How Bad Do You Want To Play

Bunky Harkleroad Head Women's Basketball Coach at Glenville College in West Virginia was a little disappointed with the passion his women played with recently. 

In order to find out who wanted to play he threw five basketballs down the stairwell at the end of practice, and told them who ever brought a ball back up to half court got to start tomorrow. Game on!

Scott Horton

I received this system testimonial from Scott Horton, the Manalapan Braves Girls' basketball coach. He writes about the joy, passion and fun that players in the system have. Thanks Scott; 

"The Manalapan Braves just concluded their first season as a system team. We began the year 1-9. Our final record is 12-13. During the final 15 when we were 11-4, we beat a team that was 18-4 and one that was 20-3. During the final 6 games, our lowest output was 70 points, and our highest was 86. Last night we lost to the 15th ranked team in the state of New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs. We cut it to three with 1:20 to play, but we were unable to capitalize. More importantly:

-14 players played significant minutes in a playoff game

-I am confident that every player improved

-I know the team improved

-No one wants to play us anymore

-The locker room was filled with tears after the game, not because we lost, but because we can't play anymore

-The players embraced the system and each other

-I've never enjoyed a season more in 18 years of coaching.

We can't wait for next season."

Drive

Two questions from Daniel Pinks book Drive.

"What is my sentence?"

and 

"Was I better today than yesterday?"

Click here to understand what he is asking.

Greatness

I really believe the one true secret to being successful in life is having a passion for whatever you do. 

Click below the picture and understand why.

 Passion

Double Figures

It is a big deal today when a basketball team has six players score in double figures. It is special, that is when there is a lot of talent on a team. Still, I would like to tell you of a time in Iowa, almost twenty years ago.

It was during the six on six days of girl’s basketball. Actually the last year it was played. It was Jesup vs. East Buchanan.  If you remember in the old six-on-six days you had three guards on the defensive ends and they could not  not play offense. On the offensive end you had three forwards and their job was to score.

At Jesup that year we were lucky to have a multitude of athletes on both ends of the floor. We also had several people on the bench that were very talented.

The year was 1993 on a February night. Jesup had six forwards score in double figures. That had never been done before in Iowa history and it made the papers and the radios around the state. I do not think that the coaches, players, fans, or school knew then or know now how special that night was.

A number of those six players still live in the Jesup area and are very active in making our community and our school a better place. Although I list them by their maiden name you may know them by their married name. I wonder if any of them remember that night. The box score for Jesup went as follows:

Carrie Zuck                                   23 

Jenny White                                  15

Traci Smith                                   14

Amy Cagley                                  14

Karma Dahl                                  12

Rachelle Pilcher                             11

Click here  to learn more about the six player game and the end of it.

We Have Lost The Way

 

What do you want out of life? Do you want to be the best in the world at something? Do you want to change the world or just change your life? Are you willing to sacrifice what it takes to get what you want? Is it someone else that didn't do your job that caused you to fail? Stop blaming others, if you are willing to give up something to get something, click on "My Fault".

Good Advise

I received this advise in an email recently. Thought it would fit well in the blog here;

 "How do I raise independent children, while still being an active participant in their childhood?

Allow the child to fight her own battles. Imagine a common preschool scene. You witness another child grabbing a toy from your little one. As much as this may trouble your mama bear instincts, resist the urge to interfere. Give your child the opportunity to problem solve for herself. If she can't manage to get the toy back, let her feel the frustration.

Don't be the parent that demands her child be invited to all birthday parties. Life is unfair, and not every kid is going to like your child. Help the child cope with the disappointment of being excluded instead of saving her from all possible unhappiness.

Let them experience failure. Sometimes you try to climb a new play structure and fall. Sometimes you study really hard for a test and still get a C. Sometimes you strive to be everyone's friend and nonetheless, these is still that one girl who continues to spread rumors. This is life, and it should also be childhood."

Winning Is A Habit

  

Winning Is A Habit

"My cat watched this and turned into a Lion!!"

^brioc3

Marie Colvin

"We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado? 

"Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price," 

Marie Colvin

The Boss

When "Times Get Hard" I always go to 'The Boss" for help. Click on the link and see how.

To Lose

"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something."

Unknown

Chris Paul Turnover

 

Click here and watch a turnover Chris Paul made for the Clippers against the Spurs recently. Still the guy throwing the inbound pass put Paul in that position, yet in all of the interviews or articles I have read about it, not once has Chris Paul pointed his finger at that other player. 

Paul showed a grace that we all must learn to do when something happens that "is not our fault." We must be humble and strong and accept things that may not be our fault. We must always have in our life the grace that Chris Paul showed in that situation.

No Invite

Lindsay Lohan, one of the greatest party crashers of all time.

As this is tournament time here in Iowa many of my friends teams are playing, and unfortunately being knocked out as well. Yesterday I heard a great comparison from Roger Wright at Ed-Co on how one feels when you get beat out of the tournament. He said it is like a friend is having a party and you are not invited, it hurts inside and sometimes brings you to tears.


Then if you do go to a game to watch, when a team comes out on the floor that you have beat or you know your team can play with, it is like driving by that party and a bunch of your friends are standing on the porch drinking something from a red Solo cup. You know they have something in that cup that you want to taste.


Congratulations to the ones going to the party.

"The Game That Would Not End"

I received this from a friend recently. Thirty years ago this month the longest game in Iowa high school history took place in Early Iowa. Three hours long and nine overtimes later it went down in Iowa history as the longest high school game in Iowa history. 

Read more....

Mahatma Gandhi

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

Mahatma Gandhi

Click here for more from Gandhi

Crazy Ones

The world is full of people that are different, there is value in things that are rare.

Click on "Think Different"

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

by Rob Siltanen and Ken Segall

Chili Parlor

You can find me at the Chili Parlor.

Spring Is Coming

Yes my friends, spring is coming. Click here to see what awaits us.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

"I think someone should explain to the child that it's OK to make mistakes. That's how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes."


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Self-less

I received an email from Jackson Community College Head Women’s' Basketball Coach Andrew Hoaglin that talked about a very special night recently that occurred to the Lady Jets. They are having many special nights this season, as JCC is 20-3 right now. Enjoy the story. Thanks Coach Hoaglin for your okay to share this.

"Wanted to share a special System moment that occurred last night in a league win over host Ancilla College in Plymouth, Indiana.


First off our team has its first ever 20 win season. We now sit at 20-3 overall and 10-1 in the conference in a two way tie for first. We're averaging 103.4 points per game, and I'm most proud of our improvement with our pressure defense.

Last night one of our sophomore's (Kelsey White) went off for 50 points connecting on a national best 13 three-point field goals. She hit 9 in the first half going for 31 at the break. She fell two shy of the national record for points in a game by 2.

There are many special layers to her story. She graduated in 2009 and decided not to pursue basketball. She came to our program last year as a walk-on and ended up being one of our best players. She earned a scholarship and was named a captain for this year. She's taken over 30 charges this year, playing the 2nd intercept/safety position for us. What a warrior. She's also a distinguished academic all american.

Another cool piece was how the team agreed at half time to do their part to assist her in getting the record and how genuinely happy they were for her once she tied it, and then broke it. Players even went as far as saying things such as "I screened for her her 13 three" or "I got the offensive rebound and kickout for her 12."

As I'm reflecting and can't help but think, how cool it is to have a team that is willing to rally and assist someone in trying to acheive such a milestone. It may go down as an individual record, but impossible without a team willing to be self-less."

Thanks again Coach for the great story.

3000 Points

In Alabama recently the twelfth player in that states high school girls' basketball history scored over 3000 points. There are more points to come because the season is not over. Read about it here.

Never Give Up

Click Here

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."

Anonymous

Sacrafice

"Drifter" by Gavade

 

“No matter what we want of life we have to give up something in order to get it.” –Raymond Holliwell

Please click here and play "Please Come To Boston" by Dave Loggins, and lament that fact.

"Crazy Enough"

I believe that all successful people in this life are on the edge of being crazy, being on the edge is not a bad thing if you can still have control. There is a verse in Wade Bowen's song "Crazy Enough" that goes;


"Have you ever chased the devil
Oh and followed him home
Knocked upon his door
Went inside and used his phone
This old world I choose to live in
Isn't what I thought it'd be
It's like escaping from prison
And realizing you ain't free
Am I crazy, am I crazy enough."


Are you crazy enough to be a success?


Click above on "Crazy Enough" for Wade Bowen's song.

Grinnell Influence

Grinnell College men’s basketball influence over high school basketball throughout the state was covered by the Des Moines Register on the front page of their sports recently. It does a good job of explaining their system and how it has influenced a number of high school coaches in Iowa. I believe Grinnell Coach David Arseneault is years ahead of his time as an educator. He has not only influenced other coaches in Iowa, but nationally and internationally as well.

 

Click influence to read the online version of that article about the impact he has had in the state of Iowa on high school basketball.

Playing Time

Here is an email I received from Doug Porter, the Head Women's Basketball coach at Olivet Nazarene University. He is a system coach that  uses eighteen players during a game. Coach Porter has been extremely kind to me over the years and he has given me permission to post this email. His use of 18 players in a game that provides a total of 200 minutes of playing time is remarkable.

"Good thoughts about how many players to use.


We’ve been using an 18-20 player rotation the last few years at Olivet, mostly due to the University wanting me to carry 18 players instead of 15. My preference would be to keep 15, with 2 or 3 units, but our experience four years ago made me leary of having too few on the roster. That year we started with 15, but had one transfer out in August to play at DePaul, then had four suspended the last month of the season for violating policies, and lost four others due to injuries as various points. By the time Senior Day rolled around, we had SIX on the roster, forcing us to play the last 8 games of the season using a 2-3 zone and running only situationally. Yuch!

In H.S. ball, you do have the luxury of being able to move players between Varsity and J.V. so you don’t get caught with too few. But I’ve been a reluctant convert, ever since our “disaster” year, to playing 18 players between 6 and 20 minutes per game throughout the first half of the season. Evan is totally right that as the season progresses you discover who can play, who can’t… who has heart and who doesn’t. The trouble is that I never know ahead of time who that’s going to be, but we love the system process of discovery/evaluation.

Case in point: One of Evan’s Galesburg HS graduates is a freshman for us this year, and despite her walk-on status has turned out to be a really tough kid who’s vastly exceeded my expectations because of her heart. And I have no doubt that her experience with the system in HS helped her make the jump to our program a little smoother.

So, since I don’t know ahead of time who will become a “player,” I still like starting with a large squad of 18, and then “winnowing” down as the season progresses. (They still all play, but everyone earns or “unearns” PT as the season unfolds.)

Right now, we rotate in 18 players for our first 15 shifts, then go to our top ten the rest of the half (usually 6-8 shifts).

Here’s the payoff… in our game at IUSB last Tuesday, we were close with 4 minutes to go (up 2?), but then we hit Shift #16 and threw our top ten kids at them back to back the rest of the game. We’re fresh, they’re worn down, and we win by 13. As long as we don’t foul too much and give the opponent too much rest, “condensing” your roster the last 5-8 minutes of the game is a great tactic.

Doug"

Thanks Coach Porter

Angelo Dundee

Angelo Dundee passed away recently at the age of 90. What a storied life the great boxing trainer had. Read his remembrance on Yahoo.

"Ashokan Farewell"

There are few songs as beautiful as Jay Ungar's Ashokan Farewell. Click on the link and enjoy.

Incredible Dunk

You can not be a basketball fan and not be amazed at what Blake Griffin does. "Incredible Dunk" was a dunk he had over Kendrick Perkins recently. Click on the hot spot and be amazed. The Clippers may be the best young team in the NBA.