The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, meaning there is no shortage of games on TV. For basketball fans, this is the best time of the year. From the cinderella stories to the friendly competition of bracket pools, we can easily become consumed during this tournament. It is easy for even those who usually don’t follow basketball to become fans for a few weeks.
But what if you are striving to become a great player? Part of maturing as an athlete is becoming a student of your sport. The older and more serious you get about basketball, the more important it becomes to be a student of the game. This involves placing value on more important things than dunks, blocks, and crossovers. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the highlights, but it is beneficial to your growth as a player to look for the details of the game.
Here are some things you can do when you watch to become a student of the game.
Get your eyes off the ball
Watch how players move without the ball. How do they set screens? How do they read screens? What do they do after they screen? It is great to watch the really good teams to see what efficient movement is. But it can also be helpful to watch bad teams to see what things shouldn’t look like. Think back to your game film during the season and compare to the good teams and the bad teams.
Follow your position
Find a good player who plays the same position as you and watch how they play the position. Not just when they have the ball, but also when they are away from the ball. How do they transition from defense to offense? Or offense to defense? How are they being successful at their position?
Watch defense
Especially a good defensive team. Where are they positioned away from the ball? What is their footwork like on and off the ball? Where are their hands? Great defensive teams are easy to point out: they win.
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Maybe the most important aspect of becoming a student of the game to actually watch basketball games. Don’t settle for 2k or Sportscenter. Watch whole games. There’s nothing wrong with watching NBA games, but make sure you watch some college games as well. The high-achieving mid-major teams are often the most fundamental. The reason for this is because NBA players are a different type of athlete. The things that NBA players are doing are not realistic for high school players to emulate. Make sure you mix in some high level college basketball and study what being great at the fundamentals entails.
Spring break is only a week away. And next season is only 8 months away. It’s time to start formulating a plan to improve as player and help your team improve. 
The high school and college seasons are over halfway finished. As the season wears, it is common for players to become content with where they are at. This has the possibility to lead to a decrease in shooting consistency. As the post-season draws near, getting reps is crucial to maintaining consistency.
In the off-season, most players (the ones who want to get better) know the importance of making a certain number of shots per workout. Shooting the ball correctly on a consistent basis leads to a consistent shot when the season comes. 
Energy is thought of something that we have to produce ourselves, or that we need to obtain from an outside source (caffeine for most people). We wake up reluctantly and tell ourselves that we need our coffee or (even worse) energy drink to wake. Halfway through the day, we feel out of it, so we search more caffeine.
These examples are reactive ways of producing energy. We react to the feeling of being tired and believe that the only way to gain energy is through an outside source at THAT exact moment. The problem of reacting to produce energy is that we live in constant state of depletion, continuously seeking ways to help us feel energized. Our energy deficit is too great to overcome.
Situation: It’s the 4th quarter in a close game. You are on a 2-on-1 break, and you receive the pass in a position to score. As you jump, you feel yourself losing control of the ball. The layup bounces off the backboard, then the rim, then into the defender’s hands. The frustration inside you tells you to go for the steal. As you slap down, the referee calls you for a foul. That’s when you hear your coach say, “C’mon! I need you to be mentally tough!” The opponent shoots a 1-and-1 and makes both.
Mental toughness is a term so often used yet so few people understand. We hear it a lot in sports, but it has a direct translation to all of our goals. What does it take to be mentally tough? There are a lot of things that go into becoming mentally tough. The foundation of mental toughness is learning how to master your emotions. 
As I mentioned before, my goal for 2012 was to learn and develop as a person by reading. My original goal was to read 12 books, one per month. By July, I had read 13, so I set my sights on 30. As you can see from my list, I made it to 27. I am excited about becoming a reader, and would recommend to anyone - - start reading! It has definitely helped me grow in all aspects of my life. Feel free to contact me if you want to read my notes on any of the books, and you can also click the link to order the book.
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. 
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 
(Compound Effect website - 
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.