Basketball Chalk Talk

What a weekend!!!!What is basketball without its climax, drama and a nail biting finish! Great jobs North Texas Heat ladies!! All the teams this weekend did great and they all placed in the primetime tournament. Continue the success and GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Setting the Standard

Most coaches in today’s time struggle in this area of getting players to give maximum effort. To get players to give maximum effort all the time, you first have to set the standard as the coach. This begins with meeting with the team at the beginning of the season. In this meeting you will explain your philosophy and what you expect from the team during practices and games. The benefit of addressing everything upfront with your team minimizes the number of players making the excuse of “Coach I didn’t know what you really expected from us”. So now you should have everyone on the same page. However, you are not done you must continue to reiterate you expectation of the team during the practices.

Raising the level of Expectation

The next thing you should focus on is raising the level of expectation of each individual player. When you let every individual player know what your expectations are of them then that gives them something to strive for. A lot of times you have players playing with no expectation for them which results in poor effort in practices and in games. Also when you let the players know one on one what you expect from them it will raise their level expectation of themselves. To have success as a team you need players to have individual success. When everyone has success then the team ultimately has success.

It starts in practice

As the coach it is your job to find ways to organize practice where the players will be challenged. Putting players in situations where they are force to get outside of their comfort zone forces them to go a little hard to accomplish the task at hand.  When the practices are layout where there is no challenge then the players tend to just do enough to get by. Then they try to turn it on in the games, but they find out they can’t the things that they want to do. So they get frustrated and regress instead of progressing. So make it a point to implement challenging drills in your practices.

Showing Your Passion

It will always be the coach’s job to lead by example. And that starts with expressing our passion for the game. The players feed off of our energy, so when we are going hard in practice motivating and pushing them to their max in return they will give the same effort in return. So always remember to lead by example and your team will have success.

So we decided to take a much needed vacation and lee decides to bring 2 of the heat to teams with us. Not sure why but he did..Right then and there i know it was more business then fun. While the girls were hanging and enjoying themselves Lee had me go over defensive assigments and offensive plays. He was drilling me until i got it right…….Then i woke up whew man what a dream..lol so the NT HEAT takes their first road trip and boy was it crazy( in a good way). first i want to give a loud SHOUT OUT to GOD because without him none of this would have been possible. Also to the  families who came out to support the HEAT ORGANIZATION down in HTOWN, we couldnt have done it without your suppourt. We got to see the ladies mature on and off the court. They came together so much as a team in those couple of days and it showed as both teams dominated their games. Overall the ladies did a excellent job working and encouraging each other…the combine record was 8-1. Overall experience was great. Looking forward to the next trip go HEAT!!

What a surprise…Who would’ve ever knew that Butler University would be in the national championship. I have played basketball for many years and have watch basketball for many years. I have never witness a mid major college in the men’s national championship.

What makes Butler University different? They have a coach that has never played basketball, who was just a volunteer team manager about 6 years ago and one who never had any coaching experience prior to Butler. A lot of can learn from Coach Brad Stevens.  

You can’t set back and wait for opportunities to become available for you, there are times when you just have to create the opportunity yourself. For him to put himself in a situation as team manager, when he had no prior experience said a lot about him.  Then a couple years later now head coach of Butler and a chance of winning a national title is a great accomplish.

I guess we can sum it up like this “The Butler Way”, demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality yet seeks improvement everyday while putting the team above self.

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can – there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.”

The Coppell Mavericks represented this weekend in the 3 on 3 tournament @ Coppell high school. The boys played beyond there potential and played outstanding throughout the entire tournament. The Mavs who were put together by Thomas J. Whitaker (Allstate) about 3-4 years ago, have not only been laying low in Coppell but have been winning and staying below the radar until this weekend. Under extensive training by Lee Green (North Texas Heat) as well as a new coaching staff (Reggie Waddell, Mike Gunn, Kyle,and myself). The boys have been dominate in there last couple of tournaments. The Mavs entered 6 teams into the 3 0n 3 tournament 3 teams in the 12 and under bracket and 3 teams in the older bracket. The Mavs came out in full force with a proud following. We would like to thank all those who came out and supported the boys and coaches as they gave their all this weekend. I would like to just touch a couple of exciting things that happened this weekend. Our 7th grade group (who all played up against 8th graders) coached by Reggie placed second in the championship game losing by 1 point. “All the boys wearing Coppell Mavs gear exceeded all of the expectations,”Coach Reggie said. “We had kids who just joined the teams come out and give their all and they all worked as 1 unit.” Even Ryan Storch came out and not only supported his fellow brothers but joined the trenches and played great. My hat goes off to him for even coming out and playing. I would also like to say that the Mavs showed true family spirit by supporting and circling around Ryan in welcoming him back. Also, we had one younger team who made it to the semi-finals. From sleeping giants to roaring beast, Coppell Mavs have definitely earned there respect in the Coppell community as well as surrounding cities. Stayed tuned and watch out for the new sheriff’s in town your COPPELL MAVS!!

