This is a little change of how I have been doing things but I want to go over Kentucky's roster. They are extremely talented at the college level and I want to talk about their pro potential and where they fit in the NBA.
Aaron Harrison - Shooting Guard
He made some really tough shots last year during the NCAA Tourney but wasn't overly consistent and that's where I see his game in the NBA. With the way the game is played in the NBA he has to be a 3 (3 point shooter) and D (defensive specialist) guy and I don't think he shoots it well enough. Will probably be a early to mid 2nd round pick.
Andrew Harrison - Point Guard
Physically dominant at the position. Helps to be 6'5" and strong. Can he run a NBA team? I'm not so sure about it. I honestly think he'll be a career backup and could do well on a bad team. Late first round to early 2nd round pick.
Marcus Lee - Power Forward
Has the height and length to be a power forward. Doesn't have the perimeter skills that most NBA teams are looking for in the 4 position. At his best he would be John Henson (Bucks) or Brendan Wright (Celtics). Will be drafted higher than he should. Should be in the 20's in the 2016 draft.
Willie Cauley-Stein - Center
After three years, I saw him finally make a post move. He is a crazy athlete and oozes potential. Will be drafted in the top 10 this year but Nerlens Noel is a better pro. Better comparison is probably Larry Sanders minus the fighting in the club.
Karl-Anthony Towns - Center
Great skill set that I don't think we've seen all of it yet. Right now, I believe he lingers on the perimeter too much, in part because of UK's personnel, he needs to assert himself more down there. If people say he is a young LaMarcus Aldridge they are crazy. He won't be that good. Definitely a top 5 pick this year.
Devin Booker - Shooting Guard
Great size and a great shooter. Not a spectacular athlete but his shooting makes him look more athletic than he is. I think he has a little Danny Green in him and is probably a better shooter at this point in his career. Eventually he'll be a late lottery to early 20's first round pick.
Tyler Ulis - Point Guard
Really controls the tempo for UK. They are better when he is on the floor. I believe he can be a career backup in the NBA. Nothing is wrong with that but he is just too small for most NBA teams to take a chance on. Will probably be in an Aaron Craft situation when he gets done. He'll get some shots in the NBA, just a matter of what team falls in love with him.
Trey Lyles - Power Forwad
He wants to be a 3 and is playing it for UK but is clearly a 4 in the NBA. Why? He can't cover any 3's in the league. He has a good skill set but is a classic tweener in the NBA. He'll get drafted in the first round, I just don't know when.
Alex Poythress - Small Forward
Another tweeter at the NBA level. He is a good college player and probably would've been a star at another school. He can't shoot, and that's a huge issue with the position he has to play in the NBA. He isn't Kenneth Faried. I don't think he ever cracks the first round or even sticks in the NBA.
Dakari Johnson - Center
I've heard about him since he was a freshmen at St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, NJ. I just don't see it. He is big and decently skilled. His ceiling is low because he isn't very athletic. Al Jefferson is a comparison athletically. He isn't close to him physically (thin shoulders) or skill wise. He'll be drafted in the teens if he comes out after next year. A team will take a flyer on him because of his size.
I know I'll get, "You don't think they are good? They will go undefeated." In my opinion, they don't have guys that will be NBA All-Stars. More "potential" with this group than any Kentucky team in the past couple of years.
Duke evals will be next.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Fit and Style in Recruiting
As parents go through the recruiting process many get caught up in the school that is recruiting their son or daughter. They think that their son or daughter is a D1 and/or a scholarship level player without really looking at two important aspects of having a great college experience (besides academics, which should be the top priority). Those two things are where does the athlete fit on the team and does the style/system fit the athlete.
Besides the academics, one of the first things a prospective athlete should do is look at the roster of the team. How many upperclassmen are on the roster? What position do they play? What are the chances that the prospective athlete plays right away? Do freshmen play right away or do they have to wait their turn? Does this coach have a tendency to recruit junior college athletes and/or get transfers? They don't recruit those type of players to sit the bench.
Depending on what each athlete is looking for, is playing right away important? Or is competing for those minutes very important? Different places provide different opportunities and you have to be able to figure out which is the best fit for each individual athlete.
Another important thing to research is what kind of system does the program run? Offensively, do they push the ball, do they slow it down, or do they do a little bit of both? On defense, do they press, do they trap, or do they play in the gaps in the half court?
Again, these are all things that are important when making a decision for the next four or five years of life.
I am going to run through a few examples of what I talked about above. I won't name players or schools (besides the last one) but I'll give the rundown.
Besides the academics, one of the first things a prospective athlete should do is look at the roster of the team. How many upperclassmen are on the roster? What position do they play? What are the chances that the prospective athlete plays right away? Do freshmen play right away or do they have to wait their turn? Does this coach have a tendency to recruit junior college athletes and/or get transfers? They don't recruit those type of players to sit the bench.
Depending on what each athlete is looking for, is playing right away important? Or is competing for those minutes very important? Different places provide different opportunities and you have to be able to figure out which is the best fit for each individual athlete.
Another important thing to research is what kind of system does the program run? Offensively, do they push the ball, do they slow it down, or do they do a little bit of both? On defense, do they press, do they trap, or do they play in the gaps in the half court?
Again, these are all things that are important when making a decision for the next four or five years of life.
I am going to run through a few examples of what I talked about above. I won't name players or schools (besides the last one) but I'll give the rundown.
My college choice was based a lot of academics and the fact that I wanted to win. I choose SUNY Brockport because they had physical education as a major and the program was on the rise. Theu played fast and a point guard, I wanted that. They had a point guard that played a lot as a sophomore and I figured I would be his backup as a freshmen. It didn't happen. Why? The team played fast, and I wasn't athletic enough to get the playing time I thought I deserved. It also didn't help (me, not the team) that a fifth year senior decided to come back and play after tearing his ACL the previous year. I didn't play again as a sophomore but I played significant minutes as a junior and senior. I didn't truly realize what I signed up for. I did have a great experience and wouldn't change it for anything. I realized that not everything would go my way and if I didn't work, I wouldn't play.
A few years ago, I gave three different D1 schools (yep, humble brag) a heads up on player here in Minnesota. All three schools were able to watch the player in July and all of them gave me a little feedback on the prospect. The two schools I thought were on a lower level (all the schools were mid or low major schools) didn't think he was good enough. Yet, the team that I thought was the best of the three loved him. He fit what they were looking for that particular year.
While I was at West Virginia, I told a high academic school about a WV prospect. They really liked his game and then got his transcript and backed off. He was a very good student according to his GPA and his above 1300 SAT (two parts). The schooling in WV is ranked extremely low in the country and that certainly played a role in the head coach pulling the plug on that particular athlete's recruitment. It wasn't worth the fight with Admissions to get him in school.
Certain coaches really like to stagger their scholarship offers for certain positions. For example, John Beilein has used this theory while at West Virginia and then again at Michigan. He specifically does this with point guards. Every two years he wants to get one. The reasoning behind this recruiting philosophy is that the upperclassmen can show the underclassmen the ropes. The younger PG is then forced to compete for playing time his first two years and hopefully the last two years, where he is the older PG, gives him a huge edge.
At WVU, the first one was JD Collins, next up was Darris Nichols, and his last point guard was Joe Mazzulla. Darris came in when JD was a junior and Joe came in when Darris was a junior. He continued this at Michigan with Darius Morris, Trey Burke, and Derrick Walton. The only issue that he has had is that each one of those guards (Walton is still there) left early for the NBA. This has forced freshmen to handle the ball a majority of the time in his complicated system.
A few years ago, I gave three different D1 schools (yep, humble brag) a heads up on player here in Minnesota. All three schools were able to watch the player in July and all of them gave me a little feedback on the prospect. The two schools I thought were on a lower level (all the schools were mid or low major schools) didn't think he was good enough. Yet, the team that I thought was the best of the three loved him. He fit what they were looking for that particular year.
While I was at West Virginia, I told a high academic school about a WV prospect. They really liked his game and then got his transcript and backed off. He was a very good student according to his GPA and his above 1300 SAT (two parts). The schooling in WV is ranked extremely low in the country and that certainly played a role in the head coach pulling the plug on that particular athlete's recruitment. It wasn't worth the fight with Admissions to get him in school.
Certain coaches really like to stagger their scholarship offers for certain positions. For example, John Beilein has used this theory while at West Virginia and then again at Michigan. He specifically does this with point guards. Every two years he wants to get one. The reasoning behind this recruiting philosophy is that the upperclassmen can show the underclassmen the ropes. The younger PG is then forced to compete for playing time his first two years and hopefully the last two years, where he is the older PG, gives him a huge edge.
At WVU, the first one was JD Collins, next up was Darris Nichols, and his last point guard was Joe Mazzulla. Darris came in when JD was a junior and Joe came in when Darris was a junior. He continued this at Michigan with Darius Morris, Trey Burke, and Derrick Walton. The only issue that he has had is that each one of those guards (Walton is still there) left early for the NBA. This has forced freshmen to handle the ball a majority of the time in his complicated system.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Recruiting Advantages
A little more than a month ago Adrian Wojnarowski wrote an article on the recruiting advantage that Coach K has by coaching the USA National Team. There were a fare share of people that agreed and disagreed with the article. Think what you want, almost everything they do benefits recruiting and their image. Speaking at coaches' clinics throughout the country is another example of gaining a recruiting advantage, especially if the clinic is run by prominent HS or AAU coaches. Do you think coaching Team USA is an advantage?
Of course it's an advantage to coach potential recruits or to have access to them. I don't think it's the main reason why these coaches do it but it certainly doesn't hurt them in recruiting. It's an honor to have a USA across your chest and if by chance it helps with recruiting, then coaches will do it.
Do you think it's a little odd that the three biggest recruits that Coach K brought in this year at Duke all have been playing for the US Junior National (16u-19u) teams for the last several years? He has a different kind of access to them because he is the Senior National Team coach. Another question to ask is, does coaching LeBron, Kobe, and Carmelo create an advantage in recruiting. It sure does. Why? "We could use you like we used LeBron." "This is a set that we used for Kobe that I think we could run for you." Wouldn't that peak your interest a little bit as a recruit or a parent?
Another interesting tidbit is that Tyler Lydon, a Syracuse commit, was a late addition to tryout for US 18U team this past summer. He made the team as well. He clearly helped the team as well, as they won a gold medal at the 18U FIBA Americas tournament. What people don't always see is that Jim Boehiem, his future coach, is in charge of the committee to select these teams. A little, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." It was clearly for recruiting, regardless of how well Lydon did.
Well, why don't other coaches do the same thing? They are trying. Billy Donovan of Florida, Sean Miller oF Arizona, Shaka Smart of VCU, John Beilien of Michigan, etc., have all done a stint of coaching for the US at the younger levels. Does it make them a better coach? Absolutely, they get to bounce ideas of different coaches that could have very different philosophies in a lot of different things. Along with playing against countries that have completely different philosophies in regards to playing the game. At the same time, it gives them access to potential recruits that they would never have if they didn't try. A few of the coaches haven't coached the younger squads but working for USA Basketball is never a bad thing.
It's a two street as well. Coaches get to see a different side of the athletes that they normally wouldn't see. At the same time, athletes get to see the coaches differently than others would. They get to see how they operate in practice, how they use film to teach, and how they communicate with their players. It should give the athletes an idea if they actually want to play for that certain coach. That's a huge plus when trying to figure out the recruiting process.
If you stop by any Division One practice you will notice that certain assistant coaches do very little or nothing in regards to coaching. Why? They are strictly recruiters. Their sole job is to find/recruit players to come to their school. It's not the case everywhere but it happens a lot more than people know about. If you can't recruit, then you technically can't coach, because you will be out of a job quickly. To have "coaches" who just recruit shows the importance of recruiting. It's probably 75% or more of most coaches' jobs.
Ask any coach and they will take any recruiting advantage they can. They need players. If this wasn't the case, why do head coaches hire AAU coaches as assistants who aren't technically qualified according to the job qualifications? They want to get their hands on certain kids from certain programs and the best way to do that is to hire someone that has a relationship with a kid or a coach within a certain program.
Of course it's an advantage to coach potential recruits or to have access to them. I don't think it's the main reason why these coaches do it but it certainly doesn't hurt them in recruiting. It's an honor to have a USA across your chest and if by chance it helps with recruiting, then coaches will do it.
Do you think it's a little odd that the three biggest recruits that Coach K brought in this year at Duke all have been playing for the US Junior National (16u-19u) teams for the last several years? He has a different kind of access to them because he is the Senior National Team coach. Another question to ask is, does coaching LeBron, Kobe, and Carmelo create an advantage in recruiting. It sure does. Why? "We could use you like we used LeBron." "This is a set that we used for Kobe that I think we could run for you." Wouldn't that peak your interest a little bit as a recruit or a parent?
Another interesting tidbit is that Tyler Lydon, a Syracuse commit, was a late addition to tryout for US 18U team this past summer. He made the team as well. He clearly helped the team as well, as they won a gold medal at the 18U FIBA Americas tournament. What people don't always see is that Jim Boehiem, his future coach, is in charge of the committee to select these teams. A little, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." It was clearly for recruiting, regardless of how well Lydon did.
Well, why don't other coaches do the same thing? They are trying. Billy Donovan of Florida, Sean Miller oF Arizona, Shaka Smart of VCU, John Beilien of Michigan, etc., have all done a stint of coaching for the US at the younger levels. Does it make them a better coach? Absolutely, they get to bounce ideas of different coaches that could have very different philosophies in a lot of different things. Along with playing against countries that have completely different philosophies in regards to playing the game. At the same time, it gives them access to potential recruits that they would never have if they didn't try. A few of the coaches haven't coached the younger squads but working for USA Basketball is never a bad thing.
