In many areas across the country the high school and college basketball season is either already over or coming to an end and is wrapping up with conference and state championships and playoffs.  For those still playing, good luck! For those that have finished, I hope your season was a success. This blog post is part one of a two part series that will give direction and insight for your off-season basketball specific strength & conditioning program. This information is a must read for any basketball player or coach.

This blog post will cover the importance of rest and recovery, the evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses, and examining your spring & summer schedule.

Next week I will discuss off season testing, my thoughts on the priority of AAU, and what most players should be focusing on in the initial part of the off season. I will lay out an actual weekly training plan as well as shed some light on proper footwork, over training and common training myths.

Before we even discuss an off-season strength & conditioning program, we should review why it is important for basketball players of all ages and levels to strength train and condition on a year round basis.  You should always know the “why” before you commit to anything! The textbook answer is pretty standard and is something I have been preaching for the last ten years:

By making the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joint structures stronger, you will lessen the occurrence and severity of on court injuries.  If and when injuries do occur, you will recover quicker. Added strength also improves performance by increasing the body’s ability to produce force.  The more force you can produce, the higher you can jump, the stronger you can block out, and the quicker you can cut and change direction.  In addition to added strength, a truly basketball specific and comprehensive training program will also address: proper movement and jumping/landing technique, footwork, reaction, agility, hand/eye coordination, stamina, power and explosiveness, and flexibility.

And while the above should be reason enough to work out, there is another reason players of all ages and levels need to strength train and condition; confidence.  Players who get bigger, faster, and stronger are more confident players on the court and more confident people in life.  Training hard gives you a mental and a physical edge.

Last year I had the pleasure of speaking with Duke Basketball Alum and assistant basketball coach Nate James.  While at Duke, Nate was always one of the strongest, best conditioned players on the court.  Here is what he had to say about training:

“The weight room gives you more swagger. You use the weights to get an edge and a tougher mentality so when it is time to play, you will be that much more confident. You take that weight room attitude and work ethic onto the court.”

I agree completely. Confidence is king on the hardwood.

And please understand this; strength and power are cultivated over time through hard work and progression.  There are no shortcuts. With the recent outing of A-Rod using steroids, I feel compelled to add my thoughts. First and foremost, steroids of any kind are illegal and should not be taken under any circumstances, no exceptions. Please read that sentence again. If you are caught using steroids your basketball playing career will be over. 

Steroids carry numerous side effects and are extremely dangerous to your body. Plus they will do very little to help you improve as a basketball player anyway, which should be your ultimate goal, so to even consider using them is foolish.  You can add all of the lean muscle you need through proper strength training and nutrition. Hell, even 99% of all of the supplements out there are totally unnecessary.

And never put anything in your body you don’t what it is.  Don’t drink any shake or take any pill without knowing exactly what is in it. Ignorance is not a legitimate excuse.  If someone at your school or gym says, “take this, it will get you jacked,” end the conversation there. OK, end of sermon.

Now, let’s take a look at your off-season program:

The first thing you need is rest. Almost without exception, I recommend players take two full weeks off after their last game. You need to rest your mind and your body.  You need to spend quality time with family and friends and get away from the game. You need to make sure your academics are on point.  You need to get some extra sleep and eat some good food.  You need to watch a ton of March Madness. You don’t have to be in the gym to improve; you can learn a lot from watching elite level players. And don’t just watch the obvious, watch for things like moving without the ball and help defense. Also make note of how big and strong elite level players are.  Today’s game is played above the rim!

Trust me, as a veteran elite level strength and conditioning coach, this rest is one of the best things you can do, I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t believe in it so strongly.  During this couple week hiatus, make sure you address any nagging injuries you may have endured during the season.  If something on your body still hurts, and Advil and ice don’t seem to fix it, I recommend you make an appointment to see an appropriate specialist (doctor, physical therapist, etc.).

After a couple of weeks of rest, the next thing you need to do is evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a player, both basketball wise and athletically.  I can’t stress enough how important this step is, yet it is rarely done.

