For those of you keeping score at home, here is a quick Montrose update:

After weeks of adversity, an emotional team meeting, and then the subsequent best practice we have had all year… our team played pretty well last weekend, as we won the 54^th Annual Sleepy Thompson Invitational Championship in Alexandria, VA.  We beat Fork Union Military Academy, St. Albans, and Episcopal.  We still aren’t playing as well as we are capable, but we did take a giant step forward and are very thankful for the wins.  We finally got back to playing hard, playing smart, and playing together.

Our final game of the season, which will be senior night for our two seniors, will be this Tuesday.  Then we have to sit tight to see if we will be invited to the 2^nd Annual ESPN/Rise National High School Invitational, which will take place the first weekend in April and will be televised on the ESPN networks. Four of the top 15 teams in the country are expected to participate in the 8-team field: #4 St. Benedicts (NJ), #9 Montverde Academy (FL), #10 Findlay Prep (NV), and #12 Oak Hill (VA). If we are fortunate enough to be invited, it will give us one final chance to rectify this turbulent season, end on a high note, and prove we are one of the nation’s top programs!

This is the third and final segment of “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches.”

If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you go back and read the last two posts before reading this one.

In the first segment of this series, I offered to send out several powerful “coaching nuggets” to anyone who emailed me.  The response was overwhelming and I received a ton of positive feedback.  Several of you actually sent me a few of your own “coaching nuggets.”  I saved those, as well as added a few more from my own archives, and have compiled a second batch of “More Coaching Nuggets.”  If you are interested, simply email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com and I will happily send them to you.

As a reminder, this series is the edited transcript from a phone interview I did this past December with my friend Andy Louder from Hoop Skills Academy (www.HoopSkills.com).  

Andy Louder:  What do you think is an appropriate way for a coach to handle a loss?

Alan Stein: There are 3 things you need to do after a loss in regards to your team: know why you lost, look at how you lost, and handle the emotions of disappointment.  How you handle each of these issues depends on what level you’re dealing with. If you coach a U-12 AAU team… or a high school JV team… you should handle the loss differently than if you are a college coach because of the age and maturity of your players.  First of all, you need to establish why you lost.  Did you lose because of a lack of effort? Or lack of execution? Or was the other team simply better? It is very important to give your team an honest evaluation so they can learn from it.  Next, especially when dealing with junior high and high school age players, you need to evaluate how your players handled the loss.  Did they lose with class and good sportsmanship? Or did they act like jerks? Did they “lose together?” Or did they start pointing fingers and blaming each other? Did they hold themselves accountable or did they make excuses?  Lastly, you need to do some damage control if things get emotional (especially towards the end of the season and in the playoffs). Being upset, even shedding some tears, is not necessarily a bad thing. It means your players care and that they’ve invested a lot of time, effort, and love into your program. When they don’t win, there should be disappointment! But you have to teach them how to learn from it and quickly move past it. You can’t dwell on a loss. Your players need to learn how to use it as motivation, for either the next game, or for the off-season.

Andy Louder: So would you say it’s important to balance the disappointment with optimism to make sure you don’t ruin their self-esteem?

Alan Stein: Absolutely! You don’t want a loss or a couple of consecutive losses to destroy their confidence. That is why honesty is so important. If they played hard and played well and still lost, they need to know that.  If they didn’t play hard or didn’t execute, and actually deserved to lose, they need to know that as well. Give it to them straight.  Even if it stings, they will respect you for it and appreciate it over time.  Another thing to consider, that I learned from Coach Rick Pitino, is you can be much more critical of your team after a win, rather than after a loss.  When you win, your team’s collective confidence is sky high and your players are more apt to accept and internalize constructive criticism. You should be much more careful after a loss because their confidence is lower and they will begin to second guess themselves. That is why giving your team a verbal blasting after a bad game is not always the answer (although sometimes it is). After a loss, unless they absolutely deserve to be reamed out for a very poor effort, you have to choose your words carefully.  Many times it is best to sleep on it and wait until the next practice to address your concerns because they will be in a better emotional state. And you will be too!

Andy Louder: What is the difference between your pre-game speech and half-time talk?

Alan Stein: Regarding preparation, we really believe in being a 24-hour program. Very little new information is given to our team right before a game, almost everything we do, is done ahead of time. We believe preparation for every game starts the night before with eating a good dinner, getting a good night’s sleep, visualizing success, and waking up and having a decent breakfast. At our level, we scout every team we play, either on film or in person so that we’ve got a really good idea of their personnel and tendencies. We give this report to our players the day before each game. We review it again right before the game, but at that point, if they don’t know it… they never will! Also, we try to motivate our players constantly.  We don’t usually get into the big rah-rah pre-game speeches. We review the scouting report (and establish who is guarding who), go over our “keys to the game,” say a quick prayer, and then go out and play! Our half-time talk is basically an evaluation session; we let them know what things they’re doing well and what things they’re not. Obviously to be successful in anything you need to do more of what’s working and less of what’s not, and half-time is the perfect time to deliberate. Half-time is also a great time to get the players’ feedback.  They see things differently on the court than we see them from the sideline. Half-time should be about making corrections (minor or major).

