Blog Posts

How Well Balanced Are You?

I may have mentioned this before but one of the hi-lites of my coaching experiences was being fortunate enough to have heard John Wooden speak at a clinic. Coach Wooden sat on a chair that was positioned on a slightled raised platform. He spoke in a normal tone. He told no jokes. He never raised his voice. The first words out of his mouth were ... "You know we should not be here now." It was Sunday morning. I attended many coaching clinics while I was actively coaching. I

Apr 15

Practice Special Situation Checklist

They say timing is everything. Well my timing for this post is very poor! I ran across this information just recently and felt it should be shared even though this should be shared in the fall before practice begins. Now, not all of the following is realistically necessary to cover with your team, but you as their coach can certainly find situations your team can benefit from practicing. Philosophy: 1. Do I want to save my timeouts for the end of the game? 2. How long do

Mar 10

What You See Is What You Get

One of the few creative things I ever came up was what we called the acronym WYSIWYG? The day before we had an exam I gave each student a handout. The handout was called WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET! Hence the acronym "WYSIWYG" It was basically an outline to prepare for the exam. It became a very popular test prep item for most students. For some students, the greatest test anixety is the stress related to what do I need to know? Many students feel over whelmed by the

Feb 10

The Wisdom of Pat Summitt

A coach I have learned a great deal from. A coach who's opinion I valued said, Pat Summitt is the best collegiate basketball coach he knew. In today's blog I want to share some of the coaching wisdom of Pat Summitt. I find her knowledge and coaching philosopy to be enlightening: Pat Summitt Quotes: "There is no such thing as self respect without respect for others. "Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you're never wrong? "Value those

Jan 13

Everyone is Good for Something. (Even a Bad Example!)

Unfortunately, I had a number of bad habits. One of which was an ability to deliver a less than necessary comment that may very well have hurt someone on the floor. Some comments were cutting and I am ashamed to admit some comments were meant to place me in a favorable light while potentially hurting someone else. Whipping boy/girl used to be a term to describe someone who was often the subject of verbal criticism. I have a number of regrets as a coach. I never tried to pl

Dec 15, 2025

DO YOU HAVE HUNTING DOGS OR SHOW DOGS?

One of the people I enjoy listening to is the former Head Football Coach at the University of Alabama Nick Saban. Recently, I heard him talk about wether you have a team of show dogs or hunting dogs. He then went on to define what he meant by show dogs and hunting dogs. As usual, Coach Saban demonstrates why he was such an effective communicator. According to Coach Saban some players are "show dogs" which he used as an analogy for players who only played hard if he was bei

Nov 10, 2025

What's the Hurry?

I have been blessed to have become a Grandpa, or as my two youngest grandchildren call me "Papa.'' Along with the title comes certain expectations. I now have a tent swing, a candy dispensor, and a play store in our basement. Papa now has a portable basketball goal in his garage that can be adjusted to different heights. Another aspect of being a Grand parent is attending your grandchildren's events. I have now seen soccer, T-ball, and basketball games. Viewing these e

Oct 11, 2025