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Last One Holding The Chalk...Usually Wins!(October 2008)Assortment of plays, drills and ideas to help your program improve.
I give you the ULTIMATE SIDE-OUT Of BOUNDS PLAY "SERIES". This play has been revised and severely upgraded from a previous newsletter entry. We have a "#1 through #5" play call and will look to create a scoring opportunity for the particular player's number that is called. Great action...you will not need to run anything else this time down the floor. I have also realized that by teaching them this side-out play, we have also just added 5 new set plays to our half court offense (as they can easily be run the same way from your half court set). So, (10) plays for the time and effort of teaching only (1) side-out series! Check it out below. Here is the online viewing page: Here is the pdf downloadable format for viewing / printing: REACH
OUT TO COACH MEYER! By now I’m sure everyone has heard about the car accident Don Meyer was involved in on September 5th. I was sent this e-mail and asked to pass it on. Since this e-mail, many of us have also learned that Coach Meyer had his left leg amputated below the knee, and, was diagnosed with a slow-growing cancer in his liver and bowels, which doctors said they might not have been found had he not been injured. Even more of reason to reach out to this incredible man, parent and coach. Dear Coach: On September 5, a dear friend of mine and a tremendous friend of our profession, Don Meyer, was involved in an automobile accident. The great news is that he is going to be fine but he does have a long road to recovery. I am reaching out to all college coaches to take a few minutes out of their day to drop a note to Coach Meyer. It is hard for me to believe that there are many coaches out there that haven’t some sort of Don Meyer influence in their program — he has played a huge role in the success of Lady Tiger Basketball. If Coach Meyer has influenced you or your program, this would be a great time to share some of those thoughts with him. For those that know Don, they know he has a fetish for pens. He is always asking what type of pen you have and can he write with it to see how “it flows.” We thought it would be enjoyable if coaches mailed a pen along with their thought to Don. Even now as he is laid up in a hospital bed we are told his humor has already returned. Don was in his car on his way to a team retreat when the accident occurred. Players were following behind in cars and actually crawled in to Coach’s car and talked to him and prayed until help could arrive. He was airlifted to Sioux Falls and has undergone several surgeries. He has lost his spleen and broken every rib. He has back injuries and the doctors worked feverishly to save his left leg. He also has tremendous faith and great support from his family and team. You can mail your support to: COACH DON MEYER Northern State University Men’s Basketball Office 1200 South Jay Street Aberdeen, SD 57401-7155 Please take the time to support someone who has supported us! As a tribute to Coach Meyer, I would like to include "What I have learned from Coach Meyer", as told by Coach Bob Starkey (LSU Women's Basketball).
(#1) COACH MEYER: "It doesn't matter where you coach, it matters why you coach." This is a thought that speaks to every coach on every level. It puts the focus back on the young people that we are developing on and off the court as well as our responsibility to the community in which we live, the institution in which we work, the profession for which we represent, and to the game of basketball. (#2) DON MEYER: "Learn to handle winning because success can destroy you easier than failure." This is probably one of the most important lessons you can learn if you are interested in your program sustaining success over an extended period of time. The biggest battle of those individuals or teams that taste success is that of complacency. Coach Meyer often talks about treating today as if you'd lost last night. There is nothing like defeat to awake your competitive spirit. Their is a heightened sense of urgency on the heels of failure. If you as a competitor can tap into that intensity and level of concentration and commitment consistently after victory, than you truly have an opportunity to be the best you can be. (#3) DON MEYER: "It all starts at the top. If starts with me. If my kids are soft, then I must be soft." This lesson from Coach can be summed up as saying that we as coaches are responsible for the make up of our team. Some coaches are quick to point out that their team is soft, not mentally tough, not fundamentally sound, not intelligent -- a whole litany of reasons that their team is struggling. But the bottom line is that they must first look in the mirror. It's about accountability. On the collegiate level, I always feel that our coaching staff is responsible for any short coming on the court. Did we TEACH them well in practice? Was our practice structure conducive to their improvement? Did we give the proper thought to practice in terms of preparing them? Was there the necessary combination of conditioning and rest? Did we PREPARE them well throughout the process? Did we give them the information they needed to understand their goals, roles and objectives? Did we insure means of motivation to gain maximum effort? Did we COACH them well in the game? Was our game plan correct and if not, did we have a solid back up plan? Were the adjustments and substitutions made in such a way to assure success? In late game situations, we were properly prepared -- did we put players in position to do what they can and to avoid that which they cannot? In some cases a staff can say yes. We did teach...we did prepare...we did coach but we still failed. If this is true, then it comes back to RECRUITING -- and once again we as coaches are responsible. (#4) DON MEYER: "You feel important when you're coaching your team. Put a shell around them and protect them." No question that coaches understand what this means. It's yet another reason we all continue to pray for a speedy recovery for coach. His team needs him, no doubt -- but he needs his team as well. Protect them does not mean shelter them. It means to teach them. Expose them to those things that will not only make them better players but better people. And expose them with your guidance. Coaches are like training wells on a bike for young players. As they advance, if we have taught them properly, the training wheels can be removed and they will be able to enjoy a nice ride -- even if there is an occasional bump in the road. (#5) DON MEYER: "You don't shoot fast, you get ready to shoot fast." One of the absolute keys to becoming a better shooter no matter what your skill level is in that fundamental is shot preparation. It's about showing your hands and getting you feet set -- long before the ball arrives. We have all coached shooters that shoot well when left open, but the key to great shooter, the shooter that can knock down the shot in traffic, is that they have done all the work to get ready to shoot before they catch the ball. (#6) DON MEYER: "Sometimes you have to whisper to be heard." This was an invaluable lesson for me who as a coach thought a loud voice was the only way to communicate. From talking to Coach I learned that it was important to understand the player and the circumstance in order to best know how to communicate. It goes along with another one Coach's favorite lines: "It's not what you say, it's what they hear." (#7) DON MEYER: "Get with a head coach who possess good qualities of integrity. A man who is a servant leader and cares and can make life a great adventure. Learn all you can and you'll learn much more when you're a head coach." Over 15 years ago I wrote a book titled "The Art of Being An Assistant Coach." As part of writing that book I survey over 35 head coaches. The quote above was one that I took from Coach as his advice to assistant coaches. I have been fortunate to have worked for a few coaches that have lived up to that guideline -- I am even more fortunate that I've had a mentor in him that has lived up to that as well. |
While Coach Meyer continues to recover I've decided that I will start each day
by listing something that Coach has taught me during our 15 year friendship. I
have five three-inch notebooks filled with notes I've taken from spending time
with Coach so these "thoughts" may last even past his recovery -- which
we should all pray for a speedy and successful one.