It's a two street as well. Coaches get to see a different side of the athletes that they normally wouldn't see. At the same time, athletes get to see the coaches differently than others would. They get to see how they operate in practice, how they use film to teach, and how they communicate with their players. It should give the athletes an idea if they actually want to play for that certain coach. That's a huge plus when trying to figure out the recruiting process.
If you stop by any Division One practice you will notice that certain assistant coaches do very little or nothing in regards to coaching. Why? They are strictly recruiters. Their sole job is to find/recruit players to come to their school. It's not the case everywhere but it happens a lot more than people know about. If you can't recruit, then you technically can't coach, because you will be out of a job quickly. To have "coaches" who just recruit shows the importance of recruiting. It's probably 75% or more of most coaches' jobs.
Ask any coach and they will take any recruiting advantage they can. They need players. If this wasn't the case, why do head coaches hire AAU coaches as assistants who aren't technically qualified according to the job qualifications? They want to get their hands on certain kids from certain programs and the best way to do that is to hire someone that has a relationship with a kid or a coach within a certain program.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Skill Trainers
Just like with anything in life, there are some good things and some bad things. Like the AAU scene, these "skill trainers" that are popping up all over the place. There are some that really have a grasp of what is going on and there are others that are in it for nothing but the money, and many in between.
I believe the first step to any skill session is to sit down and talk with the trainer and figure out goals. When I say goals, I mean, what does the athlete want to accomplish by working with the trainer? Do you want to make the team, do you want to make varsity, do you want to play minutes on varsity, do you want to start, do you want to play in college, and/or do you want to play professionally? These are all questions that should be asked by the trainer to order to figure a plan over the course of time.
The goal is to be realistic. If a athlete has never played basketball until the 10th grade and wants to start on the varsity team, that's just not realistic in most settings regardless of how much time the trainer has to work with the athlete. If the goal is to play in college or professionally then the athlete has to work on their own A LOT in order to achieve these goals. No trainer is going to make a college or professional player. It's all up to the athlete, they have to make many personal sacrifices in order to achieve their goals. Again, a trainer can't make that happen. They can push the limits to help but if you work with a certain trainer, regardless of how good they are, it doesn't matter.
I could be completely wrong on this but I think there should be a lot of communication between the skills trainer and the HS coach. Why? Wouldn't you think it would be important to have one of your players working on drills/skills that are important for your HS program? I'm not saying that the trainer can't work on anything else in regards to what the HS program does, but it's important for the development of all for people to be on the same page.
I also think it's really important that there is a focus on the HS season during the fall. Most of the drills/skills should be based on what the HS coach sees the athlete's role for the upcoming season. Some states don't have an issue with working with trainers because they are able to work with their athletes all year. Other states allow HS programs to pay for a trainer for their kids, as long as the HS coach(es) aren't involved in the skill sessions.
Yes, I know that an athlete's role could differ from their HS and AAU teams. Again, I'm not saying that athletes can't work on other skills but it's important for their improvement with their HS teams just before their HS season starts. An example would be a 6'5" player who is the tallest player in their HS program and they are forced to play a majority of their time in the post. During AAU, they are more of a wing player and that is probably the position they will play in college. They can work on their perimeter skills all year round but in the few weeks before practice starts for their HS team, it's important that they are still pretty good in the post.
Does the skill trainer(s) actually work on defense? I ask because I don't know. I've seen numerous skill sessions and not once have I seen them work on the defensive side of the ball. Now, I've seen them play one on one and two on two but nothing with a true emphasis on defense. Offense is only half of the game, it's important to work on the other side of the ball on a consistent basis as well.
A part of the game is overlooked by many, including coaches, is the mental part of the game. Why is overlooked? It's not a part of the game that is on the newest Vines, or the new YouTube videos. Do the trainers talk about strategy? Do they talk about what to do in different situations, especially end of the half/game situations? Do they put you in situations to fail? Failure is a good thing for athletes. The best shooters from three only make 40% of them. That's a lot of failure and the athletes have to be able to handle it.
Here are a few other things that are important when choosing a trainer. How many athletes do they work with during the same session? You don't want to have 8-10 athletes in each session because there is too many down time. The athlete should be working constantly. Yes, there will be some built in breaks but they shouldn't be for long. You want to get the most amount of bang for your buck.
Who are the trainer's other clients? Don't you think it's important for the trainer to have an idea how to work with many different skill levels? Would it work for someone that is training NBA players to train a true beginner right after? Do they work with only younger kids? Can you challenge yourself by working with the better players or do you have to stay with kids in the same grade(s)? Those are questions that you will have to ask before working with anyone.
The last thing I want to talk about is, there are some skills that shouldn't be done by certain players. The main reason I say this, is there are certain skills that college and/or NBA players can do that certain players just can't. I don't mean it in a bad way but a lot of the time, the athlete just isn't ready for it. An example is in the video below with Kevin Durant.
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This is an advanced drill. It's doesn't seem like it but it clearly is. Why? KD shoots around 95% from that spot without a defense. How many athletes can say that shoot that high from anywhere? Not many. So why are trainers making their athletes do these types of drills? Then they can say that the athlete is doing the same drills that KD is doing.
Another example is, how many athletes are shooting pull-up three's during their HS or AAU games? Not many and even less are actually making that shot. The athlete would probably get better by getting a bunch of inside-out threes, which are more realistic and game-like.
I deal with the kind of stuff in the class that I teach. I was told by one of students that he would never get into the lane during a game, so he was going to work on his one foot fadeaway jumper. Yet, he couldn't make that jumper, from 15 feet, consistently while on balance. I told him that it would be better to work that shot on balance. He then proceeded to make his next fadeaway, I laughed, he then hit the top of the backboard on the next one. My point, exactly.
This whole blog might seem like a knock on skill trainers but I don't mean it that way. I think there is a time and a place for them especially for challenging athletes. Just make sure that there is research is done beforehand to make sure you have a good trainer rather than one that is stealing money.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Derek Jeter
Last weekend we saw an end of an era for Major League Baseball and baseball fans. Derek Jeter decided to end his amazing career after 20 years. I do have to admit, I'm a huge fan of his. I grew up watching him play and he was one of the reason why I became a bigger Yankees fan after I moved to West Virginia. I wasn't able to watch him on a consistent basis like I was able to for the first 12 years of his career.
Derek Jeter will go down as one of the best players in MLB history, no matter what anyone says. To be sixth all time in hits, to help bring the Yankees back to relevancy, and help bring fans back to baseball are just a few things that he has done over the past 20 years.
If you ask anyone in MLB, not a single bad thing would be said about Jeter. Ask any manager or GM and they would take him in a heartbeat. That not only shows his character but his talent as well. Don Mattingly asked Yasiel Puig, "What player would you most want to be compared to when you are done playing?" Puig, "Jeter."
There are many doubters with Jeter as well. His WAR (wins above replacement) wasn't very good. His range isn't close to most shortstops. Blah Blah Blah. He is a winner. You never saw him jog down to first base, regardless of where the ball went. It was always an all out sprint. Why? That's how you are supposed to play, you never know what will happen once the ball is fielded.
So where does he stand as a shortstop in MLB history? And where does he stand in Yankees' Mount Rushmore. I have to think he is a top three shortstop. Cal Ripken and Honus Wagner have to be right there. As fas as the Yankees go. He's a top ten in Yankee history. Can't put him on their Mount Rushmore but that could change over time. He might be the second replacement with Mariano Rivera behind Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and DiMaggio.
I understand it isn't all about him but the Yankees didn't make the postseason for an extended period of time until he became the full time shortstop. They then won five championships, with him playing a huge role including hitting over .300 in all World Series games. He then became "The Captain," the first since Don Mattingly retired from wearing the Pinstripes.
The last thing I want to mention is the play below. I've never seen anything like it before and I'm sure it will never be done again. There is zero reason for him to be in the position. This play helped the Yankees win the series. I remember looking at my roommate in college dumbfounded. That play just didn't make sense. One of the best plays I've ever seen in one of the biggest moments for his team.
It was a honor to watch him play and baseball will miss him greatly. Here are a few more commercials that hit home when watching them.
Derek Jeter will go down as one of the best players in MLB history, no matter what anyone says. To be sixth all time in hits, to help bring the Yankees back to relevancy, and help bring fans back to baseball are just a few things that he has done over the past 20 years.
If you ask anyone in MLB, not a single bad thing would be said about Jeter. Ask any manager or GM and they would take him in a heartbeat. That not only shows his character but his talent as well. Don Mattingly asked Yasiel Puig, "What player would you most want to be compared to when you are done playing?" Puig, "Jeter."
There are many doubters with Jeter as well. His WAR (wins above replacement) wasn't very good. His range isn't close to most shortstops. Blah Blah Blah. He is a winner. You never saw him jog down to first base, regardless of where the ball went. It was always an all out sprint. Why? That's how you are supposed to play, you never know what will happen once the ball is fielded.
So where does he stand as a shortstop in MLB history? And where does he stand in Yankees' Mount Rushmore. I have to think he is a top three shortstop. Cal Ripken and Honus Wagner have to be right there. As fas as the Yankees go. He's a top ten in Yankee history. Can't put him on their Mount Rushmore but that could change over time. He might be the second replacement with Mariano Rivera behind Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and DiMaggio.
I understand it isn't all about him but the Yankees didn't make the postseason for an extended period of time until he became the full time shortstop. They then won five championships, with him playing a huge role including hitting over .300 in all World Series games. He then became "The Captain," the first since Don Mattingly retired from wearing the Pinstripes.
The last thing I want to mention is the play below. I've never seen anything like it before and I'm sure it will never be done again. There is zero reason for him to be in the position. This play helped the Yankees win the series. I remember looking at my roommate in college dumbfounded. That play just didn't make sense. One of the best plays I've ever seen in one of the biggest moments for his team.
It was a honor to watch him play and baseball will miss him greatly. Here are a few more commercials that hit home when watching them.
#Grindin
Every single day I see coaches and players talk about "the grind." People that grind are people that are working three jobs in order to support their family. Basketball has nothing to do with "grinding." Doing something you love to do is never a grind.
"Grinding at the gym today." I was grinding on the elliptical today for 30 minutes. You should've seen my shirt, it was wet and my light grey shirt looked really dark. I wasn't grinding, I was working out. Just like that 65 year old women who was getting her jazzercise on. During basketball season, I "grind" every day. I will even "grind" while sitting on my couch watching film and eating trail mix. Now's that's grindin'.
The best part of "the grind" is that every time it's actually exactly what they are supposed to do. And that is working on their game and/or getting better at their profession. People don't need to know about that because that is how you get better. Imagine a coach taking a picture in practice every time their team reverses the ball. That's how ridiculous #grindin is.
Same thing goes for all these trainers tweeting pictures of their "workout" guys after their skills session. Looks awesome, seeing kids with sweat stains on their shirt is always good for business. Makes me want to send my guys that way especially knowing all the #grindin they do isn't at game speed or in game like situations.
If you make a cool video like this I'll live with #grindin but otherwise stop
"Grinding at the gym today." I was grinding on the elliptical today for 30 minutes. You should've seen my shirt, it was wet and my light grey shirt looked really dark. I wasn't grinding, I was working out. Just like that 65 year old women who was getting her jazzercise on. During basketball season, I "grind" every day. I will even "grind" while sitting on my couch watching film and eating trail mix. Now's that's grindin'.
The best part of "the grind" is that every time it's actually exactly what they are supposed to do. And that is working on their game and/or getting better at their profession. People don't need to know about that because that is how you get better. Imagine a coach taking a picture in practice every time their team reverses the ball. That's how ridiculous #grindin is.
Same thing goes for all these trainers tweeting pictures of their "workout" guys after their skills session. Looks awesome, seeing kids with sweat stains on their shirt is always good for business. Makes me want to send my guys that way especially knowing all the #grindin they do isn't at game speed or in game like situations.
If you make a cool video like this I'll live with #grindin but otherwise stop
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Transfers
It seems that over the past five to ten years more players from their original basketball programs than ever before. This year's number was right around 675 from Division One basketball programs. That's almost two per school. Why are so many athletes transferring?
Everyone wants to blame AAU basketball. I don't really blame AAU at all. It's a matter of the society that we live in today. The "fast food" or "microwave" mentality is the world that we live in. Everyone wants everything instantly. When the player doesn't get playing time a starting job right away, they decide to get out right away.
Another part of our society that I believe is flawed and one of the reasons why so many kids transfer is the ability to deal with adversity. How many kids really have to deal with adversity with the high school or AAU program? They are usually the best players and don't have to deal with some working their tail off to take away their starting spot or playing time.
At times, Mom and Dad are there to help the kids deal with adversity rather than the kids figuring things out for themselves. This is something that college coaches don't want to deal with. Let the kids figure things out for themselves and get them to adulthood. No parent wants to see their child fail but sports mimic life. They will fail and they might fall on their face. How do they respond to falling on their face? Hopefully, everything they have learned over the years will help them get back up and try again or like the video below, fail harder.
AAU does play a part in it but not in the same way people think. The main reason the plays a part in the transfer process is because if a kid isn't happy with his/her playing time with their AAU program they can immediately head to another team and play a more significant role. That type of commitment or lack of commitment is what makes it tough for college coaches in the future.
Now, let's look into the reason why players transfer.
