A Coach's Diary

Hailey Van Lith is one of the best college basketball players in the country. She helped lead the University of Louisville to the Final Four as a sophomore, and she has already won a couple of gold medals playing for the United States in the FIBA World Cup and in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup. What I love most about Hailey is that she has a solid foundation built on hard work and toughness. When Hailey was in high school, she would train with her dad every day after practice for 1.5 - 2 hours. She said that her dad raised her in a culture of ‘always working,’ and she doesn’t really know anything else. Hailey also said she can see the difference between her competitors who have worked hard over the years, and the competitors who relied on talent and athleticism. At some point, your talent and athleticism won’t be enough to outweigh hard work and grit. Our foundation is important because as author James Clear says, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your system...

Success isn’t promised or given to anybody; especially not sustainable success. If you see somebody on top for an extended period of time, believe that they have put in the work to get to the top, and they have continued the work to stay on top. They have overcome challenges and adversity that we will never see or know about on their journey. They just never quit. That is what Michael Jordan’s former teammate B.J. Armstrong said about him. B.J. said that nothing was going to keep Michael from achieving what he wanted to achieve. He was too focused, competitive, and driven to let anything stop him. Early in his career, guys like Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas, and teams like the Celtics and the Pistons did a good job of stopping him. But he took his losses, learned his lessons, and came back stronger and better each year until he was at the top of the mountain. There are a lot of 6’6 athletes in the NBA, but there aren’t nearly as many 6’6 athletes who were willing to put in the work that...

Hailey Van Lith is one of the best basketball players in the country.  She burst on the scenes with a highlight video last summer where she was killing a group of guys in one-on-ones and she has since become one of the more popular high school players. She is a strong point guard who can shoot from deep and has a really good handle.  In her words, her game is saucy and the girls game is getting more style as a whole. I really enjoy her videos because of her style and ability.  She also has a very competitive mindset.  The video above is a really good video for all young players, but especially for girls who play basketball.  It shows that girls are tough, competitive, saucy and how much the girls game continues to grow and evolve. In the video above, she is mic'd up for practice.  The start of practices starts light and she helps to keep it light.  It seems like an inviting environment.  As the intensity starts to pick up, so does her...