Stan Van Gundy - South Beach Sessions

Incredibly open and vulnerable conversation between Dan Le Batard and Stan Van Gundy. Well worth your time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZykQdeUZYg

Planning Ahead

When I first became a head coach, like most first-time coaches, I wanted to get everything done as quick as possible. I was anxious to establish a new culture and set the tone for our program. I took over the job at Rhode Island College in September, so school had already started.

The fall for Division III coaches isn’t a lot of fun. There are no off-season workouts. You can’t get in the gym with your guys. School starts and you are excited to get everything started, and then you have to wait until October 15th to do anything with your players. It isn’t easy.

I was going to get ahead of the game. I spent the fall planning out our practices up until our first game. I figured out the off days and started calculating what I wanted to have in by when, leading all the way up to our first game. I planned out every practice, a process that took a few weeks to finalize. We were going to be prepared and ready to go once October 15th rolled around.

That lasted about 30 minutes into my first practice. I realized quickly that so much of what we did every day in practice depended on the players, what they could grasp, their strengths and weaknesses, and my ability to teach. Right away it was obvious certain things (mostly defensive concepts) were going to take a lot longer than I thought. And other things were going to have to get cut. There was no way to say we were going to do 20 minutes of shell drill on day one and be done with it. For the most part, teaching and implementing took a lot longer than I expected and that impacted our ability to move on to other things.

Planning ahead was really a waste of my time. Obviously it makes sense to prepare and to plan your practices, but trying to lay out a schedule a month ahead of time is useless. Your team and their strengths and weaknesses will dictate what you need to do and how long you need to do it for. And there is no way to really know that until you start practicing.

One of the best things you can prepare for is the ability to adjust. A large part of coaching and building a team is adapting to what is happening every day. Some days your kids may be really sharp and focused, and you realize you can get a lot of stuff in. On other days they may have great energy and once you start playing you don’t want to stop and teach, because you don’t want to slow them down. Having a feel and understanding of your team will dictate when and how fast you can teach.

It always makes us feel better to plan ahead. We love to feel prepared. But when it comes to practice, you have to be ready for the unexpected. When you are trying to build a team, the best path will be dictated by what you see in front of you. It’s hard to plan that path in September, and when you do you’ll probably find you are wasting your time.

Coach K On Leadership

Some great nuggets from Coach K on leadership:

1. Create Ownership

2. Coach The Person Individually

3. Unite Big Egos

4. Listen and Respond

5. Show Vulnerability

https://x.com/gb1121/status/1799902685291782452

Lead By Example

Everyone leads by example. It’s not something good players or certain leaders choose to do. By definition, everyone does it. Leading by example is going about your business a certain way, and having an impact on those around you. Everyone has a certain way of doing things, and they don’t choose the impact it has on the people around them.

Leading by example isn’t always a positive influence. The teammate with the wrong attitude or bad work habits is leading by example just as much as anyone. Everyone sees how he operates. Some may look at him in disgust as a bad teammate and say they’ll never act that way, but others may look at him and realize they can get away with some shortcuts. No one is telling that kid to lead by example, but he’s doing it. Everyone does it.

I’m not a big fan of using leadership by example as an example of great leadership. To me, it’s the most basic form of leadership. It’s going about your business every day, regardless of those who are around you. When I hear the first thing a coach says about a player as a leader is that he “really leads by example,” I think to myself maybe he’s a great player and a hard worker, but he’s not that great of a leader.

Great leadership is more than just what you do. Now, I’m not saying leadership by example can’t be impactful - it can be very powerful. The Mom or Dad who gets up at 6 am and works two jobs to take care of their family every day, they are setting a great example for their kids and having a huge impact. But on teams, we don’t have 25 years of growing up to really understand the impact of seeing something like that every day. High-performing teams need more than just leadership by example.