New Coaching Staff
College basketball has become a big business and if the coaching staff doesn't win, then they will be replaced. It can be really difficult to start over with a new coaching staff, especially after getting to know the previous staff for potentially a player's high school career as well as a few years in college. The argument for that in a real life situation is this, what happens when you get a new boss at work? Do you immediately quit and find a new job? Do you test it out for a while and see how they are and what their system is? Different isn't always wrong. Maybe the new system is actually a better fit for the player than originally thought. Don't close doors.
Not Enough Playing Time
The real question is, how many freshmen or sophomores start and play significant minutes right away at their high school? Not very many, especially at the bigger schools (yes, it happens but not as often as people think). I would say there is a distinct difference between a 18 year old just starting college compared to a 22 year old in his/her fourth year of college. Especially with the strength and conditioning programs that college teams have. Mentality and physically, it's night and day. Same thing goes for a 14 year old and a 17 or 18 year old in high school.
I believe I stated this in a previous blog but coaches will say things to recruits and their parents that will get them believe they are saying something else. "We could see you replacing this guy," and the players and parents hear "You will replace this guy." "We could see you starting next year," and the players and parents hear "You will start next year." Big difference in both statements. If players and parents truly listened to what coaches are saying, there wouldn't be as much misunderstanding.
Not the Right Fit
There are times that coaches realize pretty quickly that they made a mistake in a recruit. They probably won't admit it publicly but they don't get a chance to see a recruit play with their team and that a huge issue. Why? They can't really tell if they truly fit into their system. A player might be extremely talented but he just doesn't fit because he doesn't have the basketball IQ to keep up with all the new language and plays they have to learn once they get on campus. It's hard to trust someone on the floor when they can't remember the plays regardless of how talented they are.
Not Enough Time to Evaluate
Division One coaches generally don't have enough time to evaluate prospects and make mistakes in the evaluation process. The NCAA allows unlimited evaluations during July but only seven total during the school year. So, if the coaches get a late start on the process then the possibility of a mistake increases. They have a weekend in April but should add either another week in April or May because there is generally a big different in team dynamics after those first couple of weekends.
We always want to blame the kids and their parents for transferring. Sometimes the players and coaches need a fresh start. I understand the transferring at times. I transferred when I was in high school after my family moved 20 minutes away. I don't regret the decision at all and I believe it made me a much better person and it prepared me for college more than I ever expected.
Just remember this one thing...THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE.
Everyone wants to blame AAU basketball. I don't really blame AAU at all. It's a matter of the society that we live in today. The "fast food" or "microwave" mentality is the world that we live in. Everyone wants everything instantly. When the player doesn't get playing time a starting job right away, they decide to get out right away.
Another part of our society that I believe is flawed and one of the reasons why so many kids transfer is the ability to deal with adversity. How many kids really have to deal with adversity with the high school or AAU program? They are usually the best players and don't have to deal with some working their tail off to take away their starting spot or playing time.
At times, Mom and Dad are there to help the kids deal with adversity rather than the kids figuring things out for themselves. This is something that college coaches don't want to deal with. Let the kids figure things out for themselves and get them to adulthood. No parent wants to see their child fail but sports mimic life. They will fail and they might fall on their face. How do they respond to falling on their face? Hopefully, everything they have learned over the years will help them get back up and try again or like the video below, fail harder.
AAU does play a part in it but not in the same way people think. The main reason the plays a part in the transfer process is because if a kid isn't happy with his/her playing time with their AAU program they can immediately head to another team and play a more significant role. That type of commitment or lack of commitment is what makes it tough for college coaches in the future.
Now, let's look into the reason why players transfer.
New Coaching Staff
College basketball has become a big business and if the coaching staff doesn't win, then they will be replaced. It can be really difficult to start over with a new coaching staff, especially after getting to know the previous staff for potentially a player's high school career as well as a few years in college. The argument for that in a real life situation is this, what happens when you get a new boss at work? Do you immediately quit and find a new job? Do you test it out for a while and see how they are and what their system is? Different isn't always wrong. Maybe the new system is actually a better fit for the player than originally thought. Don't close doors.
Not Enough Playing Time
The real question is, how many freshmen or sophomores start and play significant minutes right away at their high school? Not very many, especially at the bigger schools (yes, it happens but not as often as people think). I would say there is a distinct difference between a 18 year old just starting college compared to a 22 year old in his/her fourth year of college. Especially with the strength and conditioning programs that college teams have. Mentality and physically, it's night and day. Same thing goes for a 14 year old and a 17 or 18 year old in high school.
I believe I stated this in a previous blog but coaches will say things to recruits and their parents that will get them believe they are saying something else. "We could see you replacing this guy," and the players and parents hear "You will replace this guy." "We could see you starting next year," and the players and parents hear "You will start next year." Big difference in both statements. If players and parents truly listened to what coaches are saying, there wouldn't be as much misunderstanding.
Not the Right Fit
There are times that coaches realize pretty quickly that they made a mistake in a recruit. They probably won't admit it publicly but they don't get a chance to see a recruit play with their team and that a huge issue. Why? They can't really tell if they truly fit into their system. A player might be extremely talented but he just doesn't fit because he doesn't have the basketball IQ to keep up with all the new language and plays they have to learn once they get on campus. It's hard to trust someone on the floor when they can't remember the plays regardless of how talented they are.
Not Enough Time to Evaluate
Division One coaches generally don't have enough time to evaluate prospects and make mistakes in the evaluation process. The NCAA allows unlimited evaluations during July but only seven total during the school year. So, if the coaches get a late start on the process then the possibility of a mistake increases. They have a weekend in April but should add either another week in April or May because there is generally a big different in team dynamics after those first couple of weekends.
We always want to blame the kids and their parents for transferring. Sometimes the players and coaches need a fresh start. I understand the transferring at times. I transferred when I was in high school after my family moved 20 minutes away. I don't regret the decision at all and I believe it made me a much better person and it prepared me for college more than I ever expected.
Just remember this one thing...THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Basketball Academies
Over the last decade there are has been a flux of "basketball academies" that have popped up across the US and Canada. Many of these academies have failed miserably and a few of have survived and thrived.
The concept of a "basketball academy" is a great idea as long as it's run the correct way. So what exactly is the correct way? The correct way should be to put the best of the best together and have them compete against each other on a consistent basis. To be able to practice more and then have some select games or tournaments against other academies throughout the country or world.
There are a few models of the academies that would be great examples to use. The first is the Canarias Basketball Academy (CBA). It's located in Canary Islands just outside of Spain. It has a slew of European athletes that are looking to play college basketball in the US. Their main focus is basketball and they have a school (I believe it's a loose term) and have SAT/ACT prep in order to qualify through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Their players generally qualify through the NCAA and have been placed all over the US including Seton Hall, Louisville, and Minnesota.
A few years ago, a top 100 US player was sent there by his parents for his sophomore year in high school. His name is Khadeem Lattin. His journey can be look at here. Although, his path isn't that of a "normal" top 100 recruit, it's definitely interesting to have your sole focus be books and basketball, and that's it. That article is definitely worth a read.
Another "basketball academy" that many people in the "know" of college basketball is tied in with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). HERE is what the AIS is all about. In reality, it really isn't a basketball academy but there is major focus on specific sports each athlete participates in. It is also government funded, which makes it much different than what we are use to here in the US.
The AIS has produced a ton of collegiate talent that we are use to seeing. Former #1 pick, Andrew Bogut went to AIS before he went to Utah. The next big thing to come from Australia, Dante Exum, just graduated from there in December and was just recently the #4 pick in the NBA by the Utah Jazz. Two San Antonio Spurs, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes, are products of AIS as well. St. Mary's in California has a pipeline from AIS to their campus and has help lead them to great success in the West Coast Conference.
In the US there really aren't any true academies like the CBA and the AIS but there are a few that are trying to emulate what these models are truly about. The first program I will talk about is IMG Academy. It's as close as anything we have in this country to AIS. There are several different sport associations that are tied to IMG. They have great facilities and really advanced nutrition and weight training for all of their athletes.
IMG has been a place where many pro athletes go and train during the off season and it's a place where a lot of potential NFL and NBA draft picks go to train for the combine and the upcoming season. It also houses a few of youth US National Soccer teams. They haven't had a "prep" team for very long but a few alums that most people have heard of are DeAndre Daniels from UConn, recent Syracuse signee Chris McCullough, and Jamari Traylor from Kansas.
The next two models that are probably the most well known in basketball circles are Findlay Prep and Huntington Prep. Both of these "schools" have their players (they technically aren't students of the name of the school they "attend," I know, it's confusing.) attend a local private school and then operate as a separate entity with their basketball program. The players from Findlay attend The Henderson International School and are funded by a Las Vegas car salesman by the last name of, you guess it, Findlay. Findlay has only been in existence for nine years but has a slew of D1 and NBA alums including Avery Bradley of Texas and Boston Celtics and Anthony Bennett of UNLV and now the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Huntington Prep is based in Huntington,WV and was originally started by Rob Fulford, now an assistant at Missouri. The players attend Huntington St. Joseph's Central Catholic school during the day and operate as Huntington Prep after school ends. Players stay with host families in the Huntington area. Many of their players are originally from Canada, Eastern Europe, and some African countries. I'm not sure how they are funded but they have done very well since it started six years ago. They have some famous alums in #1 pick Andrew Wiggins and Minnesota Timberwolves' backup center Gorgui Dieng.
I won't mention the many failures that have happened all over the country but the main reason they fail is because they lack funding. It doesn't help that they will oversell what they have when they don't really have it. Besides the lack of funding there is rarely a school association or a school to attend which is key for many of the athletes at the school because they need to get qualified through the NCAA Clearinghouse.
As with many other things in life, most of the issues come down to money. An adult is trying to take advantage of families that are looking for their son to get a full scholarship to a university or college. Would you really want to give your son away to someone you don't know, someone that you are giving $10,000 to, and mostly importantly someone that doesn't truly have the best interests of your son in mind (some times they do)? What about having your son living in a "apartment" that has nothing but the "school's" basketball players with no adult supervision? These are worst case scenarios but I would be better for your son just to go to junior college and get proper education and legitimate coaching.
These are many of the questions that need to be asked when dealing with any new "basketball academy" in the United States. There are just too many unknowns that won't be good for any type of development (physical, social, emotional, and educational) for your son. Like with any new product, do you really want the first edition (like an iPhone) or do you wait until all the kinks are out and everything is figured out. Take this approach when it comes to making a decision regarding anyone selling this basketball product.
The concept of a "basketball academy" is a great idea as long as it's run the correct way. So what exactly is the correct way? The correct way should be to put the best of the best together and have them compete against each other on a consistent basis. To be able to practice more and then have some select games or tournaments against other academies throughout the country or world.
There are a few models of the academies that would be great examples to use. The first is the Canarias Basketball Academy (CBA). It's located in Canary Islands just outside of Spain. It has a slew of European athletes that are looking to play college basketball in the US. Their main focus is basketball and they have a school (I believe it's a loose term) and have SAT/ACT prep in order to qualify through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Their players generally qualify through the NCAA and have been placed all over the US including Seton Hall, Louisville, and Minnesota.
A few years ago, a top 100 US player was sent there by his parents for his sophomore year in high school. His name is Khadeem Lattin. His journey can be look at here. Although, his path isn't that of a "normal" top 100 recruit, it's definitely interesting to have your sole focus be books and basketball, and that's it. That article is definitely worth a read.
Another "basketball academy" that many people in the "know" of college basketball is tied in with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). HERE is what the AIS is all about. In reality, it really isn't a basketball academy but there is major focus on specific sports each athlete participates in. It is also government funded, which makes it much different than what we are use to here in the US.
The AIS has produced a ton of collegiate talent that we are use to seeing. Former #1 pick, Andrew Bogut went to AIS before he went to Utah. The next big thing to come from Australia, Dante Exum, just graduated from there in December and was just recently the #4 pick in the NBA by the Utah Jazz. Two San Antonio Spurs, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes, are products of AIS as well. St. Mary's in California has a pipeline from AIS to their campus and has help lead them to great success in the West Coast Conference.
In the US there really aren't any true academies like the CBA and the AIS but there are a few that are trying to emulate what these models are truly about. The first program I will talk about is IMG Academy. It's as close as anything we have in this country to AIS. There are several different sport associations that are tied to IMG. They have great facilities and really advanced nutrition and weight training for all of their athletes.
IMG has been a place where many pro athletes go and train during the off season and it's a place where a lot of potential NFL and NBA draft picks go to train for the combine and the upcoming season. It also houses a few of youth US National Soccer teams. They haven't had a "prep" team for very long but a few alums that most people have heard of are DeAndre Daniels from UConn, recent Syracuse signee Chris McCullough, and Jamari Traylor from Kansas.
The next two models that are probably the most well known in basketball circles are Findlay Prep and Huntington Prep. Both of these "schools" have their players (they technically aren't students of the name of the school they "attend," I know, it's confusing.) attend a local private school and then operate as a separate entity with their basketball program. The players from Findlay attend The Henderson International School and are funded by a Las Vegas car salesman by the last name of, you guess it, Findlay. Findlay has only been in existence for nine years but has a slew of D1 and NBA alums including Avery Bradley of Texas and Boston Celtics and Anthony Bennett of UNLV and now the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Huntington Prep is based in Huntington,WV and was originally started by Rob Fulford, now an assistant at Missouri. The players attend Huntington St. Joseph's Central Catholic school during the day and operate as Huntington Prep after school ends. Players stay with host families in the Huntington area. Many of their players are originally from Canada, Eastern Europe, and some African countries. I'm not sure how they are funded but they have done very well since it started six years ago. They have some famous alums in #1 pick Andrew Wiggins and Minnesota Timberwolves' backup center Gorgui Dieng.
