''When I first came into the league I always asked myself, 'Do I want to be good or do I want to be great?' Paul Pierce said. ''Every time I stepped out and worked on my game, that's what I asked myself. I always got here early and worked on my craft as hard as I could because I wanted to be one of the great players.''

"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true - hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't  do it." - Ray Bradbury

When you teach or correct one player, present the point in a manner that teaches all the players. Instead of presenting the mistake, present the solution. Instead of, 'Dont cut there!' try, 'Cut this way. It creates more space.'- Don Kelbick

"Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there." - Virginia Burden

"Basketball is a thinking game.  But, as a coach one of your major responsibilities is to take as many situations as possible out of the thought process and turn them into quick reactions requiring no thought at all."  --   Dick Divinzio

Player Rankings

I challenge you not to get caught up in the Player Rankings.  Focus on development and daily improvement.  Focus on getting better every day.  Focus playing because you are passionate about the game and you want basketball to help you earn an education, make lifelong friends, and travel to new places. Focus on the purity of the game. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.
 
As the legendary Morgan Wootten used to say…
 
“Make sure you use basketball, don’t let it use you.”
 
Respect the game,
 
Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein
www.Facebook.com/StrongerTeam
www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

"When it comes time for the playoffs, which would you rather have, two better players, or two new plays? I would rather have two better players."  -Don Meyer

It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer. -Larry Bird

"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft.  On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them.  Keep believing."- Bo Schembechler

 

"Hold a Winner's Circle after each game where teammates take turns offering each other specific, truthful praise. You speak last and make sure to recognize any players who haven't been singled out." A coaching tip from Responsible Sports.

John Wooden:

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable."

"Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best."

"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player."

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

“Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard.”

“Champions do not become champions when they win an event,but in the hours, weeks, and months,and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character.” --Michael Jordan

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. 
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. 
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. 
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.  
- Calvin Coolidge

The objective (for a coach) is to maximize the players’ ability, not to get them to do what you want... Coaching should be about teaching, adjusting and maximizing players... Keep perspective, teach your players, allow them to learn. - Don Kelbick