Majerus' Death Should be A Wake-up Call for Coaches

"Some guys smoke. Some guys drink. Some guys chase women. I'm a big barbecue-sauce guy." -Rick Majerus

Last Saturday, we lost one of the great basketball minds of all-time. Rick Majerus was known for recruiting players based on character and work-ethic as much as talent. He was able to take those players and help them each reach their full potential as individuals and, likewise, as a team. In 25 years as a head coach at four different schools, he only had one losing season.

Majerus’ death was caused by heart failure, due to a result of poor health habits. Off the court, he was famous for his addiction and unhealthy relationship with food.

Despite his highly successful career, he still had more to give to the game of basketball and to the players who went to play for him. His impact on people was not finished.

Coaches are already under immense stress, especially head coaches. This slowly destroys our mental health and also contributes to damaging our physical health. It is important for coaches to make their physical health a priority to enable us to do our job at the highest capacity we can.

Here are three things you can start doing this week to improve your physical health:

Build muscle

Strength training is directly linked to longevity. Building muscle is a great defense towards inflammation, aging, and heart disease. You will also have more energy throughout the day. Strength training of some form is a must. The goal isn’t to look like a professional athlete or bodybuilder, but instead to build muscle and increase your overall health.

Re-evaluate your coaches meetings

Coaches meetings are usually accompanied by large amounts of food. Post-game gatherings become fast-food binges, leaving you dragging when you wake up the next morning. Meeting with your staff does not require chicken wings and nachos. Find new places or times to meet that do not encourage food binges.

Sleep

Some coaches can’t sleep because their mind is constantly on their team. Others don’t sleep because they think if they sleep they will not be able to fully do their job. Sleep is a necessity. It increases your mental focus, allows for physical recovery, and helps your immune system. You can’t afford not to sleep. If you have trouble getting enough sleep during the week, make it a priority to take naps on the weekends. Try and develop a nightly routine to help you get the best sleep you can.

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Coaches are in a great position to motivate young men and women. The best coaches teach values to their players that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. Majerus was one of these coaches. Unfortunately, there is a great number of young men who will not get the opportunity to play for him because of his early death.

What can you start doing to promote health instead of destroy it? How have you seen your physical health affect your ability to do your job?

"I think the biggest thing I got from him was just his desire to win and do things right. A lot of people say they want to win, but not a lot of people match their effort with their words. He did every day. Every day he came, you could see that the No. 1 thing he wanted to do was make you reach your potential. That now affects every part of my life. Everything I do, I try to do to the fullest like I think he would do and he would expect me to do." -Nick Jacobson, University of Utah ‘04

Be What You Want to Be...Right Now!

I am only in my 6th year of coaching high school basketball. Still, I have heard countless young men express to me in words their desire to play varsity basketball. When I observe them, on the court AND off the court, their actions do not align. They say one thing, but act like another. If you truly want to reach something, the best way to show it is to simply be what you want to be no matter what level you are currently at.

If you are a young player and you want to play varsity basketball, act like you are a varsity player RIGHT NOW.

Here are some things you can do right now to show your coach you want to be a varsity player:

Communicate on the court

Even most varsity players aren’t as good as they should be at this. Don’t limit yourself to “talking,” but actually communicate to your teammates on offense and defense.

Take ownership for your decisions

If your coach is trying to teach you and points out a mistake you made (on or off the court), listen and apply the advice he gives you. The last thing a coach wants to hear you respond with is a phrase beginning with “well...”, “but...”, or “no I didn’t...”. Get better and fix the mistakes you make instead of trying to argue why/if you did it.

Be mature off the court

You should never need a reminder that you shouldn’t skip class. You should never need a discussion on why it is important to be on time. You shouldn’t need someone to remind you to do your homework. Coaches want players who are reliable, dependable, and accountable for their actions.

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This idea does not only relate to basketball players. No matter what you want to become, act like you are there right now. Don’t wait until you have the title. Be there BEFORE you get there. Think about what you want to ultimately become. What does a person like that act like? How do they spend their time? How do they treat other people?

Be who you want to be...right now.

