THE GREAT ONES HAVE NO OFF SWITCH

The stories about Jerry Rice's unparalleled work ethic are as much a part of his legend as numbers that made him the NFL's greatest receiver.

The young boy who gained his speed by chasing horses. The dedicated son who learned about determination from his father while catching bricks during sweltering Mississippi summers.

The teenager sent to the football coach because of the speed he showed running away from a principal while playing hooky. And the frequent 2½-mile uphill sprints that kept him in tiptop shape as an NFL star.

For former teammate Steve Young, the story that best describes Rice's drive comes a few weeks after the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl in January 1995.

Young arrived one day at the team's practice facility to clean out his locker and saw Rice out on the field running sprints and catching passes from the groundskeeper nearly seven months before the start of the next season.

"When people talk about Jerry's work ethic and say, 'Oh it's really extreme,' they do it a disservice," Young said. "There's an iron will to it. It's over his dead body. Jerry to the core was driven. You belittle that drive by saying he had just a great work ethic. Most people have an off switch and they choose when to go all out. Jerry didn't have an off switch."

"There was no way I was going to be denied," Rice said. "I kept working hard and my dream came true. I tell kids do not let any obstacles stand in your way. If you want to achieve something, go for it. I'm living proof with my background and where I came from. I didn't give up and I wanted to be the best football player I could possibly be in the NFL and I was able to accomplish that."

Rice struggled with some drops early in his career, leading some to question why he was a first-round pick. But Lott saw something right away in Rice, who beat the future Hall of Famer with a sly double move on one of the first days of practice.

Then teammate Ronnie Lott saw Rice's reaction to the drops and knew he would become a star.

"You didn't see many rookies with the ability to perform precision routes like that. It just seemed natural to Jerry," Lott said. "After he had a rough game with a couple of drops, I saw him sitting at his locker crying. For a lot of people when they lose, it's not personal. For him it was always personal. It showed how much he wanted to be great."

From an Associated Press article -- read the entire article: http://bit.ly/sZDeFR

IT ALWAYS STARTS AT PRACTICE

“I think we are coming of age. We are growing and getting better every day. That is really from us challenging each other more in practice. We really stepped up the intensity in practice, really getting after it and simulating being in the game. If you make practice harder than the games, we will play better in the games.”

SKYLAR DIGGINS
Notre Dame All-American
From the South Bend Tribune (12-20-11)

YOUR PRACTICE EFFECTS OTHERS

"If I don’t practice one day, I know it.

If I do not practice the next day,

the orchestra knows it.
If I do not practice the third day,

the whole world knows it.”

-Ignace Paderewski (pianist)

BRUCE LEE ON THE WILL TO WIN

"The will to win. The attitude 'that you can win if you want to badly enough' means that the will to win is constant and no amount of punishment, no amount of effort, or no condition is too 'tough' to take in order to win. Such an attitude can be developed only if winning is closely tied to the practitioner’s ideals and dreams. Experience shows that an athlete who forces himself to the limit, can keep going as long as necessary. It means that ordinary effort will not tap or release the tremendous store of reserve power latent in the human body. Extraordinary effort, highly emotionalized conditions, or a true determination to win at all costs will release this extra energy. Therefore an athlete is actually as tired as he feels, and if he is determined to win he can keep on almost indefinitely in order to achieve his objective."

-BRUCE LEE

ARE YOU PROUD OF HOW YOU LIVED TODAY?

"At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, 'If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today.'”

-Muhammad Ali

MJ ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNDAMENTALS

"The minute you get away from fundamentals, the bottom can fall out.  Fundamentals were the most crucial part of my game in the NBA. Everything I did, everything I achieved, can be traced back to the way I approached the fundamentals and how I applied them to my abilities."

-Michael Jordan

IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST HAVING FUN

"I do know that I didn't enjoy little league baseball for the fun of playing.  I can't help it -- but that's true.  When i hear parents tell their kids today, 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you have fun,' I'm puzzled.  That's just now how I'm wired.  Bottom line, losing simply isn't any fun.  Oh sure, in thinking back on plays and moments, I knew I was loving every minute of playing the game.  But if there's a score, then there's a purpose to the game beyond having fun -- it's having a greater score.  Of course, there is intrinsic value in playing the game itself and how well you play it, and always playing to the best of your ability, but at some point the actual competition has to be a piece of the analysis as well.  After all, there'd be no point to the rules or to keeping score if it were simply only about having fun."

