Here are some great leadership thoughts that definitely apply to all coaches and team captains.

1. People follow the leader first and the leader’s vision second – It doesn’t matter if the leader shares a powerful vision; if the leader is not someone who people will follow the vision will never be realized. As a leader, who you are makes a difference. The most important message you can share is yourself.

2. Trust is the force that connects people to the leader and his/her vision – Without trust there is a huge gap between the leader and the vision. Without trust people will stay off the bus. However if people trust the leader they will hop on the bus with the leader and help move the bus forward towards the vision.

3. Leadership is not just about what you do but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do.

4. A leader brings out the best within others by sharing the best within themselves.

5. Just because you’re driving the bus doesn’t mean you have the right to run people over – Abraham Lincoln said “Most anyone can stand adversity, but to test a man’s character give him power.” The more power you are granted the more it is your responsibility to serve, develop and empower others. When you help them grow they’ll help you grow.

6. “Rules without Relationship Leads to Rebellion” – Andy Stanley said this and it’s one of my favorite quotes. As a leader you can have all the rules you want but if you don’t invest in your people and develop a relationship with them they will rebel. This applies amazingly to children as well. It’s all about relationships.

7. Lead with optimism, enthusiasm and positive energy. Guard against pessimism and weed out negativity.

8. Great Leaders know they don’t have all the answers – Rather they build a team of people who either know the answers or will find them.

9. Leaders inspire and teach their people to focus on solutions, not complaints. (The No Complaining Rule)

10. Great leaders know that success is a process not a destination – One of my heroes John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, never focused on winning. He knew that winning was the byproduct of great leadership, teamwork, focus, commitment and execution of the fundamentals. As a leader focus on your people and process, not the outcome.

The above thoughts were written by Jon Gordon

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There are 20 behaviors that we as coaches often unintentionally use to alienate our players and destroy our working relationships with other coaches, colleagues, and administrators. Here are the first 10. Do any of them apply to you?

1. Winning too much. The need to “win” every conversation, every encounter, every relationship at all costs and in all situations.
   
2. Adding too much value. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion
   
3. Passing judgment. The need to impose our standards on others.
   
4. Making destructive comments. Those needless sarcasms that we think make us sound witty.
   
5. Starting sentences with “No,” “But,” or “However.” Overusing these negative qualifiers tells everyone that “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
   
6. Telling the world how smart we are. We want them to know that we are even smarter than they think we are.
   
7. Speaking when angry.
   
8. Negativity such as “Let me tell you why that won’t work.” Sharing our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
   
9. Withholding information. Refusing to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
   
10. Failing to give proper recognition.
    

The above was adapted from Marshall Goldsmith and his book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”

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When executing a pick and roll most of the emphasis is placed on the ball handler but the responsibilities of the screener are just as important. Here are seven tips to be followed when setting an on ball screen.

1. Always sprint to set the screen. Getting there before the defender will eliminate an effective hedge.
2. Jump stop and straddle the near leg of the ball handler’s defensive player.
3. Once the screen is set remain stationary until the ball handler has cleared. Don’t stick a knee out and get an offensive foul
4. If you want to draw a foul on the ball handler’s defender, set the screen on your heels. This will ensure that even the slighest contact will knock you off balance without having to “flop.”
5. When rolling, point your chest to the ball and roll hard to force a defensive adjustment or rotation.
6. If both defenders go with the ball handler pop back for a jump shot.
7. If your defensive player commits too early then slip the screen and dive hard to the basket.

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The picture on the right was in the Hartford Courant a few weeks ago, and while it certainly is worth a thousand words, it was the caption under the picture that really caught my attention. The caption read, “UConn’s Lauren Engeln and Heather Buck sit in the locker room after the 83-75 overtime loss to Notre Dame in the 2012 Women’s Final Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver Sunday. Neither played in the game. (John Woike, Hartford Courant / April 1, 2012)

Did you notice what I noticed?

Neither played in the game!

Throughout both the men’s and women’s tournaments we’ve been able to see and listen to each team’s best players interviewed after the games and have vicariously felt both joy and sorrow. Many of the “losers” have been emotionally distraught because they felt that they had let their teammates and coaches down when everyone was counting on them to step up.

But this picture is entirely different. These two women aren’t UCONN’s best players. They didn’t make one mistake, commit one turnover, miss one shot, or blow one defensive rotation. In fact, neither played in the game! Yet they are still obviously heartbroken to see the game and season end the way it did.

We all know “star” players at every level who are more concerned with their stat line than with the outcome of the game. We also know bench players who just aren’t emotionally involved because they don’t play as much as they would like. The two players above are obviously emotionally involved and it is equally obvious that the only stat they cared about was the final score.

