Showing posts with label lee miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lee miller. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What Is "It"?

Posted by Lee Miller | Wednesday, September 21, 2011 | Category: , , , , , , | 1 comments

Over the past 3 years, I have trained over 300 HS players throughout the southeast. Of those 300, only 2 have "it". If I was a coach at the high school level, and I could have 12 of either one of the players (both guards), I'd take it. You ask either of the players to shoot 200 shots and they shoot 300. You ask either to be at the gym at 3:00 and they are there at 2:45 working on their game. You tell either of them to deactivate their Facebook account for 6 weeks to concentrate on their game and they do it.  Both of these players work hard, work often, and understand what commitment is, but what is the "it" that they have?

Every year, Fortune magazine compiles its Fortune 500 list of the top revenue producing companies in the United States. Number 1 on the list is Wal-Mart bringing in an astounding $421 billion in revenue. Even Number 500, Seaboard brought in $4 billion.  That being said, these are some major companies, doing some major business with some elite level CEO's at the top of the helm. A lot of these CEO's could probably work 40 hours a week and still have a Fortune 500 company on their hands, but what do you think is the AVERAGE wake up time for these CEO's?  Try 5:45am.  According to Starwinar, 85% of Fortune 500 CEO's wake up before 6:00am. That means 425 of the 500 CEO's wake up every morning about an hour earlier than the average American. Will just waking up early give you "it"?  No, but all of these CEO's have "it".

Sean Combs "Diddy" is worth $475 million and is the richest hip hop star in the world, according to Forbes. But in 1990, Diddy wasn't worth a penny.  That year, he took an UNPAID internship with at Uptown Records. He commuted via train every weekend from Washington, DC to New York to work for free because he had a passion and a desire to make it big in the music industry. A year later, due to his hard work, Diddy landed a full time gig as Director of Artists at Uptown. In 1993, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Arista records for his Bad Boy Entertainment label that he created while at Uptown.  The rest is history and YES Diddy has "it".

In the summer after the 2006-2007 NBA season, Kobe Bryant realized his fingers were unevenly spaced after taping them the entire previous season due to a fractured metacarpal.  As a result, his shooting percentage dropped that season.  He watched film on 1000's of his shots and noticed the ball was slightly rotating to the right. So what did 5-time NBA Champion, Kobe Bryant do? He MADE 100,000 shots that summer correcting his form and rotation. Kobe says he doesn't practice shooting shots, he "practices making them, " and YES if you haven't figured it out yet, Kobe has "it".

In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he discusses the 10,000 hour rule.  He says that to achieve greatness in a specific field you must spend 10,000 hours mastering your craft.  He mentions that the Beatles played over 1200 times in Hamburg, Germany from 1960-1964 and amassed more than 10,000 hours of playing time during that span.  A year later, almost everyone in the US knew their songs.  He mentions that Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft and worth an estimated $50 billion, started programming at the age of 13 and spent over 10,000 hours perfecting programs before he started Microsoft. The Beatles had "it" and Bill Gates still has "it".   

After you date someone for a while, how will you know when he/she's the one? You'll know. How will you know which of the 30 homes you've just seen is your "dream home"? You'll know. How will you know which college coach is truly the one for you to commit to? You'll know. And how do you know when you have "it"? Just look in the mirror... and You'll know.

Lee Miller
Elite Hoops
National Director
"Release Your Potential"

Monday, July 18, 2011

Day 1 of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp at Homewood High School

Posted by Anonymous | Monday, July 18, 2011 | Category: , , , | 0 comments

We're back in Homewood, Alabama for yet another round of NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp, except this time we are at Homewood High School! On Day 1, new faces arrived at check in bright and early, and the coaches could tell the players were eager to work hard and get better. Monday emphasized refining the players' weaknesses. Whether it is ball handling, reading the defense, or something as simple as communication, the slightest improvement makes it that harder for your opponent to beat you. Our camp director, Coach Lee Miller, stressed the importance of training "1 times your strength to 2 times your weakness." Let's say dribbling with your left hand is a struggle for you and dribbling with your right hand is a breeze. If you work 10 minutes on right-handed ball handling (strength), then you should work 20 minutes on your left-handed ball handling (weakness). Sure it is great to be dominant in one area of the game; however, players that are consistenly dominant in ALL areas of the game outlast their opponent in any situation they face on the court.