-Tim Tebow (from his book "Though My Eyes")

IT'S THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

THE BEST TEAMS

“The best teams are teams in any

sport that lose themselves in the team.

The individuals lose their identity.

And their identities come about as a result

of being in the team first.”

-Coach Krzyzewski



COMPETE

"If you're not a competitor,

you've just got to go home."

-Venus Williams

TEAM PLAY DETERMINES SUCCESS

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stairs in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

-Babe Ruth

DON'T LISTEN WHEN THEY TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN'T DO

NO EXCUSES

PREPARATION OVER REGRET

"It's better to look ahead and

prepare than to look back and regret."

-Jacki Joyner-Kersee

JIM BROWN AND THE ART OF BEING OBSESSED WITH DETAILS

“The nine years I was in pro ball, I never quit trying to make my mind an encyclopedia of every possible detail — about my teammates, about players on other teams, about the plays we used, and about both our and other teams’ collective and individual tendencies. Every play I ran, I had already run a thousand times in my mind. You get a jump on the game when you visualize beforehand not only the regular players you run, but also the 101 other things that might happen unexpectedly. So when you’re in the actual game, whatever happens, you’ve already seen it in your mind and plotted your countermoves — instantly and instinctively.”

-Jim Brown

MJ ON LEADING BY EXAMPLE

It comes down to a very simple saying: There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way.

If you don’t back it up with performance and hard work, talking doesn’t mean a thing.

I’ve always tried to lead by example. That is just my personality. I never led vocally. I never really tried to motivate by talking because I don’t think words ever mean as much action.

They always say a picture carries a thousand words. So I tried to paint a picture of hard work and discipline.

But a leader has to earn that title. You aren’t the leader just because you’re the best player on the team, the smartest person in the class, or the most popular. No one can give you that title either. You have to gain the respect of those around you by your actions. You have to be consistent in your approach whether it’s basketball practice, a sales meeting, or dealing with your family.

A leader can’t make any excuses. There has to be quality in everything you do. Off the court, on the court, in the classroom, on the playground, inside the meeting room, outside of work. You have to transfer those skills, that drive, to whatever environment you’re in.

And you have to be willing to sacrifice certain individual goals, if necessary, for the good of the team.

From "I Can't Accept Not Trying" by Michael Jordan

UNRELENTING PURSUIT OF YOUR GOAL

"It's determination and commitment to an

unrelenting pursuit of your goal that will enable

you to attain the success you seek."

-- Mario Andretti



INDIVIDUALS PLAY THE GAME BUT TEAMS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The following was written by Temeka Johnson, the outstanding point guard of the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.  It is one of the best things I have read from a player on the concept of teamwork:

I am reading another book and I think this one is real fitting for what it is that I do and I also think It is fitting to you all that work with others as well. It is called TeamWork By John C. Maxwell. I can remember getting one of his books when were in school and I absolutely loved it.

The first question is why is Teamwork important? And I would like to start with the part that is Title The Value of Teamwork.

A Chinese proverb states, “Behind an able man there are always other able men.” The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement. The question isn’t whether teams have value. The question is whether we acknowledge that fact and become better team players. That’s why I assert that one is too small a number to achieve greatness. You cant do anything of real value alone.

I challenge you to think of one act of genuine significance in the history of humankind that was performed by a lone human being. No matter what you name, you will find that a team of people was involved. That is why President Lyndon Johnson said, “ There are no problems that we can not solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.”

C. Gene Wilkes, in his book Jesus on Leadership, observed that the power of teams not only is evident in today’s modern business world, but it also has a deep history that is evident even in biblical times. Wilkes assert

• Team involve more people, thus affording more resources, ideas, and energy than would an individual.

• Teams maximize a leader’s potential and minimize her weakness. Strength and weaknesses are more exposed in individuals.