Alright, that’s the end of “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches Part III” and the conclusion of this series. I hope you found it helpful.

Next week I will post a must-read blog about the off-season and will include my thoughts on AAU, setting priorities, evaluating weaknesses, as well as will give an update on my two up-coming YouTube promotions (“Can He Dunk?” and “100 Exercises in 100 Days”).

I will also give insight into my soon-to-be released downloadable 12 Week Off-Season Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program. I plan to have this available for sale in early April. This program will outline exactly what needs to be done this off-season – exercise by exercise, day by day, and week by week.  It will include dozens of digital pictures and exercise descriptions, all of which utilize standard equipment (DBs, free weights, bodyweight, etc.) to make sure the program is easily adaptable to everyone’s respective situation.  There will be a strength/power component as well as a quickness/agility component (each sold separately).  The program will be available online as a downloadable PDF; so you will be able to save it to your computer as well as print copies.  I am projecting the sales price to be around $39.99 for each component.  It will be sold at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I have put together a follow-up collection called “More Coaching Nuggets.”  Just email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com and I will gladly send.  If you missed the first batch, you can still email me for those as well (please specify in your email exactly what you want!).

Please check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  My friend and colleague, Paul Ricci, does an outstanding job as the strength & conditioning coach for the University of Maryland’s men’s basketball team.  He has been kind enough to share several outstanding videos with me. I just posted Maryland Basketball Post-Game Workout which features former Montrose players Adrian Bowie and Greivis Vasquez.  Even though the workout is optional, nearly every player has “bought in” and gets in a quick full body lift immediately following all home games.  Great stuff!

If you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

For those of you who have been following, you know we (Montrose) have been going through some team adversity the past few weeks. How did we respond this past Friday?  Horribly.  Ballou High School, out of Washington D.C., beat us in every statistical category and won by 14. It was painful to watch (we had 26 turnovers).  To put this loss in its proper context, it was the first time we lost to a local team in 8 years.  It is the first time in Coach Vetter’s 34 year career that he has lost 3 games in a row.  So needless to say, our adversity has really begun to snowball (pun intended).

We played uninspired, casual, and overwhelmingly sloppy.  We played with no passion, no sense of urgency, and just looked out of it.  Aside from a handful of decent plays, we looked like we were in a daze.  After the game, everyone just sat there with their heads down, with almost no emotion. Everyone looked stunned.  Our program used to have an aura about it – a swagger if you will – that intimidated every local opponent we played.  Teams used to doubt whether they could actually beat us.  But that has passed.  Now teams know we are beatable.  The mystique is gone and we have a major target on our back.  With that said, our remaining games will not be easy, regardless of whom our opponent is.

After our embarrassing performance, our staff decided to give the team the entire weekend off and scheduled a team meeting for this past Monday (instead of practice).  Everyone was encouraged to speak and to air out their issues.  When handled appropriately, confrontation is a very positive thing.  Kids today lack in-person communication skills because they have so many other outlets and ways to vent (like Facebook and text messaging).  They aren’t used to verbally expressing their feelings and showing their true emotions.  They keep everything bottled up. But many times, especially when going through adversity, speaking your mind and sharing your feelings is exactly what needs to be done. It cuts to the heart of the issues and makes you feel better.

Each player and coach had the chance to get everything off their chest in a respectful way.  It was very productive.  As coaches, we can’t assume we know how our players feel or what they think.  We have to ask.  What did our staff find out during the team meeting? 

We found out a few deep issues we had no idea existed. We learned that the team was very hurt and angry at Terrence leaving, but even more surprising, they had lost their collective confidence. Terrence leaving actually rattled our guys (we had no idea). They had major doubts that we could win without him (which in hindsight is understandable, given he was our leading scorer).  Thankfully they were mature enough to admit it. 

Now it is our staff’s job to show our team how we can still be successful.  It is our job to show them what steps need to be taken and what roles need to change in order for us to regain our confidence and get back to winning games.  And that is exactly what we will do.

Our practice the following day was the best practice of the year.  The kids had energy, enthusiasm, and an extra spring in their step. It was as if a weight was lifted off of their shoulders. They competed hard and had fun.  And all it took was a heart-to-heart meeting that welcomed open communication and appropriate confrontation.  If your team is going through some adversity right now, I suggest you do the same!

