LeBRON ON WHAT HE'S DOING THAT TRANSLATES INTO SUCCESS

A great interview with LeBron talking about how his work in practices and in the video room are key to his success on the court.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR FRIENDS

We constantly speak of the power of relationships.  As coach, I have always had my own "Circle of Influence" -- people who believe in me and are there to help me grow.  I think it is important for our student- athletes to also understand the importance of who they associate with and how it makes a tremendous difference in who they are and who they become.

The following comes from "Talent Is Never Enough" by John Maxwell:

1. Identify the Most Important People in Your Life
Who are the significant people in your life, the people you spend the most time with, the people whose opinions mean the most to you!  Those people are your greatest influences.  You need to identify who they are before you can access how they are influencing your talent.

2. Assess Whether They are Influencing You in the Right Direction
Once you have identified the people who are influencing you, you would be wise to discern how they are influencing you. Key questions include:

What does he think of me? Novelist Mark Twain advised "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambition."

How does he or she behave toward me in difficult times?  There's an old saying, "In prosperity our friends know us.  In adversity we know our friends."

What does he bring out of me? British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli observed, "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but reveal to him his own."

3. If Your Friends Aren't Friends, Then Make New Friends
If the people close to you are dragging you down, then it may be time to make some changes.  Speaker Joe Larson remarked, "My friends didn't believe that I could be come a successful speaker.  So I did something about it.  I went out and found me some new friends."

WHAT DOES YOUR OPPONENT THINK OF YOU?

The following was tweeted by Boston Celtic assistant coach Kevin Eastman --

What if every opponent thought this:

"I do NOT want to play against

his effort & intensity for 40 minutes!

THE ATTITUDE OF GREATNESS

The following is a quote from Kevin Durant last year...imagine how good you could be if you had this humility and drive:

"I'm not nearly the player that I want to be."

A TREMENDOUS HUNGER

When Kobe Bryant was asked what makes one guy a champion above the next guy he responded with this:

"It's drive.  It's the will,  There are certain people that have a tremendous hunger.  There are certain people that have a will,  determination and hunger that you need to be the best in the world.  Those people -- and those people alone -- become champions."

THE BATTLE WITHIN

An elderly native-American is telling his grandson about a fight that is going on inside of the young man -- he describes it as a "battle between two wolves."

One wolf is evil: lazy, angry, selfish, full of self-pity, resentment and excuses. He wants to stray from the pack.

One wolf is good: hard-working, joyous, filled with hope, humility, kindness. He wants to lead the pack.

After some thought, the grandson looks to his grandfather and ask, "Which wolf will win?"

To which the grandfather replies, "The one you feed."

YOU'LL NEVER FORGET YOUR TEAMMATES

"Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember.  You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."

-Anonymous

IT'S "WHAT CAN BE" THAT MEASURES WORTH

The following is a poem written by Dan Clark for Anthony Robles.  It comes from Roble's book "Unstoppable."  Want to learn more about Robles? Check out one of our previous blog posts: http://goo.gl/mwgVC.

Every soul who comes to earth
With a leg -- or two -- at birth
Must wrestle his opponents knowing
It's not what it is, it's what can be that measures worth.
Make it hard, just make it possible
And through pain I'll not complain,
My spirit is unconquerable
Fearless I will face each foe, for I know
I am capable, I don't care what's probable
Through blood, sweat and tears
I am unstoppable.

GREAT PLAYERS ARE GREAT LISTENERS

So you probably agree that listening is important. But what does it mean to listen? We heard a story about a high school music appreciation class that provides a meaningful answer to that question. The teacher of the class asked for a volunteer to explain the difference between listening and hearing. At first no one wanted to answer; but finally, a student raised his hand. When the teachers called on him, he said, “Listening is wanting to hear.” That answer is a great start. To become a good listener, you have to want to hear. But you also need some skills to help you.