Before you can truly improve, you have to establish what things you do well and what things need improvement.  This can only be done through an honest, comprehensive evaluation.  I recommend you evaluate yourself and have your coach evaluate you. Make a chart on a piece of paper and rate yourself on the following:

Basketball skills: ball handling, shooting form, shooting performance, passing, rebounding, defense

Basketball intangibles: basketball IQ, leadership, court awareness, being a good teammate

Physical traits: strength, quickness, power/explosiveness, bodyweight, stamina, overall work ethic

You can rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. Remember, this is for your eyes only.  You get nothing out of giving yourself some bogus high scores. And this evaluation is what you believe; it isn’t what your parents tell you, your girlfriend tells you, or what some scouting service wrote about you. Once you are done, you should ask your coach to fill out the exact same evaluation on your behalf using the same criteria and scale.  Every coach I have ever met will do so honestly and enthusiastically.

How do the results compare?  For the most part, any score you and your coach agree on is probably pretty accurate.  If both you and your coach believe your ball handling is an “8”, then it probably is.  But what if you think it is an “8” and he thinks it is a “3”?  Is it possible you think an aspect if your game is better than it actually is? Regardless, you should average out both scores and have a final rating for each of the categories.  Then you should put them in descending order, meaning your highest scores (strengths) are at the top and your bottom scores (weaknesses) are at the bottom. This will help you prioritize what you need to work on.  Keep in mind I said prioritize. That doesn’t mean you ignore the aspects at the top of the list, as you surely can still improve in those areas too.  Heck, your top trait may still only be a “7.”

NOTE: This evaluation exercise can also be done by coaches who want to evaluate themselves and their staff.  After all, how can a coach expect his players to constantly grow and develop if they don’t?  A coach can evaluate himself and then have his assistants and/or players evaluate him as well.  Possible areas of interest are practice plans, game strategies, scouting reports, pre-game routine, motivational techniques, teaching concepts, relationships with players, having fun, etc.  How do you rate? How do your assistants and players rate you?

Once you have honestly and accurately rated yourself you can begin to plot out your training plan. At first glance, what needs moreimprovement and requires more focus, your fundamentals and skills or your body and athletic ability?  Are you a great shooter but have slow feet?  Or are you a sick athlete but can’t make a left hand lay-up? As a strength & conditioning coach, my expertise is on your body and athletic ability; proper movement and jumping/landing technique, footwork, reaction, agility, hand/eye coordination, stamina, power and explosiveness, and flexibility. 

Improving these physical traits is what I will focus on next week! Before then, please take a look ahead and begin to plot out your spring & summer schedule. Take a look at anything that will necessitate your time during the week so you can schedule your basketball and your strength & conditioning workouts accordingly. Are you playing a spring sport? Do you need to meet with a tutor? Will you be playing AAU? Do you know when your practices are? Up coming tournaments? What camps will you go to this summer? Will your family be taking a vacation?  The more you know in advance, the better you can plan.

If you would like to contact me about this blog, my training and/or camps and clinics, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Our game with Oak Hill last night was not the instant classic I had anticipated and hoped for.  Granted, it was still two of the top programs in the nation going head to head, with high level players making an array of nice plays and monstrous dunks, as a whole, I am extremely disappointed my Montrose Mustangs did not rise to the occasion and did not make the most of the opportunity.  Oak Hill won by six.

 

First and foremost, I want to thank the tremendous support we received from the community; the game was standing room only and we had a ton of folks rooting us on.  There were tons of college coaches and basketball media present and the Georgetown Prep facility was stunning; a perfect place to hold a game of that caliber. As always, ESPN did a phenomenal job.

 

I also want to congratulate Coach Steve Smith and Keith “Tiny” Gallon, who played an extraordinary game.  I got to spend a week in Brazil this past summer with Tiny, he was one of the players chosen to represent the Nike USA Select Team I worked with.  Tiny is a fantastic person and obviously a very gifted basketball player with a bright future.