With the Montrose update out of the way, it is time to re-focus on the intended topic of this blog:

 “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches”

This is the second part of a three-part series. Originally, this was only going to be a two-part series, but I decided to extend it because I have so much info I want to share.  Next week I will post the third and final segment. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend you go back and read last week’s post before reading this one. As a reminder, this series is the edited transcript from a phone interview I did with my friend Andy Louder from Hoop Skills Academy (www.HoopSkills.com).   To provide a timeline, this interview took place in December… well before the aforementioned adversities!

Andy Louder:  It’s not always the team with the five best players that wins; chemistry plays an important role. How can a coach find good chemistry?

Alan Stein: You will probably answer most of your chemistry questions in practice and through trial and error. At Montrose, our school colors are green and white. We have reversible practice jerseys, so at the beginning of each practice we announce a green team and a white team. The green team is who we consider the “starting 5” for the day. But that constantly changes throughout practice because the players on the white team are working hard to prove they deserve to be in green. And we tinker with the line-ups in practice all of the time… searching for groups that have better chemistry and play better together. It is important not to put all of your focus on your starters though. I can’t stress enough how important players number 6 through 12 are to your overall success. They are the guys who push your starters every day in practice. That is a tough role to accept because they’re not the ones making the headlines and they get very limited playing time during the game. However, those players are the backbone of your team. They are also the players you have to work extra hard to keep motivated, especially late in the season.  Since they don’t get a lot of playing time or public recognition, it is important you praise them and acknowledge them in front of the team as often as possible. If they aren’t feeling like they contribute, or don’t feel like they are an important part of the team, the negativity will start.  And that type of negativity is a cancer that kills team chemistry and morale. At Montrose, we have an eight man rotation. But our players nine through twelve are just as vital to our overall success and we try to let them know that daily. Plus, we don’t ever want our players to think that top 8 is set in stone.  We want players to compete for those 8 spots every day. Our guys understand that no spots are 100% guaranteed.

Andy Louder: How much of chemistry has to do with knowing your team’s identity and what your style of play is?

Alan Stein: Knowing your team’s identity and style are paramount.  You can’t have good chemistry unless everyone is on the same page. Another thing that goes with chemistry is having good kids.  No jerks. If you have bad kids; the chemistry will suffer severely. It helps to have kids that really like each other off the court. They don’t have to be best friends, but it’s very important that every player has a mutual respect for everyone else on the team and they respect the program as a whole. Another major part of chemistry, and arguably the most important thing a coach needs to accomplish, is making sure everybody on the team knows exactly what their role is. Every staff member and every player must be crystal clear on what their role is and they need to agree to accept it. This starts with effective communication and not assuming anything. Many times, a player thinks they know what their role is, but it is completely different than what the coach thinks. You’ve got to work those issues out immediately.  If not, they are chemistry killers!

Andy Louder:  What are a few of the obvious things you see most struggling coaches do?

Alan Stein: I think with anything in life, regardless of whether you’re talking about basketball, everything boils down to relationships. I think the coaches that tend to struggle are the ones that don’t have a solid relationship with their players. I’m not talking about camaraderie or a friendship necessarily, but more of a mutual respect built on trust, honesty, and making sure the players know you genuinely care about them as people (not just as basketball players). Your players need to know you sincerely want what’s best for them and your goal is to make them the best player they can be. If they believe that, most issues can be resolved rather quickly because you have a strong foundation. Also, many times struggling coaches don’t know how to motivate each player. You have to find what motivates each individual on your team, because it’s different from player to player. Some of our players respond very well when I get up in their face and am very intense. I’ve got others that I have to take a much more subtle approach in order to get them to play their best. And then of course, the simplest answer to give a struggling coach is, “do more of what is working and less of what isn’t!”

Andy Louder: Please give us a few examples of a healthy player/coach relationship.

Alan Stein: First of all, you have to establish the boundaries of an appropriate player/coach relationship.  The younger you are, the harder this can be because you want to be “buddies” with your players.  That can blur the line of professionalism.  A healthy player/coach relationship should be built on trust, honesty, and respect. I don’t believe in coaching through fear or in coaching through intimidation. Your players (obviously) need to understand you’re the one that’s running the team and that you’re in charge, but there are numerous ways to do that without using fear and intimidation. And then of course there are the intangible qualities of having good character. Those are things as a coach, you can’t just talk about, and it is how you have to live your life.  A healthy player/coach relationship starts by setting a good example in everything you do.

Alright, that’s the end of “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches Part II.” I will post the third and final segment next week, so please check back.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I have collected a variety of “coaching nuggets” over the years. I just recently sifted through them and pulled out several of my favorites… including some wisdom, advice, and stories from some brilliant basketball minds. If you haven’t already done so, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com and I will happily send them to you.