To increase your understanding of others as you listen, follow these guidelines offered by Eric Allenbaugh:

1. Listen with a head-heart connection.

2. Listen with the intent of understanding.

3. Listen for the message and the message behind the message.

4. Listen for both content and feelings.

5. Listen with your eyes—your hearing will be improved.

6. Listen for others’ interest, not just their position.

7. Listen for what they are saying and not saying.

8. Listen with empathy and acceptance.

9. Listen for the areas where they are afraid and hurt.

10. Listen as you would like to be listened to.

From "Becoming a Person of Influence" by John Maxwell and Jim Dornan

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!

This photo was snapped a few days ago.  After practice, Kobe Bryant stuck around and worked on his individual ball handling drills. Which begs the question:

If one of the best players to have

ever played the game still finds

the need and time to work on

developing his game, why aren't you?

ASK WHY, NOT WHO

The following comes from "Go For Gold" by John Maxwell:

The next time you experience a failure, think about why you failed instead of who was at fault. Analyze any failure:


• What lessons have I learned?

• Am I grateful for this experience?

• How can I turn the failure into success?

• Practically speaking, where do I go from here?

• Who else has failed in this way before, and how can that person help me?

• How can my experience help others someday to keep from failing?

• Did I fail because of another person, because of my situation, or because of myself?

• Did I actually fail, or did I fall short of an unrealistically high standard?

• Where did I succeed as well as fail?

"Be the first to take responsibility for finding

answers when things go wrong for your team."

-John Maxwell-

 

JEROME BETTIS ON BECOMING A CHAMPION

"Passion, teamwork, and a belief that you can get it done -- those are the three big things for me.  First, you have to have a passion for what you do in life; that's the key to success in my eyes.  Second, you have to be a good teammate.  Working together alongside so many personalities, that's not always an easy thing.  Teamwork is totally necessary though in order for your team to be successful.  Lastly, you gotta believe.  If you believe that you can do it, whether it's in sports, business or life, that's when amazing things can happen.  You have to believe.  So, if you are able to put all of those things together, then the sky is the limit."

-Jerome Bettis
From "Raising Lombardi" by Ross Bernstein

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

How bad to you want it? Look closely and see how many NBA "stars" you recognize. Than take a moment to understand that all of these clips have them working out not with their team but with individual trainers they hire to grow their game. How bad do you want it? The "stars" of the game weren't born that way! They got there through tremendous hard work on a continuous basis. So ---- how bad do you want it?

THE POWER OF COURAGE, DETERMINATION AND THE LOVE FOR YOUR TEAMMATES AND COACH

WHAT IS YOUR PICK UP GAME MENTALITY

The following comes from Steve Hale who was one of Michael Jordan's teammates:

Hale noticed another thing about Jordan: Even in pickup games, he has become unusually purposeful. There was a tendency in games like this, when there were no coaches around, for players to resort to what they did best, to reinforce their strengths and avoid going to any part of their game that was essentially weak. But Jordan, Hale believed, was constantly working on the weaker part of his game, trying to bring it up. It was, Hale thought, one more sign of his desire to be the best.

From "Playing For Keeps" by David Halberstam

WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BECOME A BETTER BASKETBALL PLAYER

STICK TO YOUR PLAN

How important is your circle of influence -- the people you hang with?  Are important is it to have strong goals? Here is what MJ had to say about it keeping focused:

"You have to stick to your plan. A lot of people try to pull you down to their level because they can’t achieve certain things. But very few people get anywhere by taking shortcuts. Very few people win the lottery to gain their wealth. It happens, but the odds certainly aren’t with them. More people get it the honest way, by setting their goals and committing themselves to achieving those goals. That’s the only way I’d want it anyway."


-Michael Jordan

RUSSELL ADVICE TO GARNETT (Part 2)

RUSSELL ADVICE TO GARNETT

UNCOMFORTABLE VS. EXHAUSTION

I OWE HIM MY BEST

"There is always some kid who

may be seeing me for the first or

last time -- I owe him my best."

