As most of you know, I focus a lot of my energy on my own professional development and improvement. I am relentless in my quest to become the best basketball strength & conditioning coach I can be. If you are looking to be the best coach or player you can be, I certainly suggest you do the same. One of the most important ingredients of effective development and progress is constant evaluation. You have to know where you are… to get to where you want to go!

Self reflection and evaluation doesn’t need to be a long process. I recommend taking 30 minutes (with no distractions… no TV, no cell phone, and no computer) and honestly answering each of the following questions:

Overall, how do you rate this past pre-season?
• Did you get stronger? Quicker? More explosive?
• Did you get in great basketball shape?
• Did you improve your ball handling? Shooting? Passing?
• Are all of these things showing on the court?

Overall, how do you rate the first few weeks of practice?
• Have you been on time, to every practice?
• Have you been injury free?
• Have you been a great teammate? Coachable? Enthusiastic?
• Have you given a great effort? Do you practice hard even when you don’t feel like it?
• Have you played as well as you are capable of playing?
• Have you communicated effectively with your coaches and teammates?

If you want to have a remarkable season; you need to be tough and you need to be 100% committed to yourself, to your team, and to your coach. 99% isn’t good enough. As the legendary Pat Riley says about commitment, “you are either in or you’re out – there is no such thing as in between.”

How tough are you?

We have a 9th grader in our program named Yuki. He moved to the US from Japan in August. He speaks very little English and is thousands of miles away from his family; which I am sure is difficult for a 15 year old to handle. During our second official practice, Yuki got elbowed in the mouth and had his front tooth knocked out. Without saying a word, he casually picked his tooth up off of the floor, jogged over to the sideline, set his tooth on the bleachers, and jogged back into the drill! Now that is tough.

How committed are you?

What are you willing to sacrifice to be the best player you can be? I have an 8th grade client who just started working out with me and he pays for our training sessions with his allowance! He is so committed to being the best he can be he is willing to sacrifice every dime he has toward getting stronger and more explosive. Now that is commitment.

Here are 5 more questions aimed to help you maximize your potential this season:

1) Are you giving your best effort every day in the classroom and on the court?

2) Are you doing things in addition to practice to improve your game (like watching film)?

3) Do you think “we” before “me” (are you a team player)?

4) Are you taking care of your body and mind (sleep, lifting, tending to injuries, etc.)?

5) Are you having fun?

If you can sincerely answer “yes” to all 5 of these questions; you are doing everything you can to have an impressive season.

Here are a few more things to think about:

What do you watch for when you watch college and NBA games on TV? Do you watch as a fan or do you watch as a true student of the game? Do you always watch the ball or do you watch what players do to get open to get the ball? Do you always watch the shooter or do you watch the player setting the screen to get the shooter open? Do you always watch the player guarding the ball or do you watch the player in help-side position? Now, I am a huge basketball fan… and I understand watching games for the love of the sport… but if you want to get better, you need to learn how to watch games as a means to improve.

How will you prepare for games? Does your preparation start the night before? Do you eat a good dinner and get plenty of sleep? Do you eat breakfast the next day? Do you double check to make sure you packed everything in your bag you will need for the game? Do you eat a specific pre-game meal? What method prepares you the best? Listening to music? Sitting in silence? Do you even know? Do you review the scouting report on your own? Do you do any visualization exercises before games? Here is a visualization technique I use with Montrose before every game: I have them sit with their eyes closed for about 2-3 minutes and visualize a specific time in their life when they played the best basketball they have ever played. A time they vividly remember when they were in the zone – when every shot they took went in and every pass they made was on the money. I encourage them to engage every sense. What did the gym look like? Sound like? Smell like? How did they feel? This technique puts them in a confident frame of mind when they take the court.

How will you focus during games? Will you be focused on the task at hand or on the crowd, opponent, or cheerleaders? Your focus is crucial to playing well. It is imperative you focus on what you want to happen; not on what you don’t want to happen. Why? Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. For example, when you are shooting a free throw; think something to the effect of, “nice and easy, over the front rim”… instead of thinking, “don’t shoot it short.” If you think “don’t shoot it short”… 9 times out of 10, you will shoot it short because “short” is the only part of that thought your subconscious mind remembers!

Still don’t think focus is important to performance? Think about this:

If I laid a ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” on the ground and asked you to walk across it; you would do it easily because you would be focused on the task at hand (walking across the board). But what if that ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” was 100 stories high and connected the top of two buildings? Would walking across it be easy then? Why not? Although the task wouldn’t change (walking across a ten foot board); you wouldn’t think it was easy because you would be focused on falling… not on the task at hand. The same can be said with shooting a free throw. Shooting a free throw in an empty gym after practice is the exact same task as shooting a free throw with 2 seconds left and the score tied… if you stay focused!

