Rick Majerus Thoughts

There have been so many great stories about Coach Majerus over the last few days, I wanted to share some thoughts from my Majerus notebook.  I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to be around him several times.  From working his camps, to spending time with him and Coach Meyer, there was always something to learn.  Below are just a few thoughts from my notebook:

1.  Coach them every day.  Show them everything you know.
2.  To his team:  dive for balls, take charges, set screens, rebound, look for the open man.
3.  Team is built on players supporting each other.
4.  Must be a defensively skilled team.
5.  Can't score enough points to make up for a bad defense.
6.  Rebounding, Hustling and Defensie effort are determining factors.
7.  "To those who don't think defense is important, you'll get the best seat on the bench."
8.  You win transition on the first 3 steps.
9.  Spend an hour a day just thinking.
10.  Nothing is more important than academics.
11.  Academics and being able to speak. Don't cheat yourself.
12.  "I never travel with the team, too focused, too intense."
13.  Everything begins with a great effort.
14.  Filmed practice from 3 different camera angles.
15.  Your body language always displays your attitude.
16.  Great players have a slowness to their game.
17.  Maximize your abilities by being fundamentally sound.
18.  Technique--Technique--Technique
19.  There's a diference in being open and being open for a shot.
20.  Sacrifice speed for technique when learning.
21.  Setting a screen--Be Low, Be Wide, Be a pain in the butt.
22.  Do simple things right.

I remember being in the offices the summer of 1998.  Coach Majerus told me I was welcome to anything I wanted to watch, read or look at.  He said feel free to write down anything you find, just don't make any copies.  I was thrilled to go through their notebooks, scouting reports, etc.  But I asked assistant coach, Jeff Strohm, why he didn't allow copies.

Strohm replied that Coach Majerus knew that guys would take more care of their handwritten notes than just making copies to stick in a notebook or leave on the ground.