Throughout the day, campers worked on various ball handling drills that forced them to work on their weaknesses. Although a hassle at first, each camper soon learned the importance of sharpening the dull components of their game. After lunch, the players were teamed together for a little 5 on 5 competition. It was during this competition that players valued the statement that Coach Miller said to them earlier in the day. Campers were able to understand the advantage of being a consistent dribbler with both hands, as opposed to only one, and exactly why our coaches here at NIKE/Elite Hoops Basketball Camp aim to erase any weaknesses our players might have. As the first day came to a close, head coach at Homewood High School, Tim Shepler reminded the players that "it is the average player that goes to the gym and works on their 'favorite' shot or whatever feels natural to them, but it is the champion that pushes themselves outside of their comfort zone because our strengths grow from what once were our weaknesses."

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Is Georgia High School Basketball the Best in the Nation?

Posted by Chris Langley | Wednesday, October 20, 2010 | Category: , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

Check out Elite Hoops workout with Rivals #3 team in the Nation
MILTON HIGH SCHOOL:

Is Georgia high school basketball the best in the nation?
Check out the Rivals.com's 2010-2011 preseason rankings compiled by Senior Analyst Dallas Jackson and other Rivals.com high school site publishers, and then tell us what you think.



1. Melrose
Memphis
TN
37-4

Memphis has taken over New York City as the nation’s hotbed for high school hoops and this Melrose team could be the best in the country. The team will be without guard Chris Jones, who exhausted his eligibility, but the team returns two forwards in Adonis Thomas as well as guard Cedrick McAfee. The Golden Wildcats finished the 2009-10 season ranked No. 10 in the RivalsHigh 100 but have even higher expectations for this season.

2. St. Anthony
Jersey City
NJ
27-3
The Friars ended last season with a heartbreaking triple-overtime, one-point loss in the Non-Public Group B state finals and are out for more than redemption in the 2010-11 season. Despite the losses of Derrick Williams (Richmond) and Eli Carter (prep school), the Friars return a great core of talent. Seniors Lucky Jones and Tyuan Williams lead the returning cast alongside junior Jerome Frink. The team will welcome Myles Mack, the No. 84 ranked player in the Class of 2011, and Kyle Anderson, the No. 1 player in the New Jersey Class of 2012, from the now closed Paterson (N.J.) Paterson Catholic.

3. Milton
Alpharetta
GA
29-4
The no-brainer No. 1 team in the state of Georgia this year is the defending state champion, Milton Eagles. The team had a mixed bag of results against top-tiered competition in 2009-10, but as a young team had enough talent to win the Class 5A state title. The Eagles return three elite players and have expectations of a national Top 5 finish. Leading the way is Ohio State commit Shannon Scott. The 6-foot-2 point guard has great court vision and a quick step to penetrate. His counterpart in the backcourt, Dai-Jon Parker, provides a great second scoring option on the perimeter. Cleaning up the glass is 6-foot-7 forward Julian Royal. Royal, a Rivals.com four-star player, is down to Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, and Wake Forest for his college choices.

4. Poly
Long Beach
CA
28-5
The Jackrabbits have the unenviable distinction as being the top preseason team in the state of California. The team had solid - but not spectacular - performances in its national games in 2009-10, but then did not make a deep run into the playoffs. Poly returns only one nationally-ranked player in 6-foot-6 forward Ryan Anderson, but brings back three other top players in the state – seniors Alexis Moore (USC) at point guard and shooting guard Alex Carmon, as well as a rising star in 2013 wing player Roschon Prince.