In His Words: Trever Ball on Finding Balance Primally

I am excited and grateful to have Trever Ball provide a guest post this week. I have the deepest amount of respect for "T-Ball" because of his ability to successfully balance so many things in his life and still live with a growth mindset. To learn more about Trever, check out his website, PrimalTBall. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Recently I have had the pleasure to work with some outstanding individuals in my day to day meanderings as a Health Teacher and Athletic Trainer at McKay High School. One of those individuals is doing some phenomenal work in regards to strength and conditioning and has inspired and motivated me to become better as an educator as well as a leader in multiple avenues that I have contact with. That special individual is Matt Espinoza who many have come to be positively affected by. However, I am also an adjunct professor for Willamette University in their Masters of Arts in Teaching program while being married to an amazing 2nd grade teacher who has blessed my life in ways that I could never have imagined by tolerating my busy schedule that is centered around our two remarkable and unforgettable children, Gunnar (5 years) and Grace (2 years). Now, before you stop reading due to insignificant information overload, let me get to the point of this rant. With everything that I have a hand in, it gets very difficult to balance it all effectively in a world that is also unpredictable. This is the purpose of this post: how is balancing family, work, and living healthfully even approached?

Here is how I have been fortunate enough to not only survive, but also flourish under such intimidating circumstances.

The first thing I want to put out there is the fact that none of this has come from my own fruition. I am merely using ‘the wheel’ that has been invented and mastered by many capable and hard working people in my life. And that is where I am going to begin this discussion on balance. In order to even approach a life with balance, you first need to know and commit to goals that are significant enough to warrant your full attention and commitment. Throughout my days as a husband, father, teacher, and Athletic Trainer I am constantly setting and achieving specific, measurable, realistic, and timely goals. And that is where my demonstration of this balancing act begins and centers around.

A significant resource that I have been blessed with as a guide has been Darren Hardy’s "The Compound Effect." (Compound Effect website - click here). What I learned, and then assimilated into one compact document to put into practice, was that habits need to be created around routines that are centered on our life goals and core values. This process of compounding the greatness in our lives is enhanced when we can measure progress and then adjust from there. This is where I focused my energies as I daily attempt to balance the chaos of education with family life and athletics. The form I created made it very simplistic and effective as I then proceeded to give it to two close friends, one that was going to be firm and the other to be a listener and encourager. Those conversations typically happen in a brief phone call or conversation and adjustments are made or kudos given accordingly. This has really allowed me to set and accomplish goals that matter and make a difference in my relationships, work environment, and professional practice. I hope it helps you as well.

Ultimately I strive to accomplish three things to maintain a good level of balance that maintains the integrity I try to uphold throughout my life.

Create Routines

When routines are based on your values and goals, then those around you work harder than you can imagine helping you accomplish the goals you set for yourself.

Enlist support

Ask those closest to you for feedback that is honest and unbiased after you proved them with as much background information on your goals you are setting out to accomplish. Nobody likes to be pestered with surprising or stressful tasks that they didn’t have a say in creating.

Change your self reflected Behaviors

With the feedback you get from those closest to you now you have to ACT on them. How did your routines go? What hindered them from happening and how can you adjust? Were there things that got in the way of you doing those things?

At the heart of developing quality routines with tangible accountability is the premise of maintaining your fitness and nutrition in order to practice that which is deemed to be significant. Those practices have ultimately been the foundation for which I have been able to find the balance that I hope to continue to sustain this trajectory for my family and career. The practice of maintaining a Primal way of life really starts with behaviors and routines that I have been practicing now for just a little over a year and I have experienced an immeasurable amount of energy increase and my ability to stay focused has also improved. I still have things to work on, but I do not get overly concerned about those hang ups because I know that any behavior of mine can be altered into a healthy habit when I direct my focus accordingly. The second form that is attached is based on the previous template with a focus on my physical fitness and Primal/paleo specific nutrition. Take a look and again, I hope that from these ramblings you have gained something that will make balancing this hectic mess we call life with that which is the most important to you.