-Joe Dimaggio

I TOLD MYSELF I WAS UNSTOPPABLE

A sold-out crowd of more than 17,000 watched from the risers of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 19, 2011 at Arizona State University senior Anthony Robles emerged from the locker room on crutches.  After handing them to ASU assistant coach Brian Stith, he hopped to the corner of the mat, crouched down on one knee, and waited for the whistle that would signal the start of his final wrestling match.

"I told myself I was unstoppable," says Robles of that moment.  "I had put way too much into it to go in there and not come out with a national title."

That day, Robles, who was born without a right leg and permanently traded in a prosthetic one for crutches at the age of 3, defeated defending national champ Matt McConough 7-1 to become the first disabled wrestler in history to win a national college title.

By Alison Miller of Spirit Magazine

THE MENTALITY OF CHAMPIONS

“The people at the Thunder repeatedly tell me that to this day, Kevin (Durant) practices like a rookie on a 10-day contract.”

-Alan Stein, founder of Stronger Team

BEING A GOOD TEAMMATE

I take great pride in my blog posts of giving credit when possible to any information I pass along to you.  I think it's very important -- just like a score acknowledging a pass or a screen.  So many people have reached out and giving me information to share with others.  Unfortunately I have not idea where the information in this particular post originated.  Moving from one location to another, I am going through a lot of boxed and information and filing them away in my new office here at Texas A&M.  I came across this and read it not only once, but twice.  I think it's incredibly well-thought out and well-written.  It's good stuff and something I think you might want to share with your staff, your team and/or your family.  I just wished I could give the proper credit.

Being a Good Teammate

If you’re like most people, much of your professional life will be spent working on teams. Why? Because most projects that are economically interesting are too large and complex for individuals to do alone. Teams of talented people can accomplish great things that seem almost impossible, such as sending a man to the Moon. Such objectives would obviously be impossible if we had to work alone. Therefore, it is important that you learn to work effectively as a team member.

While teams allow us to accomplish far more than we could alone, there are also significant downsides to teamwork. As the number of people on a team increases, so does the amount of communication and coordination required to keep the team organized and moving in the same direction. Meetings, emails, phone calls, etc. increase, and these things take time. Also, the more people you add to a team, the more likely it is that at least one of them will be unreliable, antisocial, cranky, lazy, distracted, uncommitted, or otherwise difficult to work with. Such people take more energy from a team than they contribute, and often the team would be better off without them. You should try very hard to not be one of these people. There are specific things you can do to make yourself easy and enjoyable to work with. In the context of this class, here are some important things you can do.

Be reliable. Be someone your teammates can count on. Do what you say you will do. Attend team meetings. Complete the deliverables you’ve committed to produce (design documents, source code, etc.). Don’t be the one your teammates talk about behind your back as the one who just isn’t getting the job done.

Be early. Be on time to meetings. Get your part of the design document done early so your teammates will have time to review it and give you feedback. Get your code written and checked into Subversion early so your teammates will have time to see what you’ve done and integrate their code with it well before the deadline. If you get things done at the last minute, it will be very hard on your teammates, and your reputation will suffer. Part of getting your piece done is getting it done early.

Be prepared. Prepare well for team meetings. Read the specs before the meeting. Think about how you would solve the problem before the meeting. Have your part of the document done before the meeting. Whatever the purpose of the meeting is, make sure you are prepared for it. Such preparation will allow you to be a productive contributor rather than a drag on the meeting. If you show up unprepared, meetings will be longer because your teammates will have to bring you up to speed before the productive part of the meeting can begin.

Be responsive. Communicate with your teammates. Send frequent emails letting them know the status of your work. Send them your documents so they can review them. Check your code into Subversion early and often (every day or two) so they can see your progress and integrate with your work. It will make them feel a lot better if they can see evidence that you are making progress and getting the job done.