 

As I mentioned in the letter I wrote to our guys on Wednesday, last night was all about opportunity.  It was the opportunity to play a top ranked opponent.  The opportunity to avenge our double OT loss in December.  The Opportunity to play on national TV.  The opportunity to prove we are one of the top teams in the nation.  The opportunity, for certain individuals, to prove they can play at the highest of levels.  And at the end of the day, we didn’t take advantage and we let each these golden opportunities slip away. Bottom line, Oak Hill got it done and we didn’t.  No excuses. 

 

And just to be clear, I can handle losing if we play up to our potential.  But we didn’t. We didn’t deserve to win, we didn’t earn it. When we lost to them in December it was a different story.  We played very well that game and we did deserve to win.  I really thought we were the better team in December.  I didn’t feel that way last night.

 

We didn’t necessarily play bad, but didn’t play as well as we were capable of playing.  Even more disappointing, we played most of the game with a severe lack of passion and emotion. I thought we played hard and gave good effort, but we were played as if we didn’t care, as if nothing was at stake. We looked as if we were just going through the motions. And to me, that is the biggest disappointment. I hate indifference.  I am a person who thrives on passion and on caring, in every facet of my life. Even after the game, our guys showed no emotion or passion.  No anger.  No tears. Nothing.  Just a quiet sea of dumbfounded faces.  

 

We have a tremendous group of young men in our program who are not only great basketball players, but great people as well.  And I care about them unconditionally.  But I was very disappointed in them last night. I didn’t sleep very well, so I got up super early this morning and watched a tape of the game, twice. I took a few pages of notes and hit the rewind button a hundred times.  And while the taped version didn’t make it seem as bad as I thought it was live; my initial reactions were actually pretty accurate:  As a team we played hard, but not particularly well, and we played with very little passion and we didn’t value the ball.  We made countless mistakes you just can’t make in big games.  Here is a quick recap:

 

1^st Half

We started the game by settling for short jump shots instead of taking the ball hard to the cup (started the game 5-19 from the field). We made a handful of lazy, telegraphed passes that they quickly converted to lay-ups or dunks.  We didn’t step in, on three occasions, and take a charge.  We let them leak out and make full court passes off of defensive rebounds for easy lay-ups.  Twice we fouled them and let them score an old fashioned 3 point play. Oak Hill finished around the basket, we didn’t. While it certainly wasn’t all bad, we did make several nice plays here and there, but overall, we played a very, very poor half by our standards.  Despite all of that, we were only down 7 at the half!  That is what coach stressed at half time.  He said, “Look guys, you can’t play any worse than you just played… and you are only down 7 points to the #2 in the nation! You are three possessions away.  Let’s play like we are capable of playing and do this!” 

 

2^nd Half

We started the 2^nd half strong, scored two straight hoops including a thunderous dunk, but we could never quite get over the hump. Every time we closed the gap, they scored.  We made several runs, but never got the defensive stops when we needed them.  Part of that was good offense, but a good part of that was poor defense. And defense is all heart and all toughness, two things we lacked in spurts last night.  While we played a better second half, we still made a handful of errant passes and costly turnovers, and again, you can’t do that in big games and expect to win. Yet with 1:53 left we were only down 5 points.  We still had a chance if we could have just mustered up some emotion and got a few stops.  But we didn’t.  And then we got hit with two technical fouls in the last two minutes of the game, which certainly didn’t help. And that is very atypical of the Montrose program.  We take pride in carrying ourselves with the utmost professionalism and getting technical fouls are unacceptable.  The first was a double tech, when one of our players and one of the Oak Hill players got in a shoving match. Again, if we could have kept our cool and they got the tech, that could have potentially been 5 points for us (2 FT’s and a 3 pointer) and the game would have been tied! The 2^nd tech, a minute later, was a very poor call.  I watched the replay several times and it was absolutely a bad call.  There was some incidental contact after a held ball and the Oak Hill player just flopped.  I assume the refs, who overall called an outstanding game and did an excellent job, only caught the flop out of the corner of their eye and assumed it was something more.  Assumed our player bumped him or something. They hit one free throw and then scored on the ensuing possession.  That 3 points sealed the deal, we were dead in the water. But that is neither here nor there, as that call didn’t reallyaffect the outcome of the game; they had all of the momentum at that point anyway and we weren’t playing well enough to make the comeback.