Beginner's Frustration

For years, I have neglected the dentist’s office. I thought that by brushing and flossing (occasionally flossing) was enough to keep my teeth healthy. Last week, one of my fillings popped out and took a chunk of my tooth with it. There was no pain, but it was highly inconvenient. So I was finally forced to visit the dentist. Little did I know, I was about a month away from needing a root canal in 2 different tooths (among other minor issues). I learned some valuable lessons.

Little problems, left unattended, become big problems

What started out as a broken filling turned into a chipped tooth (about a quarter of it), and soon would have become root canal status. If something is a problem, fix it as early as you can. Whether you are in pain every time you bend down to pick something up, or you are a 9th grader who can not dribble with your left hand. Solve the problem early, and see the progress later.

The best time to start is right now

As Dr. Gilmore was going through my lengthy list of issues, I felt embarrassed, ashamed, and like a failure all at the same time. It was then that I realized: this is WHY he does what he does, to help people keep their teeth healthy. No matter how far behind you might seem, start your journey right now. If you do, you will only see improvement. If you wait, you will only get further and further behind. Don’t protect your emotions only to worsen your problems.

Silent IS deadly

Since I had no pain in my mouth, I didn’t think there was any problems. Little did I know, I was just a short time away from major issues (and major dental bills). Just because there are no immediate effects to a small problem, does not mean that you can ignore it. If something seems wrong, start fixing it.

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Being a beginner on anything is frustrating and difficult. No matter what you are trying to do, keep moving forward, no matter how slow you are moving. Also, seek out advice of people who are more knowledgable in the area you are focusing on. Our success is largely influenced by the people we surround ourselves with and learn from.

What are you doing right now (or need to do right now) that is difficult starting? What can you do to initiate the progress?

Are You Thankful?

Thanksgiving. The time for predictable posts on “being thankful.” Being thankful is more than using your words to express the feeling. We can say “thank you” and how we are “blessed to see another day,” but if our actions are not aligned with our words, we are not truly expression gratitude.

In life, we are given many opportunities. They range from new careers, the birth of children, free public education, and even more. The greatest of them all is the opportunity to have breath and life.

Being thankful requires active participation and full application in the opportunities we receive.

Here are some things you can begin doing to show your gratitude for your opportunities.

Develop relationships

When you engage with the people you meet in your opportunities, you become more invested in making the most out of them.

Improve at your weaknesses

Improvement spurs gratitude. When you see personal improvement in any task, you automatically become more thankful for that opportunity.

Show respect to all others involved

There is no greater sign of gratitude than respect. Show respect to the people you work with, the environment you work in, and for the work you do.

And last but not least...

Grind. Repeat.

Obviously.

Reflect on the situations that you find yourself dragging through. How can you apply these tips to be more thankful for those opportunities?

Finding Your Role: Get More Playing Time, Win More Games

I have come to the conclusion that only 20% of high school basketball players will average double digits in scoring. (Basic reasoning: Normally, on a 12-man team, bad teams will have 1 out of 12 score 10 points per game, great teams can get 3 out of 12, most average teams will get 2 out of 12). However, I would bet that 80% of of high school players think they have the ability to score 10 or more points per game. It’s time to get realistic. The chances are, 2-3 players on the team will score a majority of the teams’ points. If you are fighting for playing time, you need to come to the understanding that you are not a scorer.

What can you do to find your role on the team? What can you do to earn more playing time? What can you add to your team that no other player can that will help your team become more complete?

Here are a few roles that every team needs, but few have.

1. The complete defender

There are plenty of athletic players who are quick, strong, and might even work hard. The problem is, very few players understand how to play TEAM defense properly. Regardless of your athleticism, if you can learn how to get to the right spots fast enough on the defensive end, you will make your team better.

2. The spot-up shooter

And by shooter, I mean shot maker. This enables your team to spread the floor on offense and keep the defense honest. Great spot-up shooters know when to take shots and when to pass the ball. Also, they know their role and do not try to create shots for themselves (if a good spot up shooter has the ability to create his own shot, he is probably averaging more than 10 points per game). If you can average 7-8 points on 5 shots per game, you will earn playing time.

3. The ball mover

A player who can pass the ball well and knows how to get the ball reversed WITHOUT turning it over is highly valuable to a team. Too many players over dribble, force shots, or keep the ball on one side. Someone who can efficiently run the offense and only turns the ball over once every 5 games will find their way on the floor.