On that note, I received such outstanding feedback from this recent batch of “coaching nuggets,” I will be putting together a follow-up collection called “more coaching nuggets.”  I will have those ready at the end of next week (please don’t email me for them just yet).  I will let you know when they are ready in next week’s blog as well as through announcements on www.Twitter.com/AlanStein and www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr.

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  Last week, I posted the Maryland Basketball Pre-game Warm-up.  My friend and colleague, Paul Ricci, does an outstanding job as their strength & conditioning coach.  I will be posting a couple videos of Maryland’s in-season strength training workouts later this week and next week.

If you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Here is an update on last week’s blog, which if you have been following for the past month, can probably agree it would make for an excellent PBS after school special… “The Roller Coaster Life of a High School Strength Coach: The Alan Stein Story.”

Our leading scorer, Terrence Ross, who withdrew from Montrose upon our arrival back from Florida, has re-enrolled in his old high school (Jefferson HS in Portland, OR).  He is petitioning the state for an exemption to allow him to finish the season with them. If that goes through, he will be eligible to suit up early next week and help them pursue a state championship.  Is it just me, or is there something monumentally wrong with this?

Due to the inclement weather, we did not make the trip to New Jersey for the Nike Primetime Shoot-out.  It was very disappointing to not have the opportunity to play against legendary coach Bob Hurley and his high octane St. Anthony’s HS team.  I had been looking forward to that game since our schedule was released.  I have so much respect for Coach Hurley; it would have been an honor to play him.

So now my anticipation in seeing how our guys will respond to our back-to-back losses will have to wait until tomorrow when we play Ballou HS in College Park in the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland. 

We have not played a game since January 30^th. This past Monday marked only our third practice in the month of February!  In hindsight, I firmly believe the extended time off from the snow has been both a gift and a curse.  On one hand, it has given our guys some much needed time away… to reflect on (and hopefully mature from) our recent adversities. On the other hand, the only way you can get the taste of losing out of your mouth is to win… which means our back-to-back losses in Orlando have been lingering for nearly three weeks. We are ready to play!

All of that is behind us now.  No sense in living in the past.  It is time for a fresh a start.

Pause. Deep breath. Smile.

This blog is the first of a two part series on a subject that I hold near and dear to my heart:

 “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches”

I am a coach to the core.  I just happen to coach the X’s and O’s of strength & conditioning instead of the X’s and O’s of basketball.  I am passionate about coaching and have dedicated the last 10 years of my life to becoming the absolute best coach I can be.  I have read hundreds of books, watched dozens of DVDs, and attended countless coaching clinics.  I have subscribed to just about every basketball coaching resource available.  I have filled binder after binder with hand scribbled notes. My commitment to my own professional development is at times, overwhelming.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love it! Coaching is what makes me tick.

I have been extremely fortunate in my career to have had access to some of the best basketball coaches in history.  I have spent 7 years under the direct tutelage of Coach Stu Vetter. I have had lengthy conversations with Coach K, Jay Wright, Rick Barnes, Tubby Smith, and Gary Williams. I have had dinner with Hubie Brown, Bob Hurley, and Rick Majerus. I have spoken at clinics with Don Meyer, Chuck Daly, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim, and Billy Donovan. I have attended camps run by Dean Smith and Morgan Wootten. I have assisted camps with Tates Locke and Kevin Eastman. I have worked alongside numerous coaches at the McDonalds All-American games, Jordan All-American Classic games, and the Nike Skills Academies.  And I did my absolute best to soak up as much knowledge as possible from each of these iconic figures. And please know, I don’t mention these names to brag, but more to give thanks for the impact they have had on my development.  And while I have mentioned several high profile names, I can’t even begin to compile a list of every coach who has helped me, taught me, inspired me… and left their mark on me. And don’t get it twisted; it’s not about the names. Some of the finest coaches I have ever been around are not necessarily famous… but are remarkable coaches, teachers, and motivators. I have built some incredible friendships along the way, and as I mentioned in last week’s blog, I am eternally grateful to be a part of the coaching fraternity.

With that said, I wanted to do a blog that highlighted some of the things I have learned in the past 10 years as well as share a handful of resources I have collected along the way.  I will elaborate at the end of this post, but all you have to do is email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com and I will happily send you several powerful “coaching nuggets.”

This blog series will be structured a little different than my previous posts (change is good, right?).  This past December I did a phone interview with my friend Andy Louder from Hoop Skills Academy (www.HoopSkills.com).   The topic was “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches.”  What follows is an edited transcript from that interview.  I will post the remainder of the interview next week in the second segment.

Andy Louder: The first question I have deals with a broad topic of coaching in general. When I look at exceptional, top notch, hall-of-fame caliber coaches, I generally see three things they possess. They’ve got exceptional leadership skills, they’re great motivators, and they’ve got immense basketball knowledge. Now for a beginning coach, obviously it’s very hard to acquire all three of these things at once. Which of these areas do you recommend newer, inexperienced coaches focus on the most?

