A Coach's Diary

I stumbled across this article on the Dallas Morning News Website.   To summarize, former Cowboys running back DeMaro Murray sent a 3 word text to rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot as advice: Watch No. 82.   Are you ‘That Person?’  Are you someone that others can look to as a model for how to approach work, school, athletics, life, etc?  If not, what can you change RIGHT NOW to become so?  As my favorite quotes states: 'The time is always right to do what’s right.' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The full article is below.  I have highlighted some of the key points that I took.  You can find the original article here.

The article below is from the Dallas Morning News .  It talks about how new head coach Travis Mays has began the process of turning around the SMU Women's basketball program in his first year.  I have put in red some the takeaways that I have found as a coach also in his first year leading a new program.  You can find the original article here . UNIVERSITY PARK -- It took all of one practice, and countless eye rolls, for the SMU women's basketball team to realize how different things would be under new coach Travis Mays. The Importance of Attention to Details The Mustangs did the three-man weave. Then they did it again, and again, and ... "The whole 45-minute workout we did the same drill until we got it perfect," junior guard McKenzie Adams said. "We were like, 'What the heck? Forty-five minutes of the same drill?' But those 45 minutes paid off. We're seeing how important it is to pay attention to the details." The changes have no...

Efficient footwork in the post and around the basket, whether for guards or bigs, are important skills to work on with your team.  Good footwork can increase your scoring by giving you a stronger base and better balance, and cut down on turnovers by pivoting out of bad situations. The video below is a short, simple video from up and coming NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.  The footwork alone is simple and seemingly unimpressive, especially next to the resulting dunk, but being able to have the patience to step across in the paint to improve your base and balance to create a better opportunity for you is a very important skill I have been working on with my girls.  See the video below:

The following notes were taken from an article in the San DiegoTribune about a couple of San Diego area coaches approaching milestones.  I took out some notes on some of the things that I want my program to be about.  You can read the article in its entirety here . -  “It’s insane how this has worked out,” Cassaw said. “We’ve had some huge years (winning 29 games in 2005-06 and 2010-11, 30 in 2011-12 and 28 in 2013-14), but you don’t win 400 games and CIF championships without good players, good assistants, a strong administration and having the support of your family. -  “I love coaching, so I consider myself very lucky to do what I do.” -  “I’ve been blessed with hardworking kids who put in the time to succeed,” Olive said. “The players take a lot of pride in being part of the program. -  “There is a sense of family in the program and that family extends out. I love that our former players come home and help with our tournament.  - ...

The article below are notes taken from an article  I first found  through Ron Sen's blog here .  You can find the full article here or after the jump.  It talks about how Lakers assistant coach Brian Keefe is using the same growth and professional development the young trio of Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and D'Angelo Russell that he used in OKC with KD, Westbrook, and James Harden. 1 - Before each game Keefe and KD worked together on the court.  Keefe would give a schedule to create a routine so he could learn habits that would stay throughout his career. “Taught me everything I know,” said Durant, a seven-time All-Star and league most valuable player in the 2013-14 season. “About work ethic, being a pro. He wouldn’t take any credit for it, but he taught me everything I know as far as how to approach shoot-arounds, practices, games, workout sessions.” 2 – Their extra work was scheduled and they got individual attention that expanded their games. Dur...

I’m reading the book, ‘ The One Thing ,’ by Gary Keller , and there is a chapter titled Willpower is Always on Will-Call .  There is a common saying that goes – where there’s a will , there’s a way , and in this chapter, Keller talks about how misleading that saying is and how misleading common perception of will-power is as well.  Keller calls will-power a renewable energy source, and that will-power is usable and rechargeable, much like a cell-phone battery or the gas in your car.  He references university studies, such as ‘ TheMarshmallow Test ’ by Walter Mischel, the ‘ Heart and Mind in Conflict ’ experiment by Baba Shiv, and a study on the impact on willpower on the Israeliparole system .  He uses these studies to show the effects of will-power and how to effectively use it. While studies have shown how effective will-power can be, studies have also shown that we all have a limited amount of will-power, and that when we use it up, we revert to ‘default...

“Steve Jobs has a really good quote.  It says that you cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking back.” In the video below, Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers began talking about his success with Warriors by referencing the above Steve Jobs quote and how each stop along his journey has helped prepare him for the position his is in now. While we have goals for our teams and our careers, we often look up and our realities our different than planned.   All we can really do is show up, work hard, be persistent, and have faith that our dots are connecting in a way that one day we will be grateful for. He also talked about the culture of the Warriors and how important it is to have people around you who are passionate and deeply care about basketball. From Forbes : It simple terms:   Trust Yourself .  Trust yourself to think big, make a difference and have an impact in ev...