Some players aren’t comfortable with traditional leadership, and they don’t wan to speak up or take on a leadership role. Hopefully, they can just lead by example in a positive way. But your team is going to need more than that. I’m sure your team has some players that have great leadership instincts and qualities, and it’s your job to find them and develop them. Figure out who can handle a leadership role, and don’t just let them lead by example. Define leadership for them and nurture their ability to impact your team.

If you allow all of your players to just lead by example, you won’t have an impactful leadership dynamic within your team. To sustain success at a high level, you are going to need more.

Bill Walton on John Wooden

RIP Bill Walton

https://x.com/CGProgram/status/1795210523270590748

Ivy Championship Game - Foul Up 6?

Do you ever consider fouling on purpose up 6 late in a game?

One of the more incredible finishes in college basketball this season in the Ivy League Championship game between Brown and Yale. Brown was up 6 with under :25 to play, and Yale outscored them 8-1 in the last :22 to win the game at the buzzer.

https://x.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/1769424728006050054?s=20

This brings up the question - do you ever consider fouling when you are up 6 late in a game? There is a lot of conversation about whether or not to foul up 3 late, but not a lot of people talk about fouling when you are up 6.

When up 6 in the last 20 seconds you feel like you are in control. Just get one stop and the game is basically over. However, if you give up a 3 in that situation, the game completely changes. Now it is a one possession game and you are forced to get the ball inbounds - somewhat unexpectedly - against full court pressure. I’ve seen teams - and I’ve coached teams - that panic in this scenario. The tone of the game changes, and it’s easy for the offensive team to get tight.

I started fouling in this situation when the clock got below the :15 second mark. It’s reasonable to think the other teams best chance to beat you - and perhaps their only chance - is if they hit a 3 in that situation. If the make a 2, or they hit 2 free throws, you are still up 2 possessions. If they make the 2 free throws and foul you, and you only hit one free throw, you are still up 5. Heck, if you miss both free throws or turn the ball over you are still up 4.

I recognize it’s not an easy decision, but I do feel that fouling when up 6 around the :15 second mark gives you the best chance to win. I’ve seen countless teams bury a difficult 3 without much thought, and all of the sudden it’s a different game.

Joe Mazzulla actually fouled up 6 with :12 to play in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which I don’t see in the NBA that often. Unfortunately due to a Jayson Tatum missed block out, the Pacers got the ball back after making the first free throw now down just 5. But it is still a two possession game at that point, and the Celtics went on to win relatively smoothly.

It’s worth thinking about. If you believe in fouling up 3 late in a game, you might consider fouling up 6 as well. I think it gives you the best chance to win.

Hard To Win With

• If you won’t commit on the defensive end…

• If you can’t remember the plays…

• If you look off an open teammate…

• If you can’t follow a scouting report…

• If you won’t consistently block out…

• If you can’t keep your body in front of the ball…

• If you don’t sprint back after a turnover…

• If you are complaining to the officials during play…

• If you don’t make the extra pass…

• If you refuse to talk defensively…

• If you can’t handle coming off the bench…

• If you can’t handle the emotion of competition…

• If you get technical fouls…

• If you are constantly breaking off the play…

• If you bail out defensively…

• If you are out late partying…

• If you won’t go to class…

• If you are late for the bus….

• If you don’t show up early for treatment…

• If you can’t handle criticism…

• If you won’t put the team first…

• If you don’t put in the time to get better…

• If you don’t always give great effort…

• If you won’t dive on a loose ball…

• If we can’t count on you…

…you are HARD TO WIN WITH

Don’t Overlook The Good Stuff

One of the mistakes I made when I first became a head coach was that I took the positive stuff for granted. I was so focused on the mistakes, the changes we needed to make, and what we needed to do better. Whether it was about an individual player or the team, I was focused - like most coaches - on what needed to change.

I was always confident in our culture and our preparation, and that led to efficient practices where our players could perform at a high level. I expected them to do the good things. When somebody does a great job blocking out, dives on the floor for a loose ball or sprints back to deflect a pass in transition, that is what I expect to see. I would find myself only speaking up when something negative happened, so the what the players heard was usually intense and on the negative side. They were being corrected all the time, but rarely being praised.