Alan Stein: While coaches wear many hats, and their job is all encompassing, I completely agree with you as far as narrowing it down to those three areas. It is difficult to pick which one should ultimately take precedence, but I’d have to lean towards leadership. I think great coaching always begins with leadership. As a coach at any level, you’re basically the CEO of a small company (your team) and it all starts with you and the environment and culture you create. It starts with the habits you instill and the standards you establish with everyone in your program. All three of the areas you mentioned require distinctly different skill sets.  I think especially for newer coaches, the Xs and Os will come over time and through experience.  Growth in coaching is learning through trial and error and seeing which things work and which things don’t. The basketball portion can be learned. You can attend clinics and get DVDs to pick up the basketball drills, concepts, and sets. So I suggest focusing on the leadership aspect and developing a strong culture with your program. You also need to work hard to develop a quality relationship with your players and staff.  You must build mutual trust and respect. You need to work hard to be the type of leader your players want to follow. Remember, as a coach, it all starts with you. Coach Don Meyer once said, “An army of asses led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by an ass.”

Andy Louder: Very good. I think the first thing most new coaches gravitate towards is the Xs and Os. They think they’ve got to be a wizard on the court and know all the right plays. I agree with you Alan, I think it’s more about taking control of your team, being a leader, and getting everybody to focus on the same goal. OK, next question. Basketball practices are obviously a very important component to success. How would you recommend maximizing practice time?

Alan Stein: From a coaching standpoint, whether you’re a new coach or you’ve been a coach for 30 years, it’s very important you develop your basketball coaching philosophy and you need to stick to your convictions. You need to be authentic to yourself and your personality.  Learn from other coaches, but don’t ever try to be another coach. You need to have a priority list of what’s important to you and your program. You need to have a philosophy from a leadership standpoint point as well as an Xs and Os standpoint.  What do you believe in? What are your values? You have to be consistent in what you preach. Every program is going to be a little bit different in what they prioritize. If you’re going to be a running team, constantly looking to press and fast break, then that needs to be a high priority during practice (as does your teams’ conditioning level).  You get what you emphasize!  I also recommend being as time efficient as possible. If you can efficiently get in everything you need in an hour and a half… then don’t drag the practice out to two hours.  Focus more on the intensity of effort and the quality of effort as opposed to the quantity effort. This is really important towards the end of the season to alleviate both physical and mental burn-out. At Montrose we are very big in standardization and consistency. All of our practices follow a similar template and a pre-planned practice schedule. We work on different things every day, but the template is always the same. There is always a player led structured warm-up followed by “pre-practice,” which is 10 minutes of individual, position specific skill work where we divide the bigs and the guards. Then we have a 3-minute team meeting at the jump circle where we share a quote of the day, we have an offensive emphasis of the day (ex. “penetrate the gaps against a zone defense”), and a defensive emphasis of the day (ex. “close out on all shooters with a high hand”).  Then we break in unison and usually start practice with one or two of our fast break drills. This gets the players running and communicating and sets the tone for the rest of practice. At Montrose, we hold our kids accountable for everything they do during practice. We chart missed layups, free throws, charges taken, and dives for loose balls. At the end of practice, there are rewards and penalties for those types of plays. Every detail is important in our program. Our goal is to create consistent work habits. Repetition is not a form of punishment!

Andy Louder: So you would say, rather than just bombard your players with all sorts of thoughts, ideas and drills and going from one idea to the next, get your few simple ideas in place for each practice and really stress on doing them well… so they can eventually master those things?

Alan Stein: Absolutely.  And you need to find balance throughout the year.  The off-season is a great time to do more individualized skill work, where players work on specific moves and address specific weaknesses. Once the season starts, more focus should be placed on the overall team concept during practice time (players should be encouraged to do their individual work on their own; outside of practice). But it is all about balance. We certainly do individual shooting drills during practice, because we want our players to get in quality reps; but those drills take up a much smaller percentage of time than they do in the off-season. We spend more time involving team concepts such as practicing different end of game situations (down 3, the other team has the ball, 1:24 left in the game, both teams in the bonus). We coach both offense and defense during these situations. We want every person on our team to develop… not just the starting 5.  This is how you build a program, not just a team. We are also constantly trying to find ways to maximize our personnel and find who plays well together. It’s very rare that the five best players win a championship. It’s usually the five players that play the best together that win!  A true team is made up of players who understand and accept their role and maximize each of their strengths… while minimizing each of their weaknesses.  And figuring out that winning combination is one of the challenges of coaching! And establishing each player’s role… and getting them to accept it… is arguably the most difficult challenge.

