Some thoughts from Dick Bennett

Thoughts from Bennett and Wooden

Dick Bennett’s Five Biblical Concepts

1. Don’t be lukewarm.

a. Don’t be spit out of someone’s mouth like lukewarm water.

b. Be passionate about things that matter.

c. Maintain an individual and team hunger.

2. Have the mentality of a servant.

a. Always look for an opportunity to serve.

b. It’s best to serve when you expect nothing in return.

3. Understand and practice humility.

a. James 3:13

b. Consider others better than yourself.

4. Never let the sun go down without resolving all bad situations.

            a. Say what needs to be said now, and then get on with your life.

            b. Don’t let pride hold you back-say you’re sorry.

            c. Live today with the assumption that it will be your last.

5. Maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.

            a. Be thankful for what you have.  Don’t waste time on jealousy.

            b. Consider every situation to be an opportunity for growth.

---Wash your hands of success.

---Success softens, deludes and weakens.

John Wooden

“The way to improve the team is to improve ourselves.” 

“I learned more coaching the year I had the worst record.”

“Do what you are supposed to and success will follow.”

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

“Teach the game, then let them play. Don’t over control.”

“The purpose of discipline is to correct, not punish.”

“I lost my temper but I never lost control.”

“Pay more attention to lesser players in practice.”

“Today’s coaches are too concerned with winning, I never talked about winning.  We played against our capabilities.”

“Don’t mistake activity for achievement.”

• Wooden’s Four Laws of Learning:” Explanation. Demonstration. Correction. Repetition.”

“Master the familiar.”

“Follow criticism with praise.”

“The best teacher is repetition, day after day.”

“Practice always against pressure.”

“Patience means sticking to your game plan.”

Thoughts From Dick Bennett

• Learned everything through trial and error. Early on most of it failed.  You learn the most out of failure, if you can persist through it.
• "Men who achieve greatness do not work more complexly than the average man, but more simply In dealing with complex problems, with the simplicity that is natural to him he goes directly to the point, unaffected by the confusion of details in which another man would have lost himself."
• Recommended “War” by Sebastian Junger
• Collective defense can be so compelling-so addictive, in fact- that eventually it becomes the rationale for why the group exists in the first place. I think almost every man at Restrepo secretly hoped he enemy would make a seriously try at overrunning the place before the deployment came to an end. It was everyone’s worst nightmare but also the thing they hoped for most, some ultimate demonstration of the bond and fighting ability of the men”  From WAR by Junger
• Used this quote to talk about a defensive identity of a team
• If you can have a defensive identity then you will enjoy more success then you ever have before.
• Game Coaching-He was always up when they were on defense because he felt his players needed great motivation from the coaches.  Especially on the road
• Stay on top of the defense and let the offense take care of itself. (Cant be in their ear offensively)
• Wanted to make teams play offense for as long as possible, because offense wants to score as quickly as possible.

10 CONCEPTS

1. Eliminate Losing—What causes you to lose games?  Offensive rebounds, fouls, turnovers, lack of hustle…
2. Choose Personnel wisely—It’s a team game and everyone must put the team 1^st.  More enjoyable to coach & in the long run will make you more successful.  Can’t rehabilitate players at the college level. 
3. Importance of emphasis—Emphasize what matters most to you.  What is important to you?  It’s not what you know, its what THEY (your players) know
4. Players must understand

      -Anticipation is to defense as reaction is to offense

      -Getting Back is to defense as taking care of the all is to Offense

      -Protecting the lane is to defense as Penetration is to offense

5.   Rebounding, loose balls, and turnovers are the X factors—IF you chart 1 thing             it should be these things.  Difference between winning and losing.

6.   Need Non-Negotiatbles—Getting Back on Defense & Sureness with the ball.

7.   Offense must offer sound ball handling potential and an inside/outside             scoring potential.   BALANCE

8.   Quality is the standard of measurement… Evaluate Accordingly—“Don’t        accept in victory, what you wouldn’t in defeat.”  Have a standard

9.   Have an identity.

10. Which Character traits are important to you and your team?

• Everything you do and say has to be teachable
• Recruit/develop people of character
• Core Values: Servanthood, passion factor, humility, Unity (the ultimate test of how we play)
• Unity isn’t during team activities its evident on roadtrips when playing time is handed out.  Talk about unity and insist on it!
• “Are you gonna get up” talking about after a loss or a setback.
• Be thankful for defeats because you can learn more from them.

Following is from his last year at Washington State

Defense

·         Get back

·         Set our D

·         Pressure the ball

·         Pack off the ball (1 +4) 1 on ball, plus 4 their to help

·         Block out and rebound

·         Change the game on Defense

       Offense

·         Catch & Pass with Sureness

·         Run hard when we run

·         Break the defense down (Screens, Cuts, Pass, Dribble)

·         Take good shots

·         Get back or get an offensive rebound

        Characteristics

·         We will be humble

·         We will be passionate

·         We will be unified

·         We will be servants

·         We will be thankful

Leadership & Friendship Thoughts From Dick Bennett

I am stealing this blog post from Greg Brown at UCF.  There is a link to his blog on the bottom of my homepage. He has some great thoughts!

One of the challenges we face with our team in teaching leadership is the concept of holding each other accountable. Too many times our players know what to do, but hesitate in "calling someone out" for fear of how they might react.

I have been re-reading Dick Bennett's book and he spoke to this exact concept:

From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on “Friendship”

There are two elements that go to the composition of friendship. One is truth. A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. The other element is tenderness {love}. When a man becomes dear to me, I have touched the goal of fortune.

Dick Bennett to his Wisconsin team:

“It is amazing how close you guys are off the floor. You really like each other. But the thing you lack for one another is a real love. You do not love one another to the point where you will say the things that need to be said, because you do not want to ruffle each other’s feathers. Well, that is just not good enough…I do not wish to treat friendship daintily, but with roughest courage…If you truly loved one another, you would make each other do what has to be done. In this case, you would chase each other down if someone was going to be late for a meal. You can’t always be best buddies and look the other way. Sometimes love is not always kind, it is tough. Until you experience that, you will not come together for a single purpose.