Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

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Aug 04 2022

The Greatest Champion

photo credit: Nonstop Sports (YouTube)

“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports.” (Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner)

When the great baseball Hall of Famer and African American icon Jackie Robinson died in 1972, his widow called Boston Celtics player Bill Russell and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral.

Click here to listen to the 6-minute version of this article on the “Success is a Choice” podcast network.

When asked why, she responded that Russell had been Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete.

All of the pallbearers were Jackie’s former teammates with the Brooklyn Dodgers, except for Bill Russell.

It’s likely that Bill Russell was Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete – not because he was so athletic or talented – but because he was a champion, both on and off the playing court.

Many consider Bill Russell one of the greatest teammates of all time.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Adam Silver, Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, champion, Championships, Hard Work, Jackie Robinson, John Wooden, kareem abdul-jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Legacy, mental toughness, mentality, MLK, Most Valuable Player, Motivational Quotes, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, Racial Issues, rebounding, Red Auerbach, San Francisco, Social Justic, Teamwork, Tim Duncan, Win the Day, winning

Nov 03 2020

Inspiration One Step at a Time

 
I received a surprise message from Dion Harris.
 
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the former Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan and then went on to be All-Big Ten and 2x MVP for the University of Michigan. He would go on to have a successful professional career overseas. He now trains and mentors youngsters in the Detroit area.
 
Anyway, back to the message…

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: Adrian Griffin, Camp Counselor, Dion Harris, dwane casey, Inspiration, Jerod Ward, Leadership Development, Lebron James, Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, Point Guard, Shemy Schembechler, University of Michigan

Oct 26 2020

Episode 156: Outkick’s Jason Whitlock

 

Jason Whitlock is a longtime TV personality on both Fox and ESPN. He is now a partner with Outkick.com. The former Ball State University football player has been a fearless journalist throughout his career in sports media. He has written for such papers as the Kansas City Star and the Ann Arbor News, where he covered the University of Michigan. 

Click here for Jason’s bio on Outkick.com

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The state of sports media
  • Athletes using their platforms
  • Joining Outkick.com
  • Dealing with trolls online
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: Black Lives Matter, BLM, Clark Kellogg, Clay Travis, Colin Cowherd, Colin Kaepernick, Controversial, ESPN, Fox News, Fox Sports, Kaya Jones, Lebron James, NBA, NFL, Nicole Arbour, Outkick, OutKick the Coverage, Outkick.com, Protests, Social Justice, Social Media, Student-Athletes, Tucker Carlson, TV Personality

May 03 2020

Basic Training

My friend Alan Stein, Jr. is considered one of the top performance coaches in the nation. For years he has worked with some of the best basketball players in the world. In fact, when I was a basketball coach, I used many of his conditioning drills for my teams.

He once told me about his first encounter with Kobe Bryant back in 2007 when he was in his prime and considered the best player in the world. Nike flew Alan out to the Kobe Bryant Skills Camp.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: basics, bored, chuck noll, fundamentals, Hard Work, Jon Beck, Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, Lakers, Leadership, Lebron James, Los Angeles, mamba, mentality, NBA, Nike, Practice, pure sweat, pure sweat basketball

Oct 17 2019

Episode 129: Pure Sweat Basketball’s Jon Beck

Jon Beck is a must-follow on twitter for coaches and athletes. After his stellar playing career at Division I Arkansas State University, he went on to have a successful career as both a boys and girls basketball coach in Tennessee. He has been trained at Nike Skills and Pure Sweat clinics and coaches academies and has worked Nike Elite camps and completed a summer internship in Los Angeles, CA for Drew Hanlen of Pure Sweat Basketball, where he has worked with several NBA players.

He now offers skills academies and team clinics, as well as individual and team training to players as a Skills Coach for Pure Sweat Basketball. Throughout his career, his focus has been on player development and skills coaching. His passion is to help players reach their full potential on and off the court. He is continually working to improve his craft as a coach, while developing great relationships with coaches and players.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • How to coach today’s athletes
  • What the best players do when they work out
  • Building a strong culture
  • Pure Sweat Basketball
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: alan Stein Jr., basketball coach, Basketball Skills, Bill Walton, championship rebounding, College Recruiting, drew Hanlon, dwane casey, John Wooden, Jon Beck, Kobe Bryant, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Training, Lebron James, NCAA, Overcoming Adversity, pure sweat, pure sweat basketball show, recruiting, Skills Training, Unseen Hours, Working With Players

Nov 02 2018

Episode 096: Toronto Raptors Guard Lorenzo Brown

Lorenzo Brown was the NBA’s 2018 G-League Most Valuable Player and is a member of the Toronto Raptors. He also played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and Phoenix Suns. The six-foot-five combo guard played college basketball at NC State. He led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in assists as a junior before leaving early to enter the NBA Draft. He was drafted 52nd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2013 NBA draft.