4. The loose-ball magnet

This is the player who grabs every rebound and is in the middle of every scrap for a loose ball. Their points come from creating turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds. If you can become a loose-ball magnet, you can earn playing time and help your team win.

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Now, other factors definitely come into play when you are trying to get minutes. To get serious playing time, you have to be competent at most things. For example, if you are a great spot-up shooter but you can not play any defense, you probably won’t play much. On the other hand, if you can do all four of these roles pretty well, you will probably play a majority of the game.

Stop focusing on trying to “get buckets”. Focus on what your team lacks and what you can best provide. You will earn more playing time, and help your team win more games.

Question for discussion: Who are some of the best players at each role (past or present) in the NBA?

Tryouts, Part 3 of 3: What to Do If You Get Cut

Every year, young athletes get excited for tryouts. And every year, plenty of kids get cut. As a coach, it is emotionally one of the hardest things to do. As a player, there are things you can do to stand out to better your chances of making a team. This will be a 3-part series about tryouts: Week 1: Common Assumptions Regarding Tryouts Week 2:How to Stand Out During Tryouts: What Coaches Look For Week 3: What to Do If You Get Cut

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Getting cut can be one of the worst feelings that athlete’s will experience. The feeling of rejection and not being accepted after putting in weeks of time and effort preparing can be crushing emotionally. However, you can’t let getting cut ruin your love for basketball (or whatever sport you play). And if you are an underclassman, you can’t let it stop you from continuing to work on your skills and athleticism.

Here are 4 things you can begin doing right now to help you make the team next year.

1. Become the team manager

Usually, most people have too much pride to help out at practices without receiving a jersey. However, becoming a manager for the team allows you to be a part of the program. By being at practice everyday and involved in game day preparation, you will be able to observe and learn what the coach values. Also, you can pick on up the teams plays, schemes, and defensive principles.

2. Join a city league

Finding a good league to play in is important. Having officials and a score clock is something that you can not get in pick-up games (which are also important to play in). While it is not as organized as school ball, finding the right city league can provide you with good competition and the opportunity to play competitively.

3. Develop your strength and athleticism

Most players, when they are in-season, end up losing strength because they neglect to strength train properly. This is a good opportunity to make some gains since you have more time and energy to focus on becoming stronger, faster, and more athletic overall.

4. Improve your skills

You have over 3 months to become a dependable ball handler and a knock-down shooter. When open gyms begin at your school in the spring, there is no excuse for you not to be a much improved player. There is no time to waste. And there is no reason you can’t train. Can’t afford a trainer? Get on YouTube and search up drills. No access to a gym? Find a park. Don’t have a ball? Collect cans for a week and go buy something round that can bounce.

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Remember, your coach didn’t cut you because he hates you. As much as you don’t want to admit it, you are currently not good enough to play. If you love the game, you won’t quit. You will take the necessary steps to improve. You will be ready for spring open gyms, and prove yourself when summer league starts.

Tryouts, Part 2 of 3: What Can You Do to Make the Team?

Every year, young athletes get excited for tryouts. And every year, plenty of kids get cut. As a coach, it is emotionally one of the hardest things to do. As a player, there are things you can do to stand out to better your chances of making a team. This will be a 3-part series about tryouts: Week 1: Common Assumptions Regarding Tryouts Week 2: How to Stand Out During Tryouts: What Coaches Look For Week 3: What to Do If You Get Cut

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All coaches have different preferences when it comes to evaluating players. However, here are 4 general things that every coach would see as valuable (in no order).

1. Be a good teammate

Not too many things are more cancerous to a team than bad teammates. Work together with the other players during drills. Encourage your teammates rather than boss them around or criticize them for making mistakes. Fit in to your role on the team; don’t try and do things on the court that you are not capable of doing.

2. Be coachable

This does not mean you need to be the labeled as the coaches pet. Being coachable means following directions, taking corrections and applying them in drills/scrimmages, and putting the coaches vision of the team into practice on the floor. Do not try and show the coach how great you are at basketball by taking matters into your own hands. It will most likely not work out for you.

