REMINDER... U17 PRACTICE TODAY AND THURSDAY THIS WEEK

We will be practicing from 7:00 PM to 9:00 tonight (Tuesday) and Thursday this week. Players can show up early to do our pre-practice workout at 6:30.

OPEN GYM ON SATURDAYS

Hey Everyone... I am still opening the Sullivan gym on Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 10:30 for those who can make it. It is open right now. Enjoy the day. It looks like it will be a nice one!!!

REMINDER... SENIOR PRACTICE THIS WEEK AND NEXT

Our Sr. Golds/U17 Synergy Team is practicing this Thursday; plus, next Tuesday and Thursday to get ready for the Club National Tournament in Langley. So, no open gym in the evenings on Tuesday and Thursday. College players and any grade 11/12 wanting to tryout for the Golds in the Fall are welcome to come out and practice. Practices are from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We will scrimmage from 8:00 to 9:00 ... both half court and full court ... 3 on 3 + 5 on 5 games. Cheers

Sr. PRACTICES THIS WEEK!

Tuesday and Thursday this week and next week are set aside for Sr. Practices. Our U17 Synergy Team is preparing for the National Club Tournament in Langley on Aug 8 - 12. There will be no open gym for the next three weeks on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I will be inviting former Golds out to scrimmage with our guys on Thursday for the last hour. Any college players are welcome to come and practice with our guys. After the Hoops Are Hot Camp, I will open the gym again to close the summer out.

OPEN GYM MONDAY NIGHT

Mr. Michell is opening Sullivan from 10:30 to noon as far as I know. I will open Sullivan from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. A couple of opportunities tomorrow.

SUMMER OF SEPARATION ... OR KEEPING UP!!!

Good early...ish... morning workout today. Seven guys.... Three seniors... a vet... and three grade 9's. Lots of shots getting up. Guys in the weight room. Mentorship program was on today... Evan worked with Beckett ... Great work!!!

REMINDER ... OPEN GYM TODAY

Open gym today is from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at SMS. Players who want to do a longer workout can show up at 6:30. One on one games begin at 7:15... 3 on 3 begin at 7:40 ... 5 on 5 or 4 on 4 half court games begin at 7:50... full court games begin at 8:00. High School players ... grades 9 - 10 - must show up for the whole time between 7 - 9... Older players (alumni, etc...) can show up anytime. Open gym guidelines apply! See below... Guidelines come from Texas A&M Women's Coach Bob Starkey. These guidelines are a part of a number of great programs across the country. We don't want to be good ... We want to be great...


Keys to a good summer should include:

1. Commitment: As coaches, we will make the gym available but it is up to the player and the team to make use of it.  During our Final Four run at LSU, the players would drive Starkey and his coaching staff crazy to open the gym for them.  Seimone Augustus would play 2 hours of pick up with the Lady Tigers and then drive across town and play pick up with a boys high school team.  Several of their players would head to the rec center to play with men after pick up.

2. Concentration: It is not enough just to walk in a gym and play.  The great players/teams go into each opportunity knowing there are specific things that they need to work on and they must have a high level of focus during pick to improve upon those areas.  Habits can be developed and improved upon in the summer --good ones and the bad ones -- based on the commitment and concentration of the player(s).

3. Effort: The average player goes through the motions in pick up and in their summer workouts.  They will give a little effort at times but nothing consistent.  And that is largely why they are "average" players.


PLAYERS... IT IS YOUR JOB TO MEET WITH COACH LIMBER AND I SO THAT WE CAN HELP GUIDE YOU IN YOUR SUMMER WORKOUTS. WE WILL TELL YOU WHAT WE THINK YOU'RE GOOD AT, AS WELL AS TWO ASPECTS OF YOUR GAME YOU NEED TO WORK ON. YOUR JOB... IT TO WORK ON IMPROVING YOUR GAME OVER THE SUMMER. A PROGRAM FOR ALL PLAYERS WILL BE SET UP TO FOLLOW.


 GOLDS' GUDELINES FOR PLAYING AND WORKING OUT AT OPEN GYM TIMES:

1. ALWAYS PLAY MAN TO MAN DEFENSE
Good pressure on the basketball (even if you get beat on the drive)
Get a hand up on every shot ... Closeout with feet/hips/shoulders square to sidelines
Make contact, blockout, and finish the possession
Get in the passing lanes
No switching

2. RUN OUR OFFENSIVE 
Spacing: High and Wide ... Low and Wide... 5 out... 4 - 1 ... 3 - 2...
Minimize your dribble usage
Take good shots... hunt 9's, 8's and 7's
Set good screens to get your teammates open
No ball screens
No plays or entries

(This is also a great opportunity for your veteran players to teach your new players our motion offense rules.)

3. START WITH HALF COURT GAMES
Even if you have enough for 5/5, start with a couple of half court games
Will help us to develop our man defense and offense principles

4. UTILIZE CONVERSION
After half court games, finish up with full court games

5. GET BACK ON DEFENSE
Even 4/4 games can be played full court

6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY
3/3, 2/2, 1/1
Play, play, play

7. BE A GOOD TEAMMATE
Encourage teammates
Upperclassmen teach our freshman how we play
Help younger players to understand offensive/defensive principles

8. PLAY HARD
Is there any other way?!

MAXIMIZE OUR SUMMER PICK-UP GAMES... HOLD OTHERS ACCOUNTABLE... DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME, OR SOMEONE ELSE'S TIME...

1.  PLAYERS PICK THE TEAMS

Gives players a chance to know where they stand with their teammates.  Makes captains give thought as to who they think can help them win. First player... "I GOT GAME!!!" Pick your team... Second player to call "I GOT GAME!!!" Picks his team ... play... Some one off says "I GOT NEXT!!!" ... Picks his guys and gets ready to compete...

2. PLAY SHORT GAMES

Play  7 to 9 points.  2's are worth 1 pt. and 3's are worth 2 pts. This creates a greater sense of urgency and can cultivate more intensity.

3. VALIDATE THE WIN WITH A FREE THROW

After a team gets to the point total needed to win, a player (selected by the losing team) must hit a free throw for the victory to be complete.  Otherwise OT is started for that game is at 0-0 and is played first to 3 pts. wins... followed by another free throw. The same process is repeated.

4. NO SUBBING DURING THE GAME UNLESS A PLAYER IS HURT. PLAY THROUGH FATIGUE.

Use each game as an opportunity to become more fit.

Extra players choose teams amongst those left over on the sidelines

One player must call next and choose his team.

If players are needed ... losing team shoots 3 pointers for spots.

Winning teams stay on... PLAY THROUGH FATIGUE...

THERE WILL COME A TIME

WHEN WINTER WILL ASKS,

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS SUMMER?”

OPEN GYM TIMES TODAY

I WILL BE OPENING SMS TWICE TODAY... 10:15 AM TO 11:30 AM ... AND 7:30 PM TO 8:30 PM TONIGHT.
REMINDER THAT SULLIVAN IS CLOSED THIS WEEK AND I WILL OPEN THE SULLIVAN GYM ON SATURDAY FROM 8:30 AM TO 10:30 AM ...

NO OPEN GYM TONIGHT!

With Sullivan closed and Thursday being my day to supervise this week, there will be no open gym tonight. I will open SMS tomorrow night from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM for shooting workouts... and I will open SMS on Thursday night from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Players who want to do a longer shooting workout on Thursday night can show up at 6:30 PM.
Seniors... Reminder... Record all workouts - what you are doing (plan/workout), how many shots you attempt, how many shots you make - also... keep a daily journal - What went well today.... What I (you) need to work on... How can I help someone else get better/improve? ... Another Reminder... Attendance is taken at every open gym... If you can't make it, I hope you are putting time in to prepare somewhere else at times that work for you. Driveway hoops, playground hoops, hoops on dirt all work well to help you prepare.
Mental Preparation ... This Blog has some great articles to read... Reading posts, pages, information on this blog will help in your mental preparation. Seniors, a lot of what is in here can act as reminders for you.
Enjoy the heat!!! Cheers

SULLIVAN GYM CLOSED ALL WEEK...

THE SAS SULLIVAN GYM IS CLOSED ALL WEEK (JULY 16 - 20) AS CUSTODIANS ARE CLEANING THE SCHOOL. I WILL OPEN SATURDAY MORNING (JULY 21st) FROM 8:30 - 10:30. I MIGHT BE ABLE TO OPEN SMS SOMETIME THIS WEEK, SO CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OPEN GYM TIMES.
SENIORS ... MAKE SURE YOU ARE RECORDING YOUR WORKOUTS - TYPE OF SHOT + SHOTS ATTEMPTED + SHOTS MADE ... YOU SHOULD ALSO BE RECORDING YOUR WORKOUTS - EXERCSE + LBS + REPS. - KEEP A JOURNAL ... THREE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR JOURNAL DAILY ARE: 1) WHAT WENT WELL? WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT TODAY? 2) WHAT DO I NEED TO WORK ON? 3) WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE OUT? HOW CAN I HELP MAKE SOMEONE ELSE BETTER?