Don’t disappear for extended periods of time without explaining to your teammates what happened to you. If your wife is going to have a baby, tell them. If you get sick, tell them. If you have to focus on another class for a few days, tell them. Don’t just disappear for a week without explaining to your teammates what is happening. If you tell them what is going on, they will understand completely. If you just disappear, they will see you as unresponsive and unreliable.

If one of your teammates disappears without explanation, talk to your instructor quickly before the situation gets out of control.

Be careful. As stated above, check your code into Subversion early and often. However, don’t check in code that doesn’t compile. That will just make your teammates mad. Before checking in new code, do an “update” first to make sure you have all code that has been previously checked in by others. After doing an “update”, do a clean build to ensure that everything still compiles successfully. Once you know everything compiles, run all of the unit test cases to ensure that your new code hasn’t broken the unit tests. Once you know that everything still compiles and that all unit tests still work, then you are ready to “commit” your changes to the repository.

Be willing. Be eager in accepting assignments. Do your fair share of the work. Don’t always be

BUYING INTO THE TEAM CONCEPT

“The number one thing that I like about football. You need to have the whole team buying into that team concept. The part I like the most about it is when the whole team kind of loses itself for one common goal to win a championship. There is not a better feeling for me, especially after a Super Bowl, that you are the best in the world at least for that year and how collectively the team was able to accomplish that.”

–Jack Ham

3 year record at Penn State: 29-3

NFL: 4 Super Bowl Championships

HOW MJ BECAME THE "BEST TO EVER PLAY"

The following is conversation between Coach Roy Williams, then an assistant at the University of North Carolina and a young freshman named Michael Jordan:

When Michael Jordan first got to UNC, we were sitting at the track one day after conditioning. It was just the two of us. “Coach,” he said. “I want to be the best player to every play here.”

“You’ll have to work much harder than you did in high school,” Williams said.

“But, Coach. I worked as hard as everybody else.”

“Oh, excuse me. I thought you just said you wanted to be the best player to ever play here. Working as hard as everybody else is not even going to come close, son.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Two days later, after the next conditioning session, Michael comes up to me and we were sitting there alone again. He said, “Coach, I’ve been thinking about what you said. I’m going to show you. There will never be anyone who will outwork me.”

He did that. From that day on, Michael tried to kick everybody’s rear end in every drill.

From "Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court" by Roy Williams

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?

"I NEVER GAVE UP"

"People always used to tell me when I was young, 'You're not going to be anything.' But I never gave up.  If you work hard, stay out of trouble, and follow your dreams, you can be anyone you want.  I promise you."

Shaquille O'Neal address LSU basketball camp in 1995
From "Getting Over the Four Hurdles" by Dale Brown

A WINNER IS....

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals."

-Larry Bird

WANTING TO WIN IS NOT ENOUGH

“Wanting to win is not enough.

You have to go through a process to

improve. That takes patience,

perseverance and intentionality.”

-John Maxwell

TOP COP

A special thanks to Joey Burton for bringing this article to my attention.  This a just a small portion of the article written on Kevin Garnett by Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.

Whomever Kevin Garnett eventually chooses as the presenter for his Hall of Fame induction, there will be a can’t-miss talking point.

He or she or maybe they will be introducing one of the most unselfish stars in the history of the game. Those words are plaque-ready. In the past, those words have also been a problem for a Celtics team with an occasional thirst for more offense.

But that’s the tradeoff. The voice, if not always the scoring, never is absent in its own comically profane way.

“Not only does he have a loud voice — and it can be really loud — but his example speaks even louder,” Ainge said. “I’ve just been so impressed by his consistency. I’ve never been more impressed with Kevin. Just his focus and leadership has been so important to this team. He has sort of willed the team to play the way they’re playing now, and his defense has carried us through the season.

“Kevin leads as well as anyone I’ve been around. His approach to his teammates isn’t always the best, because he sets such high expectations, and it can be loud. But he only wants to win. Just by the example of his own commitment, he brings more out of these guys.

