A Coach's Diary

This isn't sports-related, but it is. I have seen many high school and college freshmen struggle when they stepped up to a new, tougher stage. We see and celebrate the Mal Pugh's, Luka Doncic's, and Naomi Osaka's of the sports world and marvel at how they can be so dominant so early. But we don't always notice the growth of someone like Dana Evans, the star basketball player at Louisville who came off the bench her first two years before becoming the ACC player of the year as a junior. She was an All-American in high school, but she struggled her first year of college to earn meaningful playing time. She didn't quit and she didn't transfer. She learned, she grinded and she kept getting better. Leveling up is hard for everyone. Stay curious and stay persistent.

Your ability (and willingness) to listen, learn, and apply what you coach teaches you is one of the biggest indicators of your future success. The best athletes have talent, but they are also talented learners.  They want to know more.  They want to be better.  They want to learn. They want to grow. Be a sponge. When your coach is talking and teaching, try to soak up all of the knowledge that you can. The more you know, the more tools in your tool box.  Pay attention to all of the little details. Each detail that you master can make you that much better, stronger, faster, and quicker.

How can you be better than the next man if you aren’t better than your previous self?  Use others as measuring sticks but don’t compare, you’re not them! Do something every day to push yourself forward to maximize YOU! • Be consistent with your work: Preparation, Consistency, Mindset, REPS. • Find/Create motivation from within. Work with pride. • Kill the excuses, all of them. Don’t entertain them. Be about it. • Surround yourself with people that have your best interest and will support your journey, even the low moments. • Enjoy the process, the moments. Ride the highs, feel the lows. Balance the two and flow. Get BETTER today.

Drew Hanlen trains some of the best basketball players in the world. He says that one of the biggest mistakes that he sees from players is that they waste too much time practicing skills and moves that they don't use in games. Drew says that all over social media, you see players juggling tennis balls and players picking up cones, and players who can't make layups with their weak hand working on James Harden step-back threes.   He feels like the training industry that he is in is in part responsible for this. Different drills that work on micro-skills, like 2 ball dribbling, do help improve skill and capacity, but it's important that the skills work is transferable to the game.  Use your time more efficiently and effectively by doing drills and working on skills that will give you better game results. Drew says that as long as you aren't creating bad habits, putting in some work is better than no work, but work on the right skills so that the work that you ...

Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard was a guest on CJ McCollum's podcast, and they asked him some really good questions about his training, how it has changed from year to year, and what he is doing now during the shut down. The biggest takeaway that I had is the importance of finding ways to put in the work, especially during adversity and adverse times like this shut down that we are experiencing now.  Having a vision and a routine helps you stay on track. How Did Your Training Change In Terms of Your Approach From Your Freshman Year to Senior Year? "I have always been a hard worker and got in the gym a bunch, but with each year I've gotten smarter, with my training and what I needed to improve on, and got more consistent with the work. A lot of guys can go work hard for a day or two, but you have to be consistent at working hard each and everyday. I got better at improving my weaknesses and making them become strengths.  From my junior to senior y...