Alright, that’s the end of “Traits and Habits of Successful Basketball Coaches Part I.” I will post the second segment next week, so please check back.

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I have collected a variety of “coaching nuggets” over the years. I just recently sifted through them and pulled out my favorites… including some wisdom, advice, and stories from some brilliant basketball minds. If you would like them, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.  I am happy to share them with you and encourage you to forward them (with a link to this blog) to all of your colleagues.

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  I just posted the Maryland Basketball Pre-game Warm-up.  My friend and colleague, Paul Ricci, does an outstanding job as their strength & conditioning coach.

If you would like the two songs I have been using in all of my recent videos, “Game Time” by S.K. and “Hoop Connection” by Chip Da Ripper, send me an email and I will gladly send them to you.  They are great for pre-game warm-ups or to listen to on your iPod during an individual workout.

As always, if you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

If you have read my last three blog posts (“Losing Sucks,” “Lesson Learned,” and “Want To”), you know the Montrose Christian boys basketball team has been experiencing some adversity lately. 

It all started three weeks ago, when we luckily escaped with an overtime win against a team we should have pounded, because our players had a casual and arrogant attitude.

Then we traveled to Orlando and lost two games in a row at the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament. We suffered our first lost because of a handful of critical errors… and the second lost because we laid down and played soft.

Upon our return from Florida, our leading scorer and a potential All-American, Terrence Ross, unexpectedly withdrew from school and transferred to a prep school in Arizona (although the latest rumor is he is headed back to Jefferson HS in Portland).

And towards the end of last week, the DC area was hammered with 20+ inches of snow.  The Blizzard of 2010 Part II started last night as we were hit with additional 15+ inches.

We have not played a game since our second loss in Orlando on January 30^th. We have had four games cancelled since the snow began. The snow has been paralyzing. We have only had two practices since we got back from Florida and only one practice in the past 7 days.  That was yesterday and we only had the 7 players who could make it to school. Our top two players both live in Fredericksburg, VA (about an hour and half away from school) and have been completely snowed in.  Given the current weather conditions, we won’t be able to practice for the rest of this week.  That means our players will have been off for almost two straight weeks!

Why is that a problem?

We are scheduled to play St. Anthony’s HS in Trenton, NJ at the Nike Prime Time Shoot-out this Saturday. St. Anthony’s has been one of the nation’s top HS programs for the past 30 years… winning over two dozen state titles, a handful of national titles, and produced numerous All-Americans and Division I players… several of which have played in the NBA.  They are lead by Coach Bob Hurley, who in my opinion is one of the top 5 basketball coaches on the planet… and that includes college and NBA coaches.  I have admired Coach Hurley from afar since I was in high school and have read The Miracle at St. Anthony twice.  I got an opportunity to have dinner with him this past fall as our clinic speaking schedules intersected in Minnesota and Iowa.  It was a real honor.  He is a tremendous clinician and overwhelmingly passionate about the game of basketball. I have an immense respect for Coach Hurley, not just for everything he has accomplished, but because of the way he has accomplished it.  He is pure class. He is not just a coach, he changes lives.  He represents everything that is right with sports.  He is one of a kind.

But I will have to put my admiration aside for a few hours on Saturday, because we have a game to play! If you know anything about Coach Hurley’s teams, they are always one of the toughest teams in the country.  They play up tempo, smothering defense.  They press, they trap, and they never, ever quit.  They are relentless.  When they smell fear in their opponent, they go in for the kill. Currently, they are our polar opposite.  While we are facing some internal adversity, they are playing their best basketball and playing with a potent swagger. Last week, they beat DeMatha HS by two. DeMatha was ranked in the top 5 in the country by ESPN at the time.  St. Anthony’s has climbed up to 23^rd in the nation (ESPN), while we have plummeted to 45^th.

The odds are stacked against us to say the least.  I am not saying that for pity or to make excuses, it is just a reality.

With all of that said, the million-dollar question is… how will our team respond to our recent adversity?

My prediction?

Only one of two things will happen… there will be no grey area.  Either we will come out with passion and pride and play like we have something to prove (which we most certainly do) and make it a competitive, intense game between two of the country’s premier programs…

Or…

We will trudge in with our tails between our legs… mentally fragile…full of excuses…and walk right into the lion’s den and get smacked by 30. If we come in like that, trust me, St. Anthony’s will embarrass us.

Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every adversity lies opportunity.”

I hope our guys understand that.  Lord knows I will be doing everything in my power to get that point across.  I will also make sure they understand that the more adversity they face in life, the more positive they have to be.  A positive attitude and collective, sincere enthusiasm can conquer many things.  I also want them to know that many times, adversity is a prerequisite to major accomplishments.  Look at Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.  Drew, as well as the city of New Orleans, went through severe times of adversity in the last several years… and now they are the Super Bowl champs!

