Former Elite Hoops trainee and summer camp coach, Avery Jukes helped lead the Butler Bulldogs to the National Championship game against Duke on Monday night. Jukes scored 10 points in the first half of the Bulldogs 61-59 loss and was matched up against 7-footer Brian Zoubek for most of the first 20 minutes. To read the article on Jukes' contribution in the game click HERE.

Malcolm Brogdon of Greater Atlanta Christian was recently named Georgia's AA Player of the Year by the AJC and Gwinnett County's Player of the Year by the Gwinnett Daily Post. Malcolm finished the season averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and helped lead his team to the AA State Title. Elite Hoops has been training Brogdon since last Summer. Videos of his training sessions will be available soon on Youtube and www.EliteHoopsBasketball.com.

The Indianapolis Star had a great article on how important it is for players to know their role on the team. The players they are referring to are the Butler Bulldogs. Former Elite Hoops player and coach, Avery Jukes is mentioned in the article and is one of the reasons the Bulldogs continue to win. To read more of the article click HERE.

GAC won their first state championship in 33 years Saturday afternoon in Macon, GA. GAC defeated Thomasville 77-65 to finish the season 32-1 and undefeated in the state of Georgia. GAC's lone loss came at the hands of Tennessee powerhouse and #15 nationally ranked Melrose. The win gives Coach Eddie Martin his 4th State Championship in 5 years. The previous 4 had come while he was at Norcross. To read more on GAC's win click HERE.

Elite Hoops will be holding it's 2nd annual NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at GAC from June 7-11. The camp sold out last year so make sure to register early by calling 1-800-NIKE-CAMP or by visiting www.elitehoopsbasketball.com

Camp times are Monday-Thursday 9am-3pm and Friday 9am-12pm. Camp concludes Friday with an awards ceremony around 11:45am. Lunch will not be provided, but a concession stand will be available with pizza, snacks and drinks.

Former Elite Hoops star, Lou Williams hit his first 10 shots of the night and finished with 30 points against the Hawks. To read more click HERE.

Homewood High School's run through the State Tournament ended in the Championship Game vs. Bob Jones on Saturday night. Homewood entered the game 31- 4 and winners of three straight in the playoffs. This was the second time in three years that Head Coach Tim Shepler has lead Homewood to the Title game. To read more on Homewood's title run click HERE.

Elite Hoops will be holding it's 2nd annual NIKE Boys Basketball Camp at Homewood High School from June 7-11. Head Coach Tim Shepler along with Elite Hoops staff will be directing the camp. The camp is for experienced players entering grades 5-9 and will concentrate on fundamental skill development with skill stations and 5 on 5 in the morning followed by our Individual Improvement section and 3 on 3 half court in the afternoon. Homewood High School is a convenient location for anyone in the metro Birmingham area including Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Hoover or Bessemer.. The camp sold out last year so make sure to register early by calling 1-800-NIKE-CAMP or by visiting www.elitehoopsbasketball.com

Camp times are Monday-Thursday 9am-3pm and Friday 9am-12pm. Camp concludes Friday with an awards ceremony around 11:45am.Lunch will not be provided, but a concession stand will be available with pizza, snacks and drinks.

If you have read my last three blog posts (“Losing Sucks,” “Lesson Learned,” and “Want To”), you know the Montrose Christian boys basketball team has been experiencing some adversity lately.

It all started three weeks ago, when we luckily escaped with an overtime win against a team we should have pounded, because our players had a casual and arrogant attitude.

Then we traveled to Orlando and lost two games in a row at the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament. We suffered our first lost because of a handful of critical errors… and the second lost because we laid down and played soft.

Upon our return from Florida, our leading scorer and a potential All-American, Terrence Ross, unexpectedly withdrew from school and transferred to a prep school in Arizona.

And towards the end of last week, the DC area was hammered with 20+ inches of snow. The Blizzard of 2010 Part II started last night as we were hit with additional 15+ inches.

We have not played a game since our second loss in Orlando on January 30^th. We have had four games cancelled since the snow began. The snow has been paralyzing. We have only had two practices since we got back from Florida and only one practice in the past 7 days. That was yesterday and we only had the 7 players who could make it to school. Our top two players both live in Fredericksburg, VA (about an hour and half away from school) and have been completely snowed in. Given the current weather conditions, we won’t be able to practice for the rest of this week. That means our players will have been off for almost two straight weeks!