I had to learn as a head coach to recognize and emphasize the positive. Research on what motivates people says one of the best things you can do is be a fan, to constantly show them that you believe in and enjoy what they do. When I was constantly correcting mistakes and focusing only on what needed to change, I wasn’t doing that.

I also had to learn to recognize the low-maintenance players who always did the right things. Those were players I often overlooked. I didn’t appreciate what they did every day, I just came to expect it. And because of that, I’m sure my players felt they only heard from me when something wasn’t right.

Don’t forget to recognize the positive stuff that you see every day. Make sure your players know you appreciate the basic good stuff they do every day. I know you have a lot to correct and the mistakes need to change. But make sure your players are appreciated for the positive stuff they do everyday.

“Unbreakable”

Nick Saban referred to him as the Alabama "Head" Coach because he worked with players to reprogram their brains for success and performance.

He is Dr. Kevin Elko. In 2022, he was asked, "What's the one trait that all champions have?" His answer was ONE word. He said, "They're UNBREAKABLE." He said, “You can't break them. They're unbreakable. They have a vision of themselves. They have a concept they believe about themselves and they'll do anything to protect it."

How do they get this way? They do 2 things:

1. They believe in themselves - Self-belief and self-confidence comes from within. Top performers have a vision of themselves, what they want, and they work to become that vision. He said, "They'll protect that vision. You won't crack them." Their drive and belief allow them to choose resilience even when challenges and obstacles get in their way.

2. They take ownership of themselves - They take ownership of their attitude, effort, and mindset through the standard that they set. It's important to create a standard and live to that standard because you build good habits from that standard. He said, “When your habits are powerful and they are effective, you start to win now. If you don't develop habits intentionally, you will develop the bad ones.”. Champions take ownership of their attitude, effort, and mindset.

“A good coach inspires, a great coach teaches habit.” - Dr. Kevin Elko

• From @coachajkings

Tough - Jayson Tatum

A lot of younger players have a misguided idea of “tough.” Tough is a lot more about being able to handle your emotions than getting emotional. Tough is walking away from the fight when it’s going to hurt your team. Tough is competing at an elite level every day in practice throughout the year, regardless of your record or personal situation.

Tough isn’t necessarily what many young players think it is. I like what Jayson Tatum had to say about tough.

https://x.com/TheHoopHerald/status/1786204135550845348

Leadership Is An Action

“Leadership is an action, not a position.” ~ Donald McGannon

Perhaps the most important practical move you can make as a behavior is to define leadership as behavior. In fact, you should find a way to define all of your values in behavioral terms. Be clear with your team about what is important to you, and show them the behaviors that define it.

Traditional leadership tells us it is a position - a person in charge who tells others what to do. But people and teams are defined by their behaviors, and the leadership is responsible for defining those behaviors. If you want to understand the culture of an organization, don’t ask their veterans to tell you about it - look at their new employees and see how they act. That is their culture. It is the behavior that defines who you are.

Leadership is action. It’s not a position. It’s influence that leads to behaviors. Define those behaviors for your team and let them take ownership of your culture.

Nika Mühl UConn

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6J-2sBOY3-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Buy-In

“The true source of power for a leader is not authority but buy-in. How to create more buy-in is the master skill of great leadership.” - Admired Leaders

How do you create more buy-in as a coach?

In a business setting, the best leaders realize that cooperation from their team is essential. They aren’t achieving their goals if they don’t get the team on board. In coaching, we seem to take a different approach. We are going to tell you what to do, and you have to get on board. Do we look for cooperation from our team when we are coaching? We should.

Buy-in in the business world starts by asking your team for their opinion and involving them in the process as much as possible. Do we do this with our teams? Then they find leaders within their team to carry the torch from them amongst other team members. They get a couple of key influencers on board and give them the space to make an impact. We can do that with our teams - the idea of team captains comes to mind - but is it as effective if we don’t ask the questions first? We just assume our players are going to buy-in because they are supposed to listen to the coach.