5. Findlay Prep
Henderson
NV
32-2
The Pilots are a team without a home as the season approaches. The team was affiliated with the Henderson International School for the previous four seasons, but with the school closing, the accreditation for its players is up in the air. Coach Mike Peck has done a fabulous job molding both the talent and egos of many of the nation’s elite players, winning a RivalsHigh 100 National Championship in 2008-09 and finishing No. 3 in the country last season. For the Pilots to be successful in this coming season, they will rely on guard Nick Johnson to provide the scoring and leadership.

6. Oak Hill Academy
Mouth Of Wilson
VA
29-4
Perennial power Oak Hill could have finished last season in the Top 5 nationally had it performed better in the season-ending National High School Invitational tournament. There was an exodus of graduating talent, but that should not slow the machine at Oak Hill. Returning this season is standout forward Sidiki Johnson. Johnson, at 6-foot-8, can control the paint but still has room to develop. The future Arizona Wildcat will be joined by Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha transfer Quinn Cook to create an excellent inside-out opportunity for the Warriors.

7. Douglass
Oklahoma City
OK
29-0
Being the best team in Oklahoma is usually good enough for a national ranking in the mid-30s. However, the Douglass Trojans could prove to be a very strong exception to that way of thinking. The Trojans, who finished ranked No. 62 in the RivalsHigh 100 in 2009-10, are very reminiscent of last year’s national champion, Houston (Texas) Yates. Douglass returns all five starters from a team that was the best in its state despite not being in its highest classification. The Trojans like to score a lot of points and put the ball on the floor. It is very unlikely that many teams in Oklahoma - or the rest of the country for that matter - will be able to keep up with this team in 2010-11.

8. Wichita Heights
Wichita
KS
23-2
Wichita Heights is the reigning two-time Kansas 6A state champion and figures to three-peat and have its best team ever in 2010-11, after only losing one senior to graduation. Returning star Perry Ellis developed enough as a junior to dominate the competition and is probably among the Top 50 players in his class. Wichita State commit Evan Wessel and Dreamius Smith return for the Falcons. Smith would be a mid-major prospect if not for his ability on the football field. Many will focus on the ability of Ellis, but this team is much more than a one-man show.

9. Winter Park
Winter Park
FL
29-6
Winter Park had a great resume of wins and a handful of disappointing losses last season. However, the Wildcats were able to come together to win the Florida Class 6A state title. The team is led by the No. 6 player in the country and recent Duke commit Austin Rivers. Rivers is the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and is rated as the second-best high school shooting guard in the country. Rivers’ specialty is scoring from pull-up jumpers behind the arc. If teams overplay that, he has a lightning-quick first step to the right. His basketball IQ makes him one of the better passers in the country as well.

10. North Central
Indianapolis
IN
25-3
North Central was the best team in a very basketball-rich state in 2009-10. The team returns a lot of talented players from that team, which won the Indiana Class 4A state title, and has a solid group of young athletes that will make the team a threat to win for the next two years. Leading the team will be all-state player D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Smith-Rivera averaged 17.7 points and six rebounds per game last year, and those numbers should rise this season. The defending champs lost all-state guard Terone Johnson but will replace him with his younger brother, Ronnie, who appears ready to be a star himself. 6-foot-4 Dedric Griffin and sophomore sensation Darius Latham also return to the best in the Hoosier State.

11. St. Patrick
Elizabeth
NJ
26-3

12. Taft
Woodland Hills
CA
26-6

13. Jesuit
Portland
OR
26-2

14. DeMatha
Hyattsville
MD
32-4

15. South Atlanta
Atlanta
GA
18-2

16. Norcross
Norcross
GA
27-3

17. Penn Wood
Lansdowne
PA
27-4

18. Norcom
Portsmouth
VA
25-4

19. Sacramento
Sacramento
CA
26-7

20. Bellaire
Bellaire
TX
35-2

21. Lincoln
Dallas
TX
24-3

22. Hopkins
Minnetonka
MN
30-2

23. Butler
Huntsville
AL
23-7

24. Southeastern
Detroit
MI
16-8

25. Merrillville
Merrillville
IN
22-4

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