The game of basketball requires practice, competition, winning and losing and is a wonderful tool for helping young people learn and mature.
The game of basketball enables participants to learn the power of motivation, the necessity of discipline, the value of perseverance, the need for character, and the success of working as a team. The learning process occurs not only on the court but also in marshaling study habits to succeed in the class room and in experiencing new social situations off the court that are novel experiences for many of the players. And playing and winning and sometimes losing (but not very often) allows players, students, staff, alumni and fans to enjoy a camaraderie that doesn’t arise from many other forms of community participation.
The unique experiences gained in playing collegiate basketball also prepare the scholar athletes for the opportunities that arise after matriculation from the school they are attending.
2007-08 Highest National Ranking #22
2008-09 Highest National Ranking # 5
As for the game itself, basketball is a game I loved to play and love to coach. Basketball at its best encompasses the fundamentals of ball handling, passing, screening, cutting, shooting and rebounding. My preference is a motion style on offense with a number of set plays for the post players and perimeter players. I believe in man to man defense that is made up of consistent rules to handle screens, passes and penetration. I believe in a total team concept, a team not of individuals but composed of individuals committed to a common collective goal: to win the game.
In my years of coaching I have found a quote by Booker T. Washington to be an apt description of my experiences and my take away from the game I love: “If you want to lift yourself up, try lifting someone else up.”
To coach, is to educate young folks on and off the court, to continually lift each other up and lead a team to a title.