Why is that a problem?

We are scheduled to play St. Anthony’s HS in Trenton, NJ at the Nike Prime Time Shoot-out this Saturday. St. Anthony’s has been one of the nation’s top HS programs for the past 30 years… winning over two dozen state titles, a handful of national titles, and produced numerous All-Americans and Division I players… several of which have played in the NBA. They are lead by Coach Bob Hurley, who in my opinion is one of the top 5 basketball coaches on the planet… and that includes college and NBA coaches. I have admired Coach Hurley from afar since I was in high school and have read The Miracle at St. Anthony twice. I got an opportunity to have dinner with him this past fall as our clinic speaking schedules intersected in Minnesota and Iowa. It was a real honor. He is a tremendous clinician and overwhelmingly passionate about the game of basketball. I have an immense respect for Coach Hurley, not just for everything he has accomplished, but because of the way he has accomplished it. He is pure class. He is not just a coach, he changes lives. He represents everything that is right with sports. He is one of a kind.

But I will have to put my admiration aside for a few hours on Saturday, because we have a game to play! If you know anything about Coach Hurley’s teams, they are always one of the toughest teams in the country. They play up tempo, smothering defense. They press, they trap, and they never, ever quit. They are relentless. When they smell fear in their opponent, they go in for the kill. Currently, they are our polar opposite. While we are facing some internal adversity, they are playing their best basketball and playing with a potent swagger. Last week they beat DeMatha HS by two. DeMatha was ranked in the top 5 in the country by ESPN at the time. St. Anthony’s has climbed up to 23^rd in the nation (ESPN) while we have plummeted to 45^th.

The odds are stacked against us to say the least. I am not saying that for pity or to make excuses, it is just a reality.

With all of that said, the million dollar question is… how will our team respond to our recent adversity?

My prediction?

Only one of two things will happen… there will be no grey area. Either we will come out with passion and pride and play like we have something to prove (which we most certainly do) and make it a competitive, intense game between two of the country’s premier programs…

Or…

We will trudge in with our tails between our legs… mentally fragile…full of excuses…and walk right into the lion’s den and get smacked by 30. If we come in like that, trust me, St. Anthony’s will embarrass us.

Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every adversity lies opportunity.”

I hope our guys understand that. Lord knows I will be doing everything in my power to get that point across. I will also make sure they understand that the more adversity they face in life, the more positive they have to be. A positive attitude and collective, sincere enthusiasm can conquer many things. I also want them to know that many times, adversity is a prerequisite to major accomplishments. Look at Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Drew, as well as the city of New Orleans, went through severe times of adversity in the last several years… and now they are the Super Bowl champs!

Our players need to take pride in overcoming difficulties. They need to view them as challenges and rise to the occasion. They need to look at Saturday’s game as an opportunity to “fix” everything we have been going through and to show the world what we are really made of. They need to look at it as a chance to put this season back on track.

And when I say “fix”, I am not at all concerned with the final score. My entire focus will be on how we play and how we respond to the adversity we have been facing. If we come out with passion, pride, and compete to the final buzzer… it will be one of my proudest moments since joining the program 7 years ago... regardless of whether or not we get the W. If we cower, and wallow in our own self pity, and get mutilated and humiliated… it will be the most disappointing moment I will have experienced with Montrose.

And for the record, please understand I keep all of this in its proper perspective. Basketball is my driving passion, and the Montrose players and staff are very, very important to me. But my overall happiness in life isn’t dictated by a scoreboard or a W-L column. Sure, I get poopy-pants when we lose. Of course food tastes better when we win. But I learned a long time ago not to pin my own happiness on the shoulders of 16, 17, and 18 year old boys. Life is too short for that. And while I love the game of basketball about as much as anyone can and I am an extremely competitive person by nature… it is just a game… and I recognize that. I am very well aware that the “adversity” I have been writing about pales in comparison to real adversity… natural disasters, death, unemployment, sickness, etc. I don’t have it twisted, I know where things stand.

But on that note, over the course of the past three weeks, I have received dozens and dozens of unsolicited emails from coaches and players who have offered kind words of support for our program and have shared similar experiences of the basketball adversity they have faced this season. For that, I am truly grateful. I appreciate each and every time someone reaches out… and I am eternally thankful to be in the basketball coaching fraternity.

Whether good or bad, next week I will report in with a full recap of our game with St. Anthony’s.

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom. Last week I posted a video of a Nike Skills Academy Warm-up. I will post the second part of that later this week.

If you would like the two songs I have been using in all of my recent videos, “Game Time” by S.K. and “Hoop Connection” by Chip Da Ripper; send me an email and I will gladly send them to you. They are great for pre-game warm-ups or to listen to on your iPod during an individual workout.

As always, if you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Roswell, GA

Roswell, GA

This is a spontaneous follow up to my last post, “Losing Sucks.” Why a follow up? Because this past Saturday night we were very lucky to escape with a 4 point overtime win against Kecoughtan High School from Hampton, VA. Before I say anything, let me congratulate their players and staff for playing an excellent game. They played winning basketball, and in all honesty, they deserved to win the game. They should hold their heads high and be very proud of their effort.

Our performance, if you can call it that, bothered me so much I felt compelled to write this. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you read “Losing Sucks” first for the proper foundation as I mentioned something in that post that is paramount to the point I want to make here:

“It is so important to recognize when you play well and lose. It is equally important to recognize when you play poorly and win. You need to learn from both.”

KHS needs to recognize they played very well even though they lost the game. I recommend they watch the film and take note of the many things they did so well. My guess is, if they do those things against every other team on their schedule… they will win most of their games and have a great chance at a state title. They took great shots and played tough defense for 32 minutes.

On the other hand, our players need to be humble enough and mature enough to admit they played poorly and still won. And they played really poorly. While I am thankful we got the W, I absolutely consider our performance a loss.

Why do I consider it a loss? Let’s review, from “Losing Sucks,” the three reasons you lose a game:

* You weren’t as talented as the other team.
* You didn’t execute or make plays.
* You played with a lack of effort.



The only reason we squeaked out a win was because we were more talented than they were. Bottom line, and I mean this with sincere respect to the KHS team, we had better players. However, Montrose alum Kevin Durant’s favorite quote is quite applicable here:

“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

We almost found that out the hard way.

KHS should look back and accept they lost because we had better players (Point #1)… there is no shame in that. They did execute and they did make plays (Point #2). They did play with passion, heart, and effort (Point #3).

Our players, on the other hand, need to look back and admit the exact opposite. The only reason we won was because we had better players. We didn’t execute or make plays and we sure didn’t play with the passion and effort that is the epitome of the Montrose legacy.

Please notice I said “our players” as opposed to “we” in an attempt to distance myself and the coaching staff from our players. I did that intentionally. While we are all in this together, and we are all part of the program… the coaching staff very well recognizes and admits the shortcomings from this game… I am not quite sure our players do. They need to be mature enough to learn from this. Our coaching staff already has. As coaches, all we can do is prepare our players in the best manner possible and do everything in our power to put them in a position to be successful. We can’t play the game for them. That is 100% on them.

I have mentioned time and time again, that the Montrose program is run exactly like a major college program… only with 16, 17, and 18 year olds. That is why our players are so successful at the next level, because they have already acclimated themselves to the academic and athletic schedules and standards of excellence required of big time Division I programs. We take a lot of pride in “What We Do” (another previous blog post). What separates our program from others is our attention to detail, our strict discipline, and our proven system for building a time honored basketball powerhouse. Structure and discipline are the backbone of our program… and this past Saturday our players lacked both.

The problems began at our standard Saturday game day shoot-around. Our players were told to eat their pre-game meal at 2pm (4 hours before tip-off). On Saturday games we give our guys the freedom to eat on their own or with their families. They were also told to be dressed in their practice gear and game shoes and on the court at 4pm. When the clock struck 4pm, only two players were dressed and ready. For the next 10 minutes players casually strolled in… some wearing practice gear and some wearing Montrose sweats. Some even had the audacity to have food in hand when they walked in! This arrogant, lackadaisical attitude is the antithesis of what our program represents and is absolutely unacceptable. This attitude goes against everything we believe.

Part of the problem was the kids knew that Coach Vetter was not going to be at the pre-game shoot around. They knew he would delegate that to our associate head coach, Dan Prete (who is a phenomenal coach in his own right). Coach Vetter chooses not to see our players until right before the game. Coach Prete was shocked and extremely offended by this blatant act of disrespect. He gave them a much needed verbal blasting… hoping to nip their overconfidence in the bud.

However, a verbal blasting a few hours before game time was not enough to knock some sense into our guys. They pretended to put on their game face and act as if they were ready to play… but my keen eye knew better. Our guys continued to go through the motions of our warm-up with a pompous, care free attitude. I tried to light some fire in them…with a few words of wisdom and an array of “F” bombs… but it was to no avail. Their attitude was too deep… they were cocky, thought they were untouchable… and were just plain out of it.

Our staff new we were in trouble. And boy, were we right.

We missed 6 lay-ups during warm-ups. SIX! Five of which were from our starters. We are one of the top 15 teams in the entire country… we have numerous high major Division I players… and we missed 6 lay-ups?! That can only happen from a severe lack of focus.

Our players thought they could just show up and win based on pure talent.

Looking back, I hope they realize if KHS scored 1 more point during regulation…just 1… they would have showed our guys how wrong they were and taught them a lesson they would never forget. Now, all we can hope for, is our guys are mature enough to learn the same lesson without suffering the actual loss. As mentioned before, we have not lost a home game in the 7 years I have been with the program.

And what is the lesson I hope they learned?

“Respect every opponent; don’t take anyone lightly. On any given night, you can beat anyone. On any given night, anyone can beat you.”

If you don’t really believe that… believe me… someone will eventually bite you in the ass. Ask Tark and Larry Johnson if they thought Duke could beat them in the 1991 national semi-finals. Or if Mike Tyson thought Buster Douglass could win… much less knock him out. The list of surprising upsets is long.

Another lesson I hope they learned?

“It’s not who you play; it’s how you play that matters most.”

Great players and great teams prepare for every game the same way. Whether it is a pre-season scrimmage or a state championship… their mindset is the same.

Please know I really and truly care about the players on our team. They are amazing young men and I am very thankful to get an opportunity to work with them. And that is the main reason I hope they learn from this. I want to see them grow. I want to see them get better. I want to see all of the sacrifices they have made to be a part of our program pay off… not get flushed down the toilet because of an afternoon of immaturity and cockiness.

I told them afterwards, there are three things they need to do when reflecting on this particular game:

1. Admit they were overconfident and didn’t take their preparation seriously
2. Learn from it
3. Don’t ever, ever let it happen again



If they do those three things, then this can be the spark that ignites us and takes us to a whole new level. We absolutely have the potential to be the #1 team in the nation… we have the tools. It will be interesting to see how we respond.

Hopefully they respond quickly as we have a great opportunity in front of us this week. We head down to Orlando on Wednesday to play in the Montverde Classic. Our first round game is against one of Florida’s state champs from last year, a team that is 14-1 and has most of their players back from last year. If we win that game, we will most likely play the host school, Montverde Academy… a team that hasn’t lost a home game in several years. Montverde is currently ranked # 21 in the nation by ESPN and is coached by Kevin Sutton… a former Coach Vetter assistant of 13 years and an amazing coach. If we were to win that, we will most likely play Findlay Prep in the championship… who is currently ranked #2 in the nation by ESPN… and a team that beat our ass in the semi-finals of last year’s RISE National Championship tournament.

So we have a few days to get it together and take advantage of a special opportunity. I will be tweeting in regularly from the tournament, so make sure you follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein for updates and behind the scenes insight.

And as always, check out (and subscribe to) www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom for video clips of our Pre-game Warm-up, On Court Warm-up, and In-Season Workout.

And if you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

One love.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Reading an article about Georgia Tech's recent win over #5 Duke, I thought about how important it is to be a clutch free throw shooter. For those of you who missed Tech's 71-67 victory over Duke, the game came down to Georgia Tech's great free throw shooting in the second half. The Jackets were 17 of 18 from the free throw line in the second half and 7 of 8 from the line in the last 32 seconds. Without this clutch free throw shooting performance the Jackets may have found themselves on the losing end of an important early ACC contest.

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.