As the process continues, the best leaders are in the weeds having multiple conversations with key team members, especially those who might be resistant to change. The best coaches do this, constantly communicating, listening and taking stock of where their team is mentally. But is it as effective as we think it is if we aren’t asking the right questions early on in the process?

Great business leaders don’t just make big, declarative statements. They don’t just give the team the answers, and tell them to go do the work. We do this too much as coaches. We want to give our guys the answers, and just have them rep it over and over. The problem is when the test comes, the questions change. We should be teaching our guys how to solve problems, not how to follow instructions.

You can give your team a vision with declaring what will be done and how it will be done. Do we want to be a championship level team? Yes. Okay, let’s talk about the best way to get there. Ask them what they think. Get them to understand what it takes, and take ownership of the approach. Ask them for their opinion, and get them involved in the process. Are we secure enough as a coach to do that?

“People get on board slow-moving trains where leaders ask them to collaborate to build a railroad. Buy-in always starts with collaboration and gains steam from the dialogue that ensues. 

The most skillful leaders know exactly where they want the team and organization to go, but they get there by asking others. They aren’t scared that the team will forge a different path or set a poor direction because they have planted the seed in many conversations before the idea or change fully materializes. They don’t sell or direct. They involve and collaborate. And buy-in is the result. “ - Admired Leaders

“You Gotta Face It”

Matt Painter on dealing with past failures.

Great teams have a mature relationship with losing. They don’t accept it, but they don’t run from it. They know how to deal with it. They keep it in perspective, learn from it and move on. It doesn’t affect their approach moving forward, it only impacts their preparation in how they learn from their mistakes.

Great players, great teams, great organizations - have a mature relationship with losing. They know how to deal with it.

https://x.com/TheHoopHerald/status/1777034354679496848

Rory McIlroy on Coaches

Rory McIlroy with interesting and insightful thoughts on coaches, that I think you can apply to coaches of any sport.

"Coaches are important, but I think coaches are important because they need to know who you are as a person and how you receive information rather than who you are as a player.

"You see it all the time [on the PGA Tour], guys will change coaches and they'll have an instant bit of success. That happens. But that goes back to every PGA Tour player is an amazing golfer and if you give them just a little bit of belief that they're on the right path, they can go and win or they can play better again...you get that quick uptick in performance and then you regress back to your average...I think it's way more important for a coach to know who you are as a person and how you receive information.

"Michael [Bannon] knows that it needs to be my idea. That's on me, I just need to feel like I own it. Maybe that's a little bit too much ego or, I'm a bit more of a control freak over it than I should [be], but he knows that I need to be the one in control of that and if I'm not and I feel like I'm being told what to do and it's not my idea, I don't respond to it very well, I shut down.

"Since [Michael and I] started working together on golf, we've been doing it together for 27 years. He knows how I tick, he knows what I respond to, what I don't respond to. I think that's super important in a player-coach relationship."

Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso is the young head coach of Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. He took over just two years ago, and has the team on pace for an historic season, with a great chance to win the Bundesliga. His success has led to speculation about his appointment to some of the biggest jobs in Europe.

I thought his quotes here were very self-aware, intelligent and refreshing. There isn’t a lot of stability in college athletics these days, and it feels like great coaches are constantly being talked about for other jobs. And I totally get the idea of striking while the iron is hot, with the support, opportunity and money being difficult to turn down.

But how often does your development as a coach come into play in these situations? When do you hear about a coach saying “this is the best place for me to develop right now?”

When things move as fast as they are moving in college athletics today, what is actually best for you as a coach usually takes a back seat. And it shouldn’t.

Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will stay on as manager of Bayer Leverkusen for the 2024-25 season despite strong interest from some of Europe's biggest teams, including Bayern Munich and Liverpool, as he sees the club as the best place for him to continue his development as a coach.

"For sure all the decisions, you need to analyse well, and I tried to take the right ones, I tried to take the ones that come in a natural way, and at this moment I feel this is the right place for me to be to develop as a coach.

