What Stops Players From Improving

Buster Olney from ESPN was recently asked, "Is intelligence what stops players?" Olney replied, "No. It's getting past failure. Great hitters get past an 0/4 night."

Player Self Evaluation

ATTITUDE

_____ I am teachable.

_____ I learn by watching.
_____ I am enthusiastic.
_____ I am a good listener.
_____ I concentrate in practice.
_____ I am a hard worker.
_____ I set specific goals.
_____ I am developing my strength.
_____ I am team oriented.
_____ I encourage others.

DEFENSE

_____ I have a defensive attitude.
_____ I am aggressive.
_____ I work from a good defensive stance.
_____ I have my hands up and active.
_____ I pressure the ball when it is passed, dribbled or shot.
_____ I deny my man the ball.
_____ I jump to the ball on the pass or dribble.
_____ I use a pistols stance when I am in help.
_____ I block out on every shot.
_____ I look to take charges.
_____ I get to loose balls.

OFFENSE

_____ I move without the ball.
_____ I catch the ball with my feet in the air.
_____ I face the basket in triple threat.
_____ I work low and on balance.
_____ I dribble well with both hands.
_____ I use pass fakes and shot fakes.
_____ I know hot to set and use good screens.
_____ I know and use the steps to the shooting progression..
_____ I know and use the steps to free throw shooting.
_____ I know my rebound responsibilities.

Jim Collins 10 Keys To Greatness

Jim Collins 10 Keys To Success:
“Greatness is a matter of choice and discipline”
1. Build a pocket of greatness
2. Do your diagnostics—self assess
3. Right people in key seats of the bus
4. Build a personal board of directors in your life
5. Create pockets of quietness to think
6. Ask more questions in relation to making statements
7. Disciplined action (Have a stop doing list)
8. Experiment with removing titles
9. Articulate core values
10. How to be useful

Goal Setting--Be Decisive

The difference between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal choices than on abilities. The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with similar talents, intelligence and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
—Gary Ryan Blair

The Beginning of Coach Wooden's Legend--His dad

The Foundation of the Legend of John Wooden—His Father Joshua Wooden

As coaches we see John Wooden’s influence everywhere. I have a shelf of John Wooden books, notebooks full of articles, notes, etc. But the thing that stuck out to me reflecting on his death, was Coach Wooden’s father.

In every book, speech, article—Coach Wooden talked of his father’s influence. The greatness of John Wooden began at home as a child, the lessons he learned from his dad shaped his life to be the man that he was. I think of the incredible gift that Coach Wooden’s father left each of us, through Coach Wooden’s teachings. I think of the incredible responsibility I have as a father of one and one on the way.

The following comes from Coach Wooden’s book—“They Call Me Coach”
“Actually, my father had a profound influence on my life. Both my philosophy of life and of coaching came largely from him. Even as a small boy I always had a great respect for him because I knew he would always be fair with me and had my best interests at heart. And I soon learned that if he couldn’t say something good about another person, he wouldn’t say anything at all—a philosophy I’ve tried to follow.

A truly gentle man, dad read the Bible daily; he wanted us to read it and we did. That is probably why I keep a copy on my desk today. It’s not a decoration, but is well marked and read. The fact that I never heard dad swear, surely accounts for the fact that even today when I get mad, the strongest thing I can say is “goodness gracious sakes alive.”
I remember so well what dad gave me for graduation from that little country grade school in Centerton. It was a piece of paper on which he had written a creed that he suggested I try to live by. It read:

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance, count and give thanks for your blessing every day.

Through Joshua Wooden’s lessons to his son developed the legend of Coach Wooden that we know today.

Notes From Success Magazine On Achieving Your Goals

Why Set Goals?
1. All successful people are goal oriented.
2. They know what they want and focus on achieving it every day.
3. Your ability to set goals is the master skill of success.
4. Goals unlock your positive mind and release ideas and energy for goal attainment.
5. Without goals you simply drift and flow on the current events of life.
6. Abraham Lincoln: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

What Should I Think About Before Setting Down To Write My Goals?
1. Your purpose.
2. What gives your life meaning?
3. What gives you personal satisfaction?
4. What are the unique gifts and insights that you can contribute?
5. Ask, “How do I want to be remembered?”
6. List the qualities, deeds and characteristics for which you would like to be remembered by your friends and family.
7. Plan
a. Make a list of everything you can think of that you will have to do to achieve your goal.
b. Organize your list by priority
c. Organize your list by sequence. What must be done before something else is done?
d. Determine how much time and money it will take to achieve your goal or complete your task.
e. Revisit and revise your plan accordingly.

What Should I Do To Help Me Stick With My Goals?
1. Surround yourself with people and things that keep you focused.
2. Take charge of whom you spend the most time with.
3. Manage your workspace so that you are reminded of your goals.
4. Manage the news and information you feed your mind, control the language you use.

8 Levels of Accountability

8 Levels of Accountability

VICTIM:
1. Unaware: “ I didn’t know.”
2. Blame: “It wasn’t my fault. Eve gave me the fruit.”
3. Personal Excuse: “The reason I didn’t do what I said I would is. It goes like this..”
4. Wait and Hope: “I had hoped that such and such would happen.”

RESPONSIBLE:
5. Acknowledge Reality: “The facts are…”
6. Take Ownership: “Since I’m the leader I take full responsibility for the success or failure of the program.”
7. Find Solutions: “The problem is this and I would like to suggest a solution. You may have other ideas about how to move forward.”
8. Make It Happen: “I have planned, have leaders in place and am prepared to work.”

Jack Welch's Six Rules For Successful Leadership

Jack Welch’s Six Rules For Successful Leadership

1. Control your destiny, or someone else will.
2. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were.
3. Be candid with everyone.
4. Don’t manage, lead.
5. Change before you have to.
6. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.
--Five of the six rules are about facing reality.