I won't mention the many failures that have happened all over the country but the main reason they fail is because they lack funding. It doesn't help that they will oversell what they have when they don't really have it. Besides the lack of funding there is rarely a school association or a school to attend which is key for many of the athletes at the school because they need to get qualified through the NCAA Clearinghouse.
As with many other things in life, most of the issues come down to money. An adult is trying to take advantage of families that are looking for their son to get a full scholarship to a university or college. Would you really want to give your son away to someone you don't know, someone that you are giving $10,000 to, and mostly importantly someone that doesn't truly have the best interests of your son in mind (some times they do)? What about having your son living in a "apartment" that has nothing but the "school's" basketball players with no adult supervision? These are worst case scenarios but I would be better for your son just to go to junior college and get proper education and legitimate coaching.
These are many of the questions that need to be asked when dealing with any new "basketball academy" in the United States. There are just too many unknowns that won't be good for any type of development (physical, social, emotional, and educational) for your son. Like with any new product, do you really want the first edition (like an iPhone) or do you wait until all the kinks are out and everything is figured out. Take this approach when it comes to making a decision regarding anyone selling this basketball product.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
How Do You Want to be Portrayed as an Athlete?
Over the last couple of weeks we've seen so many different incidents regarding professional and collegiate athletes and their poor behavior. It's extremely unfortunate that these role models are making costly mistakes for themselves, their family, their team, and their university/organization. What I hope is that everyone learns that someone is always watching wherever you are.
Too much of the news over the past few years is all about the bad and that is why I don't like watching the news. What I really want to touch on in this entry is the good deeds that most of these athletes do.
Here is a perfect example:
I was actually at this game and there wasn't a dry eye at the United Center
Too much of the news over the past few years is all about the bad and that is why I don't like watching the news. What I really want to touch on in this entry is the good deeds that most of these athletes do.
Here is a perfect example:
Shavon Shields took it to a whole notha' level tonight! #Committed #Avery'sBiggestFan #BaldNation #AveryStrong pic.twitter.com/rF7rlA1PxX
— Chris Harriman (@chrisharriman24) September 15, 2014
I was actually at this game and there wasn't a dry eye at the United Center
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Shoe Companies & Their Influence
Over the past couple of months I've wrote on numerous topics in regards to travel basketball. This next story is one that many "in the game" have dealt with for many years. How much influence do sneaker companies have in travel and high school basketball?
Here is an interesting article in regards to top 25 national recruit Antonio Blakeney and his recent decommitment from Louisville. There are some really interesting quotes from recruiting expert Jerry Meyer in it. He talks about the influence of a "Nike player" committing to an "Adidas school" and how it doesn't necessarily go over well in his circle. Blakeney has played the Florida based E1T1 the past couple of summers and has really gotten attention from high major schools through his play during Nike's EYBL.
Here's another article regarding Blakeney.
If you are a top 50 recruit in the country, one of the goals is to play in the McDonald's All-American game. Many have goals of playing in the Jordan Brand Classic as well as the Nike Hoops Summit. The McDonald's game is sponsored by Adidas and is supposed to be for the elite of the elite players in high school and it's not supposed to have anything to do with sneaker affiliation. The Jordan Brand Classic is supposed to be strictly for players that have played on the Nike circuit (EYBL). The Nike Hoops' Summit is clearly sponsored by Nike and it might "help" if you played for a Nike team during the spring and summer season.
There are exceptions to this to what I said above and most of it has to do with where these prospects are going to college. A great example of this is the Harrison twins (more on these guys in a bit) from Kentucky. They were sponsored on their high school and AAU team by Under Armour BUT they signed with Kentucky and Coach Cal has a lot of pull to get his guys into games like that (just as Duke and UNC signees do as well). This year, only Karl Towns (I believe), a Kentucky signee, played in the JBC after playing in the UA circuit the summer before.
Why is it so important to play in the McDonald's and Jordan game? You only get two all star games after you play your season. McDonald's has been the cream of the crop for a long time and who wouldn't want a bunch of Jordan gear? Those games are much better than any other sneaker company can and will put on.
Now going back to Blakeney, let's take a look a few other prominent players that have been influenced by sneaker companies during their recruitment. Derrick Rose played for a Nike based team for a majority of his high school career (Meanstreets, same as Anthony Davis) and then Adidas got involved in his family's life. He then had Kansas and UCLA in his final five even though neither were recruiting him, but both are sponsored by the three stripes. He choose Memphis, who at the time, were sponsored by Adidas as well. He signed with Adidas when he got to the NBA. Shabazz Muhammed played for a Nike high school in Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas but his AAU team was created by his father/Adidas and it was a known secret that he was headed to UCLA after a lot "funding" to his Dad's AAU team Dream Vision. He also signed with Adidas as soon as he declared for the draft. Here is an article about the Harrison twins and how much they were influenced by Maryland and Kentucky aka Under Armour and Nike.
If you look at many of the higher profile players that play for Nike sponsored high school teams, they end up playing AAU for Nike AAU teams. Why? Now, I'm not 100% certain on that but I wouldn't be surprised to see increased funding or more gear for high school programs that have their high profile players playing for Nike during the spring and summer. And that could be the reason why you'll see kids switch AAU programs after they have established themselves as mid to high level recruits. To go along with this, AAU programs are given an allotment of money from the sneaker companies to outfit high school programs with gear. They usually will go to a school with a big time recruit or go to a high school program that coaches in both the AAU organization as well as a local high school. The kids will have to "pay" for the gear but the price is essentially for used sneakers and sweatsuits. What's the price for the gear after it's been used all season? $25.
There is a great book called Sole Influence by Dan Wetzel that goes into the knitty gritty of AAU basketball. The book was written 14 years ago and I couldn't imagine some of the changes that have happened since then. I do remember a few stories in the book. Wetzel talks about how Marvin Stone (Louisville) and Casey Sanders (Duke), both big time recruits at the time, got their high school programs "Nike contracts" when they attended the Nike All-American Camp.
Here are some more reasons why kids and adults are enamored with shoe companies
This last part is pure speculation and I have no clue if it's true or not but I wouldn't be shocked from all the things I've seen and heard over the past 10-12 years. If a recruit ends up at a college that is sponsored by the same sneaker company that their AAU/HS is sponsored by, then those programs will get more money/gear from the sneaker company. Again, I could be blowing smoke with high level recruits, NOTHING surprises me anymore.
Here is an interesting article in regards to top 25 national recruit Antonio Blakeney and his recent decommitment from Louisville. There are some really interesting quotes from recruiting expert Jerry Meyer in it. He talks about the influence of a "Nike player" committing to an "Adidas school" and how it doesn't necessarily go over well in his circle. Blakeney has played the Florida based E1T1 the past couple of summers and has really gotten attention from high major schools through his play during Nike's EYBL.
Here's another article regarding Blakeney.
If you are a top 50 recruit in the country, one of the goals is to play in the McDonald's All-American game. Many have goals of playing in the Jordan Brand Classic as well as the Nike Hoops Summit. The McDonald's game is sponsored by Adidas and is supposed to be for the elite of the elite players in high school and it's not supposed to have anything to do with sneaker affiliation. The Jordan Brand Classic is supposed to be strictly for players that have played on the Nike circuit (EYBL). The Nike Hoops' Summit is clearly sponsored by Nike and it might "help" if you played for a Nike team during the spring and summer season.
There are exceptions to this to what I said above and most of it has to do with where these prospects are going to college. A great example of this is the Harrison twins (more on these guys in a bit) from Kentucky. They were sponsored on their high school and AAU team by Under Armour BUT they signed with Kentucky and Coach Cal has a lot of pull to get his guys into games like that (just as Duke and UNC signees do as well). This year, only Karl Towns (I believe), a Kentucky signee, played in the JBC after playing in the UA circuit the summer before.
Why is it so important to play in the McDonald's and Jordan game? You only get two all star games after you play your season. McDonald's has been the cream of the crop for a long time and who wouldn't want a bunch of Jordan gear? Those games are much better than any other sneaker company can and will put on.
Now going back to Blakeney, let's take a look a few other prominent players that have been influenced by sneaker companies during their recruitment. Derrick Rose played for a Nike based team for a majority of his high school career (Meanstreets, same as Anthony Davis) and then Adidas got involved in his family's life. He then had Kansas and UCLA in his final five even though neither were recruiting him, but both are sponsored by the three stripes. He choose Memphis, who at the time, were sponsored by Adidas as well. He signed with Adidas when he got to the NBA. Shabazz Muhammed played for a Nike high school in Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas but his AAU team was created by his father/Adidas and it was a known secret that he was headed to UCLA after a lot "funding" to his Dad's AAU team Dream Vision. He also signed with Adidas as soon as he declared for the draft. Here is an article about the Harrison twins and how much they were influenced by Maryland and Kentucky aka Under Armour and Nike.
If you look at many of the higher profile players that play for Nike sponsored high school teams, they end up playing AAU for Nike AAU teams. Why? Now, I'm not 100% certain on that but I wouldn't be surprised to see increased funding or more gear for high school programs that have their high profile players playing for Nike during the spring and summer. And that could be the reason why you'll see kids switch AAU programs after they have established themselves as mid to high level recruits. To go along with this, AAU programs are given an allotment of money from the sneaker companies to outfit high school programs with gear. They usually will go to a school with a big time recruit or go to a high school program that coaches in both the AAU organization as well as a local high school. The kids will have to "pay" for the gear but the price is essentially for used sneakers and sweatsuits. What's the price for the gear after it's been used all season? $25.
There is a great book called Sole Influence by Dan Wetzel that goes into the knitty gritty of AAU basketball. The book was written 14 years ago and I couldn't imagine some of the changes that have happened since then. I do remember a few stories in the book. Wetzel talks about how Marvin Stone (Louisville) and Casey Sanders (Duke), both big time recruits at the time, got their high school programs "Nike contracts" when they attended the Nike All-American Camp.
Here are some more reasons why kids and adults are enamored with shoe companies
"Peach Jam EYBL" Kobe 9 EMs pic.twitter.com/UUks4hSSbc
— Everything Shoes (@Amazing_Kicks) July 7, 2014
New Images of the KD 6 Elite "EYBL" Surface http://t.co/nNes72XouE pic.twitter.com/xOKWewhe3V
— SneakerWatch (@sneakerwatchcom) September 15, 2014
EYBL #Pulleynation pic.twitter.com/SYrH2FpiFt
— amir coffey (@coffeykid_) April 23, 2014
Peep at the gear 😱😱 #adidasunrivaled pic.twitter.com/eEduzgVd5G
— Billy Wampler (@LaVerdadII) July 9, 2014
Getting ready for Team USA tryouts tonight real excited! 🏀🇺🇸 @usabasketball @GamepointElite @TVHShoops pic.twitter.com/IQxj4YntyL
— Justin Simon (@simon_Says_so) June 10, 2014
This year's gear room is off the hook. Excited to see guys rocking this stuff all week. #ThisIsClassic #Breakout14 pic.twitter.com/DX7RBGd6Oj
— Breakout Classic (@BreakoutClassic) July 8, 2014
This last part is pure speculation and I have no clue if it's true or not but I wouldn't be shocked from all the things I've seen and heard over the past 10-12 years. If a recruit ends up at a college that is sponsored by the same sneaker company that their AAU/HS is sponsored by, then those programs will get more money/gear from the sneaker company. Again, I could be blowing smoke with high level recruits, NOTHING surprises me anymore.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
College Finances
I've already talked about why college athletes shouldn't get paid and now I'll go into finances of D1 schools. There are a lot of different angles that we can take to look at how much money each college makes or doesn't make throughout the course of an academic year.
Football can be a major moneymaker for the athletic department but not all the time. Why? Mostly because of salaries and the amount of money that each program puts into their players. The sheer number of people that are on staff for most football programs is crazy. Here is Minnesota's coaching staff, Michigan's, and North Dakota State's. It's just an astronomical amount of people for 120 (at the most) players. Here is a chart for coaches' salaries as well as salaries for the rest of the staff.
Let's use Michigan as an example. They seat roughly 110,000 people in their stadium. They have seven home games every year. Their seats average $75.00 per ticket (from what I gathered, probably based off of opponent as well). With those two numbers in mind, they make $8,250,000 per game just on tickets. If we average that out to $8 million per game based off them played different opponents, that's $56 million per year on just ticket sales. Depending on who controls parking (some universities do and some athletic departments do) they could get a couple million more on top of that.
Their coaching staff makes roughly $7 million all together. The question becomes do they include the administrative staff, strength and conditioning staff, the equipment staff, the grounds crew, the athletic trainers, or the communications staff. There are a lot that go into the every day things as well as the game day staff. With just the additional staff members, I have to think that's another million. And you can't forget game day security and staff, which adds up over the course of the season. I could go on and on about the expenses that go into everything. Let's give it a $10 million number. So, $56 million now goes to $46 million quickly.
If you look at a school like Indiana, whose stadium seats roughly 52,000 and tickets cost around $50 per ticket. That's $2.6 million per home game just from ticket sales. They have six home games this year for a total of $15.6 million per season on ticket sales. A drastic difference compared to Michigan. On top of that, I couldn't imagine them selling out all of their home games, so we could probably bump that down to $13 million pretty easily. With roughly $3 million in coaches' salaries that money goes away pretty quickly.