"I am a young coach, but I have to feel it, and right now I feel that this is the right place."

"It's a process, the development of the team is parallel with my development as a manager," he added. "This is my first complete season as a manager. I still have a lot of things to prove myself, to experience, and right now I have a situation in the club where I feel really stable, really happy with the team and the club."

TJ Otzelberger

TJ Otzelberger talks about how he had to adjust when he first became a head coach. I think most of us have a vision of what we expect our program to look like and to be all about when we become a head coach, but what we don’t know is how the situation we are in is going to impact us.

Otzelberger took over at South Dakota State and envisioned his program looking like Tom Izzo and Michigan State. And his team was different than that. Showed a lot of foresight and self-confidence to realize he was the one who had to adjust as a young head coach.

From C.J. Moore’s article in The Athletic

“I went in there and wanted to be more like Tom Izzo and coach really hard. Defensive-minded and physical rebounding. And my team was a little bit different than that. They were more of a flow offense group.”

He leaned on what he’d learned about offense from Hoiberg and McDermott, because that type of style fit the Jackrabbits, who were the second-best shooting team in college basketball his third and final season at SDSU. Otzelberger also reviewed the film and watched himself on the sideline and realized he was too emotional. Immature. He was arguing too many calls and reacting to every little thing, and his team was following his lead. He decided that you’d never see him go after a referee again.

“It was really a reflective time for me,” Otzelberger says. “I felt like a hypocrite and that I needed to change more than our team did. And so I really tried to change my approach and focus on what we will do, what we can be, what our strengths were, and how I can lean into those as opposed to being frustrated or upset by the things that we were not.”

Dying To Follow You

“If you’re going to lead… you better have someone who is dying to follow you.” - Geno Auriemma

https://x.com/WDWconvo/status/1772055051252420969?s=20

Caitlin Clark

From Wright Thompson’s article on ESPN about Caitlin Clark

Her teammates came to understand that they were dealing with someone like Mozart. She wasn't rude, nor necessarily nice, just a different species. At one point that year a sports psychologist came in to work with the team. She started going around the room and asking the players when they felt stressed and anxious and how they reacted to those feelings. One by one, the young women described familiar symptoms and scenarios: sweaty hands, a fear of the free throw line, struggling with breathing, anxiety about the last possession.

Finally it was Caitlin's turn. She seemed a little embarrassed.

"I never am," she said.

Everyone in the room somehow understood she was being more vulnerable than cocky.

"Stone cold," one witness told me. "It was so cool."

Are You a Great Teammate?

Great teams are made up of great teammates. How much are you willing to put your team ahead of your own best interests?

This is an incredible story from Dana O’Neill about Trey Hicks from Longwood.

FOR SEVEN MINUTES OF PLAYING TIME, HE BURNED HIS MEDICAL REDSHIRT

Dana O’Neil - The Athletic

Most of March’s magical moments – the buzzer-beaters, game winners and monster dunks – come with an exclamation point. This was an ordinary substitution, a basketball exchange that happens countless times during the course of 40 minutes. Yet it left Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich in tears.

Seven months ago, Trey Hicks, a junior forward from Louisville, Ky., injured his knee for the second time, this time an MRI revealing a complete tear of the meniscus. Surgery followed, the latest setback for a walk-on turned scholarship player who already missed time with a broken ankle as a sophomore. Aldrich and Hicks talked about it, agreeing that Hicks would redshirt, getting a fifth year that would not only give him a better chance to play, but also pursue his MBA.

But when he checked into the Big South Championship game against UNC Asheville four minutes into the second half, on what could be the Lancers’ next-to-last game of the season (as a 16-seed, they’ll play No. 1 seed Houston in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday), Hicks burned his shot at that redshirt season. An improbable confluence of circumstances put Longwood in a situation to need Hicks; but it was Hicks who answered the call. “I told Coach, if you need me, you got me,’’ Hicks says. “For a program that has done so much for me, that’s the least I could do.”

