Unfortunately, that's just the way it works

We are in a good situation in that we have more than one kid that is being recruited to play at the next level. That says a lot about those kids and their future and it makes me proud as their coach. Unfortunately, it isn't always as warm and cozy as it seems.

College basketball is a business. Coaches are hired and fired based on their success more than high school basketball coaches. They need to be sure they are doing what's best for their program. Unfortunately, sometimes it is at the expense of a high school kid just looking for an opportunity.

I'll be the first to say that most of the guys we have dealt with are top notch and of the utmost character. However that is not always the case. Sometimes you run across some real characters who will gladly tell you what you, your kid and their parents want to hear but have no intention of following through with it. They are only as interested in one player as another player is interested in them. For example, they may be recruiting three guys at a position, and one of them is my guy. They write, they call, they text, offer to come watch him workout, the whole bit. Then suddenly it all stops. Soon we find out that another guy they were recruiting at the same position has committed. Suddenly, the other guys are an afterthought, without even a common courtesy phone call or email. It's not always this way because the majority of these guys are top notch and will tell you the situation up front and let you know how it shakes out in the end if it isn't going to work out.

In a way its a blessing because I wouldn't want to encourage my guys to go play for a program with guys like that involved. Better to know now than to know when its too late, but it would be even better if they were all up front all of the time. These are high school kids we are talking about, and they don't deserve to be treated this way.

Offensive and Defensive Efficiency

This is a discussion that came up recently amongst some coaching friends of mine. The basic premise of the discussion was, can you be a great defensive team and score a lot of points, and can you be a high octane, high scoring team and be a great defensive team as well?

We are known for our pressure defense and deliberate offense. Not to say that we don't encourage the transition game, but with our personnel it benefits us as a team to have a more deliberate attack. Under different circumstances, could we be both a great defensive team and a great offensive team? In my opinion, yes.

When you look up defensive and offensive leaders in the newspaper, you see that they are measured by points per game on offense, and opponents points per game on defense. While these are certainly good measuring sticks of how a team plays, it doesn't portray their effectiveness. In addition to these stats we also track points per possession on offense (offensive efficiency), points allowed per possession on defense (defensive efficiency) and average scoring differential (margin of victory or defeat).

By using these statistical categories it gives a better indication of how well your team is really playing. While we are always amongst the leaders in our class and area in team defense, I would still think that we would be among the leaders in defensive efficiency, but it would be near impossible to track. Likewise a team that gives up a lot more points than we do might also be among the leaders in defensive efficiency because their style of play leads to more possessions and more points scored, but just as many points per possession.

Bottom line, if you look at it on a game by game basis or season average you will get skewed statistics. In order to get a true picture it has to be broken down by possession.

Good - The Enemy of Great

I came across this recently and found it very applicable to the situatio we were in. Las tyear we proved we were good, but we have to find a way to become great. Complacency will prevent greatness. I had the guys read this and we discussed it as a group, and they really had good thoughts about what it would take to go from good to great.

Good-The Enemy of Great

The biggest gap and the hardest jump is going from good to great. Your responsibility is to decide whether you like being good…or whether you can not live without being great.

At first glance, we all say we want to be great, yet only the select few truly understand that “good is the enemy of great.”

Only a select few are unable to sleep at night when they put forth a good effort and not a great one.

Good is easy. Great is the hardest thing you will ever attempt in your life. Good is rewarding…great is everlasting. The transition requires more than hard work; it requires working hard on the right things; it requires working hard and working smart. You’ve got to practice with purpose.

Great Quote

"Basketball is not a game of great plays; it is a game of eliminating mistakes." - Kelvin Sampson, Indiana Basketball

Some would argue that while both are important, a lot of times games come down to who can make the last play. This is true, but making plays does not always mean doing the spectacular, but doing the routine or the ordinary - an extra pass, a big rebound, a defensive stop. Smart, ordinary, routine actions, when performed consistently, make the most difference. How do good players make these plays over and over again? By eliminating the mistakes that would prevent them from making the play.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I find it amazing that for whatever reason, a lot of kids are oblivious to the resounding impact a single decision that they make can have not only on them, but on those close to them (family, teammates, etc.)

I read a great quote recently that really sums this up. Can't remember the exact quote, but it goes something like this:

"The reason most people fail is they are not willing to trade what they want right now for what they want the most"

Sometimes we don't always see the big picture, and get caught up in the moment and what we want in this very instant, and that can have a very negative effect on our long term, greater success, which is what we really want the most. Unfortunately kids don't always know how or why to make the right decision, and more importantly don't understand that the decisions they make - even as teenagers - can affect a lot of people. No matter how many times they are told or how many options they are given, a lot of kids will still continue to make the wrong decision only to later wish they had listened to those that were trying to help them do the right thing.

The bottom line is we are all responsible for our actions and decisions and need to understand that the choices we make are usually more far reaching than we realize. Some people can be shown the right way, some people can be told the right way. Some people have to learn the hard way.