3. Make shots

Obviously, right? Notice it did not say “take shots.” Anybody can jack up fadeaways and reverse lay-ins. Can you consistently knock down an open jumper? Having the ability to shoot the ball consistently in a game situation will make you real hard to cut from the team, even if you are slow and can’t dribble. Let’s face it, most high school varsity teams have no more than two kids who are consistent in making open jumpers.

4. Understand the game (have a “feel” for the game)

This ties closely with being coachable, but sometimes the most coachable players still have no understanding or feel for the game. Do you know how to reverse the ball? Do you know the difference between a bad shot and a good shot? What is the first thing you do when you catch the ball, dribble or square up? If you have too many negative habits that demonstrate a poor feel for the game, you will definitely stand out, and not in a good way.

Tryouts, Part 1 of 3: Looking at Common Assumptions

Every year, young athletes get excited for tryouts. And every year, plenty of kids get cut. As a coach, it is emotionally one of the hardest things to do. As a player, there are things you can do to stand out to better your chances of making a team. This will be a 3-part series about tryouts: Week 1: Common Assumptions Regarding Tryouts Week 2: How to Stand Out During Tryouts: What Coaches Look For Week 3: What to Do If You Get Cut

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Let’s uncover some assumptions about tryouts.

1. It doesn’t matter what I do, the coaches already have the teams selected.

In all honesty, the higher level you get, the least amount of spots are up for grabs. At the varsity level, coaches usually have up to 8 players that they have tabbed into the varsity team. That doesn’t mean those players are automatically varsity players. I have seen plenty of cases where a player who is thought of as a varsity player gets outplayed during tryouts and drops to a JV player. At the JV level, there can be a certain number of players that are being looked at as borderline players that have a chance to make the team. There may be 15 players who played on the Freshman team a year ago and another 6 who played JV. Now you have 21 players battling for 12-15 spots. At the Freshman level, there are usually no pre-determined players.

The teams are not pre-selected, but some players are already considered to make a team within the program given their track record.

2. If I have never played in the program, I don’t have a chance to make it.

Not entirely true. The older you get, the more it hurts your chances. But there are things you can do to immerse yourself in the program ahead of time, such as attending pre season workouts/open gyms. If you are good enough to make the team, you will. Most kids who do not have a history in the program are usually behind on how to play the game the right way more than they are on shooting/dribbling ability. In the next part of the series, I will go into the importance of this.

3. All that matters is what I do on the court.

Not entirely. Yes, you have to have the ability to play basketball. But coaches (in good programs) want quality citizens and students to be part of their team. Unfortunately (in most cases), the more talented you are, the more room for being an idiot (for lack of a better word) you have. If a player is constantly late or skipping classes, failing multiple classes, and receiving negative reports from teachers, he is not helping his cause to make the team. A player like that needs to be extremely talented just to have a chance to make it. Basically...

Big idiot + No talent = Automatic cut. Stay away from my program. Big idiot + average talent = Work on the off-court issues, try again during summer league. Big idiot + Very talented = Let’s see what we can do to help him.

On the other hand, if you are the opposite of that player (good grades/citizenship, positive reports from teachers), you help your chances even more than an idiot hurts his chances.

Standout student/citizen + no talent = Keep coming in the off season, try again next year. Standout student/citizen + average talent = On the team, we will try to find ways for you to succeed. Standout student/citizen + Very talented = Team captain.

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Not all coaches have the same standards or methods when it comes to tryouts. This is the general consensus from the coaches I know. The bottom line is that in order to be successful during tryouts, you will need to have done some things ahead of time that put you in a position to be successful.

VIDEO: Pre-season Training With Silverton HS Girl's Basketball

For 6 weeks, I had the opportunity to travel out to Silverton High School to help the girl's basketball players prepare for the season. It is truly refreshing to work with young athletes who are willing to put in the work to improve. In our 2-hour sessions, we rarely shot the ball and we never scrimmaged. We put in time to improve ball handling and ball control. It was great watching the girls grow confidence and ability in their dribbling ability. Check out clips from their final workout.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUYBfLRgzmM