Don Meyer Thoughts

 The three items below are thoughts we believe will be of value to coaches, players, and teams. 

     How To Avoid Grievances contains thoughts written by Coach John Wooden in a book called the Art of Living by Wilferd Peterson.  Coach Wooden has many thoughts inscribed in the book but these were some we thought would mean the most to coaches and players.  This book is on our top five list of books we suggest all coaches purchase.  To find the other four go to our website www.coachmeyer.com and punch the coaches corner and go to the must read book section of the coaches corner.

     The Mundanities of Excellence was taken from a clinic given by Paul Patterson of Taylor University at Valparaiso University.

Each fall Coach Keith Freeman and Coach Steve Bruce host a clinic for coaches and each year it is different in it's approach.

Coach Patterson is one of the finest coaches and men that I have ever had the chance to compete against and learn from.

His teams always exceed expectations and he does a better job out of getting more from less than any coach I know.

     The Creed of the Pack is a statement by the players on our 2002-2003 Wolves Basketball Team as to what is important to them and what they stand for.  Until a team can define WHAT'S US & WHAT'S NOT US it will never really have an identity.

Many of the basic thoughts for this creed come from 1st Corinthians 13:1-8. 

     Each of the three items in the newsletter speak in some way to team building.  There are basicall three things a coach does at any level.                      

                                      1)  Recruit

                                      2)  Team Build

                                      3)  Skill Development

We recruit when get the gym open in the evenings, on Saturdays, in the summer, and make our program special and unique.

Team building is an every day job and is the biggest thing we can ever do for the individuals in our programs.  Getting them involved in something bigger than themselves will teach lessons that will last a lifetime.  Skill development involves the fundamentals of the game on both ends of the floor and the mental approach to take the individual skills and perform them properly and quickly for the good of the team.

     We believe that there are four things essential for team building.     

                                                                                     1)   SHARED OWNERSHIP

                                                                                     2)   SHARED SUFFERING

                                                                                     3)   INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

                                                                                     4)   COLLECTIVE PRIDE

    The reason we like our Creed of the Pack is because it is our players.  They worked through it together and they own it.

Any time we can have our players lead by the veterans on our team make decisions we find that those decisions are well thought out and followed with a greater commitment because they own those ideas and decisions.   No, we don't let them drive the bus but we let them help decide how we will feed the team, warm-up before a game, clean up the locker room on the road, and clean up the bus when we get home.

     Shared suffering is key because it pulls us all together.  It is always we, us, and our vs. me, my and mine.  It is our team vs. my time.  The tough tasks and times in life teach the best and longest remembered lessons.  The strength gained by helping and carrying a teammate through tough times helps many a player when he encounters tough situations with his life and/or family.

     The only time we like to use the word individual in our program is when the word responsibility is tacked on the end of it.

We must all be accountable for our attitude and effort for the program to succeed.  This starts with the coaches and then on down from the internal leadership of your team to the rawest rookie.  We would like for each man to be his own captain.   We stress buddy work and buddy coaching with veterans responsible for one or two rookies but each player is ultimately responsible for the work ethic, work habits, and choices he makes on and off the floor.

     Collective pride simply means that team success is what gives us pride.  There is a saying I am fond of that says, "The only thing that can save us is humility".  In looking at the Creed of the Pack the word proud scared me some until I realized that the pride in the pack was an outgrowth of service and unselfish acts of  love listed in the lines above.

     HOW TO AVOID GRIEVANCES

1.   Get all the facts:  what went wrong…not who is to blame.

2.   Stay Calm:  find the solution together.  Do not permit emotion to take  

over.  Reason

3.   Criticize in private:  Listen if you want to be heard.  Disagree without being disagreeable.

4.   Commend before and perhaps after you criticize.  Help save face. 

5.   Keep your criticism constructive.

-Criticism is to correct, help, improve and prevent…not to punish.

-Treat all people with dignity and respect

When in charge; ponder

When in trouble; delegate

When in doubt; mumble

Looking back it seems to me

All the grief that had to be

Left me when the pain was ‘oer

Stronger than I had been before.

Handwritten inserts in John Wooden’s copy of THE ART OF LIVING

By Wilferd Peterson

The copy is forty years old.

CHAMPIONS AND THE MUNDANITY OF EXCELLENCE

Mundane:  Ordinary

Excellence:  Consistently Superior Performance

WHEN LEVELS CHANGE, DEMANDS CHANGE

The changes required to move to a higher level of performance are not quantitative. 

They are QUALITATIVE.

Higher Quality.  Much, Much, Higher Quality.

There is no surplus of quality

QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCES TO PRODUCE EXCELLENCE

1.   TECHNIQUE

Champions are ordinary people who do ordinary things extraordinarily well.

2.   DISCIPLINE

Make the practice like games, and the games like practices. 

Coach’s job is to replicate game situations in practice…  Joe Paterno

3.   ATTITUDE OF A CHAMPION

What are they eager to do?  Not willing but eager is the key.

Champions don’t look at it as a sacrifice.  Champions choose to live as champions.

CHAMPIONS BECOME CHAMPIONS BECAUSE THEY DO WHAT CHAMPIONS HAVE TO DO!

Dick Bennett Thoughts

These notes are from a clinic at UW-Green Bay that I was at.  Listening to Coach Bennett is always a learning experience!

 

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

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.”

Nick Saban process

The scoreboard has nothing to do with the process. Each possession you look across at the opponent and commit yourself to dominate that person. It’s about individuals dominating the individuals they’re playing against. If you can do this…if you can focus on the one possession and wipe out the distractions…then you will be satisfied with the result.

Thoughts from Bob Hurley

Coach Hurley uses an acronym with his team PRIDE
• Preparation
◦ Must practice every situation that can occur in a game
◦ Team gains confidence from knowing that there is nothing that will happen in a game that they are
not prepared for
◦ Last two years in big moments in the state playoffs they have called timeout in front of their bench
and successfully run a sideline out of bounds play that they have rehearsed
• Repetition
◦ Must practice the fundamentals every day
◦ Coach Wooden made his teams execute fundamentals daily in painstaking detail
• Imitation
◦ If you see something that you like and it fits your style, use it
◦ Coach Hurley traveled to California to learn more about a zone defense that he saw and liked
◦ He used it two years ago in the States to help beat St. Patrick's
◦ Coach Parcells – have every coach say something positive to every player during the first fifteen
minutes of practice
• Defense
◦ In order to be successful your team must be committed to playing good defense
• Enthusiasm
◦ You must coach with passion
◦ Players need to see you are passionate and enthusiastic about what you are doing
◦ Your passion and enthusiasm will be contagious
• Social Media
◦ Coach Hurley's daughter monitors his current and former player's Facebook posts
◦ She makes sure that the players posts are appropriate and will not get them into trouble
◦ Coach Hurley requires his players to friend her

The Warrior-Pat riley

"Each warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on the important acts he touches.  This is not the voice of ego but the human spirit, rising up and declaring that is has something to contribute.  In every contest, there comes a moment that separates winning from losing.  The true warrior understands and seizes the moment by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive that if could only be called one from the heart."

-Pat Riley

16 keys to running a set play

From Xavier newsletter
Tip #1 - Stress execution
The reason that set plays work so well is that you have the opportunity to practice them ahead of time. However, if you don’t stress execution and make sure your players are doing things correctly, then your plays will be lack luster. You’ll need to make sure that your players are setting solid screens, rubbing off screens shoulder to shoulder, setting up their man before the screen, cutting quickly to the basket, and soon.

Tip #2 - Stress concentration
Again, the reason set plays can be effective is because they can be practiced and executed to near perfection. This means your players really need to concentrate to run it correctly. The concentration starts in your practices and continues into games.

Tip #3 - Make sure players know their roles
If the key to a certain play is to have a screener that jab steps to set up their man and set a solid back screen, make sure they know their job. It takes five players all working together to make the play successful. As always, communicating with your players and letting them know their roles makes you more successful. This gets your players to take ownership, feel more involved, and improve the execution of your plays.

Tip #4 - Timing
Timing is critical in order to run plays effectively. It can also be one of the trickiest things for coaches and players to master. If your screener leaves too early, then your shooter will be open before the ball gets to them. And by the times the ball arrives, the defense has already recovered and the open shot is gone! You’ll need to constantly monitor and be aware of your timing.

Tip #5 - Practice
The recurring theme to all these tips revolves around practice. Practice is where points are scored. You should continually practice and refine your plays so your players know their roles, fundamentals, and everything so they can run the play in their sleep. Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Tip #6 - Run your plays for the right people
Great coaches get the ball in the hands of the players at the right time so they can succeed. At the end of the game, you might want to get the ball in the hands of your best player. Or perhaps you’ll want to position your players on their favorite side of the floor. Bottom line, your plays have to fit your players.

Tip #7 - Maintain good spacing
Plenty of spacing between your players is important because it keeps the defense honest and spread out – so your offense has more room to cut and drive to the basket. It’s much easier to play good defense against a team that has their players bunched together because there’s less ground to cover. That’s why almost all the successful coaches stress good spacing. Not only does it give you more scoring opportunities, but it prevents defenses from easily trapping your team.
Tip #8 - Design your plays to flow into the offense
In a perfect world, all your plays finish in the same formation of your primary offense. This allows you to immediately flow into your offense without hesitating. This means the defense doesn’t have a chance to recover and can also reduce your team’s turnovers (because they won’t have to scramble to reset the offense).

Tip #9 - Put your players in good position to get the rebound
Coaches often overlook offensive rebounding when designing plays and this could increase your scoring significantly. Can you get a second or third shot if a miss occurs? Where are your best rebounders located when the shot is taken? Make sure to position your players appropriately to set them up for success. If a particular play does not provide you with good rebounding position, you might want to re-evaluate the play.

Tip #10 - Teach players to react to the defense
Even though you want your players to know all the plays, you never want them to become mechanical within the plays. When defenses overplay a pass, the player should recognize this and execute a backdoor cut. Teaching your players how to read the defense and react does take time, but it’s time well spent! This pays off late in the season and in the playoffs. Almost all good teams will play this style in the playoffs and into championship games because no coach in his right mind is going to let you get into your set plays. Why not teach from day one how to make proper cuts and screens based on how the defense is playing? That will make your plays even more difficult to defend.

Tip #11 - Teach the fundamentals
No matter what type of offense or plays you use, you must teach your players the fundamentals. To get the most from your team, you should teach and emphasize the basics of passing, cutting, screening, setting up the defender, reading the defense, and so on. This is before you even begin running your plays. They need to know how to dribble and shoot. They need to understand how to do a pivot. They need to understand when to do a back-door cut versus a v-cut. They need to understand when to slip a screen on a screen and roll. It doesn’t matter what level of play you are at, you cannot get away from the basics.

Tip #12 - Have big players screen for smaller guards
If the defense chooses to switch on screens, then this creates mismatches and problems for the defense. You can clear out the lane for your post player or you could clear a wing so your guard can take the bigger, slower post player to the basket. Make sure to try this during scrimmages and practices to make sure your players recognize the switches and mismatches.

Tip #13 - Make sure the help side defense is occupied
Whether you’re using one of our plays or designing your own, be sure that the help side of the defense is occupied. What’s happening away from the ball? Are your players standing or moving to keep their defenders out of the play? Some players don’t take their part seriously because the ball is away from them. But they need to know their role is just as important, even though they are simply a decoy to keep the defense occupied. As a coach, be sure to keep an eye this.

Tip #14 - Make sure you get the type of shot you want
Your plays should always have a purpose and don’t let yourself or your players lose sight. Do you want a lay up out of the inbounds? Do you want to get to the free throw line? Do you want a quick post up? Sometimes it’s really easy for players to force things because they anticipate a certain shot will be open. So be sure your players understand the type of shot you want.

Tip #15 - Run plays from the same initial set
You should use plays that run off your initial offensive sets. For example, if you run a 1-2-2 set, you should use this same set with your plays. It provides simplicity for the players and the defense gets confused more easily. If the defense knows that you run a certain play out of a certain set, they’ll know what to look for. If your plays occur in the same set, they won’t know what play comes next.

Tip #16 - Have visual and verbal cues to let your team know which play to run
It’s best to have both verbal and visual cues for your players so you can make sure your players get the message. There’s nothing worse than having four players run the play to perfection and one guy has no idea what’s happening. Sometimes the crowd is noisy and your players can’t hear you. And other times your players have their back to you. So have both types of cues ready for any situation.