There is a pathological mismatch between the attributes that seduce us in a leader and those that are needed to be an effective leader. If we want to improve the performance of our leaders, we should focus on the right traits. Instead of falling for people who are confident, narcissistic and charismatic, we should promote people because […]
Brad Underwood – Changing His Approach
Really good look by Matt Norlander at how Brad Underwood basically threw out his coaching approach and started over, to help make Illinois an NCAA team again. Not an easy thing to do for a coach who’s 56 years old and has had a ton of success. Adapt or die in any business. “Really, he […]
When To Foul Up 3
NC State fouled Virginia with a 3-point lead with 8.2 seconds to play to keep Virginia from getting a potential game-tying 3-pointer off. Sean McDonough immediately said “there’s a lot of time left for that foul.” I like that foul. It may seem like you want to wait until :07 or :06 to foul, but […]
I Have A Dream
If you’ve never actually watched the speech you should take the 20 minutes to do so. Incredibly powerful.
Hall of Fame
I was fortunate enough to get inducted into the Little East Hall of Fame recently. In 2016 I was inducted into the Rhode Island College Hall of Fame after coaching there for 9 years, and the league started a hall of fame a few years back. It’s really a tremendously cool honor. I grew up […]
John Hollinger
Cool Q+A with John Hollinger, a Virginia alum who helped start the basketball analytics revolution with his PER rating in the 90s. https://news.virginia.edu/content/stat-man-alumnus-became-basketball-analytics-pioneer?utm_source=DailyReport&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
Fouling To Get Another Possession
I love what San Francisco did at the end of the first half in this game against Pacific. Pacific’s point guard is a 36% free throw shooter, so they fouled him on purpose to get the ball back. It’s all about calculating expected points per possession, and then trusting the percentages. We’ve done this before, […]
Jim Clifton – CEO of Gallup
3 things he would tell managers to maximize the potential of their teams: Understand that your team members have more differences than they do things in common. Do not lead them like troops. Know them by their strengths, not their weaknesses. Make sure they know their personal development is important to you. When you ask […]
Declarative Statements
Whoever asks the most questions wins. It’s a great strategy for conversation. It’s a great strategy for an interview. It’s a great strategy for leadership. And it’s a great strategy for coaches as well. Whoever asks the most questions is going to learn the most. In any interaction, when you ask questions you’ll get information. […]
Bilas on Officiating
Jay Bilas with an interesting take on officiating – not officials – and how it is having a negative impact on the quality of play in college basketball. I will say his point about freedom of movement is one I agree with. It doesn’t seem like it is being enforced as much as it has […]