This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at a Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in St. Louis, Missouri.  I have been speaking on the Nike circuit for four years now and really enjoy the opportunity to share info, meet new coaches, travel the country, and learn from some of the top basketball minds in the game.  Each event is a unique and exciting experience.  The clinics are held Friday through Sunday and I am usually one of the first speakers on Saturday morning. My normal routine is to fly in Friday night, speak Saturday morning, and then fly home Saturday afternoon.  However, this time I chose to stay through Sunday because I wanted to see the legendary Hubie Brown speak Saturday night.  Per his usual, he did a tremendous job, and combined his extensive basketball wisdom with several hilarious stories and anecdotes.

 

After he spoke, he stayed around for another 45 minutes answering additional questions, signing autographs, and taking pictures.  While I am sure he was tired and despite the fact it was getting late and he had a 5:30am flight the next morning, he was a true class act and patiently hung around until the last coach left.  I was so impressed with how genuine and humble he was.  Afterwards I got to have dinner with him, Ed Janka (the man who runs the Nike Clinics) and a few of his friends.  It was an incredible experience.

 

Hubie Brown is 76 years old and has been involved in high level basketball for over 50 years.  He, literally, has seen and done everything in this game.  He told story after story and was fascinating.  It was incredible to hear how the game has changed, how the players have changed, and how the money has changed over that span.  Ever since I was young I have been a bit of basketball historian and have enjoyed studying and learning from players and teams from before my time.  Even now I am currently reading Pistol Pete’s biography. So to get an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts from a living basketball legend was a real honor.  He told stories ranging from a brilliant way to defend an out of bounds play at the end of the game to a former player who bought a $30,000 Cadillac (despite the fact his yearly salary was only $35,000) to the first night he coached Kareem (with the Milwaukee Bucks) and saw him eat an extra large pizza in the locker room 6 minutes before warm-ups! NOTE: Kareem had 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots that night.

 

That night, before I went to bed, I reflected on how truly fortunate I have been in my career to have had experiences like that.  I have met and rubbed elbows with many of the best coaches and players to have ever played the game – from John Wooden and Dean Smith to Coach K and Roy Williams to MJ to Dr. J to LeBron to Kobe.  I really do feel like Will Ferrell in the movie Wedding Crashers… “I’m just livin’ the dream!”

 

There is only one basketball icon I have yet to meet; and that is the General Bob Knight. However, I just got word I will get to meet him this spring! He will be speaking at the same Nike Clinics I will be speaking at in New York and Wisconsin.  I have always been a huge Coach Knight fan. As entertaining as my dinner with Hubie was; can you even imagine dinner with Coach Knight?! I can’t wait!

 

I try to never take these opportunities for granted and am so thankful for each and every experience.  I have been doing this professionally for 10 years now… and wow… it has been quite the journey!  In a future blog I plan to count down my top 10 moments/experiences.

 

If I can ever help you or your program or if I can in any way add to your own journey; don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible!

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Montrose-ism #3: What Winners Do

 

Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately so is losing.

 

Winners are confident. Losers have doubt.

 

Winners hustle. Losers loaf.

 

Winners praise others. Losers complain.

 

Winners listen. Losers talk.

 

Winners are accountable. Losers point the finger.

 

Winners are enthusiastic. Lowers lack passion.

 

Winners are great teammates. Losers are selfish.

 

Winners never quit.  Losers give up.

 

Winners have focus. Losers are disheveled.

 

Winners have discipline. Losers are weak.

 

Winners are loyal. Losers are self centered.

 

Winners have urgency. Losers put things off.

 

Winners have pride. Losers don’t care.

 

Winners are coachable. Losers already know it all.

 

Winners prepare their minds and bodies to win on a daily basis.  Winners do what losers don’t want to do. At Montrose we work hard to create a winning culture.  We only want winners in our program.

 

Are you a winner?

 

If you have questions about the Montrose program, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible!

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

This is the third installment of a three part series on pre-season basketball training. The first post gave a comprehensive overview of a sound pre-season training program.  The second post was a checklist to ensure maximum results.  This post will tie everything together and take a closer look at the intangible qualities needed for success.

 

First and foremost, how is your (and your team’s) pre-season training going? Are you getting stronger? Are you getting quicker? Are you becoming more explosive? Are you getting in great basketball shape? Are you better than you were two weeks ago? Do you deserve to be successful this season? You should be evaluating your progress every week. It is not too late to make some adjustments if things are going as well as you would like!

 

There are three areas you need to make sure you continue to focus on in your pre-season training in order to be the best player (or team) you can this season. They are athleticism, fundamentals, and the intangibles.

