you control the tempo, you control the team. So can you get those guys together and win basketball games?"

-Brandon Jennings
Bucks Point Guard

Durant is changing the culture

2010-10-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a Sports Illustrated article on OKC's Kevin Durant:

Kevin Durant bows his head, raises his hand, and a franchise circles him like a maypole: teammates, of course, but also coaches and trainers, the general manager and assistant general manager, the scouting coordinator and communications director, folks from the video room and the equipment room, guys from the Development League affiliate in Tulsa and undrafted free agents who won't even make it that far. They try to reach the 6'9" Durant's outstretched hand, but no one can, so they settle for the wrist or the elbow or the space around him. They are too tired to lift their arms for long. "One, two, three, family," Durant says, in a haggard breath. "Family," the group pants back, in unison. Then they walk together across the field, over the ditch and up the Hill for the last time.

The Hill, as it is known to the Thunder, is a misnomer. Central Oklahoma does not really have hills, but it does have floods, which require drainage basins the size of parking lots. Run up the side of a basin and you might as well be scaling a sand dune. Twice a week every September, when NBA teams are technically still on vacation, most of the Thunder meet early in the morning at the practice facility, pile into pickup trucks and roll into a brick subdivision alongside a creek in nearby Edmond, Okla. The basin that borders the creek has been covered with grass, lined with sycamore trees and turned into a neighborhood park. The smell of fertilizer hangs in the air. Residents walk their dogs and wonder if summer will ever give way to fall. They look down at their park and shrug at the sight of professional athletes racing each other 60 feet up steep inclines while tossing medicine balls in the sky. "They're just part of our backyard now," says Angela Vaughn, who lives in a house across from the park.

Durant was not supposed to run the Hill this year. Only 21, the silky small forward led the U.S. to its first gold medal in 16 years at the world championships in Turkey, took one day off and was back at the Oklahoma City practice facility before his bosses even knew he was in the country. When he woke on the final Wednesday before training camp—the last time the Thunder would head for the Hill—he only felt like shooting. "Then I thought about it for a minute, and I couldn't do that to my guys," Durant says. "It wouldn't have been fair to them." The Hill does not afford preferential treatment. Front-office executives drop their Blackberries, swap dress clothes for practice gear and run suicides. Entry-level assistants join them. When they are all sufficiently gassed, they head back to the pickup trucks, Durant sneaking a spot in a bed before coaches wisely point him to a passenger seat.

Brandon Roy wants to be a better leader

2010-10-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tremendous article from Sports Illustrated on how Brandon Roy wants to increase his leadership role:

On the eve of training camp, the Trail Blazers watched film of themselves walking off the floor. They saw how they staggered out of the playoffs in the first round two Aprils ago in Houston, and again last spring against the Suns, as opposing players celebrated around them. Then they were forced to take in a montage of playoff moments that occurred in their absence: Doc Rivers pleading for defense in a timeout, Phil Jackson asking for a stop in a huddle, Steve Nash directing, Kobe Bryant instructing, Kevin Garnett imploring. As Portland guard Brandon Roy listened to each of those renowned leaders, all he could hear were words he never said.

"I kept asking myself, What is the difference between those teams that made the conference finals and ours?" Roy says. "It's not talent. We had plenty of talent. It comes down to leadership. They had better leaders." Roy is the Blazers' best player, their top scorer, the face of their franchise. "But I was also the kind of guy who would leave work at work," he says. "Kobe is the kind of guy who is always thinking, What more can I do to help my team?"

Roy requested that the team arrange a meeting for him this summer with a sports psychologist, and in their first session the psychologist asked, "What do you want?"

"I want a championship," Roy answered.

"Do your teammates know that? Can they sense it?"

"They know I want to win. I don't know if they can sense it."

"They have to," the psychologist said. "Every day, they have to see how much you want it." Roy spoke with the psychologist for 90 minutes, and since then the psychologist has flown to Portland twice a month to see him.

"I thought I was a positive person before, but I realized I actually wasn't that positive," Roy says. "I'd walk past a teammate, and if he'd be down, I would keep going. A leader has to do more." Roy—who at 26 is entering his fifth season in the league—prefers not to identify the psychologist, but he makes it clear how counseling has affected him. He called trainers over the summer to check on the health of ailing teammates. He warned family members that he would be spending more time at the practice facility this season. He asked coaches to treat him like a rookie during camp. And he came up with a plan to integrate injured players into the practice schedule.

Last season Portland had 13 players combine to miss 311 games—even coach Nate McMillan ruptured his Achilles tendon while filling in during a workout—and many wound up commuting between their homes and hospitals. "This team used to be so close, we sometimes looked better than we were," Roy says. "But with all the injuries, guys got separated, divided, worrying about their own situations. We have to rebuild the brotherhood." Roy wants every injured player to stretch with the rest of the team before practice, go off to rehab and come back to join the huddle at the end.