One expense that generally isn't included in the numbers is scholarships. Almost all schools force the athletic department to pay the school for each scholarship athlete. A few have waivers but because the school generally needs the money, they make the athletic department pay for all. Each FCS school can offer 85 scholarships for their football team. Let's take a look at a school like Minnesota. About 3/4 of their scholarship athletes are from out of state. In state tuition is just over $12,000 per year. So, 20 athletes cost the football/athletic program $360,000. On top of that, there are 65 out of state athletes. Out of state tuition costs just under $20,000. That's another $1.3 million for out of state athletes. For a grand total $1.6 million that the football program costs the athletic department.
Minnesota's number looks to be extremely low. In part because of out of state tuition is so low compared to other schools. Some schools make their out of state tuition look like private college tuition. At Duke (I chose them because they are private, they could have a waiver or partial waiver as well), tuition for all students is just over $47,000. Football scholarships cost the athletic department almost $4 million per year. Every school is a little different
Here is a look at each school's revenue and expenses from 2011-12 just for football. Now, looks can be deceiving according to those numbers because of the revenue from Big Ten Network (it says it in the article). The last question I have for that is, do they include coaches' salaries? Regardless, they a spend a TON of money on their athletes. Yes, they generate a lot of money but they spend a lot too.
Now, here is something that people don't understand about bowl games and how the school generally looses money when they attend. Here is why. Imagine sending 150 people down to a tropical place for 7-10 days. Here is the list for payouts to each individual team for going to bowl games. Well that's a lot of money for anyone. Those bowl games are mostly scams and here is why. While I was at West Virginia, the football team made it to the Fiesta Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl requires each school to sell 12,000-15,000 tickets. If they don't sell their tickets then the school has to pay for them no matter what. They sold 8,000 tickets under their allotment and had to pay the Fiesta Bowl for them. $100 a ticket, that's roughly $800,000 the school has to pay. Here is more on that. The Fiesta Bowl gets those tickets back and then sells them again in order to fill the stadium. Making double the money isn't bad.
In the WVU case, they spent close to $2 million for going to Fiesta Bowl. The catch is, all the money is shared with all the other schools in the conference. The Big East had eight teams playing football and WVU had to split what they "made" with everyone else. I believe the athletic department lost money because of the revenue sharing for the conference.
Football (at the D1 level) isn't the only sport that offers full scholarships. Other sports include Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Women's Tennis, and Women's Gymnastics. Men's and Women's Basketball could definitely make money for the athletic department but not all do. I would say Volleyball could make a little bit of money but not much, in part because attendance and ticket prices aren't as high. There is no chance tennis or gymnastics makes money.
Other sports can actually make the school money. Not the athletics department, but the school. Partly because of the tuition being paid by the athletes. One example is my wife's team. There are roughly 85 athletes for their track and field program (cross country included) and only 18 scholarships. That's just over $800,000 made for the school in tuition if all the girls are from the state (not all are). Their budget is good but I don't think with everything that they get in travel, coaches' salaries, etc, that they actually lose money. If they do, they aren't losing much.
With all of that being said. At many of the big time universities football does make money for the athletic department and men's basketball probably does as well. Although, they need to sellout most of their games to make that happen. Generally speaking, football does help out other athletic teams in regards to funding but those coaches and athletes get an absurd amount of resources that those other sports can't even dream of.
Note: I could off a little on some of these numbers, but not by much. If football or basketball wins, they draw more, this more money to the department. All reports are based off of how the departments report them. That is generally different for each institution.
Football can be a major moneymaker for the athletic department but not all the time. Why? Mostly because of salaries and the amount of money that each program puts into their players. The sheer number of people that are on staff for most football programs is crazy. Here is Minnesota's coaching staff, Michigan's, and North Dakota State's. It's just an astronomical amount of people for 120 (at the most) players. Here is a chart for coaches' salaries as well as salaries for the rest of the staff.
Let's use Michigan as an example. They seat roughly 110,000 people in their stadium. They have seven home games every year. Their seats average $75.00 per ticket (from what I gathered, probably based off of opponent as well). With those two numbers in mind, they make $8,250,000 per game just on tickets. If we average that out to $8 million per game based off them played different opponents, that's $56 million per year on just ticket sales. Depending on who controls parking (some universities do and some athletic departments do) they could get a couple million more on top of that.
Their coaching staff makes roughly $7 million all together. The question becomes do they include the administrative staff, strength and conditioning staff, the equipment staff, the grounds crew, the athletic trainers, or the communications staff. There are a lot that go into the every day things as well as the game day staff. With just the additional staff members, I have to think that's another million. And you can't forget game day security and staff, which adds up over the course of the season. I could go on and on about the expenses that go into everything. Let's give it a $10 million number. So, $56 million now goes to $46 million quickly.
If you look at a school like Indiana, whose stadium seats roughly 52,000 and tickets cost around $50 per ticket. That's $2.6 million per home game just from ticket sales. They have six home games this year for a total of $15.6 million per season on ticket sales. A drastic difference compared to Michigan. On top of that, I couldn't imagine them selling out all of their home games, so we could probably bump that down to $13 million pretty easily. With roughly $3 million in coaches' salaries that money goes away pretty quickly.
One expense that generally isn't included in the numbers is scholarships. Almost all schools force the athletic department to pay the school for each scholarship athlete. A few have waivers but because the school generally needs the money, they make the athletic department pay for all. Each FCS school can offer 85 scholarships for their football team. Let's take a look at a school like Minnesota. About 3/4 of their scholarship athletes are from out of state. In state tuition is just over $12,000 per year. So, 20 athletes cost the football/athletic program $360,000. On top of that, there are 65 out of state athletes. Out of state tuition costs just under $20,000. That's another $1.3 million for out of state athletes. For a grand total $1.6 million that the football program costs the athletic department.
Minnesota's number looks to be extremely low. In part because of out of state tuition is so low compared to other schools. Some schools make their out of state tuition look like private college tuition. At Duke (I chose them because they are private, they could have a waiver or partial waiver as well), tuition for all students is just over $47,000. Football scholarships cost the athletic department almost $4 million per year. Every school is a little different
Here is a look at each school's revenue and expenses from 2011-12 just for football. Now, looks can be deceiving according to those numbers because of the revenue from Big Ten Network (it says it in the article). The last question I have for that is, do they include coaches' salaries? Regardless, they a spend a TON of money on their athletes. Yes, they generate a lot of money but they spend a lot too.
Now, here is something that people don't understand about bowl games and how the school generally looses money when they attend. Here is why. Imagine sending 150 people down to a tropical place for 7-10 days. Here is the list for payouts to each individual team for going to bowl games. Well that's a lot of money for anyone. Those bowl games are mostly scams and here is why. While I was at West Virginia, the football team made it to the Fiesta Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl requires each school to sell 12,000-15,000 tickets. If they don't sell their tickets then the school has to pay for them no matter what. They sold 8,000 tickets under their allotment and had to pay the Fiesta Bowl for them. $100 a ticket, that's roughly $800,000 the school has to pay. Here is more on that. The Fiesta Bowl gets those tickets back and then sells them again in order to fill the stadium. Making double the money isn't bad.
In the WVU case, they spent close to $2 million for going to Fiesta Bowl. The catch is, all the money is shared with all the other schools in the conference. The Big East had eight teams playing football and WVU had to split what they "made" with everyone else. I believe the athletic department lost money because of the revenue sharing for the conference.
Football (at the D1 level) isn't the only sport that offers full scholarships. Other sports include Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Women's Tennis, and Women's Gymnastics. Men's and Women's Basketball could definitely make money for the athletic department but not all do. I would say Volleyball could make a little bit of money but not much, in part because attendance and ticket prices aren't as high. There is no chance tennis or gymnastics makes money.
Other sports can actually make the school money. Not the athletics department, but the school. Partly because of the tuition being paid by the athletes. One example is my wife's team. There are roughly 85 athletes for their track and field program (cross country included) and only 18 scholarships. That's just over $800,000 made for the school in tuition if all the girls are from the state (not all are). Their budget is good but I don't think with everything that they get in travel, coaches' salaries, etc, that they actually lose money. If they do, they aren't losing much.
With all of that being said. At many of the big time universities football does make money for the athletic department and men's basketball probably does as well. Although, they need to sellout most of their games to make that happen. Generally speaking, football does help out other athletic teams in regards to funding but those coaches and athletes get an absurd amount of resources that those other sports can't even dream of.
Note: I could off a little on some of these numbers, but not by much. If football or basketball wins, they draw more, this more money to the department. All reports are based off of how the departments report them. That is generally different for each institution.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
My 9/11 Story
As many people all over social media are recalling their experience with the 9/11 tragedy and here is mine. After living in Minnesota for over six years now, my feelings and thoughts regarding what happened that morning haven't changed. The only thing that has changed is the people around me don't seem to have a complete grasp of what happened that day. Just like I don't have a complete of what happened to the people and families that were truly involved.
I had just got done with my 8:00am class at Brockport when I turned on the tv. I tuned to NBC at the time because that is what channel was always on when any of roommates or myself turned on the tv. I literally couldn't believe my eyes as they had a camera on the first World Trade Center Tower after it got it. It all didn't make sense. Then I saw it. The second plane hit the second Tower and I watched it live. At that point I knew it wasn't just some random mistake.
After seeing the second plane, I woke up my roommates and told them what happened. There was no true confirmation from anyone on tv if this was truly a terrorist attack. After waking up my roommates all I could think of was my brother, who was in the Navy in San Diego. I couldn't imagine him actually going to war. My second thought was with my Uncle, who worked at NBC at the time a couple of miles away from the World Trade Center.
Having two family members somewhat involved certainly hits home. I really didn't know how to react. My eyes were glued on the tv until about 2:00pm. At that point, I headed to the gym and saw one of my teammates. His father worked right in the financial district and no one had been able to get in touch with him. A very scary thing for any family. His father ended up being okay but it was definitely scary until he heard from his dad later in the evening.
I didn't mention above but I was in New York City about two weeks before 9/11 while at Yankee Stadium for Dave Winfield Day. Scary to think that only two weeks before I had taken for granted being in one of the greatest cities in the world. On top of that, we traveled as a team in November for a tournament at NYU.
We stayed a few blocks away from where the Towers went down. The area still smelled of burning everything, and it was awful. Every single time we went to our hotel from practice and the games we drove right past the gigantic hole that was formerly where the Towers stood. It was an unreal experience. I didn't want to visit it on foot because I didn't want to relive everything from that day. I was bound to get extremely emotional and since I am a tough guy, I didn't want anyone to see me that way.
A few weeks passed and my father called me. He told me that one of his former player Daryl "Pops" McKinney has passed away after the Towers fell. He also told me that another one of his former players had been late to a meeting and avoided the tragedy. After hearing Daryl had passed, the whole thing hit home hard.
Here is a great story regarding former Boston College lacrosse player, Welles Crowther. BC is honoring him for their football game this weekend. Here is how they are honoring him.
People don't truly realize how fortunate we are to live in the United States. There are certainly things that we don't like but every day we take for granted what we have. This is the greatest country in the world and we are lucky to live in it. On that note, I want everyone to relive one of my favorite moments after the tragedy.
#NeverForget
Gives me goosebumps every time.
I had just got done with my 8:00am class at Brockport when I turned on the tv. I tuned to NBC at the time because that is what channel was always on when any of roommates or myself turned on the tv. I literally couldn't believe my eyes as they had a camera on the first World Trade Center Tower after it got it. It all didn't make sense. Then I saw it. The second plane hit the second Tower and I watched it live. At that point I knew it wasn't just some random mistake.
After seeing the second plane, I woke up my roommates and told them what happened. There was no true confirmation from anyone on tv if this was truly a terrorist attack. After waking up my roommates all I could think of was my brother, who was in the Navy in San Diego. I couldn't imagine him actually going to war. My second thought was with my Uncle, who worked at NBC at the time a couple of miles away from the World Trade Center.
Having two family members somewhat involved certainly hits home. I really didn't know how to react. My eyes were glued on the tv until about 2:00pm. At that point, I headed to the gym and saw one of my teammates. His father worked right in the financial district and no one had been able to get in touch with him. A very scary thing for any family. His father ended up being okay but it was definitely scary until he heard from his dad later in the evening.
I didn't mention above but I was in New York City about two weeks before 9/11 while at Yankee Stadium for Dave Winfield Day. Scary to think that only two weeks before I had taken for granted being in one of the greatest cities in the world. On top of that, we traveled as a team in November for a tournament at NYU.
We stayed a few blocks away from where the Towers went down. The area still smelled of burning everything, and it was awful. Every single time we went to our hotel from practice and the games we drove right past the gigantic hole that was formerly where the Towers stood. It was an unreal experience. I didn't want to visit it on foot because I didn't want to relive everything from that day. I was bound to get extremely emotional and since I am a tough guy, I didn't want anyone to see me that way.
A few weeks passed and my father called me. He told me that one of his former player Daryl "Pops" McKinney has passed away after the Towers fell. He also told me that another one of his former players had been late to a meeting and avoided the tragedy. After hearing Daryl had passed, the whole thing hit home hard.
Here is a great story regarding former Boston College lacrosse player, Welles Crowther. BC is honoring him for their football game this weekend. Here is how they are honoring him.
The #whatsinthebox answer is how #BCFootball14 is going to honor a true hero, Welles Crowther, Saturday #redbandana pic.twitter.com/3eSHO3Vo41
— BCFBEquipment (@BCFBEquipment) September 10, 2014
Helmet stripe for Saturday... #BCFootball14 #redbandanna pic.twitter.com/ENPqOgVqLM
— BCFBEquipment (@BCFBEquipment) September 10, 2014
A look at the nitro cleats for Saturday, and another answer to #whatsinthebox #BCFootball14 #redbandanna pic.twitter.com/xrDSMpi4Uk
— BCFBEquipment (@BCFBEquipment) September 10, 2014
People don't truly realize how fortunate we are to live in the United States. There are certainly things that we don't like but every day we take for granted what we have. This is the greatest country in the world and we are lucky to live in it. On that note, I want everyone to relive one of my favorite moments after the tragedy.
#NeverForget
Gives me goosebumps every time.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Nutrition for Hoops
Over the course of the summer we've seen a few pictures of NBA stars and their excess weight loss and how they hope it lengthens their careers. Both LeBron (before and after) and Carmelo have made major transformations on their body by using the "Paleo" diet. It's a diet that has become popular lately by taking out sugars and grain (there's more to it as well) of your diet.
It's not the first time that NBA stars have gone on a diet like this. The Lakers completely revamped their whole team nutrition a few years ago. Here is the article based off of what they were doing. Interesting to read several of the quotes that the players have on their new "diet."
I have a good friend of mine that has gone on the diet and he lost 18 pounds in a month. It was very effective in getting the results that he wanted. The issue becomes, it's a diet, and it can become extremely difficult to have as strict of a diet like that when traveling constantly like many high school and college players do. NBA player have a team nutritionist that allows them to stay sharp on the diet all the time. It isn't as feasible at the non-professional levels.
The true question becomes, can these players sustain the diet throughout the 82 to 100 game season? I talked to a nutritionist for about two hours about the diet and she didn't think the diet was sustainable during the season. The body needs to get energy from food and if the players' bodies don't have the extra resources to get that energy, they could wear down.
The diet also created an interesting twist for the Lakers. Now, I'm not saying the diet contributed completely to the injuries that the Lakers had but isn't it weird that Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant (could be old age too) all went down with serious injuries after they went on the diet? Again, I'm not an expert on it but I don't think it's coincidence.
It'll be very interesting to see if LeBron and Carmelo try to maintain this diet throughout the NBA season. I would hope that the people they trust gets them to eat some carbohydrates to sustain levels of energy that they will need for the season.
I definitely wouldn't recommend someone in high school using the Paleo diet. The athletes need carbs, especially if they want to gain weight. A great post workout/practice/game snack would be anything with high amounts of protein and carbs within 30 minutes after the activity. This helps with recovery and will give the athlete a chance to sustain the next day. After those 30 minutes, it would be a good idea to get a good meal that includes protein, carbs, and fat.
It's not the first time that NBA stars have gone on a diet like this. The Lakers completely revamped their whole team nutrition a few years ago. Here is the article based off of what they were doing. Interesting to read several of the quotes that the players have on their new "diet."
I have a good friend of mine that has gone on the diet and he lost 18 pounds in a month. It was very effective in getting the results that he wanted. The issue becomes, it's a diet, and it can become extremely difficult to have as strict of a diet like that when traveling constantly like many high school and college players do. NBA player have a team nutritionist that allows them to stay sharp on the diet all the time. It isn't as feasible at the non-professional levels.
The true question becomes, can these players sustain the diet throughout the 82 to 100 game season? I talked to a nutritionist for about two hours about the diet and she didn't think the diet was sustainable during the season. The body needs to get energy from food and if the players' bodies don't have the extra resources to get that energy, they could wear down.
The diet also created an interesting twist for the Lakers. Now, I'm not saying the diet contributed completely to the injuries that the Lakers had but isn't it weird that Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant (could be old age too) all went down with serious injuries after they went on the diet? Again, I'm not an expert on it but I don't think it's coincidence.
It'll be very interesting to see if LeBron and Carmelo try to maintain this diet throughout the NBA season. I would hope that the people they trust gets them to eat some carbohydrates to sustain levels of energy that they will need for the season.
I definitely wouldn't recommend someone in high school using the Paleo diet. The athletes need carbs, especially if they want to gain weight. A great post workout/practice/game snack would be anything with high amounts of protein and carbs within 30 minutes after the activity. This helps with recovery and will give the athlete a chance to sustain the next day. After those 30 minutes, it would be a good idea to get a good meal that includes protein, carbs, and fat.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Grow Up...Physically
The title might sound crazy but it's true. Every single college team wants to fill it's roster with a few big guys. When I say big guys, I mean anyone over 6'5". I don't have any statistical facts but I would bet that prospects that are 6'5" and over have a much better chance of landing scholarship than prospects under 6'5". Why is this? Let's talk about it.
If you look at just about every offense in basketball there is always at least one post player. At the college level, post players are usually 6'5" and taller. There are obviously exceptions to that but it is rare. Another reason to have bigs is because other teams do and you want to simulate what they have in practice, even if you don't use that kind of big on your team.
Let's go ahead and look at a few basketball bluebloods and take a look at their rosters. At Kentucky, ten of their 12 scholarship players are 6'6" or taller. At North Carolina, nine of their 13 scholarship players are 6'5" or taller. At Duke, eight of the their 11 scholarship players are 6'5" or taller. At Florida, eight of their 13 scholarship players are 6'5" or taller. The D2 National Champs, Central Missouri had nine of their 16 players were 6'5" or taller. The D3 National Champs, WI-Whitewater had five of their 16 players were 6'5" or taller.
Even Villanova, who made small ball famous in the mid-2000's and would play 6'3" Randy Foye at power forward had a roster that had six of their 13 players were 6'5" and taller. Most teams have taller wings than what Villanova had but they were still successful because they created major matchup problems for other teams. Still, more than half of their recruited scholarship players were over 6'5".
Just because they have taller players doesn't necessarily mean wins but it doesn't seem to hurt when looking at these teams' rosters. D1 and D2 teams tend to be a little bigger than D3 teams but it's pretty obvious that being tall doesn't hurt your cause when trying to play college basketball.
One thing that having taller guys does to your roster is that it shrinks the floor defensively. What I mean by this, is with height and length on a team, the court seems much smaller to other teams and the gaps that are normally there either aren't there or don't seem as big. Syracuse has always done a great job with 2-3 zone this way and from watching Kentucky in the Bahamas this summer, they will look to do the same this year.
Now, the true question is, why are coaches enamored with guys that are 6'9" and can't walk and chew gum? Every coach thinks they can develop a "big guy" over the course of five years (including their redshirt year). Plus, big guys tend to develop a little bit later than guards/wings do because they still aren't completely comfortable with their bodies yet. Their upside is generally much higher than any guard.
I'll give two other examples from other sports that end up being similar to big guys in basketball. In football, a scholarship to a 5'7" wide receiver is not nearly as likely to a wide receiver that is 6'4". If you make a mistake on a 5'7" receiver, you probably will be ridiculed for it. In baseball, a coach is much more likely to send a scholarship to a 6'5" pitcher rather than a 5'10" one.
If a coach makes a mistake, he is more likely to make a mistake with a big. So...be 6'8" and a potential scholarship offer could come your way. Don't think because you are 6'8" that you are guaranteed to receive a scholarship but it certainly won't hurt.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Fall Signing Period vs. Spring Signing Period
The NCAA has two different signing periods for men's and women's basketball. The first signing period is from November 12-19 and the second signing period is April 15-May 20. There are also a few loopholes around the signing period that every Division One school has an option to use. So let's go over the plusses and minuses off signing during each of the signing periods as well as a few loopholes.
First of all, the National Letter of Intent is what the prospect will sign to lock the prospect to the school for at least the first year of their college career. †his is a legal binding document that gives all the power to the school the prospect signs to. If the prospect hasn't decided where to go until the signing period, then he/she could get several LOI's from each of the schools he/she is considering. It is the prospect's job to send the LOI to the school that they choose. Once it is faxed, the school can report the signing but it isn't official until the school receives the document via the mail.
Fall Signing Period
I believe this period is for any prospect that truly is locked into the school they picked. They have done enough unofficial and official (only get five) visits to have a great understanding of what they are looking for in a school and basketball program as well as a great understanding of the coach at the institution. A lot of prospects will commit at this time because they are truly burned out by the recruiting process at this point and just want to focus on their high school basketball season.
This is also a time to sign when programs have received verbal commitments and all of the prospects' offers have now been given to someone else. Coaches have the tendency to offer numerous prospects at the same position and will give the "first come, first serve" to regards to who gets them. Issues with this arise when the prospect doesn't have as many offers as they originally thought.
There is also a reverse recruitment to what I said above. When a school realizes they don't have a chance to a prospect they will then quickly see if another prospect that plays the same position would have an interest. The the Spring Signing Period is a lot like this and I'll talk about it more later.
Here is a prospect that learned about this process. "Tum Tum" Nairs is a prospect that signed with Michigan State. The only reason he signed with Michigan State was because Coach Izzo thought he had a great shot with Tyus Jones (who signed with Duke) and then he thought he had a great shot with Tyler Ulis (who signed with Kentucky). "Tum Tum" had taken numerous visits before Michigan State even became interested.
I really think that signing in the Fall brings huge stability to a lot of things and is great when the prospect falls in love with the school (not some co-ed they met on the visit).
Spring Signing Period
I truly believe that this is the best period to sign in. Why? There are too many questions during the Fall Signing Period. What will the roster truly look like? Who will be the head coach? Who will be the assistant coaches?
There were 675 transfers this year at the D1 level. That's almost two transfers per school. Some schools have more and some have less. Prospects will have a better understanding of what the next year's depth chart will look like in April/May rather than November.
After the NCAA Tournament ends, there is always a ton of movement with coaches. You have to become keenly aware of that movement and how it affects your decision. Don't you want to play for the head coach that recruited you? What about the assistant that was your main contact throughout the process? It's important to be comfortable at your school and you don't want to be another statistic on the transfer wire. This extra time will also give you a chance to truly watch how the coach interacts with the players as well as get to know the coaches more because you now have more time to.
Another reason why to hold off on signing is that if you hold off, your stock tends to increase throughout the high school season if you played well. Why does your stock increase? There are less scholarships out there and what was considered a low major player now could potentially become a mid to high major player especially if a school struck out on their original targets in the fall period.
Loopholes
One of the biggest loopholes that people don't know about is the Grant In Aid or Financial Aid Papers. This is essentially the Letter of Intent but it binds the school to the prospects instead of the prospect to the school. What that means is that the prospect then has the power rather than the school. Not too many schools will offer this but it happens every once in a whole. Jason Kapono was the first player I ever heard of using it. This is also what transfers use to sign with schools because you can only sing one Letter of Intent.
Here is a perfect example of using the Financial Aid Papers to your advantage brought to you by Kareem Canty, formerly of Marshall University. He decided to transfer after a coaching change at Marshall and originally signed with South Florida and then decided to switch his commitment to Auburn.
D3
There is no Letter of Intent at the D3 level, so if you ever hear about a prospect signing a Letter of Intent, it's a lie. It's basically a deposit to the school. A prospect can actually deposit to several schools as well. A prospect can also get out of a Letter of Intent to a D1 or D2 school by going to a D3 school.
In closing, I don't believe you should sign in the fall unless it's a "dream school" for you. There are just too many question marks to make a decision. The spring period will give a prospect more options.
First of all, the National Letter of Intent is what the prospect will sign to lock the prospect to the school for at least the first year of their college career. †his is a legal binding document that gives all the power to the school the prospect signs to. If the prospect hasn't decided where to go until the signing period, then he/she could get several LOI's from each of the schools he/she is considering. It is the prospect's job to send the LOI to the school that they choose. Once it is faxed, the school can report the signing but it isn't official until the school receives the document via the mail.
Fall Signing Period
I believe this period is for any prospect that truly is locked into the school they picked. They have done enough unofficial and official (only get five) visits to have a great understanding of what they are looking for in a school and basketball program as well as a great understanding of the coach at the institution. A lot of prospects will commit at this time because they are truly burned out by the recruiting process at this point and just want to focus on their high school basketball season.
This is also a time to sign when programs have received verbal commitments and all of the prospects' offers have now been given to someone else. Coaches have the tendency to offer numerous prospects at the same position and will give the "first come, first serve" to regards to who gets them. Issues with this arise when the prospect doesn't have as many offers as they originally thought.
There is also a reverse recruitment to what I said above. When a school realizes they don't have a chance to a prospect they will then quickly see if another prospect that plays the same position would have an interest. The the Spring Signing Period is a lot like this and I'll talk about it more later.
Here is a prospect that learned about this process. "Tum Tum" Nairs is a prospect that signed with Michigan State. The only reason he signed with Michigan State was because Coach Izzo thought he had a great shot with Tyus Jones (who signed with Duke) and then he thought he had a great shot with Tyler Ulis (who signed with Kentucky). "Tum Tum" had taken numerous visits before Michigan State even became interested.
I really think that signing in the Fall brings huge stability to a lot of things and is great when the prospect falls in love with the school (not some co-ed they met on the visit).
Spring Signing Period
I truly believe that this is the best period to sign in. Why? There are too many questions during the Fall Signing Period. What will the roster truly look like? Who will be the head coach? Who will be the assistant coaches?
There were 675 transfers this year at the D1 level. That's almost two transfers per school. Some schools have more and some have less. Prospects will have a better understanding of what the next year's depth chart will look like in April/May rather than November.
After the NCAA Tournament ends, there is always a ton of movement with coaches. You have to become keenly aware of that movement and how it affects your decision. Don't you want to play for the head coach that recruited you? What about the assistant that was your main contact throughout the process? It's important to be comfortable at your school and you don't want to be another statistic on the transfer wire. This extra time will also give you a chance to truly watch how the coach interacts with the players as well as get to know the coaches more because you now have more time to.