When you play at the highest of levels, there are no moral victories.  You have to take advantage of big time opportunities. You have to play hard.  You have to play with emotion.  You have to execute.  You have to play well. If you don’t, you lose.  End of story.  We learned that last night.

I sent the team a text message this morning that said; “Our loss last night should hurt. You should be disappointed. You should be upset.  That’s OK. That means it means something to you. You have to learn from what happened, but it behind you, and move forward.  How you respond to adversity and disappointment will show your true character.  Try to enjoy your weekend. Let’s get back to work next week.”

It will be very interesting to see how our kids respond, especially knowing this is going to be a very tough month.  Last night was our last regular season game, and assuming we get an invite to the ESPN / Nike High School National Invitational on April 3-5^th, we won’t play another game until then.  That means three weeks of practice.  It’s like November, the most grueling month of the year, all over again. 

However, there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel… as that ESPN tournament is another tremendous opportunity for our program. It will be another opportunity to play against the best in the nation (4 of the top 10 teams in the nation will be playing, including Oak Hill). It will be another opportunity to play on national TV.  And it could potentially give us an opportunity to play Oak Hill for a third time this season!

Will we take advantage and rise to the occasion this time?

If you would like to contact me about this blog, my training and/or camps and clinics, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Here is an overview of the blogs I plan to post in March/April:

 March 7^th:         Recap from our game with Oak Hill

 March 9^th:         Planning your off-season, Part I (this two part series will include my thoughts and recommendations that every coach and player needs to know regarding their off season strength & conditioning program)

 March 16^th:       Planning your off-season, Part II

 March 23^rd:       NO BLOG (I will be on my honeymoon!)

 March 30^th:       Behind the scenes preview of the 2009 McDonalds’ All-American Game in Miami.

 April 6^th:           Recap, thoughts, and insight from the ESPNNational High School Invitational Tournament(which tentatively will include 4 of the top 10 teams in the nation: Montrose, Oak Hill, Findley Prep, and St. Benedict’s).

 April 13^th:         Topic TBA

 April 20^th:         Recap, thoughts, and insights from the JordanBrand All American Classic in NY.

 April 27^th:         Topic TBA

 I certainly appreciate those of you who read (and share) my blog’s regularly.  Please let me know if ever have a specific topic you would like to see covered… or have specific questions you need answered.  Here are a few topics I plan to cover this spring: keys to self motivation, effective networking & recruiting, professional development for coaches, and ways to be more influential with your teammates and players.

Below is a letter I wrote to my Montrose team.  I gave a copy to each player last night at the end of a quick upper body lift after practice.  Tomorrow night we will see first hand if our guys take these words to heart and capitalize on a golden opportunity.  Win or lose, I will recap the game in Monday’s blog post. 

March 4, 2009

 Please read this tonight before you go to bed, tomorrow morning when you first wake up, tomorrow night when you go to bed, and Friday morning when you first wake up. I’m serious; do it.

 While I am sure on a superficial level you are somewhat aware of how “big” our game against Oak Hill is on Friday, I want to point out a few important things that you may or may not have thought about.

 First of all, win or lose, you will remember this game for the rest of your life.  I’m not joking.  You will remember every detail, good or bad, until you are old and gray (or old and bald).  Wouldn’t it be so much better to reminisce over a win?!

 This game is all about opportunity.  And golden opportunities don’t come around very often.  Some people go their entire lifetime without a real life changing opportunity to take advantage of.  And you have one Friday night.  Don’t take it for granted and don’t take it lightly.  I don’t tell you this to make you nervous or scared, but to get you excited because you very much deserve this opportunity and you are more than prepared for it.  Within this golden opportunity, there are several things to think about:

1.  You have an opportunity to play (and beat) the 2^ndranked team in the nation, a team that is 36-0.
2.  You have an opportunity to have the best record in Montrose history (21-1).
3.  You have an opportunity to play close to home, in front of thousands of fans, family, friends, media, and basketball lovers.
4. You have an opportunity to play on national TV.  As far as basketball games, ESPN2 is watched just as much as ESPN.  People all over the world will get to see you and to see Montrose.
5. You have an opportunity to avenge a loss.  In my 6 years at Montrose we have never had the chance to play a team that we had lost to that year.  It still makes me sick to my stomach we lost to Oak Hill in Hawaii, and you are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to erase that feeling.
6. You have an opportunity to prove all of the doubters wrong.  People don’t think you are an All-American? Prove them wrong.  People don’t think you are good enough to play in college? Show them you are.  People doubt whether you are a top rated player in your class? Show them you are. People don’t think we are the best team in the nation? Show them we are. You have an opportunity so stay in the hunt for a national championship.  In other words, making the most ofthis opportunity will lead to even bigger opportunity in early April!

 

The Montrose basketball family, and each of you, is very, veryimportant to me.  This program has played a major role in my life for the past 6 years and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

 

I have never asked you guys for very much, but I am going to ask you for this:

 

I want you to promise me, promise Coach Vetter, promise Coach Devlin, Prete, Jenifer, Graves, promise your teammates, and most importantly promise yourself… that on Friday night you will give every ounce of heart, soul, effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in fulfilling your role on this team and doing everythinghumanly possible to help us win.  If you get the opportunity to play, make the most of it.  Take charges, dive for loose balls, box out, make the extra pass, execute our offense, and leave it all on the floor.  If you don’t get the opportunity to actually play, when the game is over your voice better be hoarse from screaming and your hands raw from clapping.

The feeling in the locker room after our dramatic win over Oak Hill 3 years ago was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced and was, without a doubt, one of the top moments of my life. And I didn’t even play! I want each of you to experience that same feeling Friday night because you deserve it.

Each time you are done reading this, I want you to sit in complete silence and visualize a few things:

• Visualize a time in your life when you played the best you have ever played.  You may have been younger or it may have been this season.  Visualize, every detail, of a time when every pass you made was on point, you had the ball on a string, and every shot you took was money. You were in the zone.
• Visualize yourself on Friday night doing something spectacular.  As if you were watching yourself in a movie, imagine yourself making a Sportscenter Top 10 play… maybe a sick dunk, a no look pass, or breaking someone’s ankles.  Picture how the crowd responds and how your teammates react. Picture how good you feel after you make that play.
• Visualize how you will feel after we win.  Picture how it will feel when the crowd rushes the court to celebrate. Imagine how great it will be to be in our locker room afterwards.

 

If each of you will take the time to picture these things in high definition, then I know for a fact you have the physical tools to make them come true.

I can’t wait.  I will be there beside you with Gummi Bears in hand.

I love you guys (no homo),

Coach Stein

Even though I will be there in person, sitting in coat and tie on the Montrose bench as I have for the past 6 years, I have already set my DVR for 7:00pm on ESPN2 for this Friday.  I suggest you do the same. Why? You don’t want to miss the most anticipated high school basketball game of the year; Oak Hill Academy vs. Montrose Christian.  This game has the potential to be an instant classic.

Let me set the stage.  Oak Hill, led by Oklahoma bound All American Keith “Tiny” Gallon and Virginia Tech bound All American Lamont “Mo Mo” Jones is currently 36-0 and ranked nationally in USA Today (#3), ESPN (#2), and Prep Nation (#2).  Montrose, led by two Villanova bound studs, Isaiah Armwood and All American Mouph Yarou is currently 20-1 and ranked #1 in the Washington Post and ranked nationally in USA Today (#6), ESPN (#9), and Prep Nation (#4).  And Montrose’s only loss was to Oak Hill in double OT in the championship game of the Iolani Classic in Hawaii right before Christmas! Both Oak Hill and Montrose are in the hunt for a 2009 National Championship; so this game has unbelievable significance.

This game could be an instant classic because of what happened 3 years ago. People are still talking about the epic battle that took place in DC on March 4, 2006.  I have been around elite level basketball the past 10 years and that game was, hands down, the most electric experience I have ever been a part of.  I still get goose bumps every time I think about it.