“He’s getting up there in age, and when he goes out there with that energy and passion every night, how can you not do the same thing when you see what he’s doing?”

Ultimately, it’s the qualities unseen by all but Garnett’s teammates that count the most.

“I don’t know how other teams see us. As far as morale and confidence, we don’t lack too much of that around here,” Garnett said. “We’re a great team. Our positions and personnel are all about the system and knowing your role in the system. You carry your role 100 percent whole-heartedly, and that’s your contribution to the team.

“If you’re a big guy, you get the scorers and the guards open. We’re still trying to figure out this rebound thing, but for the most part defensively we’re helping each other. Doc’s system is not very complicated, but it does call for you to give everything you have. From that standpoint, if you’re a player who loves to play hard and work hard, then you can fit into this system. Otherwise you won’t make it.”

The Celtics’ top cop always will see to that.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/IT2Cbk

DREAM BIG...WORK HARD!

GREATNESS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

MO ISOM'S MANTRA:
"The only thing more dangerous than allowing others to put limitations on what you can achieve, is allowing yourself to believe them."

MO ISOM'S STORY (ON ELLEN):

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

WORDS OF WISDOM

The following comes from author and motivational speaker Don Yaeger:

LOVED THIS! So as we were wrapping up the National Player of The Year presentation to Anthony Davis, a father and son approached Davis's parents and the father asked Mr. Davis if he could offer any advice that might help his 11 year old become as special as Anthony. Mr. Davis said: "Listen to you father...and appreciate that he's part of your life. Not enough young men like you have that. Let that give you an advantage." As they walked away, the father had a tear in his eye. Nothing better than those unscripted moments.


Wised words indeed!!!

WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT ATTITUDE?

So, what’s so important about attitude? Having a great attitude or the right attitude means understanding the big picture, realizing and having a special sense about winning and losing games and playing games and how you act and how hard you work and how you relate with teammates and how you respond to the coach and how you react to negative events. It’s all there.

From "Think Like a Champion" by Dick Devenzio

NOTHING GREATER

“There’s nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back.”

–Billy Martin

THE POWER OF COMING TOGETHER

“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can co when they stick together.”

-Vesta M. Kelly

#determination

I absolutely loved this quote by Mo Ishom, the LSU female soccer player who tried out as a kicker for the Tigers' football team.  She ended up not making the final cut (http://bit.ly/zdQpoP) but with her attitude great things await her.  Here is what she tweeted after being cut:

"I would rather devote 150% of my heart, energy & focus to a goal, & ulimately [sic] fail, then [sic] to quit early or never try. #determination."

SUCCESS (AND FAILURE) IS NOT AN ACCIDENT

Success is not an accident.  Sadly, failure is not an accident either.  You succeed when you do what other successful people do, over and over, until these behaviors become a habit.  Likewise, you fail if you don't do what successful people do.  In either case, nature is neutral.  Nature does not take sides.  Nature doesn't care.  What happens to you is simply a matter of law -- the law of cause and effect.

When you are not working deliberately, consciously, and continuously to do, be and have those things that constitute success for you, your default mechanism is at work.

From "No Excuses" by Brian Tracy

NICK SABAN: TO BE A GOOD PLAYER

"To be a good player on your team, you have to affect someone else on the team. You have to cause them to play better by the way you play. You affect other players with the character and attitude. To be a great player, you have to affect your entire unit. If you are a great player, every player on that unit plays better when you are on the field. The number one thing on any team that will keep your players from being selfish is respect for the other players. Having respect leads to trust and from that they begin to believe in each other. That is the way it works and that is the way it has to be."

-Nick Saban

DERRICK ROSE: WHY NOT BE THE BEST?!

HOW A GREAT ONE HANDLES BREAKING A RECORD

NFL Films captured history when Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record. Follow Brees along the sideline after his record-breaking pass and listen to his entire locker room speech.  Notice how he spreads the record he just broke to include everyone -- and I mean everyone in the organization. Also notice how he transitions his team towards team goals and moves them forward.

