Mike Dunlap: St. John's

Coach Mike Dunlap has worked in the NBA and college game. He is currently working for Steve Lavin at St. John's University. I complied a few of his thoughts from Coaching U Live.

*Left hand contest to a right hand shooter.

*Mind set of WE not ME.

*1-1-3 Zone: Pin the ball to the sideline. Force to corner. Never let ball be driven through elbow.

*When teaching zone dont allow offense to dribble the ball.

*Pete Newell: When watching/scouting games never look at the ball. Look away from the ball you can see all 10 players move.

*Praise. Prompt. Leave. Key in coaching.

*Be passionate about what you want as a coach.

*People will pay to watch your teams play hard.

* Your voice can be a unbelievable teacher. Be in control of your emotions.

*Always be ready to practice. Bring energy. Everyday

*Know thy personel.

*Culture is defined by what your players say when your not around.

*Don Meyer: Have personal records for your players in drill work. Give them recoginition for beating their records.

Doc Rivers: Managing and Motivating your Team through a Season

*Its key to get your best player to learn and be the leader.

*Why do football coaches get 11 guys to execute and its hard for us to get 5 to execute. Why? There are 92-93 possessions a game. Every dead ball, FT situation, etc. is a opportunity to huddle or for a coach to impact the game with instruction.

*Always steal from each other. Once won a playoff game by running a play he saw his son's high school team run.

*It's great to have knowledge but it's more important to get your players to understand your knowledge and believe in what you do.

*It's not what you know its what you get your players to believe in. For your team to be successful they need to: 1. Buy into you 2. Buy into your system 3. Bu into the cost of the season

*Players must buy into you as a coach then sale them their role and your system.

*Be a star inside your role.

*Michael Jordan told Doc after they won the championship: Your stars will be stars after winning it they will be hungry to get back. You have to worry about your other guys. They will want a increased role

*Every single day get your hands dirty. Build relationships and partnerships

*Listen to your players as a coach. They know stuff.

*When Doc took the Celtics job he wrote notes to all former players inviting them back for games or practice. He has 2 people assigned to handling tickets for former players.

*Powerful Partnerships=Winning Teams

*Low character guys are called cows. How many cows can you have before the herd goes in the opposite direction.

*If the coach is always the leader your in trouble because in crunch time your players have to lead on the floor.

Jay Bilas: The Best Stuff I have seen from college coaches

When it comes to broadcasting Jay Bilas is one of the best in the business. His insights on the game of college basketball are great. This summer he spoke at the Coaching U Live event in Orlando, Florida put together by Kevin Eastman and Brendan Suhr. If you havent signed up from their weekly newsletters do so at http://CoachingULIVE.com

Here are some of my favorite ideas from his presentation:

*Be responsible to the element accountable to the mission.
*Help rules: FAT on the mid-line. Get skinny through the screen.
*TCC: Trust, Character, Commitment
*Pitino: Play the ball. See Your man
*Mckillop: Respect the ball. See your man

Brad Stevens: In order to talk you have to be able to listen. Make the players talk. Set the energy. They have to do it in the games.

Phil Jackson: Once told his team in practice they could not talk on offense or defense. Once the players started getting killed on screens they realized the importance of talking.

*Your big guys need to be your best talkers on defense.

*In order to play your best you have to have a free mind. Players dont need 4 different opinions when they come off the court.

Tommy Amacker: I will coach the players on the floor you coach the bench.
The last part has to be the strongest part. Finishing you make a great move but dont finish what good did it do.

*It is a good or bad shot when it leaves your hand the result does not decide.

Bob Knight: Dumb loses more games than smart wins.

*Discipline is doing the right thing at the right time to the best of your ability.

Butler: Have a WE first attitude

*As a coach your a guardian of culture. Teach winning 365 days a year.

*Post Play: Pause for poise on catch/chin

Tom Crean: "Less volume more creativity."

Coach K: Winning championships is not a goal that is a destination. Our goal has to be to get better and grow closer as a team everyday. Then we will reach our destination.

*There is a difference between being a leader and being in charge. Anybody can be in charge. Make sure your people eat first. Treat people the right way.