Before a sell-out crowd of 4,000 at Coolidge High School in Washington DC, Montrose rallied from being down 16 in the 4thquarter to hit a game winning put back as time expired to beat Oak Hill by 2 points, 74-72.  At the time, Oak Hill was on a 56 game winning streak and was 40-0; ranked #1 in the nation by everypublication.  In addition to the buzzer beater finish, the reason that game will go down in history as one of the most memorable ever, was because of the high caliber players who played. Oak Hill’s starting five was one of the most remarkable high school teams of all time, featuring Tywon Lawson (UNC), Nolan Smith (Duke), Landon Milbourne (Maryland), Jeff Allen (Virginia Tech), and Michael Beasley (Miami Heat).  Montrose had some talent too, led by Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Adrian Bowie (Maryland), and last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder).  Are those line-ups ridiculous or what?  And that was ahigh school game!

The reason Montrose was able to do the impossible and rally from what appeared to be an insurmountable lead against the best team in that nation was because of communication, toughness, and competitiveness. These traits are stressed at Montrose all year long, in our summer and pre-season workouts, in our individual skill sessions, and in our practices.  Not only was the gym slam packed and was standing room only, there was a DJ spinning records at every dead ball.  It was so loud our players couldn’t hear Coach Vetter from the sideline.  But they still found a way to communicate effectively with each other.  Hand signals, eye contact, and extra tight huddles before every free throw kept our guys on the same page at all times.  And our players were tough.  A turning point in the game happened in the 4th quarter when our Japanese born point guard, Taishi Ito (5’ 9”, 155lbs) stepped in and took a charge from Michael Beasley (6’ 7”, 230 lbs).  Beasley had a full head of steam running on a fast break, like a freight train, and Taishi sacrificed his body to help the team.  And in my humble opinion, and this is nothing against the Oak Hill players… as Tywon, Nolan, Jeff and Mike are all long time clients of mine in the off season, but Montrose competed harder down the stretch and flat out wanted it more.  After a jawing match between Tywon and Greivis during a dead ball (in which the referees had to separate them), Tywon took the inbounds pass, broke Greivis down with a sick crossover, and went straight down the lane for a one handed tomahawk dunk… only to be (literally) tackled out of mid air by a freshman, Terrell Vinson.  It was an NBA playoff type foul and was the epitome of how hard our kids competed.  Every possession mattered and we were not going to give up a dunk.

Another reason the legend of that game will live forever is because of the rich history each program and coach has as a whole. Oak Hill and Montrose are two of the most dominant programs in high school basketball with two of the most decorated coaches in history; Steve Smith of Oak Hill and Stu Vetter of Montrose Christian.  Both coaches hover around the 800 win mark, both have sent well over 100 players to play Division-1 basketball, both have numerous players in the NBA (Oak Hill – Carmelo Anthony, Josh Smith, and Rajon Rondo and Montrose – Linas Kleiza and Kevin Durant).  Oak Hill has won 6 national titles in the past 15 years and Coach Vetter led programs have won 2.  Both coaches have been named the National High School Basketball Coach of the Year on several occasions.  Both programs are sponsored by Jordan Brand and have been Nike Elite programs since the concept was incepted.   This game will be a true clash of the titans.

This game will be a war from start to finish as Montrose is focused on avenging the double OT loss in Hawaii and Oak Hill tries to prove that game was no fluke and they are the nation’s best team. The battle of the big men, Tiny vs. Mouph will be intense, as both are not only strong and powerful but have tremendous footwork and finesse around the basket.  And heralded freshman Justin Anderson (ranked the #1 freshman in the nation by most scouting services) will be one of many assigned to stop Mo Mo; who erupted for 40 points (mostly from long range) last time these two teams squared off.

To paraphrase Chocolate Thunder, there will be game delayin’, backboards swayin’, bodies flyin’ and babies cryin’…   
Don’t miss it.  Friday March 6, 2009 at Georgetown Prep on ESPN2.

If you would like to contact me about this blog, my training and/or camps and clinics, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com