During Brown’s MVP season, he helped lead the Raptors 905 to the G-League Finals while averaging 18.8 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 5.2 RPG. On  January 12, 2018, Brown became the first player to score in both a G-League game and an NBA game on the same day. He had 24 points and 12 assists for the 905s earlier in the day and then suited up that night against the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavs on national TV. Brown would play 19 minutes in the 34-point blowout win, scoring 6 points and dishing out 5 assists.

Brown initially attended Centennial High School in his native Roswell, Georgia, where he averaged 20.8 points as a senior and was named a fourth-team Parade All-American and the Georgia 5A player of the Year. He would eventually spend a post-graduate year at Hargrave Military Academy. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • His basketball journey and lessons he’s learned
  • What he’s learned from Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry
  • What makes Toronto’s “Bench Mob” so valuable
  • How he embraces his role on the team
  • Qualities of a great coach
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: Adversity, Allen Iverson, anton goff, Basketball, Bench Mob, Brandon Bostick, Chris Oliver, Cleveland Cavs, Demar Derozan, Detroit Pistons, Drake, dwane casey, Eric Platte, Fabulous, FailForward, G-League, Grit, Jerod Ward, Jerry Stackhouse, JJ Birden, Kevin Harrington, Kyle Lowry, Lebron James, Minnesota Timberwolves, Most Valuable Player, NBA, Nick Nurse, Nicole Arbour, North Carolina State, Overcoming Adversity, Pat Williams, Peseverance, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Plan B, Resiliency, Rex Kalamian, Scott Wood, Social Media, Toronto, Toronto Raptors, Tracy McGrady, Underdog, vince carter

Oct 18 2018

Episode 092: Jerod Ward, Former Pro Basketball Player

Jerod Ward was the #1 high school basketball player in the country in 1994. As the top recruit, he could choose to play college ball anywhere and he chose The University of Michigan. Multiple knee surgeries kept him from achieving his NBA dream but he still had a solid four year career for the Wolverines helping them beat Duke three straight years, win the National Invitational Tournament and the Big Ten Tournament. Jerod then went on to have a long career playing professional basketball worldwide. Jerod now travels across the country as a professional speaker. He has even been on stage for a Tedx Talk presenting on the topic of EATing Adversity. Even though he is retired from playing basketball, Jerod still stays close to the game he loves as he works as a college basketball analyst with networks including ESPN, FOX Sports. Jerod lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife Tricia and daughter Violet.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • His decision to attend college and not turn pro out of high school
  • What it was like being the best high school player in the nation
  • The Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan debate
  • Playing professional basketball for 14 years
  • How we can overcome adversity we face in life

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: Adversity, chris webber, Dr. J, ESPN, fab five, Habits, Jerod Ward, JJ Birden, juwan howard, Lebron James, life coach, magic johnson, Michael Jordan, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Tournament, obstacles, Overcoming Adversity, pivoting, Shemy Schembechler, Steve Fisher, Ted Talk, Ted Talks, TedX Talk, tim grover, University of Michigan, vince carter

Feb 15 2018

What a Leader is Not

“It is better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” (Abe Lincoln)
“If the mailman stopped to kick every dog that barked at him, he’d never deliver the mail.” (Roy Williams, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach)

 

My 7-year old son was mad yesterday.  He was carrying on in a way that many of us have seen before when a young child is really tired and is not getting his way.  [Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Basketball, Charles Barkley, Cleveland Cavs, Emotional, Irrational, Leadership, Lebron James, NBA, Triggered

Jan 21 2017

LOL Chicago Bulls

“The main ingredient to stardom is the rest of the team.” (Coach John Wooden)
“A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way and goes the way” (John C. Maxwell)

Have you seen the Chicago Bulls recently?  LOL

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Dwayne Wade, good leaders, Harvard Business Review, Jimmy Butler, Leadership, Lebron James, NBA, Rajon Rondo, Veterans

Aug 19 2016

Be a Star in your Role

“Be a star in your role, and for me, that’s high-energy, use my motor, just play hard. Play hard, be relentless on the glass. And that’s what I bring to this team. That’s my job. Just be a star in your role, and I try to do that every night.” (Tristan Thompson)

Tristan Thompson’s huge double-double in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals and unselfish play in all of the games helped lead the Cleveland Cavs to the World Championship.  Good thing for Cavs fans and players that he didn’t pout about his boring and un-glamorous role.  He might not be Lebron James, but he can now call himself a CHAMPION!

Many of us are in positions or roles that we don’t like.  Some of us are in leadership positions where we have disgruntled team members.  I want tell you a little story.  A story that I don’t think I will ever forget.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Charlie Plumb, Kevin Templeton, Lebron James, Roles, To The Hilt, Tristan Thompson

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