It’s easier to get tight quicker in a game when you expect to win. At Rhode Island College we played in eight straight Little East Tournament games, and we won six of them. We were 4-1 as the favorite at home and 2-1 as the underdog on the road. But one thing we never really […]
Winning In The Post-Season
A re-post from a few years ago by request of a few coaches… I don’t think there is a specific formula that helps you win in the post-season. Billy Beane always said the MLB playoffs are a “crapshoot,” and there is a lot of truth to that. So much goes into winning and losing a […]
The Less I Speak The Better We Get
One thing I’ve learned over my years as a head coach: the less I was saying, the better my team was performing. If I was doing a lot of talking, usually the team was struggling. There is certainly a cause and effect conundrum involved with it. Am I talking more because the team is struggling […]
Kobe on Mental Toughness
“When you are going through a really tough time… being mentally tough means you can take your mind someplace else, and concentrate on that other thing, to the point where the thing that was bothering you is no longer a focus, so you don’t feel it anymore.”
Understanding Your Culture
“You don’t understand your culture by talking to your management team. You understand your culture by observing how your new employees behave.” Ben Horowitz, What You Do Is Who You Are Your culture is the behavior of your players. It’s not the framed pictures on the wall or the slogan on the back of your […]
Hoop Heads Podcast
A deep dive into my book, “Entitled to Nothing,” on the Hoop Heads Podcast with Mike Klinzig.
Selflessness
A good example of it from Alabama’s John Petty, Jr. that says a lot about the culture Nate Oats has built in a short time. Much like persuading a score-first guard to become a reliable defensive cog, Oats sold Petty on the notion that tapping the pause button was the best thing for him. Oats […]
Leadership In An Elite Culture
“Empower your people to be decision makers. The less control you have as a leader, the more power you give to your team, the better your chances for success. That’s the real key to leadership in an elite culture. It may be set in place and directed by the leader, but it is built, maintained […]
Leadership and Buy-In
“Leadership isn’t getting them to buy-in to what you are selling. Leadership is getting them to buy-in to something they believe. Creating that dynamic is a difference maker.” Entitled to Nothing, p. 20 Purchase Entitled To Nothing Here
Game Speed
When I was the head coach at Maine I got to know Stump Merrill a little bit. Stump was a UMaine graduate who played baseball, and went on to play professionally before a long coaching and managing career. He managed the New York Yankees for three years when I was in high school in New […]