I hope answering these questions helps you have a memorable season.

This past January I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in 2009. I am proud to say last weekend I finished my 50th book of the year! In next week’s blog I will list and rate all of the books I have read as well as offer my thoughts on a few of them.

Until then, if I can ever be of service or help you or your team in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein
www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

I don't know if everyone's end of the year is as hectic as mine, but things have really amped up as the year comes to a close. School is becoming increasing difficult because of the travel from basketball. I have missed at least half of the days of school in the last two weeks, which included tests in three of my classes. Being on the road also makes it hard to study for the tests that I have to make up when I come back off the road. On top of that, we have finals coming up in the next couple weeks. I usually do my studying with a tutor or in a study group which are both impossible when you are on the road. I have made up two of the three tests that Ive missed this week. I make up the third tomorrow. I did good on one test and so so on the other. Its going to be tough to manage to study for these upcoming finals.

This weekend, Elite Hoops hosted a Thanksgiving Skills Clinic at the Kedron Fieldhouse in Peachtree City, GA. The sold out clinic was for experienced players in grades 4-9. Players worked for 90 minutes each day on ballhandling, perimeter moves, passing and shooting form. The quote for Saturday was "Hard work brings prosperity." Players were reminded that if you want to be a better player, a better student, or a better leader-you must work hard. We have never seen a player that works hard on the court and their game gets worse. We have never met a student-athlete that works hard in the classroom and their grades drop. We aren't saying that by working hard you will become LeBron James, or that you'll get a 4.0 gpa, but you will prosper.

I have been a self diagnosed “quote nerd” for as long as I can remember. Back in high school in the early 90’s, I started with a spiral notebook and a pen and wrote down every quote I found inspiring. Quotes from movies, coaches, books, signs… you name it… if I saw it or heard it, I wrote it down. Years later, I converted the growing collection into a computer database and added to it as often as I could.

As a professional basketball strength & conditioning coach, a big part of my job is to motivate my players to work hard consistently; to get them to do the things they don’t’ want to do because I know it will help them get to where they want to go. So there have been countless occasions where the inspiration from a specific quote has come in handy. I use quotes as tools to motivate my players as well as motivate myself. While I am strength & conditioning coach by trade, my overall goal in life is simple; to inspire, to motivate, to influence and to help anyone who is passionate about basketball and training. I have found quotes are a valuable tool in doing just that. I am extremely thankful to have platforms like Twitter, Facebook and my blog to impact players and coaches of all ages and levels… all over the world!

If you have followed me on any of those social media platforms, you know I have been posting 5-6 quotes a day for the past year. I have received a ton of positive feedback in response to the quotes I have shared and have had dozens of folks ask me to compile them in a book. So that’s what I’ve done! I just recently compiled my favorite inspirational quotes in a new e-book:

534 Motivational Quotes to Inspire Success On and Off the Court

It is important to understand this e-book is merely a collection of my favorite quotes. I am not the original author of any of the quotes. I intentionally chose not to list the original author for any of the quotes for the simple fact I only know around 20% of them (and didn’t want to put “unknown” or “anonymous” for the remaining 80%)!

I am sure you have heard (or read) many of quotes I compiled, but I am confident there are several that you haven’t. I tried to pick quotes that transcend sports and are applicable to life as well. After all, life is the game we are all playing.

You can purchase a downloadable copy of 534 Motivational Quotes to Inspire Success On and Off the Court at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com. In addition to the 534 motivational quotes, I added a bonus section: 27 Books Every Coach and Player Should Read. This e-book is an invaluable resource for coaches and players at every level.

Here are 5 of my favorite quotes from the e-book that are too long to post on Twitter:

1. Persistence and patience is exemplified by the stonecutter who hammers away at a piece of rock. He may hit the rock 100 times without so much as a crack showing. Then, on the 101^{st hit, the rock will split in two. It was not that hit that did it, but an accumulation of all that came before it.}

^{2. Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. Moral? It doesn’t matter who you are, when the sun comes up, you better start running!}

^{3. If you can’t risk, you can’t grow. If you can’t grow, you can’t become your best. If you can’t become your best, you can’t be happy. If you can’t be happy, what else matters?}

^{4. Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.}

^{5. Champions do not become champions on the court. They become recognized on the court. They become champions because of their daily routine and commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future!}

^{I hope you enjoy these quotes as much as I do and use them to motivate yourself and those around you. I wish each of you the absolute best this season. Please keep me posted to how you are doing and drop me an email if I can be of service in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).}

^{Play hard. Have fun.}

^{Alan Stein}

^{www.StrongerTeam.com}

BELMONT — In the first two years Stephen Miss has been head coach of Belmont Abbey College’s basketball team, the Crusaders have exceeded preseason expectations.

As his third season begins Tuesday night at home against Brevard, Miss and his team are hopeful of repeating the past.

“Our first year, we were picked 11th in the preseason poll and finished third. Last year, we were picked 4th and finished third again,” Miss said. “We’re picked 5th this season and, hopefully, that trend will continue.”
Losing three starters will make it more of a challenge, especially since two of them were guards Deonte Murphy and Jonathan Jackson.

But Miss says he and his team welcome the opportunity to defy what they consider low preseason projections.

To read the rest of the article from the Gaston Gazette, click HERE.

If you are a high school basketball player in the United States, you are probably about to start (or have just recently started) official practice for the 2009-2010 season. As the season gets underway and you begin practice, don’t be surprised if your body is overwhelmingly sore the first couple of days in particular. This is normal! This does not imply you aren’t in great shape; it’s just your body’s way of adjusting to the new demands placed on it. You are finally going full speed with contact on a daily basis; which is understandably more intense than anything you did in the pre-season.

In particular, your low back may be constantly tight and your ankles, knees, and hips may get sore. It is very important you take care of your body throughout the season, but especially now, while these are minor issues. For these little nagging aches and pains, you should apply ice after practice (unless told otherwise by your athletic trainer). With parental consent, you can also take an occasional ibuprofen or Advil to help alleviate soreness. Foam rollers are another great tool for recovery and restoration. Make sure you eat well, get lots of rest when you can, and properly warm-up and cool down before and after every practice. If you incur any major injuries or issues, make sure you tell your coach, athletic trainer, and parents immediately so you can get the proper help. It is important to address these issues when they are small so they don’t turn into something big!

Elite Hoops will be hosting a Father/Son Basketball Clinic Saturday November 14, 2009 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center in Roswell. The clinic is for boys in grades 3-8 and dads of any age. The clinic will run Saturday from 9am-10:30am. Fathers and sons will work together on passing, ballhandling, and shooting. Dads, don't be afraid...you don't have to be a great basketball player or be in shape to have fun at the clinic! Most of the drills will be stationary and will focus on form not speed.

The price of the clinic is dependent upon the number of sons participating.

1 Son-$50
2 Sons-$70
3 Sons-$85

The Father/Son clinic is limited to the first 10 Father/Son combos that sign up.

Steve Kenner, Women's Head Coach at Emory and Henry College and longtime Elite Hoops Camp Coach, recently sat down for gowasps.com to discuss his first year as a Head Coach and his goals for his team. Kenner said he will stress the importance of academics and community involvement as he motivates the girls to excel on and off the court. Kenner stated, "the players know that I place a high premium on being good student-athletes, and I remid them that the word 'student' comes first." Taking a quote from the Elite Hoops summer camps, Kenner's goal for each girl is "to get 1% better each and every day."

To see the full interview click HERE.

November 5, 2009 – Elite Hoops announced today that their Fayette County Thanksgiving Basketball Skills Clinic will be held at the Kedron Fieldhouse in Peachtree City, Georgia. The clinic will be held on Saturday and Sunday November 28-29, 2009. Boys and girls in grades 4-9 are invited to register as there a limited number of spots available. Players will work on many of the same training drills that are taught at the NIKE Skills Academy Camps such as ballhandling, passing, perimeter moves, and shooting form. This will be a great way to prepare for upcoming basketball teams, and leagues. All Elite Hoops clinics, camps and training events maintain a minimum 8:1 player to coach ratio. This clinic will be staffed with Elite Hoops coaches as well as local coaches from the local metro area. The cost of the clinic is $50 and includes a NIKE Tshirt. For more information, visit www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com or call 678-468-4169

To visit the full press release click HERE

Lou Williams, Elite Hoops Hall of Famer and point guard of the Philadelphia 76ers, is off to a great start this NBA season. One year removed from coming off of the Sixers bench, Williams, now a starter, finds himself as one of the top scoring point guards in the Eastern Conference and amongst one of the best in "efficiency" in all of the NBA. Read more about Lou's hot start from these 2 articles:

I am excited, honored, and thankful to be a part of Elite Hoops Basketball and look forward to contributing my blog each week. The goal of my blog is simple; to inspire, to motivate, to influence and to help anyone who is passionate about basketball (and training).

I have been a professional basketball strength & conditioning coach for past 10 years and have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best players and coaches in the world. Every week I will share these experiences, along with my thoughts, in this blog.
By definition, my job is to get players of all ages and levels faster, stronger, quicker, more explosive, and in great basketball shape. This will reduce the occurrence of injury and improve performance on the court thus allowing you to be the best player you can be.

Whether you are a college player, a high school coach, or a caring parent, I am confident my blog will be of value. If you like what you read, please check back at the beginning of each week as well as share my blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.
In addition to normal updates, tidbits, and quality behind the scenes insight into the practices, workouts and game plans of the nation’s top players and coaches and teams (like Montrose Christian, currently ranked in the Top 10 in the nation), I plan on really sinking my teeth into deeper topics like leadership, communication, toughness, and competitiveness.

I very much welcome any thoughts, ideas, or questions you have regarding my weekly blog, especially if you have an applicable topic you want to see covered in the future. Just drop me an email at Alan@StrongerTeam.com and I will do my best to integrate in.

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

Alan Stein is the owner of Stronger Team and the Head Strength & Conditioning coach for the nationally renowned, Nike Elite Montrose Christian Mustangs boy’s basketball program. Alan brings a wealth of valuable experience to his training arsenal after years of extensive work with elite high school, college, and NBA players.
His passion, enthusiasm, and innovative training techniques make him one of the nation’s leading experts on productive training for basketball players. Alan is a performance consultant for Nike Basketball as well heavily involved with Nike SPARQ Basketball. He is the head conditioning coach for the annual McDonald’s All American game, the Jordan Brand All American Classic, and the Nike Summer Skills Academies. Alan is a Camp Coach at the prestigious NBA Player’s Association’s Top 100 Camp as well as the Chris Paul CP3 Elite Backcourt Camp. Alan has filmed over a dozen DVD’s on improving performance and is a sought after lecturer at basketball camps and clinics across the world. He has been featured in Winning Hoops, Time Out, Dime, SI.com, SLAMonline.com, American Basketball Quarterly, Stack, Men’s Health, HOOP, and FIBA Assist Magazine.

The Belmont Abbey College men’s basketball program is a week away from opening our season with an exhibition game versus the defending national champion UNC Tarheels. What a tremendous opportunity! Our student-athletes relish and enjoy difficult challenges such as this one – playing on the road against top-notch competition, in this case the best in the land. Not only will this contest provide an opportunity to strive to achieve competitive greatness – to be at our best when our best is needed. Playing in a game like this against an opponent who can expose our weaknesses also will help us prepare for the upcoming season – and especially for play in the Conference Carolinas. We are excited to represent Belmont Abbey College and to bring wider attention to our men’s basketball program as well.

Steve Miss, Head Coach-Belmont Abbey College

Elite Hoops announced today that their North Carolina Fall Basketball Skills Clinic will be held at Olympic High School in Charlotte. The clinic will be held on Saturday November 7, 2009. Boys and girls in grades 3-8 are invited to register as there a limited number of spots available. The clinic will run from 9:00am-12:00pm. Players will work on many of the same training drills that are taught at the NIKE Skills Academy Camps such as ballhandling, passing, perimeter moves, and shooting form. This will be a great way to prepare for upcoming basketball teams and leagues. All Elite Hoops clinics, camps and training events maintain a 8:1 player to coach ratio. This clinic will be staffed with Elite Hoops coaches as well as local coaches from the Savannah metro area. The cost of the clinic is $50. For more information, visit www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com or call 678-468-4169. To see the full press release click HERE

2009-2010 NCAA Men's Basketball has begun! Friday at 5pm was our first practice. Its been a long summer and preseason. The Italy trip being the highlight! Through all the weight lifting, individual workouts with the coaches and conditioning tests, I think I have improved my game. I'm in the best preseason shape that Ive been in since I started college. I'm ready to get this season started. Its going to be a big season for Butler Basketball. We have a tough schedule and we will be highly exposed this year. We are in the preseason top 25 and we possibly have the most talented team in Butler history. Two of our players were nominated for the Naismith award. This weekend we have our Blue and White intrasquad scrimmage and in two weeks we have our first exhibition game. The season will be here very soon.

I'm anxious to see what role I will be playing this year on the team. I would like to play more of the power forward position so that I can face up more and shoot from the outside more. We have an incoming freshman that is six foot eleven inches and we of course have our starting center Matt Howard, so hopefully they will take the center position and I can play more power forward. This season will be very tough because we will have a "target on our back" the whole season. Because we are ranked and so highly exposed, every team we play will want to beat us even more. I look forward to the challenge!

Elite Hoops announced today that their Coastal Georgia Fall Basketball Skills Clinic will be held at Calvary Day School (CDS) in Savannah. The clinic will be held on Saturday and Sunday October 17-18, 2009. Boys and girls in grades 5-12 are invited to register as there a limited number of spots available. The girls clinic will run from 2-3:30pm each day and the boys clinic will run from 4-5:30pm each day. Players will work on many of the same training drills that are taught at the NIKE Skills Academy Camps such as ballhandling, passing, perimeter moves, and shooting form. This will be a great way to prepare for upcoming basketball teams, and leagues. All Elite Hoops clinics, camps and training events maintain a 8:1 player to coach ratio. This clinic will be staffed with Elite Hoops coaches as well as local coaches from the Savannah metro area. The cost of the clinic is $75 and includes a NIKE Elite Hoops Tshirt. For more information, visit www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com or call 678-468-4169. To view the full press release click HERE

Elite Hoops announced today that their Tennessee Fall Basketball Skills Clinic will be held at Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville. The clinic will be on Saturday October 24. Boys and girls in grades 3-8 are invited to register as there a limited number of spots available. The girls clinic will run from 9am-12pm and the boys clinic will run from 1pm-4pm. Players will work on many of the same training drills that are taught at the NIKE Skills Academy Camps such as ballhandling, passing, perimeter moves, and shooting form. This will be a great way to prepare for upcoming basketball tryouts and leagues. All Elite Hoops clinics, camps and training events maintain a 8:1 player to coach ratio. This clinic will be staffed with Elite Hoops coaches as well as local coaches from the Nashville metro area including CPA Head Coaches Drew Maddux and Mike Ellson. The cost of the clinic is $75 and includes a NIKE Elite Hoops Tshirt. For more information, visit www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com or call 678-468-4169.

To view the full press release click HERE

Far too often, student-athletes favor or choose programs based on the level (e.g., mid-major over low-major or DI over DII) without devoting adequate time/consideration to "fit." Your primary concern should be with the academic situation and opportunities provided by the colleges and/or universities you are considering. When narrowing down your options based on athletic criteria, however, please consider the following: Play at the level you can achieve the highest level of success not necessarily at the highest level you can attain a scholarship.

As the head coach of the Belmont Abbey College men's basketball program, I am often asked to speak to prospective student-athletes about the recruiting process, eligibility, etc. When doing so, I often mention that nearly every year at least one student-athlete transfers from the best programs in the country. Why? More often than not, the answer is – a lack of PT, tick, burn, etc. If you aren’t contributing on the floor, it can be difficult to feel that you are truly an integral part of a program.

A bit of unsolicited advice for those of you currently fortunate enough to be experiencing the recruiting process (as trying at times as it may be): Reward the program that recruits you the hardest; commit to the program that wants you the most; and play at the level at which YOU will have the most success (trust me - it’s a lot more fun to compete in a meaningful way for conference and national championships than it is to watch others do so).

Steve Miss, Head Coach-Belmont Abbey College

Indianapolis, IN (September 22, 2009)
– Elite Hoops announced today that their Indiana Fall Basketball Skills Clinic will be held at the Indy Indoor Sports Park in Indianapolis. The clinic will run from 1:00pm-4:00pm on Saturday October 10. Boys and girls in grades 3-8 are invited to register as there a limited number of spots available. Players will work on many of the same drills that are taught at the NIKE Skills Academies such as ballhandling, passing, perimeter moves, and shooting form. All Elite Hoops clinics and training events maintain a 6:1 player to coach ratio. This clinic will be staffed with Elite Hoops coaches as well as local coaches from the Indianapolis metro area. The cost of the clinic is $50 and includes a NIKE Elite Hoops Tshirt. For more information, visit www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com or call 678-468-4169.

My busy schedule has continued. School is even more hectic than when it first started. Last week there was a job fair at Purdue University for engineers. They were offering internships and full time positions. I applied to many different companies such as BP, Exxon, Shell, Firestone, Michelin, Coca-Cola, Kraft, Colgate, John Deere, American Airlines, etc. It was a major job fair with over 150 companies, many of them fortune 500. The fair was on Tuesday and Wednesday so I had to miss a lot of classes. This set me back in my classes and I'm still trying to catch up. One thing good did come out of missing my classes though. I landed an interview with Coca-Cola. The interview was on Wednesday at 11. It went well, but I wont know if I got the internship until around November. If I do get it, I'll either be in Atlanta or Louisville.