Our players need to take pride in overcoming difficulties. They need to view them as challenges and rise to the occasion.  They need to look at Saturday’s game as an opportunity to “fix” everything we have been going through and to show the world what we are really made of.  They need to look at it as a chance to put this season back on track.

And when I say “fix”, I am not at all concerned with the final score.  My entire focus will be on how we play and how we respond to the adversity we have been facing.  If we come out with passion, pride, and compete to the final buzzer… it will be one of my proudest moments since joining the program 7 years ago... regardless of whether or not we get the W.  If we cower, and wallow in our own self-pity, and get mutilated and humiliated… it will be the most disappointing moment I will have experienced with Montrose.

And for the record, please understand I keep all of this in its proper perspective.  Basketball is my driving passion, and the Montrose players and staff are very, very important to me. But my overall happiness in life isn’t dictated by a scoreboard or a W-L column.  Sure, I get poopy-pants when we lose.  Of course food tastes better when we win.  But I learned a long time ago not to pin my own happiness on the shoulders of 16, 17, and 18 year old boys.  Life is too short for that.  And while I love the game of basketball about as much as anyone can and I am an extremely competitive person by nature… it is just a game… and I recognize that.  I am very well aware that the “adversity” I have been writing about pales in comparison to real adversity… natural disasters, death, unemployment, sickness, etc.  I don’t have it twisted, I know where things stand.

But on that note, over the course of the past three weeks, I have received dozens and dozens of unsolicited emails from coaches and players who have offered kind words of support for our program and have shared similar experiences of the basketball adversity they have faced this season.  For that, I am truly grateful.  I appreciate each and every time someone reaches out… and I am eternally thankful to be in the basketball coaching fraternity.

Whether good or bad, next week I will report in with a full recap of our game with St. Anthony’s.

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom. Last week I posted a video of a Nike Skills Academy Warm-up.  I will post the second part of that later this week.

If you would like the two songs I have been using in all of my recent videos, “Game Time” by S.K. and “Hoop Connection” by Chip Da Ripper; send me an email and I will gladly send them to you.  They are great for pre-game warm-ups or to listen to on your iPod during an individual workout.

As always, if you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

If you follow high school basketball closely you have probably heard our leading scorer - senior Terrence Ross - suddenly withdrew from Montrose this past Tuesday.  Terrence was our leading scorer (averaging close to 20 ppg) and is currently being recruited by several of the nation’s top programs. This past fall he verbally committed to Maryland but re-opened his recruitment a few months ago.  His abrupt departure came as a complete shock to our team. I am not at liberty to make any further comments at this time, but will certainly disclose as much as I can when appropriate… so make sure you check back. 

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you know we (Montrose) had a tough time in Orlando this past weekend.  We lost back-to-back games in the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.

We lost our second round game to the host, and eventual tournament champion, Montverde Academy (Orlando, FL), who is now the 10^th ranked team in the nation (ESPN).  We played our hearts out… our guys really and truly left it all on the floor.  Overall, we played pretty well.  However, we made a handful of costly mistakes that you just can’t make in big time games and expect to win.  We lost by 2. 

The next night we came out flat and got out-hustled, out-worked, out-smarted, and out-toughed by Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, FL), who is now the 37^th ranked team in the nation (ESPN).  Our players were still dejected from the loss the night before.  Instead of using the loss to motivate us, we had no passion and we had no pride. In essence, we let Montverde beat us twice.  Point blank – those are the reasons we lost.  But I must say, the officiating in that game was absolutely horrendous.  All three of those officials had no business doing an elite level high school basketball game.  They had no clue.  They had no consistency whatsoever… sometimes they called touch fouls and other times they allowed both teams to play rugby.  And not one of them had even a remote understanding of what a traveling violation is. Hell, two of the refs made the All Tournament Team!

As I said, they are not the reason we lost, but they certainly didn’t help and their incompetence fueled our team’s frustration.  Midway through the second quarter, I was given a technical foul. I am not positive, but I think I am the first strength & conditioning coach in the history of basketball to get one (which in an odd way… makes me kind of a pioneer).  Certainly not my proudest moment.  Thankfully I don’t work for Kevin O’Neil… or I would have been fired on the spot!

For the record, I didn’t use any foul language or scream any obscenities (which I will admit, I have done on occasion).  The players from ACD kept grabbing the ball after they scored to intentionally slow down our fast break.  I offered my justifiable complaint to the baseline ref. He blew the whistle (stopping our fast break), turned and looked directly at me, and he broke me off a “T” with no warning. It was ridiculous.  Everyone sitting near me (players and fans) was dumbfounded. Nevertheless, I sincerely apologized to the team and to our staff after the game and promised it wouldn’t happen again.  And it won’t.

