A Coach's Diary

The following article cites the chapter,  Business: Mindset and Leadership , from the Book ' Mindset ' by  Carol Dweck . What distinguished the thriving companies form other?  There were several important factors, as Collins reports in his book, Good to Great, but one that was absolutely key was the type of leader who in every case led the company into greatness.   These were not the larger-than-life, charismatic types who oozed ego and self-proclaimed talent.  They were self-effacing people who constantly asked questions and had the ability to confront the most brutal answers – that is, to look failures in the face, even their own, while maintaining faith that they would succeed in the end. Collins wonders why his effective leaders have these particular qualities.  And why these qualities go together the way they do.  And how these leaders came to acquire them.  But we know.  They have the growth mindset.  They believe in hu...

The following article cites the chapter, Sports: The Mindset of a Champion , from the Book ' Mindset ' by Carol Dweck . Character Grows Out Of Mindset In sports, everybody believes in talent.  Sports is where the idea of ‘a natural comes from – someone who looks like an athlete, moves like an athlete, and is an athlete, all without trying.  So great is the belief in natural talent that many scouts and coaches only search for naturals. But there are several examples of ‘natural’ talents who have not panned out when facing challenges because they didn’t have the character or mindset to deal with adversity. There is a mindset in which people are enmeshed in the idea of their own talent and specialness.  When things go wrong, they lose their focus and their ability, putting everything they want in jeopardy. There is also a mindset that helps people cope well with setbacks, points them to good strategies, and leads them to act in their best interest. ...

- Great article on Ernie Hobbie – ‘The Shot Doctor’ - After the article, there are two videos showing him teaching shooting. THIS GUY GIVES YOU A SHOT AT MAKING FREE THROWS PETER IACOBELLI, Associated Press Mar. 18, 1989  2:58 PM ET PLAINFIELD, N.J. (AP) Ernie Hobbie has brought the schoolroom to the schoolyard and has many of basketball's biggest names as willing students in the elusive art of free throw shooting. Hobbie, an elementary school principal currently helping the New Jersey Nets, has also worked with the New York Knicks and major college programs like Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Hobbie has tinkered with the shots of the Nets' Buck Williams and Roy Hinson; the Knicks' Gerald Wilkins and Sidney Green; Ralph Sampson of the Golden State Warriors; Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Rony Seikaly and Dwayne ''Pearl'' Washington of the Miami Heat. But, according to Hobbie, you don't have to be NBA caliber to have a shot ...

The following short article was borrowed from Ron Sen's basketball blog.  You can find the original article here . "They're not cattle." - Pete Newell Players need to know "why". Understanding "why" you do something obviates 'memorization'.  1   "Performance-focused" and "feedback-rich" environments create understanding.   2.   Establish symmetry goals. 372. Get three consecutive stops, seven times a half, both halves. Offensively, avoid three consecutive possessions without scoring.  3.   Players should start to understand the game through "coaches' eyes". They should identify mistakes real time.  4.   Punish opponents' mistakes. Don't break the press to advance the ball. Attack the press to score. Your defender "loses" you? Cut to score.   Don't block out? We get an offensive rebound and put-back.   Defensive transition without total concentration? Layups. ...

When our kids catch the ball, we want them to think ‘score.’  Every time they catch, they should look at the basket and see if they are open first – we call this ‘show shot.’  We want them to show shot on the catch so that they are ready to score if open and to get the defense off balance if not. In the split second that it takes to show shot, if they are not open to shoot or not open to drive, they should look in the paint and see if a cutter is open or the post is open.   Showing shot demands the same good footwork it would take to make a good interior pass to an open player. We put 5 minutes on the clock and practice catching the ball, squaring up, and showing shot using different actions out of a 3 out and 4 out setting. In the video below, Duke demonstrates how they practice showing shot in a 3-out setting by setting away screens or interchanges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaymSSwIDDQ We work on doing it out of the following actions: - ...

Below is a great article from Philly.com on how Jay Wright treated the Final Four as a business trip, keeping players away from all distractions, so that they could ensure maximum focus throughout the final days of the tournament.  You can read the article in full here . When Jay Wright arrived in Detroit for his first Final Four as Villanova coach in 2009, he wanted his players, coaches and support staff to enjoy the experience. But when the Wildcats went out for their national semifinal game that weekend against North Carolina, he knew that plan had major flaws. "It was about 10 minutes into the game and I knew," Wright recalled last week. "You could just see the focus in Carolina. You could see our guys were just playing a game. I knew I didn't get these guys ready. "Obviously, [Tar Heels coach Roy Williams] had been there many times. They were ready. They were playing on a completely different level than we were. We were there to play a fun g...