Prior to arriving on campus rather than after, all potential student-athletes need to be made aware of the time commitment required of participants in college athletics. As of this week, the Belmont Abbey College Men's Basketball Program is full-go as far as our academic workload and pre-season workouts are concerned. Just so you know, the NCAA only allows for 8 hours of organized athletics activities and requires a minimum of two off days when "out of season." So what does a typical week prior to October 15th entail for our student-athletes? In addition to a course load of a minimum of 15 hours (and realize that your professors expect you to devote 3 hours of study outside the classroom for every hour you spend in class), each member of our program is required to attend an academic meeting with the coaching staff and 4 study hall sessions per week. As for our workouts, each student-athlete will participate in 2 hours of individual workouts, 3 hours in the weight room, and 3 hours of conditioning. In addition, all Belmont Abbey College students are required to perform at least 10 hours of community service per semester (our student-athletes mentor at North Belmont Elementary School). Have we even mentioned devoting adequate time to proper nutrition and sufficient sleep so that your body can replenish itself? Oh--and what about your social life? Start to add it all up and you will begin to understand the commitment and discipline it takes to be a member of the Belmont Abbey College Men's Basketball Program.

-Stephen Miss, Head Coach Belmont Abbey College

Press Release: Elite Hoops to Host Fall Basketball Skills Clinic in Homewood, Alabama

The Abbey, coached by Stephen Miss, Elite Hoops Camp Coach and a 1992 graduate of UNC, finished 20-9 last season, its first 20-win season in six years, and will welcome back seven players, including two starters, guard Richard Barbee and forward Chad Patus.

Today is Tuesday. We started school last Wednesday and basketball last Monday. Its been a rough week juggling an 18 hr class schedule, with basketball, a non-profit organization, and a recent break up with my girlfriend. I'll start with my classes. I'm majoring in mechanical engineering, which for those of you who don't know, is very hard. Lots and lots and lots and lots of math. Calculus 1, 2, and 3, Modern Algebra, Game Theory, Real Analysis, Differential equations 1, 2, Discrete Math... That's just a few. I'm a senior so I'm pretty much done with math classes. Now I'm on to my engineering classes which so far haven't been bad, BUT I can't tell its just the beginning. The difference between engineering class and regular math classes is that engineering classes have labs and something called recitation. Recitation can be anywhere from another lecture, to a study hr, and some teachers don't even make you go. This semester I have 4 engineering lectures, 3 labs, and 3 recitations, and one analog physics class. My engineering classes are at IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis and my physics class is at Butler. The biggest problem with this crazy schedule is homework. Its very hard to keep track of what is do and when. I will keep y'all updated on how it goes.

Elite Hoops Hall of Famer and former South Gwinnett High School standout, Louis Williams, is projected to start at point guard during the 2009-2010 season for the Philadelphia 76ers. This news comes after the Sixers did not re-sign veteran point guard Andre Miller in the offseason. The Sixers are hoping that Williams can fill the role left by the veteran point guard from the University of Utah. Read more on what Williams has to say about his promotion here: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20090826_76ers__Williams_set_to_make_point_home.html

Elite Hoops just finished up training with 15 boys and girls last week at Norcross High School. The skills training was an intense 1.5 hour session focused on fundamentals. The players worked on ballhandling fundamentals, like dribbling with their finger tips and keeping their heads up; passing fundamentals, like making a chest pass by extending their hands outwards toward the recipient of the pass and finishing with their thumbs pointing to the ground. The players finished out each day with fundamental layup drills, which worked on developing proper footwork and finishing with the appropriate hand around the basket. The players worked hard each day and improved greatly over the 5 days of training. As we head into our Fall training schedule, hopefully we can get the same effort and see the same improvement from all of our players.

Day 2 of the girls camp at Blessed Trinity High School went very well. Players were working hard as they participated in morning stations, 5 on 5 games, and 3 on 3. Our individual improvement drills for day 2 included Figure 8 no dribble, Figure 8 dribble, Flip Flop, and Front Back Catch. These drills are meant to improve campers hand speed, quickness, and overall ballhandling skills. Campers posted impressive scores in these drills and the individual improvement championships on Friday should be very competitive. Hopefully campers take their scores on these drills and improve on them atleast 1% everyday!
-Coach Langley

The camp at McIntosh High School has gone well the first 4 days. From the first day, our goal was to "not mistake activity for achievement." Each and every player has tried to make sure that when ever they are going through a drill, a station, or even in warmups, they are trying to get better by going full speed. Campers are also doing a good job of showing sportsmanship. It is not out of the ordinary to see players giving high fives, encouraging one another, be it in games or in stations. These players that pay special attention to being good teammates by showing good sportsmanship are players that coaches love to have on their teams. Hopefully, these good attitudes and hard work continue on to "Championship Friday!"
-Coach Langley

On August 7th, Elite Hoops will unveil it's Living by Numbers program. We will be posting the Top 3 scorers and averages for each Individual Improvement Drill that campers performed at the NIKE camps this summer. This will enable players to see where they stand among the 1000+ campers who attempted the drills this summer.

Our goal for players is that they get 1% better each and everyday, whether or not they are at camp. To encourage year round skill development, we will post the scores of any player who attended one of our NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camps this summer and can post a score in the Top 3 of any Individual Improvement Drill. To have your score verified, you will need to email us the video and/or post the video of the record on YouTube. In addition, each month we will add a new Living by Numbers drill that you can work on. Again, we will list the Top 3 players on our website.

Remember to check back August 7th see to where you stand!

The inaugural NIKE/Elite Hoops Boys Basketball Camp at Homewood High School kicked off today with a sold out camp. This marks our 4th straight sold out camp this summer and we are very excited to be doing it in a first year camp in Birmingham. We have four of the top high school head coaches in the area on staff at the camp and we have players from all around the Birmingham metro area. Players worked for 90 minutes in the morning at eight different stations, as well as competed in their morning 5 on 5 games, afternoon Individual Improvement and 3 on 3 Cut Throat. Tomorrow promises to be another hard working day with the staff and campers!

Elite Hoops Basketball concluded another quality week of camp at Riverwood High School today. Friday's half day of camp concluded with 3 highly competitive championship games including two sudden death overtime games in the high school and college divisions. The NBA division championship game also came down to the final seconds. In addition to the Division Finals of 5 on 5, the campers participated in a review of all the station work they participated in during the week as well as the individual improvement championships. The top 3 campers in each division enjoyed an opportunity to compete for Nike prizes by participating in the Figure Eight no dribble, Mikan, Diagonal Layup, and Hot Shot finals. The winners in each division were recognized during an award ceremony at the end of camp. Once again, we'd like to thank Coach Mezzio and Riverwood High School for allowing us to use their facilities for the NIKE/Elite Hoops Camp and we look forward to seeing everyone who came out again next year!

Day 1 at Riverwood High School was full of intense basketball instruction and more than 50 campers eager to improve their basketball skills and knowledge. The campers were split into three divisions based on age and ability. Each division (high school, college, and NBA) participated in 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games in the afternoon. The morning session included 8 different stations focusing on different basketball skills as well as a speed and agility station. Elite Hoops would like to thank RHS Head Coach M Mezzio for allowing us to use the Raider Gymnasium this week. We will see everyone back tomorrow morning at 9am!
-Drew Molitoris, Elite Hoops Camp Commissioner and former UMKC Coach

The Nike/Elite Hoops Perimeter Skills Camp in Peachtree City is off to a fast start! The camp is designed to enhance players perimeter skills such as ballhandling, passing, reading screens, and shooting. The camp includes players ages 10 to 15. The camp staff includes 4 former and current high school and college coaches including McIntosh High School Head Coach Jason Eisele. The campers spent the morning session in small groups working on 7 different guard oriented drills that combined ballhandling, shooting, and passing. Campers also competed in 5 on 5 and 3 on 3 games. We're looking forward to another intense day tomorrow out at the Kedron Fieldhouse.

-Drew Molitoris, Elite Hoops Camp Commissioner and former UMKC Coach

The first day of camp at GAC was a huge success! We have over 95 campers this week as well as a staff of 14 former and current college and professional coaches and players. You couldn't ask for a better facility to run camp at than the new Long Forum on the campus of GAC (see the picture below). We are extremely thankful to Head Coach Eddie Martin and the entire Spartan family for letting us use their brand new gymnasium. We had an extremely competitive day of 5 on 5 , 3 on 3, as well as several individual improvement contests. We also had 10 skill stations that the players went through in the morning. Hopefully all of the campers get a good nights rest because Day 2 promises to be just as exciting.

Drew Molitoris-Elite Hoops Camp Commisioner and former UMKC Coach.

Starting August 17, Elite Hoops will be offering its High School Team Training to high school throughout the Southeast. The program combines basketball drills from the Nike Skills Academies, Jordan Training as well as SPARQ training. This is a unique opportunity for players to work hard on the court with a ball while also working on their speed, agility, strength and conditioning. Programs can be tailored to the need of your team and can be for 1-3 days per week and for 3-8 weeks. Please email us at info@elitehoopsbasketball.com for more information.

Elite Hoops is partnering up with former NBA All-Star Antonio Davis starting this August to form the Antonio Davis Big Man Training Academy. This will be a unique opportunity for Post Players to go through rigorous preseason and postseason training under the tutelage of an NBA great, while also experiencing the intense agility, speed and strength training of Elite Hoops. The Antonio Davis Big Man Training Academy will be for high school and collegiate players and will be offered in metro Atlanta, Chicago and Oakland. More information will be posted on our website later this summer.

The other night, Carmelo Anthony was taken out of the game. He sprinted off the court and ignored his coach and sat 4 seats away. Classless.

Carmelo was coming off a 1 game suspension for refusing to come out of a game at his coach’s request. He stayed on the court and as a result of being insubordinate was suspended for a game. I guess he thought this was how he would show George Karl about what he thought about the suspension.

He showed him alright. He showed him how immature he is and how he puts himself above the team. He showed him how he can’t trust him when he needs him most. He showed all the fans that he is an athlete but shouldn’t have the word ‘professional’ in front of it. We’ve seen this type of behavior before but we never saw this from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Lebron. Have respect for the game, your team, yourself and the profession.

Carmelo is a great basketball player but the way he acted was childish and classless and I expect better from him.

Coach Alan Stein, Stronger Team, is also the strength and conditioning coach for Montrose Christian, one of the nation's premier high school teams. Tonight, they play #2 nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy on ESPN2. Coach Stein gave each player on the team the note below.

While I am sure on a superficial level you are somewhat aware of how “big” our game against Oak Hill is on Friday, I want to point out a few important things that you may or may not have thought about.

First of all, win or lose, you will remember this game for the rest of your life. I’m not joking. You will remember every detail, good or bad, until you are old and gray (or old and bald). Wouldn’t it be so much better to reminisce over a win?!

This game is all about opportunity. And golden opportunities don’t come around very often. Some people go their entire lifetime without a real life changing opportunity to take advantage of. And you have one Friday night. Don’t take it for granted and don’t take it lightly. I don’t tell you this to make you nervous or scared, but to get you excited because you very much deserve this opportunity and you are more than prepared for it. Within this golden opportunity, there are several things to think about:

1) You have an opportunity to play (and beat) the 2^nd ranked team in the nation, a team that is 36-0.

2) You have an opportunity to have the best record in Montrose history (21-1).

3) You have an opportunity to play close to home, in front of thousands of fans, family, friends, media, and basketball lovers.

4) You have an opportunity to play on national TV. As far as basketball games, ESPN2 is watched just as much as ESPN. People all over the world will get to see you and to see Montrose.

5) You have an opportunity to avenge a loss. In my 6 years at Montrose we have never had the chance to play a team that we had lost to that year. It still makes me sick to my stomach we lost to Oak Hill in Hawaii, and you are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to erase that feeling.

6) You have an opportunity to prove all of the doubters wrong. People don’t think you are an All-American? Prove them wrong. People don’t think you are good enough to play in college? Show them you are. People doubt whether you are a top rated player in your class? Show them you are. People don’t think we are the best team in the nation? Show them we are.

7) You have an opportunity so stay in the hunt for a national championship. In other words, making the most of this opportunity will lead to even bigger opportunity in early April!

The Montrose basketball family, and each of you, is very, very important to me. This program has played a major role in my life for the past 6 years and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

I have never asked you guys for very much, but I am going to ask you for this:

I want you to promise me, promise Coach Vetter, promise Coach Devlin, Prete, Jenifer, Graves, promise your teammates, and most importantly promise yourself… that on Friday night you will give every ounce of heart, soul, effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in fulfilling your role on this team and doing everything humanly possible to help us win. If you get the opportunity to play, make the most of it. Take charges, dive for loose balls, box out, make the extra pass, execute our offense, and leave it all on the floor. If you don’t get the opportunity to actually play, when the game is over your voice better be hoarse from screaming and your hands raw from clapping.

The feeling in the locker room after our dramatic win over Oak Hill 3 years ago was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced and was, without a doubt, one of the top moments of my life. And I didn’t even play! I want each of you to experience that same feeling Friday night because you deserve it.

Each time you are done reading this, I want you to sit in complete silence and visualize a few things:

• Visualize a time in your life when you played the best you have ever played. You may have been younger or it may have been this season. Visualize, every detail, of a time when every pass you made was on point, you had the ball on a string, and every shot you took was money. You were in the zone.
• Visualize yourself on Friday night doing something spectacular. As if you were watching yourself in a movie, imagine yourself making a Sportscenter Top 10 play… maybe a sick dunk, a no look pass, or breaking someone’s ankles. Picture how the crowd responds and how your teammates react. Picture how good you feel after you make that play.
• Visualize how you will feel after we win. Picture how it will feel when the crowd rushes the court to celebrate. Imagine how great it will be to be in our locker room afterwards.

If each of you will take the time to picture these things in high definition, then I know for a fact you have the physical tools to make them come true.

I can’t wait. I will be there beside you with Gummi Bears in hand.

I love you guys ,

Coach Stein