• Teams provide multiple perspectives on how to meet a need or reach a goal, thus devising several alternatives for each situation. Individual insight is seldom as broad and deep as a group’s when it takes on a Problem

• Teams share the credit for victories and the blame for losses. This fosters genuine humility and authentic community. Individuals take credit and blame alone. This fosters pride and sometimes a sense of failure

• Teams Keep leaders accountable for the goal. Individuals connected to no one can change the goal without accountability.

• Teams can simply do more than an individual.

If you want to reach your potential or strive for the seemingly impossible – such as communicating your message two thousand years after you are gone- you need to become a team player. It may be cliché, but it is nonetheless true; Individuals play the game but teams win championships.

You can check out Meek's blog at: http://2meekmoments.blogspot.com/

BELIEF AND DETERMINATION AND CONQUER ALL

I received this via email from my friend and mentor Coach Dale Brown.  The next time you think you can't achieve a goal because of your past, or a serious handicap, or some difficult adversity then play this and know that through belief and determination you can accomplish amazing feats.

THE ONLY WAY TO OBTAIN CONFIDENCE

"Confidence is the most important single

factor in this game, and no matter

how great your talent, there is

only one way to obtain it-work."

-Jack Nicklaus



OR MAYBE YOU'RE JUST MAKING EXCUSES

ARE YOU A POSITIVE LEADER OR A NEGATIVE LEADER

“We preached that everybody’s a leader. You’re either a negative leader or you’re a positive leader. But everybody contributes, and everybody has to be a part of it. And again, when someone may not be able to carry the load, someone else has to step up. That the whole idea of “whatever it takes.” You’re not always going to be a hundred percent healthy; you’re not always going to meet the same challenge...Everybody’s a leader. Now if you have someone who is a complainer, that guy’s not doing it, a finger-pointer, that’s negative leadership.

Leadership comes from everybody.”

-Chuck Noll (Hall of Fame Coach, Winner of 4 Super Bowls0

BULLS TITLES WON WITH ROLE ACCEPTANCE & FUNDAMENTALS

When we started winning championships, there was an understanding among all twelve players about what our roles were. We knew our responsibilities and we knew our capabilities.

And that’s why we were able to beat more talented teams. There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren’t willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve.

The minute you get away from fundamentals, the bottom can fall out. 

Fundamentals were the most crucial part of my game in the NBA. Everything I did, everything I achieved, can be traced back to the way I approached the fundamentals and how I applied them to my abilities.

They really are the basic building blocks or principles that make everything work. I don’t care what you’re doing or what you’re trying to accomplish; you can’t skip fundamentals if you want to be the best.

You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that changes will be your attention to them. The fundamentals will never change.

Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.

It comes down to a very simple saying: There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way.

If you don’t back it up with performance and hard work, talking doesn’t mean a thing.

From "I Can't Accept Not Trying" by Michael Jordan

THE WILL TO PREPARE TO WIN

“I’ve never seen a player that didn’t want to win when the ball was tossed up...but I’ll tell you when better want to win — you’d better want to win the day before and two days before and three days before because the will to win the game is not nearly as important as will the will to PREPARE to win the game.”

-Bob Knight

MJ ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CONDITIONING AND NUTRITION

OVERCOMING SOMEONE ELSE'S POOR OPINION

We have read and shared stories about amazing athletes that overcame negative opinions of coaches at an early age.  Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neil and Bob Cousy were all actually cut from their high school team.  From www.successmagazine.com comes another story from Mike Zimmerman on another of sports greatest who had to dig past the opinion of a coach:

When David Beckham was 13 and dreaming of playing pro football (soccer to the Americans among us), one of his coaches said the magic words: “You’ll never play for England because you’re too small and not strong enough.”

As Beckham told me, the coach wasn’t joking or trying to be ironic. He meant it. And young David was devastated. Temporarily.

It occurred to him, even at 13—or maybe because he was 13, since adolescent rage can carry you far—that he could re-dedicate himself and prove that coach wrong. “As much as I was upset at the time, it made me think, Well, I’m going to prove that I can play football professionally,” he says. “Back in those days there were a lot of people who thought to be a player in England you had to have a full-grown beard and be big enough to kick the ball as far as possible. It’s changed now.”