Cliff Lee's Mindset

2010-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee struck out 13 Yankee hitters over 8 innings Monday night to give Texas a 2-1 series advantage. This quote sums up Lee's maturity and mindset. Most people would be satisfied with their performance and get 'fat' on their accomplishments, not Lee:

"I don't really look too far in the past or too far in the future," Lee said Monday night. "I look at what I can do today to prepare for tomorrow, and so forth. Most of the time, it's just to go out and have fun and execute pitches."

Jeter on Brady

2010-10-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Derek Jeter speaking on what he thinks of Tom Brady:

"I think of a winner, a champion....The [Super Bowl] that stands out the most is the first one he won [2001 versus St. Louis], leading the team down the field when time was running out. You could just see in his face that he remained calm. As a teammate, if you're looking at the leader and he's calm, it rubs off on everyone."

Jeter on Brady staying in the elite class of NFL QB's:

"The only way you can maintain a certain level of play is you can never be satisfied with what you've done. You have to look forward to the next challenge. That's what he's done."

Brady on Mental Toughness

2010-10-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

"There's a sign in the locker room about 'mental toughness'. It's doing what you've got to do for the team. That's what we did today and I think it's something we can build on."

-Tom Brady after the Patriots came back down 10 in the 4th quarter to beat Baltimore 23-20 in OT.

Buzz Williams on Toughness

2010-10-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Good article in the Milwaukee newspaper this weekend on Marquette head coach Buzz Williams and his emphasis on building a 'tough' basketball team:

What does toughness mean to Buzz Williams and how does he measure it?

"It is difficult to quantify. When you have 15 players on a team, four or five coaches on a team, how do you quantify in a distinct way what Marquette toughness is?

"One of the things we used last year was we don't want to be just game-tough. We want to be road-team tough. We don't just want to be TV tough, we want to be everyday tough. It is a daily possession-by-possession, minute-by-minute goal of our program, of our team."

Williams bolted throught a catalog of specific basketball aspects of toughness.

"We do want to sprint to screens. We do want to sprint off the screen. We do want to pop our feet when we set a screen. When the shot goes up, we want to take up space, whether we are on offense or defense. Everything we do is battle for space. We never want to give teams space."

Williams started signing a line from a Graham Nash song, "Teach Your Children," performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young- "You, who are on the road/must have a code that you can live by."

His point: "That code is what toughness is"

Toughness for Williams is not merely a function of defense.

"Guys who are tough when they penetrate offensively, their eyes are always on the rim. Their eyes are not on the help side. You have to be tough enough to initiate offense in the channel in a half-court possession. If the pressure applied by the defense is making you go east and west, then you are not tough enough to do what you need to do. We are going north and south.

"It does apply on both sides of the ball, but more importantly it applies to the culture in which we work. It is in practice, in the weight room, in the film session, everywhere, no matter if a ball is included or not."

Boston Celtics Culture

2010-10-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some notes that Coach Steve Smiley set out from this year's Pump Brothers Clinic:

Premiums in Boston Celtics:
1.) Talent
2.) Character
3.) Work ethic
4.) Discipline ourselves to be disciplined
5.) Competitive drive (motor)
6.) Focus

Culture- 7 day a week, 24 hour a day thing

Three Core Covenants
1.) Winning (success)
2.) Personal sacrifice
3.) Accountability to yourself and your team
-Once these are defined, communicated, and understood, then move on to standards.

Standards
1.) Professionalism
2.) No personal agendas
3.) Professional/respectful communication
4.) Thin of "now only"- this team, this year
a. We will commit to making sure everything we do is for the betterment of this team
b. Personal situations will take a backseat to team commitment
5.) One way- commit to the teaching and the system that we have, trusting the coaching, holding ourselves accountable to doing it the Celtic way.
6.) Efficient team
7.) Team of execution
8.) Never have a bad practice
9.) Responsibility
10.) Trust
11.) No excuses

Carroll rings bell 184 times from line

2010-10-10T15:26:00.001-07:00

Here is an article in the Charlotte Observer about Bobcats shooting guard Matt Carroll making 184 free throws in a row. Click on the link above to read the entire article. Here is a good excerpt from Carroll about having a routine:

"Shoot as many as you can; the more you shoot, the better you become, plain and simple. You've got to get a routine, no matter what it is. Everyone has a different form when they shoot, a different technique. Whatever your routine, you've got to practice that routine. Don't shoot 50 shots 25 different ways."

Zito is not moping around

2010-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Good stuff on Giants pitcher and former all-star Barry Zito, who has been left off the 1st round playoff roster for their ALDS matchup with the Atlanta Braves:

Zito held his own this season. He went 7-4 with a 3.76 E.R.A before the All-Star break, then 2-10 with a 4.70 afterward.

In his final 12 games, he went 1-8 with a 6.14 E.R.A. The Giants started him last Saturday, when they would have clinched the NL West with a victory; he walked home two runs and lasted three innings.

