Gone Fishin

They say spring comes in like a lion and leaves out like a lamb, unfortunately most of us don't know who they are. That is until they eat us up like lamb chops served to a pride of hungry lions. Week 2 of March and no matter what level you compete on, you must be hungry. I haven't even gotten a chance to call some high school players in time, they have already been eliminated from their state tournaments. I'm running to Madison Square Garden to catch the Big East Tournament next week because I'm afraid some teams will only be dancing at the club and not in the NCAA Tournament. As soon as March ends the NBA Playoffs kick into high gear. No matter what level, I hope your season is still going strong. This is the part that you work so hard to get to. When you come up short it's a direct reflection of your preparation, focus and desire. Please if you do come up short don't approach the off-season the same way you did last year...It will take you right back to the same place next year.






Offense Wins Games Defense Wins Championships

There isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't ask me about training for their son, daughter or star player. I love and appreciate it because it's what I do for a living. The thing I find most interesting is that all they ever want to focus on is shooting. Not saying that offense isn't important, but what if you aren't the number 1 option on your team. What if they have plenty of scoring and they need someone to play defense and do the dirty work? If you have ever been fortunate enough to come to one of my training sessions you will quickly see that we don't just play offense and work on shooting. We spend lots of time teaching defense because if the other team can't score you greatly increase your chances for victory. Now I'm not saying don't work on your offense, what I am saying is don't forget you have to play both ends of the floor. Coach knows where to get offense, they need someone who can stop the other team's best player. Don't take my word for it:

My Top 5 Favorite Basketball Movies

March Madness

March, it's awesome baby...but it can also be heart-breaking. I've seen tears of joy and tears of sorrow all on the same court. Kudos to all my high school players winning county championships and preparing for state championships you provide a great example of the rewards and glory that come with hard work and dedication in the off-season. If you're season is over then it is absolutely necessary for you to get in the gym with me and start the process of working on your game. Before you get complacent with games, tournaments and warm weather you need to make a commitment to getting better. You will have the same results if you continue to take the same approach. I'm very proud of you all, and you never know when I might just show up in your gym so keep brining your "A" Game. For my college players you too are not safe from my watchful eye, I snuck up on a couple of you last weekend down in DC.

Motivational Tactics

Rutgers women get locker room back in time to chase NCAA bid
by M.A. Mehta/The Star-Ledger
Friday February 27, 2009, 8:51 PM

Epiphanny Prince says her team's auxiliary locker room was 'dirty' and 'nasty.'
In a critical moment, with everything on the line, Epiphanny Prince found an opening and went for it.

It was risky, it was brash, and it came with the possibility of great consequences. But somebody needed to lift Rutgers out of this cluttered mess.

Hey, Coach. Can we get our locker room back?

For 49 days, Prince & Co. were banished from the friendly confines of the Scarlet Knights' locker room. Coach C. Vivian Stringer was prepared for anyone with ideas of sneaking in to grab some R&R, watch a little television or listen to music: She changed the entrance security code.

The morning after Rutgers' disappointing road loss to Syracuse on Jan. 6, Stringer kicked her team out to a nearby 15x11-foot cubbyhole used by the gymnastics team. It was about a quarter of the size of their usual home with no TV, no radio and no elbow room.

"We were cramped," Prince said. "It was hot. It stunk. It was bad. Plus, it was dirty in there. It was nasty."

After Rutgers dismantled Cincinnati Tuesday for its third consecutive victory, Prince seized the opportunity with a spur-of-the-moment, post-game plea.

And it worked.

The Scarlet Knights (17-10, 8-6 Big East), who can get off the NCAA Tournament bubble with a road win against St. John's Saturday, hauled their belongings back to their locker room this week. They even got back the team practice gear after 85 days of wearing their own clothes and doing their own laundry.

"It cost me $15 a week to do laundry," junior Myia McCurdy said. "Do you know how much I can do with $15? That's like 30 cheeseburgers a week."

Financial burdens aside, the players weren't big fans of their temporary residence. The cramped quarters became an unseemly mess. Sneakers, bags and dirty clothes littered the tight space.

"I'm a neat freak," senior Heather Zurich said. "So I was getting really upset. People's stuff was all over the place. It was just bad news."

It never felt right.

Names of gymnasts were taped atop old, weathered lockers. A gentle reminder was tacked on a pile of cardboard boxes stacked alongside a wall: "LADIES, DO NOT TOUCH: GYMNASTICS."

With 11 players, four coaches, a trainer and a portable chalkboard, there wasn't any space to stretch out during pregame rituals, half-time meetings or post-game chats.

"Even after the games, it would be bad because it was so small," junior Brittany Ray said, cringing at the memory. "We were all so sweaty. So, it's definitely a relief. I don't know ... I needed to get back in our locker room. It was just too much in that little room."

Stringer initially took away practice gear on Dec. 2 because she felt the team was playing selfishly. She wasn't overly concerned whether the Scarlet Knights won or lost at that point. She wanted to see unity.

When nothing changed, Stringer moved them to their new home in the northeast corner of the Rutgers Athletic Center a month later. The coach tried the same tactic two years ago, denying locker room access for a month, before Rutgers regrouped en route to its magical Final Four run.

When Stringer praised the Scarlet Knights for playing like a cohesive unit after the Cincinnati win, Prince saw her chance to reclaim the things they had lost.

Stringer relented.

"It's a lesson learned," red-shirt freshman Khadijah Rushdan said. "If we're going to get anywhere, we can't play like individuals. We have to be a team."

For the past couple weeks, Rutgers has played the unselfish brand of basketball that Stringer has craved all season. The team finally responded to the coach's unorthodox methods.

"We look like a team again," Zurich said. "We're playing like a team. It's nice to be in a locker room instead of a shoebox."

Silence The Critics

Ever have anyone openly criticize what you can't do out on the court? Of course you have because it happens to the best of us. I love Rip Hamilton's game because we all know he is constantly moving without the ball to get open and is very efficient once he catches it. Catch and shoot, or one dribble pull up is mostly what you see. Despite his efficiency, many question Rip's ability to shoot past 15 to 17 feet. Well like most great players all he does is prove that nay-sayers provide excellent motivation and their opinion matters very little. After you watch this video I want you to think about what parts of your game you can work on to silence your critics. Get back to me on that one, in the meantime here's Rip.....