PREPARATION... USE OF OPEN GYM TIME

First of all... read the previous post; then after reading this post, read the updated post in the "Coach's and Player's Clipboard" - everything is linked together . Now... for those of you attending open gym, good on you. You are doing what is expected - "Showing Up! Getting players out is half the battle when preparing to excel; so, for those of you "showing up" ... good on you. For those of you who live far away, or who are working and are unable to attend our open gym times, we expect you to be putting in time where you are, when you can do it. Reminder... players your age, who want to compete at a high level - make that - at an elite level - need to be putting in fourteen to sixteen hours per week of specific work that pertains to their craft... in our case, it's basketball (skills, strength, fitness, agility, and mental preparation - just reading this post aids the mental side of your preparation). If you attended the TRU Camp here last week, you heard coach Clark emphasizing that when it pertains to practicing/preparing, we need to "practice equal to or greater than the game" in order to compete at a high level. Too often players just... "show up" without a plan, or idea of what to do. Some shoot around... go through the motions... do what they want to do... instead of ... doing what needs to be done. Yes, ... "Doing Work" is difficult; however, if an individual wants to get better and rise above average or mediocrity, then one has to "show up" to open gym with a plan. Plan to prepare and "do work." You have heard it before, "failing to plan, is planning to fail." When at open gym, what is your plan? What are you going to do for forty-five (6:30 - 7:15) or fifteen (7:00 - 7:15) as part of your warm-up/workout? Guys who just go through the motions and do what they want are wasting our time. Playing is great and needs to be a part of our preparation; however, training / practicing is equally important. The Golds need to change the way we prepare ... GAME SPEEDS... GAME SHOTS... GAME SITUATIONS... GAME PREPARATION... These fundamental ideals must resonate in our open gym times and your training as we prepare to get better. Remember, the goal each day is to get a little bit better. Improvement each day will result is greater confidence and a higher level of play. Doing the little things we don't want to do such as skill development, training, practicing, working on our weaknesses, and recording/charting our shot attempts and makes, is going to help to improve our mental toughness. When you are in the gym, work at a higher rate. Going through the motions and just wanting to play are not going to make you the kind of player we need, nor the kind of player we want. Yes, just showing up and playing will result in some improvements; however, training - practicing - working on our weaknesses and charting our shots will make us better players. Train and practice equal to or greater than the game, and at a higher rate will undoubtedly give us the ability to compete at a higher. Success at the higher level will be determined by so many other factors - ... one being togetherness and our ability to work as a TEAM. Attend open gym times together and we are working towards our standard or "team"...
Reminder... Attend open gym with a plan to do work - chart all shots and record all workouts (journal) - communicate your workouts to your teammates (hold each other accountable) - 14 to 16 hrs. of purposeful work each week - get a little bit better each day - work at a higher rate. We should be shooting 300 - 500 shots per day. The workout I designed provides players an opportunity to get up 750 shots. Workout at a high rate and at game speed... then you are giving yourself a chance to be able to compete at a higher level.
I hope to see you at the next open gym.

STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN, OR GET GOING?

It's the second week of summer and camp ended last week. Are you having a tough time training? If you missed a day, you are starting over. Read and re-read the two short articles found in the "BUILDING CULTURE" page... "Our Two Worst Enemies" and "Event + Response = Outcome" ... The "R Factor" is what our guys need to focus on during this off-season. The way we respond to events determines the outcomes we experience, and for many of us, reaps havoc on our emotions. There are "Six R Factor Disciplines" that Urban Meyer teaches his football players... Make them apart of your daily lives. "We can't control the Events and Outcomes in our lives; however, we can control our Responses." How we respond right now... today... tomorrow... one week from now... or at the end of summer... will determine our path and the possible outcome at the end of next basketball season. "NO REGRETS" boys ... "No Regrets." Embrace discomfort... push through the pain! Every individual faces adversity ... so does every team... average players/teams are destroyed by it... good players/teams survive it... great players/teams embrace it/rise above it/get better because of it! DO WORK! GET IT DONE! Don't give into your personal pleasure and comfort. Avoid the easy way out because it will prevent you from obtaining what you search for and what you possibly could become. Read the article every day ... before bed and before you go to work.

GET STARTED ON YOUR OFF-SEASON TRAINING

Great week of camp. I appreciate Coach Clark travelling to Salmon Arm to run a camp for us. I learned a lot as a coach and I will continue to study and learn during the off-season. PLAYERS... If you want to get better and be prepared for our season beginning in November, then ... TRAIN...! Skills, weights, fitness, agility. Get to the gym, the weight room, the fields, the forest... Reminder... senior players at an elite level should be putting in fourteen to sixteen hours of off-season training in. The outdoor courts at SMS are good enough... I think a player who wants to get better, needs to work on his or her game continuously and consistently. Check out the "Open Gym" page.