POTENTIAL ABOUT MORE THAN PHYSICAL ABILITIES

"Players don’t reach that potential because of physical abilities alone.  They have to have that motivation, and they have to have, really, desire and commitment to the game...I could be the most talented basketball player in the country, but not really work hard, and so therefore I will never really reach my potential.  I always tell our coaches in recruiting, I don’t want to have to go out and use my imagination.  I want to go out and see what a player is willing to commit to do on the floor.  And then if we need to work on skills, that’s find.  But that heart and head is so important when you’re talking potential and development."

-Pat Summitt

THE MINDSET OF THE ULTIMATE COMPETITOR

“You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.”

-Mia Hamm

THE MOTIVATION OF JERRY RICE

"Today I will do what others won't,

so tomorrow I can accomplish

what others can't."

- Jerry Rice



"NOTHING OUTSIDE THE LINES"

Bill Russell, known as a single-minded competitor when he played for the Boston Celtics, was recently interviewed by a writer for the New York Times.  The writer asked about a player being subjected to boos and taunting by crowds.  Russell, named as the greatest player in the history of the NBA in 1980 by the Professional Basketball Writers Association, had this to say: "You know...my youngest child asked me one time, 'How do you handle people booing you and saying unkind things about you?'  I said, 'Me personally, I never accepted the cheers, so I didn't have to worry about the boos.' When I was playing, there was nothing outside the lines."

From "Coaching the Mental Game" by H. A. Dorfman

HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU?

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way."

~Les Brown

A TRUE CHAMPION

“A true champion is one who gives everything she has no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the obstacles, who never makes excuses and always gives one hundred percent. That’s a real champion...When you have that passion to see just how good you can be, then you can accomplish almost everything you put your heart into.”

-Dr. Dot Richardson
Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist
Orthopedic Surgeon and Commissioner of the PFX Tour

ANYONE CAN ENCOURAGE

The following comes from a new blog sponsored by the people at PGC called "Keys to the Gym" -- there is a ton of great stuff for players and coaches...here is a short sample:

ARE YOU RESPECTFUL?

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;
RESEPCT your opponent;
RESPECT your program;
RESPECT yourself.

WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING FOR?

“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.”

-Michael Jordan

WORK ALLOWS YOU TO OBTAIN AND SUSTAIN CONFIDENCE

"Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work."

-Jack Nicklaus

PERSEVERANCE IS THE KEY

Striving to become the first ever four-time winter Olympian in four different decades, Ruben Gonzalez put it this way:

“First comes a dream, followed by a struggle, and then there is victory. The problem is, most people give up in the struggle section and never get to sense what victory feels like. Great people have two types of courage. First, they have the courage to get started, to take a leap of faith, to take action when they have no guarantees of success. Second, once they are on their way, they develop the courage to endure, the courage to persevere. Perseverance is the key.”

From "Three Feet from Gold" by Sharon L. Lechter & Grey S. Reid

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO TO HELP YOUR TEAM SUCCEED?

The following comes from the book “The Gold Standard” written by Coach Mike Krzyzewski in which he shares his thoughts and stories about the 2008 Gold-Medal Olympic Basketball Team.

“Having players have a defensive DNA and desire goes without saying. I am ready to learn and excited to be coached by one of the best and looking forward to the thrill of a new challenge and the job of a new kill.”

“Coach, can you do me a favor?” Kobe Bryant said. “And what’s that?” I responded. “I want you to let me guard the best player on every team we face. And I promise that I will destroy him” Kobe said.

Here was possibly the greatest offensive player in the game asking me for the opportunity to play defense at the highest level. It was also his way of telling me that he was willing to adapt to help make us the best team we could become.”

I AM THE GREATEST

If life is all about "attitude" than we should all share the attitude of this young man: