Areas of Improvement

As a coach just like a player I am always looking to improve. The main thing I am looking to improve on right now is player development skills. The finer, technical things that help players improve. Small things make a big difference. If you don't know exactly what you are looking for you will be lost when it comes to player fundamentals.

I saw a clip of a Michael Jordan training dvd. He was explaining a jab crossover move and showing exactly where your first dribble needs to be. On a crossover move your first dribble past the defender can't be out away from your own body because it gives a defender with long arms an opportunity to poke it away. I had never really thought about that although in my playing days I picked a lot of people because they did get their first dribble past me away from their body.

It's small things like that. I think it comes with experience and a desire to learn the game at a higher level. I have that will to learn now I just need to get the job done.

Proudest Coaching Moment

Good coaches aren't in the business because they like winning. They aren't in the business because they like the game of basketball. Good coaches are in the business because they like to help players grow. They like to teach life lessons through the game. Basketball is a great way to learn about life.

This past weekend was the State AAU tournament. We have been entered into it since March. It has been on our schedule since February. For one reason or another, we only had 6 guys for our pool games and then 5 guys for the bracket play portion. It was very disappointing in many respects, but it might have turned out to be a good thing for the guys that were there.

The first day we played two tough teams. One team was 10 deep and play a very unselfish brand of basketball. The other was super athletic and poised a different kind of problem. We won both games in narrow fashion.

Sunday, we were down to 5 guys. No subs, no resting, no assistants on the bench, no one to come bail you out if you let the team down by picking up silly fouls. It was the definition of having your back against the wall and your only way out was to fight and claw your way through. That's exactly what my team did.

In quarter final play, we played a quarter and half with 4 guys on the court. We had the game tied with two minutes to play. The other team was stalling and we were trapping with 4 guys. How do we get turnovers playing 4 versus 5? We needed to win. We didn't want to win...I swear our guys needed to win. We didn't just get one steal off of it, we got two on back to back possessions. That is pure desire and heart. Something I have questioned with my team time to time. We ended up losing, but it was one of the greatest team efforts I've seen. Especially in the AAU circuit.

We bounce back and beat a solid team that had 12 guys by 31 the next game. We played harder than they did. Less than an hour after playing a game with 5 and 4 guys. That is shear willingness to outwork a guy. That's a life trait that those players will be able to rely on for the rest of their life when things are tough and it seems like there is no way to get the job done. They've been in the position before and they know they can get it done.

The weekend could have been a disaster and a huge disappointment. We had thoughts of pulling out on Friday night. It turned out to be the proudest coaching moment of my young coaching career. I will always remember that tournament and the players that busted their ass like crazy to compete.

Catch-up Post

I haven't posted in a very long time again. Time has been flying by lately. It still seems like March to me, but maybe that's because the weather hasn't been great recently.

There have been a lot of ups and downs. A couple of my players have quit. Both were unnecessary and could have easily been worked out if they were handled differently. There isn't much you can do except move on. It is like one of your best players breaking his leg mid-season. It won't do you any good to dwell on it. You just have to move on and adjust to it just like any adversity in life. Concentrate on the solution and not the problem.

I have talked to a few Junior Colleges about being an assistant for this upcoming season. I received a lot of positive feedback with a couple of places being very interested in my services. Even if I don't receive a job from it I have made a few new contacts from my exploration.

Camp season is almost here. I'm scheduled to work three weeks for the Brad Stevens Basketball Camp for Butler University. I'm also booked to work the Notre Dame camp at the end of June. I'm still waiting to hear from Purdue University to see if they need more workers for their first camp. They asked me to work their end of June camp, but that's when I am working the Notre Dame camp. In July, I am booked to work 2 sessions for Five-Star Basketball camp and I'm waiting to hear from Central Michigan and Michigan for the very end of July. I look forward to the experiences.

Early Tests

We were tested early and often in our first tournament of the year. We played 3 very good teams. We haven't had many practices with everyone attending because of spring breaks. We competed pretty well in every game. The games didn't finish as we had hoped and we ended up 1-2 in the tournament.

Once we get more comfortable with each other I think things will really start to go well. We lack height, but we have a lot of solid athletes at the wing positions. 15u is a big jump in competition level from 14u and even high school ball. Fundamental habits are key. We just need to refocus on a few things and we will be a tough team.

Next weekend, we play in another tournament here in Indianapolis.

Indyball.com

First tournament of the AAU season. I'm excited and nervous, of course. My team has no "big man." It reminds me of the Villanova team a few years ago that made the 4 guard lineup work. Hopefully, we can be as good as they were. ha ha. We play 3 games Saturday. After that first day, I should know a lot more about my team.

Check for updates at Indyball.com. I'm not sure if they will update it, but it doesn't hurt to check.

Computer Crash

I haven't made a post in a very long time due to my computer crashing. It is a frustrating thing for a person with little money. I am working on finding a cheap computer at the moment and then updates will be more frequent again.

AAU season has started and we have been having practices. Practices haven't been well attended due to different spring breaks at each school. The first tournament is next weekend so it could be a rough start. I'm trying to stress the fundamentals as much as possible. We will see how things go.

Sorry, but I have to run. I will start to have short updates even if I don't get a computer soon so check back often.

Bobby Knight Resigns

Robert Montgomery Knight is known for his shocking moments. This week he added to those moments by abruptly resigning as Head Basketball Coach at Texas Tech University. Many people speculated that Coach Knight was near the end of his coaching career, but no one expected it to happen with games left in the 2007-2008 season. He has said he is tired of coaching and right now seems like the perfect opportunity to let his son start his head coaching career.

Bobby Knight is the winningest coach is Division I college basketball. He has won 3 national championships. He has won an Olympic gold medal. When it comes to college basketball coaching Bobby Knight has done it all. He was an innovator of many concepts used by the majority of coaches. Most of his unique ideas came in the area of man to man defense, but he was also one of the first coaches to use the motion offense.

Of course, all of Coach Knight's accolades and accomplishments are overshadowed by his outrageous temper. His temper got him in trouble on and off the court. Although, I would argue while he was on the court he used his temper in a controlled way to motivate his players and to intimidate officials. Knight's temper did get out of control on a few occasions though. He is not one to be disrespected. Bobby was never one to let things slide by him or to just ignore little things. That is one reason why he was such a great coach, but also why he got in trouble often.

I am a lifelong Indiana University fan. I grew up watching Indiana basketball and Bobby Knight. It was my dream to play for him. So, I am little bit biased towards him. I have his book "Knight-My Story" and he puts his own spin on events that have happened to him. I love the book though. He is a master of human psychology. He wanted to break every player down and build them into a great competitor just like the military does. Knight started off his coaching career at West Point so that is probably the basis of that technique.

As a coach myself, I hope Bob Knight is remembered for his whole coaching career and not just his worst moments. If you judge any persons' life on their worst moments then everyone will appear to be less than admirable. I will remember Bob Knight for getting the most out of his players, on and off the court. He admitted in his book that he often skipped classes at Ohio State, but he checks to make sure his players went to class everyday. He did not want his players to make the mistakes he did. I know I will always think of Coach Knight as one of the greatest coaches of all-time. He won championships without ever breaking a single recruiting violation. Today, that is unheard of in major college basketball. Coach Bob Knight is a coaching legend and he should be remembered for that.