Blake Griffin

Sunday conversation from last year with Blake Griffin.  He talks about knowing he's going to make mistakes, but he has to play hard through them and make up for them by playing hard every possession.  He also talks about not backing down from anyone just because he's a rookie.  Two great lessons for freshman as well as the season kicks off in less than 2 weeks.

Pete Newell - How to Avg. 18 points

I came across this interesting breakdown from Coach Pete Newell.  Coach Newell is and was the most respected big man coach in the game.  He had a legendary camp for "Bigs" that even NBA assistants lobbied hard for the chance to work at.  He came up with this "process" that a big man could average 18 points on only 2 post feeds.

Every big man thinks they need more "touches".  Coach Newell came up with this process for bigger players, but the process can be applied to other positions as well.

No reason someone who is not a great shooter can't get 10-12 points a game on hustle plays.  In the following process, just take out post feeds and only make 2 FT's.  The player still gets 10-12 points.  These ways to score can also be back breakers for your opponent.  Cheap baskets, offensive rebounds, out running someone on the break for a layup.

The following is a "process" to average 18 points with only "2 post feeds".

Process To Average 18 Points In The Post

1.    Run the floor for a layupà2pts

2.    Two offensive rebound put backsà4pts

3.    Two cheap basketsà4pts

4.    Two post feedsà4pts

5.    Four FT’sà4pts

TOTAL—18pts

More to Coaching than Recruiting

The following is an article written by Fran Fraschilla (current ESPN analyst and former head coach at Manhattan, Saint John's, and New Mexico).  It is part of the current series "State of the Game" on ESPN.com

It's hard for me to credit Digger Phelps for anything (just kidding, Digger), but in this case I have to. He taught me how to be a head coach. Well, actually he taught Danny Nee how to be a head coach and, when Danny Nee hired me at Ohio University, he started the process of training me.

Drawing from his time as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Nee entrusted me with responsibilities that included coaching on the floor, recruiting, breaking down film and scouting, developing and giving academic support to our players, running the summer camp and speaking on behalf of the basketball program in public. He was clear that this was how he learned from Digger. In fact, guys like Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, John Calipari, Kevin Stallings, Jim Larranaga and Rick Barnes started the same way I did. I know because I ran into them all the time on the road recruiting and scouting opponents. And, while they all were excellent recruiters, they were more than that.

The trend in recent years has been to hire assistant coaches primarily for their recruiting prowess. And, while procuring players is a key to any coach's success, the job carries way more responsibilities than that.

At the risk of sounding "old school," I don't think young coaches put the time in to learn the game the way that they should. I laugh when I hear someone described as a "skill-development coach." We used to call that guy an "assistant coach." There was no specialization. How could you grow as a coach if you were only good in one area?

The problem is that in the modern game recruiting has taken on more importance than any other aspect of coaching. As a result, young coaches know that they need to become great recruiters in order to land a head coaching gig, and we're left with a landscape full of head coaches who are great salesmen, but not much more. And to compensate for their lack of coaching acumen, these ace recruiters are filling their staffs with specialists, such as big men coaches and man-to-man defenses coaches. Therefore, many college staffs are simply an accumulation of one-dimensional coaches and lack a well-rounded leader.

 
Because of the emphasis on recruiting, other methods of developing into a well-rounded coach have disappeared.



Before the NCAA eliminated in-person scouting, sitting courtside at a game of an upcoming opponent with a Jay Wright or a Bruce Weber was a great way to share basketball ideas and strategies and home in on the latest recruiting gossip. And, getting together to "X and O" at a coaching clinic was very common among coaches back then.

Others like Bo Ryan, John Beilein and Bob Huggins developed their head coaching craft at the small college level away from the bright TV lights of major college basketball. There, through trial and error, each perfected his own style of play that, often times, had to compensate for the lack of star players. The development of players and utilizing innovative strategies were keys to their success.

Working for a strong head coach is important for an assistant coach to move up or, rather, one seat over. Michigan State's Jud Heathcote gave his assistants, including Izzo, the ability to grow into head coaches. "I used to tell them, I don't have time to coach the coaches, I've got to coach the team," Heathcote told me recently when we discussed his approach with his assistants. "So you can coach as much or as little as you want. They could stop, blow the whistle and make any comment they wanted and it wouldn't bother me. As time went along, Tom had a major role in the development."

Roy Williams learned how to be a head coach as North Carolina's junior varsity coach for eight seasons when few schools even had junior varsity programs. It was a valuable part of his experience as an assistant coach to the legendary Dean Smith. "The biggest reason it was so valuable was because you had to make all the decisions, " said Williams. "It wasn't suggestions, it was decisions. You had to teach all aspects of the game and had no help. I made the schedule out. I did the practices."



Today, the path to a coaching gig at a big-time program is proving you can recruit. Now, I am not one to disparage a young coach who may be hired today because he has recruiting ties to an elite AAU or high school program. That has been going on for a long time. Ben Howland hired Atlanta Celtics coach Korey McCray this past summer and, soon after, McCray's top blue chip prospect, Jordan Adams, committed to the Bruins.


As a head coach, I would welcome the opportunity to have a "baked in" recruiting connection, but there would be some strings attached. Namely, he would be putting in the same amount of work that everyone else on the staff put in, allowing me push him toward his potential as a coach in every area of the program. Otherwise, all you'd have on your staff is an independent contractor.

Former New York Gauchos coach Emmanuel Richardson was with head coach Sean Miller at Xavier and went with him to Arizona. In four years he has been a part of two Elite Eights and a Sweet Sixteen. He's on track to been a head coach in the near future and he's preparing for it.

"Sean has taught me the day-to-day aspects of being a head coach. I've learned to stick to a style and organizational concepts that work," Richardson told me. "When I become a head coach, I will have a philosophy of basketball and of developing young men."

Miller is one of the brightest young coaches around, and it's encouraging to see him nurture his staff like this. The coaching world would look a lot better with a few more Sean Millers.

Ultimately, preparing to learn all of the aspects of head coaching takes time and experience. The worst thing that could happen to a young head coach is to get the job and not be fully prepared. It may be the only chance he gets.




Fran Fraschilla is a college basketball analyst for ESPN and a regular contributor to ESPN Insider.

Follow Fran Fraschilla on Twitter: @franfraschilla

Every Possession Counts

It was only one possession,

Why must my coach scream?

My poor defense caused a basket,

But what can one hoop mean?

As the pass comes my direction,

And I fumble it into the stands,

My coach’s voice rings loud and clear,

“Catch with your eyes and hands!”

C’mon coach, its one possession,

Our team will be OK,

It’s just the first two minutes,

I mean damn, we’ve got all day!

In the beginning of the 2nd quarter,

Their center is strong and stout,

He gets a put back for two, quite simply due,

From my failure to block out.

It was only one possession,

I didn’t commit a crime,

My team is ahead and I’m playing well,

And there’s still plenty of time!

As the halftime buzzer sounds,

I watch the ball bank in,

I know I will hear it from my coach,

Asking why I didn’t defend.

But it was only one possession,

Coach – don’t have a heart attack,

We’re only down one and we’re having fun,

I know we’ll come back!

The 2^nd half is much the same,

So it is really no big deal,

That my lazy pass on the perimeter,

Results in an easy steal.

I quickly sink a jumper,

I’m greeted by high fives and slaps,

But the next time down, I give up a lay-up,

While suffering a mental lapse.

It’s only one possession,

C’mon coach just chill out!

It’s crazy to see you so mad,

As you consistently scream and shout:

“Victory favors the team,

Making the fewest mistakes.

Single possessions are the key,

And will cut down their fast breaks.”

I step to the line for a one and one,

The game is in my hands,

I can’t believe I missed it short,

And hear cheers from opposing fans.

After the game I sat at my locker,

Wondering what more I could have done,

Only to realize the value of one possession,

What a shame we lost by one.

Who Am I?

I found this on a blog from StrongerTeam.com and felt it was worth passing along.  If you aren't familiar with Alan Stein and his work, I recommend checking him out.  He a great follow on Twitter as well.  ( www.twitter.com/AlanStein )

Do you know who this is?

I am the most desirable thing in life. Without me no can be healthy, happy, or useful. Without me, the hidden wealth and vast resources of this earth would have no value.

Men and women who try to get along without me are characterless, selfish, undeveloped, useless, and unprofitable members of society.

I am behind every fortune, every art and science, every real achievement, and every victory.

People try to find substitutes for me hoping to secure a larger measure of happiness, peace, and satisfaction, but they are always left bitterly disappointed. Instead of gain, every substitute for me brings them loss.

I am greater than wealth, power, fame, or any acquired possession because I am the true source to which those things are acquired.

Who am I?

I am work.

If 99.9% were good enough, then...

• 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes
• 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by telecommunication services every minute.
• 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.
• 268,500 defective tires will be shipped this year.
• 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly this year.
• 2,488,200 books will be shipped in the next 12 months with the wrong cover.
• 2 plane landings daily at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago will be unsafe.
• 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour.
• 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year.
• 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written in the next 12 months.
• 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped this year.
• 107 incorrect medical procedures will be performed by the end of the day today.

Why we Play and Coach

Ask any basketball player and they couldn’t imagine life without playing. It’s a part of them. It’s what they live for. They live for the cheers, long bus rides, night games, and countless pairs of basketball shoes. They live for the taste of water from an old fountain. They live to hear coaches yell at them. They live for the way it feels when they win and realize those extra hours of practice were worthless it. They live for their teammates. They live for the competition. They live for the memories, the pain, blood and sweat. It’s who they are… they are basketball players.

A Closer Look at our Staff

Todd Landrum
Head Men's Basketball Coach

Phone: 507-457-8710
Email: tlandrum@smumn.edu

Year at SMU: 4th (in 2011-12 )

---

Todd Landrum is the head men’s basketball coach at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a position he has held since the 2008-09 season. His other duties at SMU also include teaching sports management courses..

The Todd Landrum File
* Born in Akron, Ohio
* B.A.: Ohio Northern University
* M.S.: University of Delaware
* Over 25 years of college and professional coaching experience.
* Head coach: University of Charleston (W.V.), UW-Platteville, Saint Mary's University
* Assistant coach: University of Delaware, UW-Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Ohio State University, Pittsburgh Piranhas, Chicago Rockers, La Crosse Bobcats (CBA-NBA Development League)
* Youth/Scholastic Basketball Director: Minnesota Timberwolves
* Family: Wife, Brenda; Sons, Kevin and Brent

Kevin Landrum
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Head Men's/Women's Golf Coach

Phone: 507-457-8727
Email: klandrum@smumn.edu

Kevin Landrum is the assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Mary’s University, a position he has held since the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year. In addition to his basketball duties, Coach Landrum is also the head men’s and women’s golf coach and teaches activity courses in the Physical Education Department.

The Kevin Landrum File
* Born in Columbus, Ohio
* B.S.: UW-River Falls
* Played collegiate basketball at UW-Platteville
* Assistant Coach at UW-River Falls (2006-2008)
* 6 years youth camp/clinic director: Minnesota Timberwolves
* Summer Camp Director: Saint Mary's University, Wilson Hoops Camps, Inc., Flip Saunders Basketball Camp, Minnesota Timberwolves, Culver Military Academy (Ind.)
* Family: Wife, Emmy ; Daughter, Arabella

Adam Eberhardt
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach

Phone: 763-742-5112
Email: aeberhar@smumn.edu

Adam Eberhardt is the assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Mary’s University, a position he has held since the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year.

The Adam Eberhardt File
* B.A.: University of St. Thomas
* Duties: Recruiting, scouting, on-floor responsibilities
* Six years in the Youth/Scholastic Basketball Department of the Minnesota Timberwolves
* Two years as coach with Minnesota Select
* Education staff member at Nova Classical Acadmy in St. Paul, Minn