Beckham helped change the thinking. Even though he wasn’t the biggest man on the pitch, his speed and uncanny scoring ability helped him become one of the great players in the history of the game—and one of the most popular athletes in the world. Captain of the English national team for six years, he collected more than 100 “caps,” meaning he played for his country more than 100 times, an honor few players have achieved.

Stories like Beckham’s are always interesting to us—maybe because it’s fun to root for the underdog (though no one thinks of Beckham as an underdog today). Maybe because we have an innate desire to see people proved wrong. But when does a story like this become more? When do you make it your own?

All of us have had someone tell us we can’t do or be something we dream of doing or being. Maybe it was a coach, teacher or family member. But these days, the person telling you that you can’t achieve a dream is more likely the one person you absolutely must have on your side: you.

Henry Ford said something similar: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

Here’s an interesting exercise: Every time you hear that big voice in your head (there are no little voices in our heads), think of it as some frustrated, ignorant coach telling you you’ll never play for England. Get angry. Get motivated. Then get moving.

...BEFORE I BECAME HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

"Before I won a gold medal at the Olympics, before I became the heavyweight champion of the world, before I stoop up to the United States Government for my religious beliefs, before I was named a United Nations Ambassador of Peace, and before I became the most recognized person in the world, I was just a kid from Kentucky who had the faith to believe in himself and the courage to follow his heart."

LIFE = RISK

Special thanks to Coach Ray Lokar for posting this in Lok's Ledger and bringing it to our attention:

WHEN YOU ARE ALONE, WHAT DOES YOU ACTIONS SAY ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”
-Thomas McCauley

You identify yourself by what you do when no one is watching. The supervised athlete may be the hardest worker, the most selfless and responsible competitor. But how he practices when no one sees him, how he interacts with teammates when the coach is not within listening distance -- that's when he defines himself.  His character.

Theodore Roosevelt extended the definition to self-awareness and independent self-evaluation saying, “I care not of what others think I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do. That is character.”

From “Coaching The Mental Game” by H. A. Dorfman

WHAT DO THE GREAT DO IN THE OFF-SEASON? WORK TO BECOME BETTER

The following comes from an SI.com  article on LeBron James.

He's working out twice a day, trying to erase some of the sting that's still there after the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals.

"Right now I've just been focusing on being a better player, working on my game every single day," James said at a news conference before the AP interview. "Like I said, the Dallas Mavericks were a great team and they deserved to win that championship. And I'll just use that as motivation coming into this season."

He's also trying to deliver on his vow to be even better whenever the Heat resume play, saying he's been in Houston at times this offseason to learn post play from one of the game's all-time greats, former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon.

"I look at what he was able to do throughout his career," James said. "Unbelievable talent. Multiple champion. Just to see how he was able to dominate in the low post, for me as an individual, I just try to look at some of the things I feel I need to get better at and hit home at it. Our team becomes better if I continue to get better and that's what it's about."

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/o6vgH0

"A LIFETIME OF TRAINING"

"A lifetime of training for just ten seconds."

~ Jesse Owens

(on running the 100-meter dash in the Olympics)

"I run on the road long before

I dance under the lights."

~ Muhammad Ali

 

"It's better to look ahead and

prepare than to look back and regret."

~ Jackie Joyner-Kersee

I HATE TO LOSE

"If you're going to play at all, you're

out to win. Baseball, board games,

 playing Jeopardy, I hate to lose."

-Derek Jeter

CHARACTER -- IT'S IN THE TRYING

Shout out to Ray Lokar for posting this scene from Friday Night lights on twitter...great message for us all!

FOR US TO BE CHAMPIONS

Jason Kidd addressing his Olympic teammates:

“For us to be champions, I think we need to be three things.  First, we need to be unselfish-with playing time and in making the extra pass.  Second, we need to be smart-taking good shots and always being aware of time, score and fouls.  And third,” I concluded, “we need to be aggressive-not just when we have the ball but in movement away from the ball.  We need to hit the offensive boards and attack the passing lanes on defense.”

From "The Gold Standard" by Mike Krzyzewski

TEAMWORK AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

WORK BEFORE GLORY

EVEN THE GREAT ONES KNOW HOW TO ACCEPT THEIR ROLE

During my recent recruiting trip, I have enjoyed reading Tim Tebow's book and really believe it would be a great book for athletes to read -- especially those that are very gifted.  Tim shows throughout the book the importance of being and staying grounded through a variety of obstacles. 

Early this week I tweeted that it isn't always about the accomplishments but about the hurdles you overcome during the accomplishments.  Tim is a great example of handling a variety of speed bumps in maximizing his potential.

For instance, coming out of high school, he was one of the nation's most recruited athletes -- to the point that ESPN did a documentary on him in high school.  Many athletes is this light would expect to start as a freshman and some would pout if they didn't.  But Tim Tebow understand what was important for the team as he writes:

"For me, more important than winning the quarterback job was earning some playing time, being part of the team, building the trust of the coaches and my teammates, and being able to contribute.  That's what I took so much pride in and what I wanted to accomplish.  I hoped to carve out a role for myself that contributed to the good of the team in every game."

From "Through My Eyes" by Tim Tebow

HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF?

"You identify yourself by what you do when no one is watching.  The supervised athlete may be the hardest worker, the most selfless and responsible competitor.  But how he practices when no one sees him, how he interacts with teammates when the coach is not within listening distance -- that's when he defines himself.  His character."

-H.A. Dorfman

MJ: ALWAYS HAD TO WIN

Leroy Smith on teammate Michael Jordan:

“He and I practiced every day together and he always had to win. If it was a game of Horse and you beat him, you would have to play another game until he won. You didn’t go home until he had won.”

TY COBB ON CONFIDENCE

“Every great batter works on the theory

 that the pitcher is more afraid of him

than he is of the pitcher.”

-Ty Cobb

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT KOBE

Via Alan Stein's blog comes a great post on thoughts regarding Kobe Bryant from his teammate Luke Walton:

1. Kobe’s work ethic is unparalleled. He comes in early and he stays late. He always does more than is asked. He gives 100% in every drill, in every workout, in every practice, and (obviously) in every game. He is never satisfied and is always striving to get better.

2. Kobe’s competitiveness rivals his work ethic. He wants to win at everything. He can’t turn it off. He competes just as hard in workouts and practice as he does in the NBA Finals.

3. Kobe has no fear. He doesn’t fear failure and he doesn’t care what the public or the media think about him. He doesn’t look over his shoulder and he doesn’t try to please everyone.

4. Kobe is a student of the game. He constantly studies film… of himself, of his opponents, and of previous generation’s players. He has a true respect for the game and for those that came before him.

5. Kobe truly believes he is the best player in the game. He has a confidence, swagger, and arrogance about him. He believes he is the best because he knows he has outworked everyone and that he has earned the right to be the best.

Read the entire post at: http://bit.ly/mrIfD4

NO EXCUSES CAN HOLD BACK THE COMMITTED

EXPERIENCE + CONFIDENCE = SUCCESS

"Experience tells you waht to do;

confidence allows you to do it."

-Stan Smith

JERRY RICE -- THE HILL

Quite simply, how badly do you want it!

HOW THE GOOD BECOME GREAT

Watch how Dirk Nowitzki trains during summer.

A NEW WEAPON EACH YEAR

“The great ones come back every year with a new weapon or a new counter to one of the things that’s an important weapon to their game because teams are constantly adjusting to them.”

 – Rick Carlisle on Dirk Nowitski

THE KEY TO IMPROVING AS A PLAYER

From one of the best teachers in the history of our game comes a simple yet profound statement for athletes of all sports at any level:

"You must be smart enough to be able to practice on your own."

-Coach Don Meyer

RESPECT

re-spect (ri-spekt’)
Hold sacred. To regard as important. Pay attention to. A just regard for and appreciation of worth. Honor and esteem. Hold serious compliance for an observance. Rendering of honor.

Respect the game...
Respect your teammates...
Respect your program...
Respect yourself!

WHEN THE GAME NEVER ENDS

"If you play to win, as I do,

the game never ends."

-Stan Mikita-

MAVS ALL ABOUT "TEAM"

Wonder why Dallas has been peaking at the right time?  Look at these quotes from two of their all-stars:

"This is a bunch of veterans who want to play and are unselfish. I think that’s what makes this group special, I mean, everybody sacrificing for each other and we just want to win. It’s been fun to play with these guys all season long, so hopefully we can have a great series.”
-Dirk Nowitzki

“There’s a point in everybody’s career where you’ve got to make certain sacrifices if you really want to get to that ultimate goal.  Sometimes you’ve got to do certain things you probably don’t want to do, or make changes you’ve never done in your whole career just to make something work. At the end, when you can get that prize, that’s all that matters."
-Shawn Marion

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MJ

I have had the opportunity to work with Michael Jordan of the Bulls and the first time I sat down to talk with him he said a few things that were fascinating to me. First, he said that when people talk about him some say that he is quick or that he is a great jumper, but he said that his pride lies in his heart and guts. He is most proud of his ability to go all out, every game, on every play, at both ends of the court. Being first team all defensive team shows him that he plays the defensive end as hard as the offensive end.


The second thing he said that impressed me was that he goes out onto the court EVERY NIGHT EXCITED. How can he be excited to play or practice every night? He said that it doesn’t matter how he gets excited, he just does. He finds a way to get fired up every night. Some nights it is the guy he is playing. Other nights it is the place he is playing. He finds a way to be excited, to play hard every minute. Most guys don’t go all out every minute, that is why he thinks he is one of the best ever.

The third thing he said that spoke to me was that for awhile he just took care of himself. He did well, but his teams didn’t achieve. Then he made the decision that take care of just himself wasn’t enough, so he started to take care of himself and two or three others. He started to boost others up daily as well as #23. That in his opinion is when he started winning championships.

Notes from author Bob Rotella’s talk to the Umass basketball team 10-19-95

NO MATTER WHAT -- KEEP SWINGING

"My motto was to always keep swinging.  Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."

-HANK AARON

DENA EVANS ON MENTAL TOUGHNESS

For basketball players reading this blog -- no matter what age, male or female, regardless of your level of play -- if you are looking for a special experience that will take your basketball IQ to another level than you should look into a session at Point Guard College.

You can find more info at: www.PGCBasketball.com

Until then, learn from this video of PGC CEO Dena Evans talking about Mental Toughness:

DON MATTINGLY ON TEAMWORK

Team sports are really difficult things.  Sometimes your team wins because of you, sometimes in spite of you and sometimes it's like you're not even there.  That's the reality of the team game.  Than at one point in my career...something wonderful happened.  I don't know why or how...but I came to understand what "team" meant.  It meant that although I didn't get a hit or make a great defensive play.  I could impact my team by caring first and foremost about the team's success and not my own.  I don't mean by rooting for us like a typical fan.  Fans are fickle.  I mean CARE, really care about the team...about "us."  I became less selfish, less lazy, less sensitive to negative comments.  When I gave up me, I became more.  I became a captain, a leader, a better person and I came to understand that life is a team game...And you know what?...I've found most people aren't team players.  They don't realize that life is the only game in town.  Someone should tell them.  It has made all the difference in the world to me.

-Don Mattingly
From John Maxwell's "Teamwork Makes The Dream Work"

DERRICK ROSE: "I JUST HATE LOSING"

The following comes from an old article on ESPN.com by Andy Katz:

Derrick Rose has cried after losing an AAU game. Not just once, but multiple times.

An AAU game? Are you serious? There's usually another game in a few hours, and no one pays much attention to an AAU team's win-loss record.

But once John Calipari saw Rose tear up after an AAU loss, the Memphis coach knew right then that Rose was a player he wanted.

"What turned it for me was when I saw him cry after an AAU loss and the other dudes were racing to get to McDonald's," Calipari said. "This kid was crushed by losing."

Rose wasn't being immature. He cared. Maybe too much, but Calipari would take that passion in a second.

"I just hate losing, and I know on the next level I'll have to get used to it [and] hopefully I won't tear up more at the next level," Rose said after his workout for his hometown Chicago Bulls Thursday morning. "I'm really competitive. If people say I can't shoot, then in a drill I'll try to outshoot them. I just hate losing. No matter what it is, I'll do it to win. Winning is the goal for me."

4:21 AM WAKE UP CALL GETS CHRIS PAUL'S WORKOUT STARTED

Great video from NBA Fit on Chris Paul and his workout regiment, his perspective and attitude.

BELIEFS: WHAT YOU THINK

I can make you rise
.....or fall.

I can work for you
.....or against you.

I can make you a success
.....or a failure.

I control the way that you feel and the way that you act.

I can make you laugh...work...love.

I can make your heart sing with joy...excitement...elation.

Or I can make you wretched...dejected...morbid.

I can make you sick...listless.

I can be as a shackle...heavy...attached...burdensome.

Or I can be as the prison’s hue...dancing...bright...fleeting…lost forever unless captured by pen or purpose.

I can be nurtured and grown to be great and beautiful...seen by the eyes of others through action in you.

I can never be removed...only replaced.
I am a THOUGHT.

Why not know me better?

by Bob Conklin

BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE OF PLAYING TO YOUR POTENTIAL

"To give yourself the best

possible chance of playing

to your potential, you must

prepare for every eventuality.

That means practice."

-Seve Ballesteros-

JORDAN ON PRACTICE AND LOSING

One of our favorite books in past seasons to assign to our players to read is "How To Be Like Mike," by Pat Williams.  It is a wonderful book with great insights and stories as to what made Michael Jordan great.

One of the stories shared by Williams was an annual meeting held by Phil Jackson the night before he started training camp. Jackson would bring his team together on the eve of the first practice and close by asking each player to give his individual goals. Jordan was always the last player to speak and he always had the same thing to say:

“I have no individual goals. We play for one reason and that’s to win the title. Practice is more important than the games, and I will practice when I’m hurt, when 95 percent of the players in this league would sit out. I expect all of you to do the same thing. You will follow my lead.”

In terms of handling a defeat, Jordan said, “Accept a loss as a learning experience and never point fingers at your teammates.”

LT ON GIVING BACK AND HIS WORK ETHIC

Some good insight on what makes LaDainian Tomlinson special.

FAILURE = PRACTICE SHOTS

"An inventor fails 999 times,

and if he succeeds once, he's in.

He treats failures simply

as practice shots."

-Charles Kettering-

THE DRIVE TO IMPROVE

The following is an excerpt from "Meek's Little Book of Hope" written by WNBA point guard Temeka Johnson. The book is compilation of stories and quotes designed to motivate and is due out this fall.

Michael Jordan changed the game for a lot of athletes. Immediately after winning his first championship, he went right back in the gym to work on his game. If the greatest player to ever lace them up worked that hard, what are the rest of the players going to expect?

Work ethic typically comes from within, but it’s never too late to learn. For me, the drive to become successful is also based on my will to win. If I want to win championships, I have to become better – yearly. Even after winning my first championship in the WNBA, I knew that more players and teams would be working harder to stop us from winning another one. I hired a personal trainer to get even better. I worked extra before and after practices, as well as before and after games.

For many, it’s not about just beating your opponent, it’s about being the best you can possibly be. That equates to every walk of life. If you’re a student, it’s about studying until you know everything, not just knowing enough to pass a test. If you’re at your job, it’s about putting in long hours and taking ownership in your work, not about proving something to your boss or co-worker. It’s your internal drive that you should be focused on. That’s what helps me get better every year. On those days when you think you’ve done enough, this chapter will help you push through and accomplish more.

CREATING "TOUCH"

"There is no such thing as

natural touch. Touch

is something you

create by hitting millions

of golf balls."

-Lee Trevino-

CONCENTRATION

"Concentration is the ability to

think about absolutely nothing

when it is absolutely necessary."

-Ray Knight

ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE...

“Above anything else,

 I hate to lose.”

-Jackie Robinson

THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES

"The man who complains about

the way the ball bounces is

likely the one who dropped it."

-Lou Holtz