The Coaches

Coaching is a difficult job, and there is no clear way to succeed in it. One cannot copy another who is a winner, for there seems to be subtle, secret chemistry of personality that enables a person to lead successfully, and no one really knows what it is. Those who have succeeded and those who have failed represent all kinds-young and old, inexperienced and experienced, hard and soft, tough and gentle, good natured and foul tempered, pround and profane, articulate and inarticulate, even dedicated and casual. Most are dedicated, some more than others, but dedication alone is not enough. Some are smarter than others, but intelligence is not enough. All want to win, but some want to win more than others, and just wanting is not enough in any event. Even winning is often not enough. Losers almost always get fired, but winners get fired, too.

He is out in the open being judged publicly almost every day or night for six, seven, or eight months a year by those who may or may not be qualified to judge him. And every victory and every defeat is recorded constantly in print or on the air and periodically totaled up.

The coach has no place to hide. He cannot just let the job go for awhile or do a bad job and assume no one will notice as most of us can. He cannot satisfy everyone. Seldom can he even satisfy very many. Rarely can he even satisfy himself. If he wins once, he must win the next time too. In the end, almost certainly, he will be fired.

They plot victories, suffer defeats, endure criticism from within and without and brook rumors that they are on their way in here and out there. They neglect their families, travel endlessly, and live alone in a spotlight surrounded by others. Theirs may be the worst profession-unreasonably demanding and insecure and full of unrelenting pressures. Why do they put up with it? Why do they do it? A few retire, but most hang on desperately, almost unreasoningly. Why? Having seen them hired and hailed as geniuses and gaudy party-like press conferences and having seen them fired with pat, phrases such as "fool" or "incompetent." I have wondered about them. Having seen them exultant in victory and depressed in defeat, I have sympathized with them. Having seen them, broken by the job and die from it. That is why I write this book.

Nick Saban: The Process

I believe even as a basketball coach we should study other sports top coaches. I have a great set of notes from one of the all time great in college football Coach Saban. He preaches "The Process every year and it seems to be working 2 National Championships in the last 3 seasons.

We are not going to talk about what we are going to accomplish, we are going to talk about how we are going to do it.

The scoreboard has nothing to do with the process. Each possession you look across at the opponent and commit yourself to dominate that person. It's about individuals dominating the individuals their playing against. If you can do this...if you can focus on the one possession and wipe out the distractions...then you will be satisfied with the result.

Focus on the play like it has a history and a life of its own.

You can get from A to Z by passing up B.

There's no mention of titles. Instead, his message has been that the way to win a championship is to concentrate on what you're doing today, and try to build on that tomorrow.

It's not the end result. Don't think about winning the SEC Championship. Dont think about the national championship. Think about what you needed to do in this drill, on this play, in this moment. That's the process: Let's think about what we can do today, the task at hand.

Being the absolute best isn't natural. You must bend your entire life around being great. Beat the urge to rest after you've achieved a taste of success.

Once you get good, you need a total disposition about being better than good. Now the challenge is to be the best and that's a never ending process.

Kevin Eastman Thoughts

Kevin Eastman is a assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. He does a great job with clinics and coaching u live. His materials are awesome and really cause you to think. Today I have complied a few of my favorites:

Intent is great if followed by action; intent is personally debilitating if left alone as it slowly erodes confidence & the will to advance

Do your job and do your job completely.

People always ask me about KG-my response is always the same: He wants to be the best & do the best he can every day! Practice & Games.

It takes 3 things to be a special player: talent, character, and competitive fire

Some are satisfied with who they are. Others are consumed with who they can become. I call this group "The Best"

Culture is 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

The best shooters in the NBA are consumed with the fundamentals of their shot; every day-every shot; the details are there.

All great players are on a never ending journey to stay at the top; it's the pride of greatness! They refuse to settle!

The best teammates build up not tear down; they encourage not discourage; they help not hinder; they walk with not in front of teammates!

Once someone can do what you do and one more thing, you are replaceable.

Finish-a very powerful word must be a staple of your vocabulary; not just finish plays-finish everything you start in your life-never quit on yourself.