“Success is a Choice” … I first heard this phrase when Rick Pitino wrote a book that had this as the title. It is one of the best quotes I have heard. In fact, I have borrowed it as the primary motto for my basketball program over the years. It goes on all of our letterhead, locker room posters and motivational pieces. In general, every person has the choice of how they act and behave.
Kirsten Moore Overcomes Adversity
The following excerpt is from Bill Plaschke’s article in the L.A. Times (originally posted on March 31, 2013) about Kirsten Moore, the head women’s basketball coach at Westmont College. She recently led her team to the NAIA National Championship. This story is an amazing example of perseverance and overcoming adversity. Kirsten is a first-class individual and is well-respected in the coaching profession. She certainly has a bright future ahead of her in the coaching world, but as you’ll see from Plaschke’s great article, it is her past which fuels her present and future.Defense Still Wins Championships
It has often been said that “Defense Wins Championships”. In fact, I previously wrote a post that talked about it. As a college basketball coach, I am certainly aware that there are a lot of factors that work together to contribute to a team winning a game and eventually a championship. However, I am convinced that defense is the most prevalent common denominator when it comes to successful teams. As I recently served on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Basketball Tournament Committee, I got a first-hand view of the importance of defense (originally posted on March 30, 2013). Coaching Short List for Athletic Directors
(originally published on March 20, 2013)
This is the time of the year when there are a lot of open basketball coaching positions. Most good athletic directors should have some kind of a working list of potential replacements if they should ever have an opening in one of their sports. Yes, they can accept resumes but they should have some names and ideas of people that they might want to go after. This is the same whether you are a DI athletic director or a small college athletic director.
The Best College Football Coach
This past Saturday (originally published on December 20, 2012), did you watch ESPN and see the best college football coach in the country lead his team to another National Championship? What, you say? Nick Saban had the weekend off . . . Alabama didn’t play. I am not talking about the Crimson Tide or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or any other BCS team.
The Influence of a Leader
(editor’s note: originally published on December 5, 2012)
With the recent death of Rick Majerus (25 years as a head coach at Marquette, Ball State, Utah, St. Louis and only had one losing season), story after story was devoted to retelling his life story and what kind of impact he had on others. It certainly got me thinking again about what kind of influence we have on those around us.
Stupid is…as Stupid does
Athletes doing immature or stupid things give other athletes a bad name. The following athletes did things this week (originally published on July 31, 2012) that make you go hhhmmmm and shake your head. There are also lots of links to other articles about these topics to further entertain you. In honor of the huge event starting up this week – NFL Training Camp – we will highlight a trio of diva wide receivers. Oh, and for the other minor event starting up this week, we’ll lead off with an Olympian.
Change for the Better
Big Blue Nation and the University of Kentucky recently won its’ 8th NCAA men’s basketball national championship (editor’s note: originally published on April 26, 2012). Head coach John Calipari and his much-publicized dribble drive offense finally got his first national title after a near miss with the University of Memphis in 2008 against the Kansas Jayhawks. Though Coach Cal added to his already spectacular career, the dribble drive did not really add a national championship to its resume.
Why Pat Summitt is the Best
(editor’s note: published on April 18, 2012)
Today is a sad day not only in the state of Tennessee but across the nation. Pat Summitt, all of 59 years young, 8 national championships, nearly 1,100 wins (most all-time, men or women) and countless branches on her coaching tree, stepped down from being the Lady Vol head coach. Coach Summitt’s associate head coach, Holly Warlick, will take over the reigns full-time. Head Coach Emeritus is the new title that Coach Summitt has earned. Just like everything else she has done in her career, I am sure that she’ll be the best at this position. [Read more…]
15 Best Books for Coaches
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
(John Wooden)
In a previous post, I talked about some of the best books for leaders, whether you are a coach or not. Today, I will recommend the books that will help a coach in nearly any sport at any level. A couple of the books may seem sport specific, but contain information and insight that can help you regardless of what you coach. Even if you are not an avid reader, flip through some of these books and steal one or two ideas to implement with your teams or to strengthen your coaching philosophy. These are 15 books that are different than my list for leaders. However, I would definitely suggest looking at those books as well.