 

Athleticism: strength, power, explosiveness, quickness, agility, reaction, flexibility, and conditioning.  These traits must be applied to your fundamentals in order to be a great basketball player. Remember, enhancing these qualities is a means to an end; not an end itself.  You need to learn how to use your improved strength and quickness on the court and in your game!

 

Fundamentals: ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding, and defending.  These skills must be applied to your knowledge and overall feel of the game (basketball IQ) in order to be a great basketball player. Your fundamentals are the parts that make up the whole.  You don’t want to be a good “drill” player.  You need to learn how to use your improved handle and shot in practice and in the game!

 

Intangibles: leadership, toughness, communication, and competitiveness. These characteristics are what enable you to take your game to the highest level.  They help average players (and teams) become good players (and teams) and good players (and teams) become great players (and teams). If you apply these intangibles to your athleticism and fundamentals you will absolutely be the best player (or team) you can be.

 

While athleticism and fundamentals are (obviously) imperative; I want to take a deeper look at the intangibles.

 

Leadership

 

I truly believe there is a tremendous lack of leadership in today’s game; specifically with today’s youth. Basketball is a team game that thrives on leadership; from both the coaches and players.

 

“An army of asses led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by an ass.”

 

You can’t under estimate the power of quality leadership.  Effective leaders make the impossible seem possible. Anyone can work to improve to their leadership skill set.  The traits needed to be a successful leader apply to both players and coaches at every level. If the coach is the only leader in the gym; that team won’t be very successful. 

 

Here are 5 traits that contribute to effective leadership:

 

1)    Learn from your mistakes. To be a good leader you have to take calculated risks and you will certainly make some mistakes along the way.  Admit them. Learn from them. Don’t repeat them!

 

2)    Lead by example. The old adage “do as I say not as I do” doesn’t fly in today’s world. If you expect it from your players or teammates, you have to expect it from yourself.  You must hold yourself accountable before you can hold anyone else accountable.

 

3)    Put others needs first. Compassion and empathy are extremely important to quality leadership. It is impossible to be selfish and be an effective leader.  If you are a player, are you playing for the scoreboard or the scorebook? If you are a coach, is it “my way or the highway?”

 

4)    Have confidence. Your attitude is something you have complete control of and will influence everything you do in life.  A positive attitude helps build confidence. You must have a strong self worth and be confident in your abilities, without being arrogant or cocky. No one is going to follow someone who doesn’t believe in themselves.

 

5)    Set a high standard. If you do everything to the best of your ability, then you can expect it from those you lead.  If you are always on time, always work hard, and always put your heart and soul into every practice, workout, and game – then you can expect your teammates and players to do the same. 

 

Toughness

 

Mental toughness is an acquired skill; not inherited trait.  Every basketball player out there can become more mentally tough. A good part of being mentally tough is learning to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.” You have to learn to embrace obstacles, difficulties, mistakes, and adversity.  You can’t expect anything to be easy.  Failure is not only a part of life, but a major part of basketball.  If you never fail, you aren’t pushing hard enough or challenging yourself.   There are 7 characteristics to mental toughness, all of which can be improved with instruction and practice: competitive, confident, control, committed, composure, courage, and consistency.  How do you grade yourself in each of these categories?

 

Communication

 

Effective communication can make or break a team.  This includes communication on and off the court; among players and coaches. Communication is much more than what you say; it is how you say it.  And on top of that, it’s not what you say or how you say it that is important; it’s what the other person hears! Does everyone on your team know exactly what your goals are? Does everyone on the team know exactly what their role is?  Do players and coaches know how to effectively deal with confrontation when problems arise?

 

Competitiveness

 

The desire to compete is vital for success.  While basketball should most certainly be “fun”; winning is important.  And preparing to win is even more important than that.  Like toughness; competitiveness is an acquired skill.  You can learn to be more competitive. Your pre-season workouts should be competitive.  Players should compete against themselves (against a previous effort), against the clock, and against other teammates. Winners should be rewarded as incentive.  If you wait until the jump ball of your first game to get your competitive juices flowing… you will be too late!

 

If you have any questions about your pre-season program; don’t hesitate to drop me an email (Alan@StrongerTeam.com) if I can be of help.  I will respond as soon as possible!

 

For additional daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, check out:

 

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr  

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Here is a standard questionnaire we give our players before every season to see if they have what it takes to be a part of our program.

 

Montrose-ism #2: Do You Qualify?

 

1)    Are you a good person?

 

2)    Are you an intelligent person?

 

3)    Are you a student-athlete?

 

4)    Are you a team player?

 

5)    Do you take care of your body?

 

6)    Do you listen with your eyes and ears?

 

7)    Do you ask questions?

 

8)    Are you a leader?

 

9)    Can you accept criticism and discipline?

 

10)  Do you truly care about your school, your coaches, and your teammates?

 

11)  Do you do the little things to be successful (both on and off the court)?

 

12)  Can you play through minor aches and pains?

 

13)  Are you mentally tough (comfortable being uncomfortable)?

 

14)  Are you committed to being the absolute best player (and person) you can be?

 

15)  Are you truly thankful for everything you have?

 

If you answered “YES” to all of these questions then you qualify to be a part of one of the best high school basketball programs in the country.  You qualify to be a part of Montrose Basketball.  Don’t take this for granted.  The journey starts now; let’s get to work.

 

If you have questions about the Montrose program, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible!

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

My last blog entry was the first of a three part series on pre-season training and gave a solid overview of what players and teams should be doing to get ready for the season.  This post will serve as checklist to gauge how well you are preparing.  Most schools have been in session for a couple of weeks and most programs have already started their pre-season workouts.  So now is the perfect time to take inventory and evaluate.

 

Here are 12 questions to see if you are really on the right path. Questions to see if you are doing everything you can to not only make the team, but to earn some serious playing time, and have a championship caliber year.

 

1)    Are you on top of your school work? If not, you aren’t going to be able to play so you might want to take care of this ASAP.  Once the season starts, time management will be crucial in making sure you don’t fall behind academically. Start strong!

 

2)    Are you getting 8-10 hours of sleep every night?  Sleep is when your body grows! You will never be able to perform up to your potential if you aren’t well rested.  Intense pre-season training is extremely taxing on your body; so make sure you get your rest.

 

3)    Are you eating breakfast every day?  Are you starting your day off by refueling your “machine?”  There is no way you can give 100% for an entire workout if you are running on fumes.  Pancakes, waffles, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, and fruit are high energy foods and a great way to start your day.

 

4)    Are you drinking enough water?  Your performance will decrease severely with the slightest bit of dehydration.  Don’t wait until you are thirsty to start drinking water… sip all day long. If you want to maximize your pre-season workouts you must be hydrated.

 

5)    Are you tending to any nagging injuries or soreness?  If you are having issues with your knees or back… are you doing anything about it?  In most cases, ice is your best friend. If something is sore, ice it down!  If pain persists, make sure you go see a doctor or physical therapist for a professional diagnosis.  Do not wait until the season to do this… it needs to be addressed now! Don’t let something “little” in the pre-season have an effect on your season.

 

6)    Are you making 200-500 (extra) shots a day?  And I am not referring to “social shooting” or just going through the motions. I mean “game shots, from game spots, at game speed.”  Are you doing this above and beyond your pre-season workouts? How about your ball handling? Repetition is not punishment; it is the only way to get better! Also noticed I said “make”; not “take” 200-500 shots a day.  The name of the game is making shots!

 

7)    Are you on a structured workout program?  Are you participating in a structure, organized, progressive program to work on your strength, power, quickness, agility, reaction, and basketball conditioning level? Is it safe? Time efficient? Productive?

 

8)     Do you get to every workout on time? Better yet, do you get there early? If you are only “on time” – you are late!  You wouldn’t show up to a game 2 minutes before tip-off, would you?

 

9)    Are you an energy giver at every workout?  Is your enthusiasm contagious?  Do you hype up your teammates? Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.

 

10)  Are you a team leader? Do you step up to the front of the line for every drill and every sprint?  Do you run hard or push for that extra rep in the weight room regardless of whether or not the coach is watching?

 

11)   Are you comfortable being uncomfortable? Do you play it safe each workout or do you give it everything you’ve got? Do you push yourself to the edge of the proverbial cliff every time? Do you work on your weaknesses?

 

12)  Have you met with your coach for his/her evaluation? Have you formally sat down with your coach to ask what things you need to work on to earn time this year? Or to be the best player you can be? Or what he/she envisions your roll to be when the season starts?  Coaches, have you done this with each of your players?

 

If you can’t answer “YES” to all of these questions, then you aren’t doing everything you can to prepare for the season.  It doesn’t matter if you are going to be on the end of the bench on the JV team or a pre-season All American… you need to do the little things every day to reach your potential. If you can’t answer “YES” to all of these questions, then you aren’t doing everything you can to be the best player you can be, to get noticed by coaches at the next level, and to earn playing time.

 

“Success always looks easy to those who weren’t around when it was being earned.”

 

For daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

 

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr  

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com