A Coach's Diary

In this excerpt from the book Red and Me, by former basketball great Bill Russell, Bill talks about the psychology that legendary coach Red Auerbach used to get the best out of his players for the betterment of the team. Red would talk to a guy by mainly listening.  That was how he got more information about his players and their agendas.  I saw him do that so often that when he was talking to me, I always knew what he was doing.  He wasn't assessing my needs - they didn't come into play.  He wasn't asking himself, "What's this person all about?"  He was asking, "How can I help his guy contribute to the team?"  I picked this up very early.  What he was doing was listening, motivating, and enabling us to play our best, which ultimately enhanced our careers. Every player in an organization, whether its a team, a school, or a business, has their own agenda for being part of the organization.  A leader, instead of throwing his/her weight around ...

In this excerpt from the book, Red and Me , by Bill Russell, Bill talks writes about how Red Auerbach approached each player as individuals. Red respected every player as he was, and listened to each individually.  But he did not, strictly speaking, treat everyone equally.  He recognized that everyone was different - we all had different contracts, different physical and mental abilities, different mindsets and habits and methods of preparation.  He also had to consider all of our different agendas.  WIth professional basketball players, there are never enough minutes and never enough shots to satisfy everyone in every game.  We didn't start out as equal ballplayers, so that kind "equal" is not helpful in a team circumstance.  Red knew this. Every player is his own man with his own abilities and his own agenda for playing the game.  You have to respect that about them and appreciate their uniqueness and what they bring to the team in order to ge...

Performing in the Clutch and Leadership is One in the Same You have two players: Player 1 - Your best player Player 2 - That kid who thinks  he's the best player. You are up by 2 with 30 seconds left with the ball out of bounds.  They are trying to foul you. Player 1 - The player you want with the ball in the clutch, the player you draw the play for, shies (hope that's how you spell it) away from the ball in the clutch. Player 2 - Always seems to end up with the ball in the clutch because he thinks he should have it. Who do you give the ball to with the game on the line? I give it to the guy who wants it.  Player 2 will get the ball on my team.  I want somebody with the audacity to think they should have it because I know they won't fold under pressure. Developing Leadership Skills Wanting the ball in the clutch is like leadership - we can develop it, we can try to grow it, we can try to put guys in the situation to where they can thrive in ...

If it won't bite as a puppy ... One of the most fustrating things as a coach, is when you have guys that won't compete.  Its tough to motivate guys that won't battle in the paint, attack rebounds, and fight for loose balls.  Yea, talent is great and all, and you have to have talent to win games, but you have to have guys that are willing to fight and compete to win championships. One year, I had two difference-makers who were just better than everybody else on his team.  The problem was, those top 2 guys just didn't know how/didn't want to compete on an everyday basis.  They didn't practice/play with toughness and grit, and it set a bad precedent for the rest of the team.  When things were going great and they were making shots, getting steals, and making plays in transition, we were a great team and everybody fed off the positive energy.  But, when things weren't going great, things started to snowball.  They didn't have the toughness to put the ...

Notes from SportCenter Interview with Amanda Belichick The daughter of Bill Belichick She is the new head women’s lacrosse coach at Wesleyan University Put Family First When Amanda Belichick's father brought work home, it didn't mean the kids had to be quiet and that his office door was closed.  "I remember being in Cleveland in elementary and middle school and he'd be cutting up plays, organizing them, old school, and I remember doing it with him," she recalled this week Coordination of The Team Bill says Amanda has a good feel of teamwork on the field, teamwork off the field, commitment by everybody, and just trying to get everybody on the same page. Bill always gives Amanda advice on getting to know her team and getting to know where they are at right now, and he just keeps pushing her to figure out what she needs right now, what her limitations are, and what she needs to overcome and what she can take advantage of here. ...

Imagine a team where there is no gossip and no slander; only truthful encouragement and loving critique.  Where people aren't looking at what they can get out of something or someone, but what they can POUR into something and someone.  Where love abounds because they are proactively seeking ways to bless other people.  Where they correct impatience with gentleness and where they share resources with those who are in need.  Imagine leaders who are patient with all the ups and downs and are patient with changes, working together and unified towards a common goal, where or individual success is celebrated without pretension and without arrogance.   You can't have any of that if you can't have a humble you.

Don't Be Afraid Of Parental Involvement; Find Ways To Help Parents Help You And Your Athlete Schools around the county are now implementing a researched 'best practice' to improve parental involvement in the school - they are now requiring teachers to perform an in-home visit with the parent of each new student before the first day of school.  They are requiring the teachers to go the homes of the student (not the other way around) to show that we as teachers and educators are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the success of all of our students, and to show that we seek the help and cooperation of the parents at home.  Then, within the first 10 weeks, after they have gotten a good feel of where the kid is academically, they have to perform a parent-teacher conference at the school to create goals for their students and to show that the school and classroom is a welcome environment for the parents (if the school environment is not welcoming, how can you get full b...

I have been out of coaching for about 8 months now, but I can't get it out of my system.  A friend of mine's wrote a book that he is working on getting published, and in it, he talks about how too often we are defined by profession (a noun) instead of who we are and what we do (a verb).  He calls us to not allow our titles (nouns) limit us and our potential and to be who we are. This is me being me.  I love to write, I love to formulate opinions on different things, especially coaching.  I love to look at situations, analyze them, and see how I would handle in those situations. I am very fortunate that I have a small circle of friends in the basketball community who still talk hoops and coaching with me.  It keeps me close to the game, and keeps me sharp.  It helps me work on my leadership skills, because so much of coaching is about leadership, and it helps me stay sharp with by basketball knowledge. Instead of internalizing these conversations, and ...