Yes that’s right i said it, the best part of the year is finally here. No im not talking about football either. I’m talking about your NORTH TEXAS HEAT ELITE season just started….The young ladies had a great showing in the Sista Hoops Tournament. I want to thank the parents and friends for coming out to support the young ladies. The older group did a awesome job seeing that this was their first time playing together. They jelled faster than we expected and they looked great.They won 2 out of 3 games and lost in the championship game by a few points. The younger team also played this weekend and did great. Even though they rolled out seven players and three of the seven were new to the team they were still victorious winning 2 out of their 3 games. The atmosphere was great and everyone was positive throughout the weekend. Can’t wait for the next tournament. Hope to see you there..

Coach Jason

SELECT VS. SCHOOL

The debate between select basketball and school basketball as seen from my point of view. I chose to tackle this because I see first hand the difference in the attitude and the skill level that some kids have before and after they go play select ball. I have done research from almost every point of view. Once again, this is just my opinion and my point of view. I am factoring in that some high school teams and coaches are passionate about the sport itself, and take time in their craft. I also factored in that some select organizations don’t preach the fundamentals of the game and that they are no better than some of the schools who treat kids and the sport as a hobby or a job instead of a life tool.

Select  Basketball                                                                     School Basketball

Spend more time on fundamentals                                   -do not have the time to worry about fundamentals.

Spend more time building confidence                            -expect kids to have it already            

Talk to kids about life more                                                 -same

Usually have a background in the sport                        -some teachers fill the roll but never played   

Teaches the game more and less about x and o’s      -it’s about x’s and o’s if u don’t know sport

 Wins or loss don’t affect kids                                            -your job is to win not lose

Have to break old or new bad habits                             -habits what habits.

Now this is my research on basketball from the level of junior high to high school. As a former player who played at both levels, my coaches didn’t really have time to teach us how to shoot the correct way or even how to do a correct left hand lay up. For most boys, sports came easy. We learn by mocking what the older kids did, what we saw on television.  Some of us were even lucky enough to play for a select (AAU or boys and girls club) organization. With that being said we were almost expected to know how to do certain things in sports before we got to school, they were almost suppose to be a given. With girls its different, I have a sister and a couple of relatives who played since they were younger. We had to teach them the right way to play the sport. Their coaches had the same expectations that they had for the boys at the younger level.

From my experience, I’ve watched some of the girls I coached over the past summers grow into confident individuals. Before we start our sessions with the ladies we sit and talk. They tell us their expectations of themselves before they go back to play school ball and its amazing. Most of the young ladies talk about how the coaches tell them to pass up shots and to give the ball to a certain player. Some were even told that since they were tall that they could only play post (under the basket). I heard with my own ears a coach tell a player that she couldn’t shoot threes and that she needed to move in closer to the basket to shoot, and this player shot and made more threes over the summer than most kids on her school team. It’s amazing how we (certain select organization) have to spend the first couple of weeks reprogramming the minds of the kids and telling them that they can do whatever their minds are set to do. Some kids don’t even see playing time on their school teams yet play well against top competition during select season. It baffles me to see a kid who works so hard on their craft and not even get a chance, since the coach goes off how they played last year or that they have favorites. Now, I understand that life isn’t going to play fair but at what point do you at least give every kid a chance? Not saying all coaches and schools do this but most parents notice the difference between the two.

I now understand part of my purpose. It’s sad to say this but thanks to some of the coaches and teams they allow me to do what God has called me to do. What’s that you asked? Well, God is using me to share with you and your kids the gift of him through a sport called basketball. This allows me to assist your child in building confidence, maintaining consistency and gaining the basic fundamentals of the game.

Now for the last time I will reiterate, (LOL) NOT ALL organizations have these philosophies, nor do all schools and coaches allow these things to occur. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

“This is only a taste of what is to come. Stay tuned in…”

If you are a high school basketball player in the United States, you are probably about to start (or have just recently started) official practice for the 2009-2010 season.