So after back-to-back losses, and having our leading scorer literally pull a Baltimore Colts on us, we find ourselves knee deep in adversity. We need to come together as a group and get refocused.  We still have a lot of season left to play.  But we need to do this quickly - next week we head up to New Jersey to play Coach Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony’s team!

Jay Bilas, who is a friend and someone I really admire, wrote a compelling article on ESPN.com last week that really sums up our current state.  The premise of the article was about winning.  He made several key points that really hit home.  The most applicable one for us was a quote from Bill Parcels:

“You have to understand what causes you to lose before you can understand how to win.”

I believe I have pinpointed the reason we are struggling.  Our players go through stretches where they lack the “want to.”

They know what they are supposed to do and they have all of the talent in the world to do it.  Our guys have the potential to be one of the top teams in the country this year…but they go through periods when they don’t “want to.”  It has nothing to do with ability. It has to do with a consistent desire and commitment to excellence.  There are times when they don’t “want to” box out, times when they don’t “want to” make the extra pass, and times when they don’t “want to” play defense.  Hell, the entire point of my blog “Lesson Learned?” was a question of their “want to.”

Terrence Ross is a perfect example.  Before you think I am picking on Terrence because he left, please understand… I like Terrence. I always have.  He was always cool with me. While I am very disappointed he left, I harbor no hard feelings or ill will and I wish him the best. I sincerely mean that.

But anyone who knows TRoss will readily admit he is the epitome of why you would question someone’s “want to.”

No one has ever questioned his natural ability or talent.  TRoss is 6’5”, has the wingspan of a Pterodactyl, has cat like reflexes, and can absolutely jump out of the gym.  His jump shot is smooth, effortless, and has NBA range. Despite needing a few more pounds of muscle, he is a prototype 2-guard.  With the exception of Kevin Durant, TRoss is the most naturally gifted player we have had at Montrose… and believe me… we have had our share of studs.

Despite his natural ability and talent, people have always questioned his “want to.”  High school ranking evaluators and college recruiters have questioned his work ethic.  They have questioned his dedication.  They have questioned his leadership, his heart, and his competitiveness.  They have consistently questioned his “want to.” Which is a shame because his “want to” is 100% controllable! I hope for Terrence’s sake, he finds it.

I read a book last week called Strengths Finders 2.0.  While it used different terminology, it basically made the same point I am trying to make:

Talent  X “Want To” = Potential for Success

Please re-read that formula. That is very powerful stuff.  Think about it like this in regards to basketball:

Your talent is defined as your natural gifts…primarily your height, length, and overall athletic ability (quickness, reaction, explosiveness, etc.).  While you can certainly make some improvement through proper training, these characteristics are for the most part uncontrollable. Not everyone can have LeBron’s body (sorry).

Your “want to” is your desire… primarily your effort, enthusiasm, heart, competitiveness, and ability to be coached.  These characteristics are 100% controllable.

To predict someone’s potential for success, in this case, on the basketball court, simply rate their talent and rate their “want to” on a scale of 1 to 10.  Then multiply the two numbers for a maximum score of 100.

The best players in the world… guys like Kobe, LeBron, CP3, and Kevin Durant have a high talent rating and a high “want to” rating. These guys’ scores are right around 100.

Players who are looked at as underachievers (“wastes of talent”)… guys like Darko Milicic, Stephen Marbury, and Kwame Brown have a high talent rating and a low “want to” rating.  These guys’ scores are low… but they have the potential to raise them and put themselves in the superstar’s group if they would just “want to.” The only thing holding them back is themselves.

Players who are looked at as overachievers… guys like Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Brian Scalabrine, and Tyler Hansbrough may not have been born with tremendous talent... but have a “want to” that is palpable.  These guys’ can’t do much else, they are already maximizing and making the most of their talent.

Our team is currently underachieving. Our talent is very high.  This is the most athletic team we have had at Montrose in my 7 years.  But our “want to” is sporadic and inconsistent.  Until we fix that, we will continue to have a roller coaster of a season. 

Before I sign off, I wanted to give a quick update on the young lady who tore her ACL over the holidays.  I spoke with her father the other day and her surgery went very well.  She had no meniscus damage and there has been no swelling.  She is walking fine and doing physical therapy 3 times per week. Her PT is very pleased with her progress and credited her lower body strength as a reason the injury was less severe and why her recovery is going so smoothly!

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom. Last week I posted a video of Duke Basketball’s Pre-Game Warm-up.  This week I will post Nike Skills Academy Warm-up.  Weather permitting; this weekend I have tickets to go to see Villanova at Georgetown and North Carolina at Maryland.  I am planning to get to both games an hour early to film their warm-ups and will post over the next few weeks.

And if you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

One love.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com