Five More Quotes...

There is a big, bright world around us and as coaches, we have to pull our noses out of our rotation wheels and line up sheets every once in a while to listen to some smart people from other walks of life. Being the best coach you can be requires us to be 'lifelong learners,' exploring ideas from smart evidence based folks around us. Here is another installment of five quotes.

From his 2010 autobiography, 'Life,' Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards talked about his thirst for musical knowledge when a young teenager. 

"We had nobody to impress except us. And we weren't looking to impress ourselves. I was learning to with Mick (Jagger) and me in the beginning. We'd get, say, a new Jimmy Reed record. And I'd learn the moves on the guitar. And he would learn the lyrics and get it down. And we would just dissect it as much as two people can. They go like that?  Yeah, it does! As a matter of fact, we had fun doing it. I think we both knew we were in the process of learning. And it was something that you wanted to learn. And it was 10 times better than school!"

Richard's love for music and learning new songs comes through loud and clear in this quote. As a side note, the night before this blog was published, 80 year old lifelong learners Keith Richards and 80 year old Mick Jagger began...BEGAN their latest tour for their new album, 'Hackney Diamonds' in Houston. 

"The notion that there are simple solutions to complex problems is so hardwired, so crucial to today's perception of 'health and wellness,' that I'm debuting it as the quick-fix fallacy: that is, our tendency to look more favorable upon claims, advice or propositions that seemingly eliminate time and/or effort in the pursuit of an outcome. Attempts to exploit the fallacy are all around us: in clickbait online adverts and memes ("one weird trick to bust belly fat") and in the sale of fad diets, supplements, detoxes and newfangled exercise programs that claim to revolutionize fitness."

Dr. Nick Tiller has been preaching to all that will listen about the dangers of myths and misdirection in the health and wellness field. He has written blogs, books and been on dozens of podcasts. His idea of the 'quick-fix fallacy' absolutely permeates youth sports. Good coaches need to see through the claims and understand the realities for the betterment of their athletes. 

University of Connecticut Head Basketball Coach Dan Hurley won his second of back to back National NCAA Championships in early April. In this discussion with former NBA player J.J. Redick on his podcast, 'Old Man and the Three,' Hurley told Redick what he is looking for in championship level players.

"You're looking for all the Winning stuff, man. In recruiting, bringing in the 19th ranked player in the country that comes into your program and organization and he's like delusional, selfish. He's got crazy parents. He's got, you know, grassroots coaches that just are ticking off the days until, you know, he enters the draft. And you're like just trying to avoid bringing people like that into the organization. So I study the hell out of the people. I watch them when I'm at AAU games, like I'm not playing on my phone. I'm watching the kid. You know, obviously looking for the traits that you could build on but you're looking to see, you know, do his teammates like him? I'm like waiting when he makes a bucket and he goes to the ground. Does anyone come to pick them up? Or are they just leaving his ass over there because he's brutal to play with. When he's subbing out is he dapping everybody up and down through the bench? Or is he stopped at the front of the bench, shaking his head, not making eye contact with his coach? Are his parents bugging out in the crowd? They can yell at the ref if they want because I'm all in on that like myself.  Are they the type of people that could infect the organization? You know, what Coach Riley said a long time ago, that 'disease of me.'"

A lot of what Hurley is talking about in his recruiting vision are things that we, in the juniors and club world, can help with. A good player can be a blessing or a curse. But when great players are interviewed, almost always they will talk about 'that coach' that helped them get to where they are. Be that coach!

With nearly 30 years of coaching experience, most of those seasons at Kansas State, now Arkansas assistant coach Susie Fritz recently fired this quote up at a coaching clinic in Fayetteville.

"Coach less, better."

In her vast experience, Fritz has seen coaches give too much information and feedback, over prescribe and over coach their athletes. Her simple message for coaches is less is more but be better, more concise with instruction and feedback. Give the athletes the opportunities to learn themselves. 

Finally, pulled fresh from this morning's headlines, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker elaborated on his team's loss and playoff sweep to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.

"These are the times the details matter and it's something that we kind of passed by and didn't think was a big deal but came back and bit us in the ass."

From Hugh McCutcheon on down, coaches will preach, "There are no little things." And Booker's quote is accurate, "details matter." At practice tonight, or tomorrow, or next season, focus on those details that matter most to your team(s).