As the season gets underway and you begin practice, don’t be surprised if your body is overwhelmingly sore the first couple of days in particular. This is normal! This does not imply you aren’t in great shape; it’s just your body’s way of adjusting to the new demands placed on it. You are finally going full speed with contact on a daily basis; which is understandably more intense than anything you did in the pre-season. In particular, your low back may be constantly tight and your ankles, knees, and hips may get sore. It is very important you take care of your body throughout the season, but especially now, while these are minor issues. For these little nagging aches and pains, you should apply ice after practice (unless told otherwise by your athletic trainer). With parental consent, you can also take an occasional ibuprofen or Advil to help alleviate soreness. Foam rollers are another great tool for recovery and restoration. Make sure you eat well, get lots of rest when you can, and properly warm-up and cool down before and after every practice. If you incur any major injuries or issues, make sure you tell your coach, athletic trainer, and parents immediately so you can get the proper help. It is important to address these issues when they are small so they don’t turn into something big!

However, as far as the minor aches and pains, you have to tough it out. Basketball is an intense sport and if some part of your body isn’t sore, then you probably aren’t playing hard enough anyway. Learn to be comfortable with minor discomfort.

Make sure you enjoy this time of year as it is an important part of the journey. There is no time like the present, as playing well and competing during practice is the reason you put in so much time over the spring, summer, and fall working on your game, lifting weights, and running sprints. This is the time real players thrive. Regardless of how things start during the first week or two of practice, you have to keep in mind that it is a long season. If you get off to a rough start, don’t throw in the towel, there is plenty of time to turn things around. Most high schools don’t start playing games until the beginning of December, so you still have a few weeks to show what you can do and try to earn some playing time or a starting position. And if you have started off hot, don’t get cocky or complacent as staying on top is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Don’t take anything for granted. Continue to play hard every practice.

Here are some tips to make sure you play your best this season:

1) Get rest whenever you can, your body and mind need it! Try and get to bed early and sneak in naps whenever possible (on the weekends; not during class!). While the off season regiment is tough, there is nothing harder on your body than in-season practices, games, and travel.

2) Eat well and stay hydrated. Your body is a machine and it needs to be properly fueled. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast every morning and try to eat a light snack an hour or so before practice. This will ensure you are well fueled without making you feel full and lethargic. You also need to re-fuel immediately after practice. And don’t forget your body does everything better when hydrated, so drink water constantly.

3) Warm-up and stretch properly before all practices and games. Hopefully your team has a standardized warm-up, but if not, you need to make sure you do. This will ensure your body and mind is ready to compete and help reduce the likelihood of injury.

4) Continue to strength train during the season. Strength is an attribute that is quickly diminished. In as little as three weeks you begin to lose functional strength on the court if you don’t continue to strength train. So if you don’t train during the season, you will be physically at your weakest come playoff time. All you need to do to maintain strength is one or two brief (but quality) workouts per week during the season.

5) Get in extra shots before/after practice and before games. Shooting is all about rhythm and repetition. The more game like shots you can take in practice and before games, the more automatic you will be when you play. The best players in the world get in shots before practice and stay after practice to do the same.

6) Be a good teammate. Do the little things to help your teammates and be very positive and enthusiastic, even when things aren’t going so well. The teams that play well together and communicate effectively with each other win more often. Period.

7) Talk to your coach. Your coach is the leader of your team and it is important you show proper respect at all times. No exceptions. If you don’t agree with something your coach says or does, or if you have questions on certain things (like why you aren’t playing as much, what your role on the team is, etc.), it is important you communicate effectively, appropriately, and maturely. Most coaches are more than happy to talk with you if you have an issue.

Stay on top of your school work. I know how hard it is to balance a busy schedule during the hectic season, but as a student-athlete, your academic work must always be a priority. Don’t let issues in the classroom distract you from handling business on the court. And don’t do the bare minimum just to stay eligible, do your best to in every class, every day. Creating that standard of excellence will carry over to every aspect of your life.

I wish each of you the absolute best this season. Please keep me posted to how you are doing and drop me an email if I can be of service in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

For daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein
www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom
www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com

I coach girl’s varsity basketball at a small private school. And today before practice our players were talking about how they were having a rough day. So I saw this as an opportunity to sit them down and talk a little bit about life.

To make a long story short the players openly expressed their feelings and I shared some my experiences with them. And we talked about how to encourage a teammate who is having a rough day.

My question to coaches is…Is there ever a time that you sit your players down and talk about life and how it relates to basketball. If you haven’t you should try it and you may learn more about your players.