After graduating from South Oldham High School, Hicks did a prep school year at the Hill School, hoping the extra year would get some more basketball bites. Instead, COVID-19 happened and he only got nibbles, mostly from Division II schools. Longwood offered him a chance to come as a walk-on sight unseen, and wanting the D1 experience, Hicks took it. He spent his first year happily on the scout team, played in 11 games as a sophomore, but the broken ankle robbed him of a chance to do much.

At the end of that season, after Longwood won the Big South tournament, Aldrich awarded him with a scholarship. Two weeks later, Hicks injured his knee playing pickup. An MRI showed no damage, so Hicks participated in summer workouts. But then he felt the same tweak again, an MRI this time showing a tear of the meniscus capsule. He went with the team for a European trip. Didn’t play but as he toured around, he noticed his knee kept ballooning up. Another MRI, this one showing the tear. “It was emotionally draining,” Hicks says.

But with the safety net of the redshirt year, Hicks settled into his rehab. He didn’t so much as practice. “I hadn’t run 94 feet in seven months,’’ he says with a laugh. Nor did he intend to. And then the dominoes started to fall.

In the Big South tournament semifinal, starting big man Elijah Tucker got banged in the thigh, but the seemingly innocuous injury turned into a real issue. Blood pooled from the contusion, meriting a hospital visit and stay, and knocking Tucker out of the championship game. Knowing his team would be shorthanded, Hicks tossed and turned all night, mulling over his own situation. He talked with his dad, Brian, who was staying at the team hotel, the next day, and then sent a text to assistant coach Quinn McDowell. Aldrich shared the text. Just talked to my dad and I’m ready if y’all need me. The team comes first in this situation. I’d be pissed if I passed up on that.

“I showed my wife and we both started to cry,” Aldrich says. But Aldrich also wasn’t immediately on board. He texted Brian Hicks, telling him how impressed he was with Hicks’ selfless offer but his inclination was not to accept it. “It’s just a game,” Aldrich says. “His life is so much more important.” Brian Hicks, however, told him that his son not only had his blessing, he was immensely proud of his choice.

That morning, Hicks went to athletic trainer Leah Dunagan, asking her to tape his ankles. Dunagan looked at him quizzically. “I told her what was going on, and to her credit, she just shrugged,” Hicks says. “We checked with my doctor and he gave me the all clear.” At walkthrough, the coaching staff reiterated there were no expectations.

“I told him we’d only ever use him if there was an emergency,’’ Aldrich says.

With 18 minutes left in the game, the emergency came. Asheville’s Fletcher Abee was ejected for a flagrant two. In the chaos of the play, backup big man Johan Nziemi stepped onto the court – “a foot fault,” Aldrich called it – and by rule, was ejected for leaving the bench area. “I looked down the bench, and Trey looks at me,’’ says Aldrich, tearing up. “He just said, ‘I’m ready.'”

Longwood fans cheered as Hicks entered the game. “He’d been through all of those injuries, but I don’t think anybody truly grasped what was going on,” Aldrich says. “He burned his redshirt year for his team. For one game. I’ve never seen anything so selfless.”

Tucker is being evaluated for his NCAA Tournament status. Regardless, Aldrich does not intend to play Hicks. Instead he wants to appeal to the NCAA, asking them to consider the circumstances to see if they’ll restore his redshirt year.

Hicks is philosophical about it. “I would love to get the year back,” he says. “But I wouldn’t trade what I did for anything. No regrets. None. All of the pleasure I’ve gotten from this program, the chance that the coaching staff gave me, I was happy to do something for them.”

Longwood’s Trey Hicks dunks in the final minute against UNC Asheville on March 10. (Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)

Hicks played seven minutes. In the first, he fouled twice and missed a layup. He issued another layup, pulled down a defensive rebound and turned the ball over.

But with 25 seconds left before Longwood secured the title and NCAA Tournament bid, he scooted down court on a fast break. He got the ball, blitzed down the lane and flushed a dunk for Longwood’s last points.

And Trey Hicks’ magical March moment, with an exclamation point.