Hard Work - A Life On And Off The Court

This is a great read. If you have not had a chance to read this, you are missing out!


"Life was often unpleasant. When he was eight years old he bounced his first basketball, and the game soon became his outlet, his escape. He loved to play alone, to shoot for hours on dirt courts and in local gyms, often when they were closed and he was not supposed to be there. The game consumed him, and his constant practice turned him into a noticeable high school player. He wasn't tall and he wasn't fast, but his deadly aim was perfected by hours of hard work."

2010 Kohawk Basketball Camp

Last week we had well over 100 campers at our Fundamental Skills Camp. Those campers brought great energy and enthusiasm to Eby Fieldhouse. Below is a picture of one of our younger campers showing great form during the Hot Shot competition.

NBA - I Love This Game!

Only You Can Determine Your Success

Only you possess the strength within yourself to be great. It is not what surrounds you or who persuades you that creates your success. It is your own determination and drive to be the greatest that will determine your success.

Jack Ramsay's Dozen "Absolutes" In Coaching

1. Basketball, like every other sport, is predicated on the execution of the fundamentals.


2. The coach is a teacher; his subject is the fundamentals.


3. The highest level of achievement is attained by the teams with the best conditioned players.


4. Even the greatest players have a level of improvement to achieve.


5. Even the greatest players accept coaching and value the need for discipline and the order that it brings to the team.


6. Winning is more related to good defense than good offense.


7. Break-down drills, under simulated game conditions, are essential to team success.


8. Teams that play together beat those with superior players who play more as individuals.


9. There are no physical limits to individual achievement.


10. Although the game has become more sophisticated, simpler is better in developing and teaching a system of play.


11. Players draw confidence from a poised, alert coach who anticipates changing in game conditions.


12. Teams that never concede defeat can accomplish incredible victories.

Glen 'Big Baby' Davis and Nate Robinson Postgame Interview

This is a can't miss post game interview with...Shrek and Donkey???

Lakers vs Celtics 1987 NBA Finals Game 4 Intro

In honor of Game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight...

Here is a preview of Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics.

Nine Insightful Reminders After the Passing of John Wooden

Generosity without ego is most genuine. "You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

Character counts most of all. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

Our most important competition is within ourselves. "Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

There is no substitute for a commitment to excellence. "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

Perseverance is paramount. "Don't let what you can't do stop you from what you can do."

We never stop learning. "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

Without risk, there is no real gain. "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

It is how we handle the challenges that define us. "Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then."

There is no substitute for a positive attitude. "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

Five Championship Strategies

One of the most amazing sports records in the history of all sports is 401 wins and 9 losses. This is the career record of Larry Gelwix, coach of the Highland High rugby team (Salt Lake City) for more than three decades. This team was featured in the recent movie Forever Strong.

Below, Larry shares the strategies that have made his teams successful through the years.

1. Choose what team you’re going to play for. Decide what ‘jersey’ you’re going to wear in life, in love, in business, in relationships. Where is your loyalty? Where is your heart? Figure it out, make a decision and don’t look back.


2. Don’t play with snakes. Every situation has a right and wrong; choose the right.


3. Hit the field running. Attitude and effort are more important than natural ability. Attitude and effort are more important than natural smarts. Attitude and effort separate the champs from the chumps. Attitude follows behavior; if you want to change your attitude, change your behavior.


4. Expect to win. Larry spells ‘win’ as an acronym, W.I.N., which stands for “what’s important now.” Look at every situation and ask, “what do I need to accomplish?” Then ask, “what’s important now?” We need to look ahead and have goals for future success, and make choices right now that take us in that direction.


5. Focus on the final score. Focus on the end game; focus on who you want to be; focus on what you ultimately want to achieve. In life we all write the script of the final person we want to be. If my final score is who I want to be — a man or woman of integrity, of honesty, of virtue, of hard work, of ethics — then I can sustain setbacks and difficulties that come.

Dare To Dream

There is no such thing as a guarantee. Even if there was, it would never take you far. Success comes from taking chances and daring to dream. Constantly aim in the the direction of the tasks you would like to accomplish and your results will be sure to reward you.

Winning In The NCAA Tournament

Each year after the NCAA Tourament, I like to go back through all the box scores and find out what statistical category was the most successful predictor of winning. This year FG Percent Defense was the best predictor of winning. In 2010, teams with a better fg percent defense won 52 of 63 games (there was 1 tie).

Duke won the fg percent defense category in 5 of their 6 games. Against Baylor, they lost this category. Duke shot a horrible 36.1% from the field that game, but they more than made up for it by making and attempting more free throws (23/29) than Baylor (12/19).

A STATISTICAL LOOK AT THE 2010 NCAA TOURNAMENT

64 GAMES

1. FG PERCENT DEFENSE – KEEPING YOUR OPPONENT’S FG % LOWER THAN YOURS -

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.825 52 OF 63 (1 TIE)

2. FREE THROW ATTEMPTS – ATTEMPTING MORE THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.726 45 OF 62 (2 TIES)

3. FOULS – COMMIT FEWER FOULS THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.698 44 OF 63 (1 TIE)

4. FT PERCENTAGE – SHOOT A BETTER FT PERCENTAGE THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.689 42 OF 61 (3 TIES)

5. 3 PT FG % DEFENSE – DEFEND THE 3 BALL BETTER THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.678 40 OF 59 (5 TIES)

6. REBOUNDING – OUTREBOUND YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.677 42 OF 62 (2 TIES)

7. TURNOVERS – COMMIT FEWER TO’S THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.579 33 OF 57 (7 TIES)

8. STEALS – HAVE MORE STEALS THAN YOUR OPPONENT –

CORRESPONDING WINNING PERCENTAGE

.537 29 OF 54 (10 TIES)