Another reason why to hold off on signing is that if you hold off, your stock tends to increase throughout the high school season if you played well. Why does your stock increase? There are less scholarships out there and what was considered a low major player now could potentially become a mid to high major player especially if a school struck out on their original targets in the fall period.
Loopholes
One of the biggest loopholes that people don't know about is the Grant In Aid or Financial Aid Papers. This is essentially the Letter of Intent but it binds the school to the prospects instead of the prospect to the school. What that means is that the prospect then has the power rather than the school. Not too many schools will offer this but it happens every once in a whole. Jason Kapono was the first player I ever heard of using it. This is also what transfers use to sign with schools because you can only sing one Letter of Intent.
Here is a perfect example of using the Financial Aid Papers to your advantage brought to you by Kareem Canty, formerly of Marshall University. He decided to transfer after a coaching change at Marshall and originally signed with South Florida and then decided to switch his commitment to Auburn.
D3
There is no Letter of Intent at the D3 level, so if you ever hear about a prospect signing a Letter of Intent, it's a lie. It's basically a deposit to the school. A prospect can actually deposit to several schools as well. A prospect can also get out of a Letter of Intent to a D1 or D2 school by going to a D3 school.
In closing, I don't believe you should sign in the fall unless it's a "dream school" for you. There are just too many question marks to make a decision. The spring period will give a prospect more options.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Become a Better Coach
I have been fortunate enough to be a part of many different programs at many different levels. I believe that a lot of people make assumptions on different levels based off of rumors and guesses rather than complete knowledge of the subject. I was lucky growing up with my father. He was a high school basketball coach and then a college basketball coach and now back to high school. I got to see a lot of different things at his meetings, practices, and games.
If you really want to get into coaching here are some tips to help. Learn everything you can about your program. That could be everything from parent meetings to how you reserve buses for road games. Most people don't realize that coaches have to deal with all of that stuff on top of coaching the kids. As a head coach of a program, if more than 50% of your job is actually coaching your kids then you have GREAT support staff and assistants.
Become a sponge. Talk to as many people you can about everything basketball. Go to as many clinics and college practices you can. Also, watch basketball on tv. Just don't watch it either, analyze the game you are watching. Don't be a ball watcher.
Write things down. Have a notebook that you keep all your notes in. I didn't do this until seven years and it's a great resource for me when I need something. Looking back on words of wisdom, different sets, and different drills that I've picked up over the years.
The last thing I'll talk about is CONNECT, CONNECT, CONNECT. Meet as many people as you can and try to stay in contact with them as well. The more people you know the better it is for you down the road. It isn't a bad idea to work for someone that you don't know very well in order to expand your own coaching tree. Connecting with different people might not help you immediately but it will probably help you get a job sometime down the road.
If you really want to get into coaching here are some tips to help. Learn everything you can about your program. That could be everything from parent meetings to how you reserve buses for road games. Most people don't realize that coaches have to deal with all of that stuff on top of coaching the kids. As a head coach of a program, if more than 50% of your job is actually coaching your kids then you have GREAT support staff and assistants.
Become a sponge. Talk to as many people you can about everything basketball. Go to as many clinics and college practices you can. Also, watch basketball on tv. Just don't watch it either, analyze the game you are watching. Don't be a ball watcher.
Write things down. Have a notebook that you keep all your notes in. I didn't do this until seven years and it's a great resource for me when I need something. Looking back on words of wisdom, different sets, and different drills that I've picked up over the years.
The last thing I'll talk about is CONNECT, CONNECT, CONNECT. Meet as many people as you can and try to stay in contact with them as well. The more people you know the better it is for you down the road. It isn't a bad idea to work for someone that you don't know very well in order to expand your own coaching tree. Connecting with different people might not help you immediately but it will probably help you get a job sometime down the road.
Connect, connect, connect - the bigger your tree is, the better you are.
Friday, August 22, 2014
St. Thomas to D1....
Over the past six years all I have heard is that St. Thomas (MN) is looking and should make a move to Division I. It would balance out the MIAC a little more because their enrollment is at least double of any other school in the conference. And I will tell you why it doesn't make any sense for them to move from Division III.
They are dominant in the Midwest for D3 in almost all sports. In the past seven years both their men's and women's programs have won the MIAC All-Sports Competition. The men's program has doubled any other program in the MIAC in wins. While the women have more than four times as many wins as any other school.
They perennial have made the NCAA Tournament in football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, to go along with dominance in baseball and softball. Their track and field teams are also really good. Their men's indoor track and field team has won every conference championship the MIAC has offered.
Even with this type of dominance is makes zero sense for them to make the move to D1. Why? They have a GREAT niche here in the Twin Cities with scholarship level athletes. They usually compete with the local D2 schools for their student athletes and that usually means success at the D3 level. I was even told by a D2 head coach that as soon as St. Thomas got involved with a kid they were recruiting that they would back off. That tells you a lot.
Being a Catholic school is also a big draw for many. They basically have their own development programs with local Catholic high schools Cretin-Durham Hall, Hill-Murray, Academy of Holy Angels, St. Thomas Academy, Benilde-St. Margaret and DeLaSalle. Their athletic rosters are littered with kids from those schools. They even will grab the occasional student athlete from Catholic schools in Nebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Now, I don't this as fact but the fish is this big now is that St. Thomas really helps their student athletes when it comes to financial aid packages. With a large enrollment like they have and a large endowment they are able to help most students a lot with the financial aid process. Thus, making it within the rules to help their recruits. I do know one person that was an athlete there that didn't have any loans after college with not a lot of help from his parents. While in high school he was enrolled in a Catholic high school and that probably helped some as well. They may give significant scholarships to students who went to Catholic schools while in high school.
On one side of things "when you are the best player on your block, find another block," but in this situation it doesn't make a ton of sense. They don't really fit into the D2 demographic and moving to D1 doesn't make a ton of sense for them financially. Would they get more donations? Yes and no. A lot of alums really like what they are doing now and why change that. Their teams would take some major lumps during the transition from D3 to D1.
Another thing to keep in mind that not many think about is how will all the scholarships be financed? Will they need to cut sports? What D1 conference fits what they are looking for? What facility upgrades need to happen? If so, where do they go? What level do they play at in football, FCS or FBS? Will they have to make coaching changes? How much more do they have to pay their coaches? How many more people do they need to hire within the athletic department to make it work?
There are just too many questions to deal with. I'm sure other schools in the MIAC would love they they were gone but staying at D3 makes the most sense for now and the future.
They are dominant in the Midwest for D3 in almost all sports. In the past seven years both their men's and women's programs have won the MIAC All-Sports Competition. The men's program has doubled any other program in the MIAC in wins. While the women have more than four times as many wins as any other school.
They perennial have made the NCAA Tournament in football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, to go along with dominance in baseball and softball. Their track and field teams are also really good. Their men's indoor track and field team has won every conference championship the MIAC has offered.
Even with this type of dominance is makes zero sense for them to make the move to D1. Why? They have a GREAT niche here in the Twin Cities with scholarship level athletes. They usually compete with the local D2 schools for their student athletes and that usually means success at the D3 level. I was even told by a D2 head coach that as soon as St. Thomas got involved with a kid they were recruiting that they would back off. That tells you a lot.
Being a Catholic school is also a big draw for many. They basically have their own development programs with local Catholic high schools Cretin-Durham Hall, Hill-Murray, Academy of Holy Angels, St. Thomas Academy, Benilde-St. Margaret and DeLaSalle. Their athletic rosters are littered with kids from those schools. They even will grab the occasional student athlete from Catholic schools in Nebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Now, I don't this as fact but the fish is this big now is that St. Thomas really helps their student athletes when it comes to financial aid packages. With a large enrollment like they have and a large endowment they are able to help most students a lot with the financial aid process. Thus, making it within the rules to help their recruits. I do know one person that was an athlete there that didn't have any loans after college with not a lot of help from his parents. While in high school he was enrolled in a Catholic high school and that probably helped some as well. They may give significant scholarships to students who went to Catholic schools while in high school.
On one side of things "when you are the best player on your block, find another block," but in this situation it doesn't make a ton of sense. They don't really fit into the D2 demographic and moving to D1 doesn't make a ton of sense for them financially. Would they get more donations? Yes and no. A lot of alums really like what they are doing now and why change that. Their teams would take some major lumps during the transition from D3 to D1.
Another thing to keep in mind that not many think about is how will all the scholarships be financed? Will they need to cut sports? What D1 conference fits what they are looking for? What facility upgrades need to happen? If so, where do they go? What level do they play at in football, FCS or FBS? Will they have to make coaching changes? How much more do they have to pay their coaches? How many more people do they need to hire within the athletic department to make it work?
There are just too many questions to deal with. I'm sure other schools in the MIAC would love they they were gone but staying at D3 makes the most sense for now and the future.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Playing Zone
Every year Syracuse does well, a bunch of coaches decide that they are going to play 2-3 zone exclusively for their high school or college program. In theory, it's a great idea. How many teams play nothing but zone for a whole game? How many teams work on nothing but playing against a zone all week in practice? I would say very few and a few teams do because they want to be prepared but their whole practice isn't based on the zone.
Here are some things that I really like about playing zone.
It changes the pace of the game. The offensive team is forced to slow down and actually look for a decent shot instead of immediately forcing the ball down the defenses throat. Here in Minnesota, Shakopee HS plays nothing but 2-3 zone and it has forced other teams to slow down and be very deliberate, just the way Shakopee wants to play. Win for the zone team.
Playing zone also makes the offense stagnant. With the dribble drive (or offenses similar) becoming more and more popular among coaches, the defense wants to give the offense a change of pace. The constant movement isn't there anymore. There are generally two to three guys standing still and that's exactly what the zone is supposed to do.
The last thing a zone does is force certain players to make decisions and shots from areas they generally aren't comfortable at. This is a huge positive for the defense because not all coaches want their bigs to be the focal part of their offense.
I really like zones and a bunch of different zones but a lot of it depends on personnel. I think that too many coaches will get out of their zone because the offense scored on the first or second possession. Just because a team scores doesn't necessarily mean that they have the zone figured out. Stick with it for a little longer and if they continue to get great shots then it's time to get out of it, but not after one or two possessions. Imagine if coaches got out of their man to man when scored on for two straight possessions.
Here are some things that I really like about playing zone.
It changes the pace of the game. The offensive team is forced to slow down and actually look for a decent shot instead of immediately forcing the ball down the defenses throat. Here in Minnesota, Shakopee HS plays nothing but 2-3 zone and it has forced other teams to slow down and be very deliberate, just the way Shakopee wants to play. Win for the zone team.
Playing zone also makes the offense stagnant. With the dribble drive (or offenses similar) becoming more and more popular among coaches, the defense wants to give the offense a change of pace. The constant movement isn't there anymore. There are generally two to three guys standing still and that's exactly what the zone is supposed to do.
The last thing a zone does is force certain players to make decisions and shots from areas they generally aren't comfortable at. This is a huge positive for the defense because not all coaches want their bigs to be the focal part of their offense.
I really like zones and a bunch of different zones but a lot of it depends on personnel. I think that too many coaches will get out of their zone because the offense scored on the first or second possession. Just because a team scores doesn't necessarily mean that they have the zone figured out. Stick with it for a little longer and if they continue to get great shots then it's time to get out of it, but not after one or two possessions. Imagine if coaches got out of their man to man when scored on for two straight possessions.
National Team Selection
Here's my rundown of the US National Team. This is what my team would look like without knowing anything as far as practice goes. Remember that it's extremely tough to completely evaluate a team without seeing practice. My analysis is completely based on what I've seen from each player for the respective college and NBA careers and how I see them fit into the international game.
IN
Derrick Rose - Even with his previous injury, he is a game changer and has shown that in previous international competitions. Not sure he can play in all of the games and that's what makes other potential roster spots interesting.
Stephen Curry - Can play either guard position and is a lights out shooter. Understands the international game and is a zone buster. No brainer.
James Harden - Is apparently the best player in the NBA, or at least according to him. Has he watched film of his defense? He is another guy that can stretch the floor and will get to the line a ton.
Anthony Davis - Too much length, too much athleticism, too good. He has gotten so much better and it looks like he is stretching his range out to 3 now. He will play the 5 but he is moving closer to playing the 4 as well.
DeMarcus Cousins - He is obviously immature but he is a MONSTER. He looks video game sized in the game vs. Dominican Republic. He can handle international bigs and will be a major threat on the offensive end.
Klay Thompson - Knock down shooter and has capability to knock down mid-range shots as well. Very good defender, can cover either guard position.
Kyle Korver - Knock down shooter and everyone knows it. He will space the floor and give the US guards room to get in the paint. Zone buster.
Kyrie Irving - He is extremely talented and a Coach K favorite. He has to be an energy guy off the bench and will play big minutes if Rose can't.
Chandler Parsons - Natural 3 but in international play is a stretch 4. He played internationally before the NBA lockout and has a good understanding of the international game. He would be Rudy Gay's backup and I don't see him playing a ton of minutes.
Rudy Gay - They brought him back for a reason. He, much like Parsons is a 3 but internationally is a 4. He has a lot of international experience and is a lock for the team.
Andre Drummond - Another monster. He is a huge presence inside and is a threat in transition, which the US thrives. He can't play crunch time minutes because his foul shooting is so poor but is a good 3rd big and could play against Spain.
Demar Derozan - He has really surprised me during the first two exhibition games. He is my last roster spot only because I think Rose plays significant minutes. He is a NBA "2" and could play that or the 3 in international play. He can space the floor and has the length to defend the wings.
OUT
Kenneth Faried - Love the way he plays and he looks like a lock to make the team at this point but I don't think he fits at all. He can't make anything outside of 10 feet and can't defend the international four.
Damien Lillard - Really like his game and I personally feel he is better than Irving but Lillard didn't play at Duke. If Rose can't go then Lillard is on the squad and I could see him playing significant minutes but I don't see it now. Roster spot was down to him and Derozan.
Mason Plumlee - Another Dukie who had a great rookie year. I like him for the future but he isn't ready yet. I don't believe he has any experience internationally either. He could have a spot over Drummond because Coach K is more comfortable with him.
Gordon Hayward - Basically the same player as Parsons but doesn't have as much international experience. Already have Gay as well. Just isn't enough room for him. Another good player for the future.
Here is the roster I think Coach K goes with:
Rose
Curry
Harden
Faried
Davis
Irving
Thompson
Gay
Korver
Parsons
Cousins
Plumlee
IN
Derrick Rose - Even with his previous injury, he is a game changer and has shown that in previous international competitions. Not sure he can play in all of the games and that's what makes other potential roster spots interesting.
Stephen Curry - Can play either guard position and is a lights out shooter. Understands the international game and is a zone buster. No brainer.
James Harden - Is apparently the best player in the NBA, or at least according to him. Has he watched film of his defense? He is another guy that can stretch the floor and will get to the line a ton.
Anthony Davis - Too much length, too much athleticism, too good. He has gotten so much better and it looks like he is stretching his range out to 3 now. He will play the 5 but he is moving closer to playing the 4 as well.
DeMarcus Cousins - He is obviously immature but he is a MONSTER. He looks video game sized in the game vs. Dominican Republic. He can handle international bigs and will be a major threat on the offensive end.
Klay Thompson - Knock down shooter and has capability to knock down mid-range shots as well. Very good defender, can cover either guard position.
Kyle Korver - Knock down shooter and everyone knows it. He will space the floor and give the US guards room to get in the paint. Zone buster.
Kyrie Irving - He is extremely talented and a Coach K favorite. He has to be an energy guy off the bench and will play big minutes if Rose can't.
Chandler Parsons - Natural 3 but in international play is a stretch 4. He played internationally before the NBA lockout and has a good understanding of the international game. He would be Rudy Gay's backup and I don't see him playing a ton of minutes.
Rudy Gay - They brought him back for a reason. He, much like Parsons is a 3 but internationally is a 4. He has a lot of international experience and is a lock for the team.
Andre Drummond - Another monster. He is a huge presence inside and is a threat in transition, which the US thrives. He can't play crunch time minutes because his foul shooting is so poor but is a good 3rd big and could play against Spain.
Demar Derozan - He has really surprised me during the first two exhibition games. He is my last roster spot only because I think Rose plays significant minutes. He is a NBA "2" and could play that or the 3 in international play. He can space the floor and has the length to defend the wings.
OUT
Kenneth Faried - Love the way he plays and he looks like a lock to make the team at this point but I don't think he fits at all. He can't make anything outside of 10 feet and can't defend the international four.
Damien Lillard - Really like his game and I personally feel he is better than Irving but Lillard didn't play at Duke. If Rose can't go then Lillard is on the squad and I could see him playing significant minutes but I don't see it now. Roster spot was down to him and Derozan.
Mason Plumlee - Another Dukie who had a great rookie year. I like him for the future but he isn't ready yet. I don't believe he has any experience internationally either. He could have a spot over Drummond because Coach K is more comfortable with him.
Gordon Hayward - Basically the same player as Parsons but doesn't have as much international experience. Already have Gay as well. Just isn't enough room for him. Another good player for the future.
Here is the roster I think Coach K goes with:
Rose
Curry
Harden
Faried
Davis
Irving
Thompson
Gay
Korver
Parsons
Cousins
Plumlee
Be Great
Every day you should make an effort to be great. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be the best every day but be great for you. There are times when your best still isn't good enough for everyone else but it shouldn't matter as long as you were great for you.
I'll take the comparison to sports. There are times when coaches realize quickly that their teams are overmatched but they compete to their best of their abilities during a game. You can't fault the effort but the other team is simply better. Your team was great that day even though the team didn't win the game. I know every one wants more but sometimes that isn't realistic.
There are times when a team seems overmatched athletically and talent wise yet, figures out a way. A great example is when Villanova beat Georgetown in the 1985 National Championship Game. Villanova was great that day and essentially forced a dominant Georgetown team. Another example is Princeton upsetting defending National Champion UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And we can't forget about Boise State beating heavily favored Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
There are also other times when your team is great yet the team falls just short. Perfect examples of this are:
UCLA over Missouri. Missouri played great that day but UCLA had an answer and here it is.
Florida's Mike Miller makes a tough buzzer beater to take down Butler. This was our first true introduction to Butler
There are also times when a team is great for a half and then can't hang on during the second half. A good example of that is West Virginia during their Elite 8 game vs. Louisville when it seemed like they couldn't miss in the first half. The below video is the whole game. You don't have to watch the whole thing but it's interesting to see WVU be great in the first half and then Louisville be great in the second.
Whatever you do, be great for you. Things tend to work out for people that try to be great every day.
I'll take the comparison to sports. There are times when coaches realize quickly that their teams are overmatched but they compete to their best of their abilities during a game. You can't fault the effort but the other team is simply better. Your team was great that day even though the team didn't win the game. I know every one wants more but sometimes that isn't realistic.
There are times when a team seems overmatched athletically and talent wise yet, figures out a way. A great example is when Villanova beat Georgetown in the 1985 National Championship Game. Villanova was great that day and essentially forced a dominant Georgetown team. Another example is Princeton upsetting defending National Champion UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And we can't forget about Boise State beating heavily favored Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
There are also other times when your team is great yet the team falls just short. Perfect examples of this are:
UCLA over Missouri. Missouri played great that day but UCLA had an answer and here it is.
Florida's Mike Miller makes a tough buzzer beater to take down Butler. This was our first true introduction to Butler
There are also times when a team is great for a half and then can't hang on during the second half. A good example of that is West Virginia during their Elite 8 game vs. Louisville when it seemed like they couldn't miss in the first half. The below video is the whole game. You don't have to watch the whole thing but it's interesting to see WVU be great in the first half and then Louisville be great in the second.
Whatever you do, be great for you. Things tend to work out for people that try to be great every day.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Good vs. Great Shots
I am a huge preacher of getting GREAT shots every single possession. I know it isn't always feasible but with the high school rules in Minnesota (no shot clock) why would ever not take a great shot. I am certainly not saying that players will make every single great shot but the percentages increase drastically when you go from good to great.
What is a great shot?
A great shot is a lay-up or a dunk. It is also most inside-out 3's. There are also great shots for certain individuals. The reason I say this is because certain guys have a knack for making certain shots that are difficult for most.
The main shot I am talking about in this situation is a pull-up jumper. Now, according to the new analytic thinking, anything mid-range is considered a bad shot. I disagree. If one of your players has really worked on that shot, that shot can become a great weapon. Again, it's not a shot for everyone. If a player can make that shot 50%-60% of the time, it still is a great shot. Only if a few things occur. Those things are getting a few reversals on the offensive end to force the defense to shift. The more times the defense is forced to closeout, then the chances of them increase of not being able to get a good contest on the shot. And that's what you want, an uncontested look.
Last season, we tracked our shooting percentage for when we got a paint touch and when we didn't. The stats are crazy. We shot right around 63% with a paint touch and in the mid-30% when we didn't. All that stat says that good things tend to happen when someone gets a touch in the paint. That's why inside-out shots become great shots.
What is a great shot?
A great shot is a lay-up or a dunk. It is also most inside-out 3's. There are also great shots for certain individuals. The reason I say this is because certain guys have a knack for making certain shots that are difficult for most.
The main shot I am talking about in this situation is a pull-up jumper. Now, according to the new analytic thinking, anything mid-range is considered a bad shot. I disagree. If one of your players has really worked on that shot, that shot can become a great weapon. Again, it's not a shot for everyone. If a player can make that shot 50%-60% of the time, it still is a great shot. Only if a few things occur. Those things are getting a few reversals on the offensive end to force the defense to shift. The more times the defense is forced to closeout, then the chances of them increase of not being able to get a good contest on the shot. And that's what you want, an uncontested look.
Last season, we tracked our shooting percentage for when we got a paint touch and when we didn't. The stats are crazy. We shot right around 63% with a paint touch and in the mid-30% when we didn't. All that stat says that good things tend to happen when someone gets a touch in the paint. That's why inside-out shots become great shots.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Take a Basketball Break
Throughout the course of the year, if a kid completely concentrates on basketball, he/she is bound to develop some type of injury. There just isn't enough time for the their bodies to rest. I believe there needs to be a change because they NEED a break.
Over the course of a year a good high school player will compete in roughly 25-30 high school games and 40-50 AAU games. If you add in 40-50 high school practices (I think that's right, might be a little high) to go along with 20+ AAU practices. I can't forget about potential summer or fall league with their high school team which gives them roughly 20 more games. Think about all those numbers again. Over the course of a year they are playing in roughly 100 games to go along with 60+ practices. On top of that, many of their own skill trainers that they work with during the spring, summer, and fall. That'a a ton of basketball for developing bodies.
My biggest concern is burnout. I've seen several players that just get sick of playing when they get to college or during college because they are "forced" to play so much. It just isn't fun anymore.
Another huge concern is overuse injuries. You look at a lot of middle school or high school players and they are completely concentrating on basketball (or another sport) at a very young age. That just isn't good for their bodies, especially when they are still growing physically. That is also the reason why you are seeing more and more stress reactions/fractures, back injuries, and knee issues in younger athletes. Their bodies can't take the same consistent pounding of one sport over and over.
They need other sports in order for their body to adjust and do different movements. Even if the sports are similar there are slightly different movements that will help with development. And college coaches also like to see athletes play multiple sports in high school. Why? They know that when the athletes actually concentrate on one sport they will develop even more once they get to college.
Even if you concentrate on one sport as a high school athlete you need to take several breaks throughout the year in order for your body to recover. As my wonderful wife would say, take a "zero week" because your body needs a break. It just isn't healthy going non-stop from November to July.
You can look at college basketball for a perfect example of concentrating too much on basketball. That perfect example is Kevin Ware, formerly of Louisville, and his broken leg. He landed on his foot like any player would throughout the course of a game, but his leg snapped. He had a stress fracture in his lower leg that was ignored for months. Legs don't break like that on a play like that if he didn't.
As far as I know, Ware was a prep basketball star that didn't play another sport in high school. He was constantly on the go for his high school team and then AAU team. He then went immediately to college and is consistently pounding on his legs for a few more years. He didn't take much of a break or one at all.
If you look at the top high school players in the country and they go non-stop from November (or whenever their HS season starts) until the end of August. There's the high school season, AAU from April to July, then the All-Star circuit in August, which players in Minnesota just got involved with. Potentially, there is open gyms multiple times in a week during the fall and we go right back into the high school season.
Kids need a break and us, as coaches, need to enforce that. And a break shouldn't consist of just a weekend. They should take at least a week off multiple times a year in order to rest their bodies.
Over the course of a year a good high school player will compete in roughly 25-30 high school games and 40-50 AAU games. If you add in 40-50 high school practices (I think that's right, might be a little high) to go along with 20+ AAU practices. I can't forget about potential summer or fall league with their high school team which gives them roughly 20 more games. Think about all those numbers again. Over the course of a year they are playing in roughly 100 games to go along with 60+ practices. On top of that, many of their own skill trainers that they work with during the spring, summer, and fall. That'a a ton of basketball for developing bodies.
My biggest concern is burnout. I've seen several players that just get sick of playing when they get to college or during college because they are "forced" to play so much. It just isn't fun anymore.
Another huge concern is overuse injuries. You look at a lot of middle school or high school players and they are completely concentrating on basketball (or another sport) at a very young age. That just isn't good for their bodies, especially when they are still growing physically. That is also the reason why you are seeing more and more stress reactions/fractures, back injuries, and knee issues in younger athletes. Their bodies can't take the same consistent pounding of one sport over and over.
They need other sports in order for their body to adjust and do different movements. Even if the sports are similar there are slightly different movements that will help with development. And college coaches also like to see athletes play multiple sports in high school. Why? They know that when the athletes actually concentrate on one sport they will develop even more once they get to college.
Even if you concentrate on one sport as a high school athlete you need to take several breaks throughout the year in order for your body to recover. As my wonderful wife would say, take a "zero week" because your body needs a break. It just isn't healthy going non-stop from November to July.
You can look at college basketball for a perfect example of concentrating too much on basketball. That perfect example is Kevin Ware, formerly of Louisville, and his broken leg. He landed on his foot like any player would throughout the course of a game, but his leg snapped. He had a stress fracture in his lower leg that was ignored for months. Legs don't break like that on a play like that if he didn't.
As far as I know, Ware was a prep basketball star that didn't play another sport in high school. He was constantly on the go for his high school team and then AAU team. He then went immediately to college and is consistently pounding on his legs for a few more years. He didn't take much of a break or one at all.
If you look at the top high school players in the country and they go non-stop from November (or whenever their HS season starts) until the end of August. There's the high school season, AAU from April to July, then the All-Star circuit in August, which players in Minnesota just got involved with. Potentially, there is open gyms multiple times in a week during the fall and we go right back into the high school season.
Kids need a break and us, as coaches, need to enforce that. And a break shouldn't consist of just a weekend. They should take at least a week off multiple times a year in order to rest their bodies.
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