Five days later, the playoffs started without him. Manager Bruce Bochy said that the first thing Zito did after being told he would not be on the playoff roster was to throw a bullpen session, so he could stay sharp if the Giants should need him, in the next round or in case of injury.

"He hasn't blamed anybody", said Giants president Larry Baer, "He hasn't offered sour grapes about anything. People respect that."

"I Had to Be All-In"

2010-10-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Good article from Peter King of Sports Illustrated on the resurgence of Jets RB Ladainian Tomlinson

For 13 weeks this offseason, LaDainian Tomlinson got his mojo back while working out in the pastures of New Jersey That's where Tomlinson spent about 13 weeks this spring, getting his strength and explosion back after nagging toe and high-ankle-sprain bothered him for the last two years.

"I lost a lot of strength in the past couple of years with those injuries, and when you lose strength, you lose explosion," Tomlinson said from a very happy team bus after running for over 100 yards in defeating the Bills 38-14. "So the only way I was going to get back to where I needed to be was to be all-in to the offseason program. I moved to New Jersey and was there the first day of the program and stayed all the way 'til the end in June. If I'd stayed on the West Coast (where is home was), I'd never have been able to build the kind of chemistry I've built with these guys right now.

Nash's Agenda is to make his teammates better

2010-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

These are some quotes from Doc Rivers about how Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo can learn from Steve Nash. I believe this is from Coach Musselman:

"Every night Steve's agenda is to make his teammates better. And he does it every night. He does it some nights by scoring and passing. Other nights he decides to be a ball mover and does it. But that's what Nash does every single night. He always does that.

The on thing that Rondo can learn from Nash is Nash may not play well every night, but he doesn't have an off night. He has a great mental focus every single night. He does it every night. I've never seen him play in a game where he has no focus or low focus. Young players, in general, are up and down in that."

The Winners Manual

2010-10-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

Here are some notes on Jim Tressel's "The Winners Manual"

Part I: The Game Plan

*Everyone in the program receives a winner's manual each year. He is always changing and adding things.

*Took his definition of success from John Wooden

*Two major goal areas: 1.) Purpose 2.) Goals

*Purposes include: personal/family, spiritual/moral, caring/giving

*Too many people define themselves by what they do and not who they are.

*The task for all coaches is to see the sport in the context of their entire lives. Develop purpose.

*There is a huge difference between inspiration and motivation.

*It is hard to get motivated if you don't have a purpose.

*Before you can become champions, you must master the things champions embody.

Kobe's Mentality

2010-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

"I love competing, I love playing, I love working. I don't really need any outside motivation to get me going. I'm just wired that way. I'm here. I'm here to win, I'm here to focus and do my job. That's what I'm going to do."

-Kobe Bryant when asked if there would be a letdown after winning a championship.

Kevin Durant Video

2010-09-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Good video on the work ethic of OKC All Star Kevin Durant:

Durant Video

Billy Donovan "Coaching the Mindset"

2010-09-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some notes from Billy Donovan about the mental part of athletics:

*A team can't play well if it is not in the right frame of mind.

*Examine body language as they come into practice.

*Live in the present: forget the past, play the next play to the best of your abilities.

*Never underestimate how important role players are.

*After 2006, wrote down all the things that could get in the way of the team being the best they could be- players being selfish, over-confident, not handling roles.

*Building chemistry isn't all on the coach, your best players have the best chance to improve chemistry.

*Leaders on the floor/ leaders in the locker room- often can be two different sets of people

*Approach/Avoidance goals:

- Approach goals: things the team wants to see accomplished
- Avoidance goals: things the team is hoping to avoid

*FOCUS ON APPROACH GOALS. Avoidance goals are too negative, makes teams play to not lose rather than to win.

*Watching film shouldn't be punishment. Be objective. You can be harder after a win, go easier after a loss.

Special Situations- Bob McKillop

2010-09-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Davidson's 7 Keys to the Game- used for everything they do:

1.) SEEING

-see the game

-makes you quicker

-see that you are denied and go back door

2.) TALKING

-families break down because they do not talk

-talk with your hands and your mouth

-ask for the ball with 10 fingers

3.) FLESH ON FLESH CONTACT

-set hard screens body to body

-box out physically

4.) BE DETAILED

-run to the ball as a teammate saves it

-do not dribble a loose ball. Pick it up and chin it

-sacrifice position for possession in the post

5.) ALWAYS BE BALANCED

-Defensively

-With the ball

6.) FINISH

-finish every play

-finish every shot you miss in practice

-the last part of the play needs to be the strongest

-finish your basket cut to the rim then space out to the 3 pt line

Mack Brown is a Winner

2010-09-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

ESPN did a great all-access look into the Texas football team. There is lots of great stuff from Mack Brown and it is easy to root for a guy like him after reading this story:

All-Access Texas Football