It’s no wonder that UCONN reached the Final Four once again and was one defensive rebound from playing for another NCAA Championship. When the outcome of the game means as much to the players on the bench as it does to the ones on the floor, teams have a chance to be very special.

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The final few minutes of the UCONN – Notre Dame Women’s Final Four game that was played recently in Denver, Colorado was a roller coaster of excitement and emotions.

However, much of the excitement was created because both teams made several crunch time mistakes; mistakes that weren’t made in the early parts of the game. Did the teams choke? Or did they panic? Is there a difference between the two? Read the article below by four time Olympian Bo Hanson to find out.

Here’s the link

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1. When you start as a new coach you have to show visual change and create the atmosphere that things will be improved.
2. Surround yourself with people you can count on, who are on the same page as you are. You wasn’t associates who are mature, trustworthy, and teachable.
3. Your players don’t care about what you know until they know you care about them as individuals. You have to connect with them at different levels and really get to know who they are.
4. You can have all the success in the world, but your players still want to know, “What’s in it for me? If I do everything you ask of me, how do I benefit from it?”

The above advice was taken from “The Ultimate Coaches Career Manual” written by Pat Williams.

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1. Have a philosophy and stick to it  
2. You are judged by how hard your team plays.
3. Be yourself and communicate with your team.
4. Your mood affects your team. They feed off of your energy.
5. Continue to learn from everyone.
6. Network to develop relationships.
7. Work every day to achieve your goals
8. Get involved in the community

The advice above was taken from “The Ultimate Coaches Career Manual” written by Pat Williams

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If you watched Kansas and North Carolina play yesterday in the Elite 8 you know that Kansas closed out the game with a 12-0 run to win the game and advance to the Final Four. How did they do it? In the last eight and a half minutes of the game they switched from the man to man defense that they had been playing the whole game to a zone defense (Triangle and 2). Carolina never scored off their offense again.

Today’s posting is a very small excerpt from an eBook sold on Hoopskills.com called Zone Busters, which is the definitive work on zone offenses and zone quick hitters. Regardless of what type of zone defense your opponents play, even if it’s a Triangle and 2, this book has an offensive attack that can absolutely destroy it!

Offensive Fronts

While there are many different zone defenses, all of them can be categorized into one of two types: zones with a one-defender front and zones with a two-defender front. When facing teams with a one-defender front, such as a 1-2-2 or a 1-3-1, it is usually best to use an offense that begins with a two-guard attack. Against defenses that use a two-guard front, such as a 2-3 or a 2-1-2, it is usually best to start off with a one-guard attack. Using this strategy allows you to create driving and shooting gaps right from the beginning.

If you want to see the other 9 important concepts to consider when attacking the zone click on the link below!

Zone Busters – 18 Proven Zone Offense Strategies and Plays That Will Bust Any Zone Defense.

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It’s hard to accurately estimate how many games I have watched the last couple weeks. The Men’s NCAA Tournament, the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and theMen’s NIT have kept me pretty much glued to the television. It wasn’t too long ago when most teams used the pick and roll set as a quick hitter or in a need to score situation but now it seems to be a primary staple in every offensive game plan.

According to Ted Anderson of Andale High School, there are six main responsibilities for the ball handler when executing a pick and roll:

1. Catch the ball and square up to the basket
2. Fake away from the direction of the screen
3. Wait for the screen to be set and prepare to read the defender
4. Dribble off the screen with his shoulder at hip level of the screener.
5. Take two hard dribbles off the screen – and go somewhere – don’t waste them
6. Read the defense and make the proper play

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Before we can lead our teams and help our players reach the goals that are important to them we need to have our own lives in order. One of the ways to start accomplishing this is by honestly answering the following 11 questions that come from Paul J. Meyer’s Become The Coach You Were Meant To Be:

1. Have I crystallized my thinking so that I know where I stand now and where I want to go?
2. Are my vision, mission, and purpose statements clear to me and to my team members?
3. Do I have a detailed written plan to achieve each important personal and organizational goal, and have I set a deadline for their attainment?
4. Are my personal goals balanced with the need to help my organization achieve?
5. Do my personal goals represent a balance among the six areas of life?
6. Do I have a burning desire to achieve the goals that I have set for myself?
7. Have I developed within my team members and myself a passion for achieving the success we’ve envisioned?
8. Do I have supreme confidence in my ability to reach these goals?
9. Do I trust my team members to strive toward success and to continue to develop more of their innate potential for achievement?
10. Have I accepted personal responsibility for the success of my team – and for the achievement of my own personal goals?
11. Do I possess the iron willed determination to follow through regardless of circumstances or what others say, think, or do?

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