Quote of the Day:

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle" -Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the Day:

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be" -John Wooden

Sideline OOB Play for 3

Courtesy of FastModel and Maryland's Video Coordinator Mike Bowden (http://www.fastmodelsports.com/playoftheday/?article_id=277)

Book Giveaway!

I'm giving away "WHAT IT TAKES TO BE #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership". To enter, simply subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the box at the top of the page below the "Overtime" banner. Winner will be announced next Friday, 11/4.

Flip Saunder's Defensive Rules

Thanks to Forrest McKinnis for sending me these great points:

General rules followed by Coach Flip Saunders of the NBA's Washington Wizards, critical for building any defensive foundation.

We give the players these simple, general rules:

Never leave the dribbler alone.
Never let the offense penetrate the defense, either with a dribble or a pass.
Sag towards the ball, forming triangles on the help position.
Cover the low post player, fronting him or in a ¾ stance.
Drop as deep as the ball on the back defensive line.
Move the ball to the corners or away from the basket.
On the shallow cuts or cuts in front of you, switch.
Contest every shot.
Pressure the ball at the top of the lane, in a ball defensive stance.
The inside hand is up to deny any passing lane.
The guards pick up their assigned players five feet from the top of the key.
Move on every pass and dribble.
Sag as much as the defensive rules let you.
Try and make cuts to the ball go behind you to "kick him off." That’s our terminology for following a cutter and then giving him to another defender. 

If you're interested in more "40" Defense from Flip Saunders visit http://shop.coachmac-basketball.com/

Get Connected

There aren't many secrets in coaching. I heard the following story: at a coaches clinic years ago, a very successful coach from a BCS school was giving a presentation about their offense. In the crowd were opposing coaches from the same conference who were frantically writing down every BLOB play and quick hitter. The presenter paused, looked around the room and said "Coaches, you can write down my plays all day. The fact is, you just don't know how well we are going to run them".

Point of the story is...get out there and share what you know! Better yet, learn from others and see a different side of things. Here are a few sites I really enjoy:

www.HoopCoach.org

http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com/

www.CoachBobWalsh.com

Quote of the Day:

 "Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation."

Quote of the Day:

"Leadership is inspiring others to action"

1/2 Marathon

Have you ever reset your car's odometer and really watched to see how long 13 miles is? Whether you're driving, walking or running:  69,168 feet is a long way to go.

I had the awesome pleasure of completing my first 1/2 Marathon on October 15 in Baltimore, Maryland. What made this race so special was not just the race itself, but what I was running for.

Let me be very clear: I HATED running. Always had. "I'm a basketball player, not a runner" is a phrase I would use often. To me, running was punishment. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play basketball in recent years because of my schedule and the liability of injuries.

For lack of anything else to do, I began to run. One week into my running one of my best friends invited me to compete in the Baltimore Running Festival's Half Marathon with her family to help raise awareness and funds for brain cancer (her brother was about to undergo his second surgery to remove a brain tumor). This was a terrific opportunity to make a training plan, set specific and measureable goals, get into shape, run for a cause and support people I really care about.

I learned one thing very quickly in my training: the mind is stronger than the body. There were days I didn't want to run; there were days that it hurt to run; there were days that I had to adjust my entire days' schedule so I could run; but I was running for a cause and a higher purpose with a clear goal/deadline in sight. Whenever I was sore or pushing myself through a tough run one thing went through my mind....there is no way in hell this is anywhere near as hard as fighting brain cancer. My yellow Livestrong bracelet symbolized the fight that millions of people engage in everyday.

RACE DAY. 

Running this 1/2 marathon was a completely different experience for me. Unlike a basketball season, which has 20+ games, you have 1 race. This was my thought at the starting line: "I hope the last 2.5 months of training prepared me for this....I hope I took the right amount of rest this week...I hope my pre-race nutrition was adequate...I hope my body holds up". 10 weeks of preparation would determine success or failure of the next 2.5 hours.

Happy to say, the Race was a success. I finished in 2 hours and 16 minutes, for an average pace of 10:26/mile- good enough to finish in the middle of the pack of 11,000 runners. The feeling of accomplishment was fantastic!

Even better than finishing the race was running with my wife Christine and our best friends and their family to show our support and fight against cancer while also achieving an individual milestone.

Quote of the Day:

“One who asks questions is a fool for 5 minutes; one who does not ask questions remains a fool forever.” -Chinese Proverb

Pat Summitt on "Goals"

Before each of the 34 seasons that Summitt has been a head coach of some of the most accomplished teams of all time, she and her captains have committed a set of goals to writing. 


“We always make sure,” Summitt says, “that our plans for the season can be achieved. Setting goals is incredibly important to success. But if you set a goal that seems impossible to achieve— if you go into a year saying your goal is to win the national championship—then you risk losing morale, self-discipline and chemistry if you falter early. 

“Set a goal that stretches you, requires exceptional effort, but one that you can reach,” says Summit, the bearer of more championship jewelry than any coach in women’s basketball history. “We might set a goal that we win 20 or so games, that we win a conference championship, that we make the NCAA tournament. If we do those things, the truth is we have a chance of winning the national championship. But I would never want that to be the only goal.”