Program Refreshers

It has been a hectic, yet exciting time for me in this unprecedented move to Pasadena. I've been constantly thinking about the basketball program and the vision -- what to do, what not to do, what to expect, what not to expect.

From a psychological standpoint, a newly tapped energy is injected into an athletics team when a new staff takes over. People -- students, faculty, staff, administration -- are pumped. Questions arise everyday as university community members want to know about the upcoming season, the philosophy of the team, the outlook for the future. It's quite an experience -- especially considering I'm walking around a campus that is home to an Einstein getaway and 16 Nobel Prize Winners in science and medicine!

During the past week, I've jumped into every phase of the program, from relationship building to recruitment to alumni relations. Brief moments in the otherwise exhilarating activities have allowed me to explore what other coaches are doing (or could be doing) with their programs as they prepare for their first 2008-09 tip-off:

Thanks to HoopsCoach, we know what the Boston Celtics are talking about: discipline.

The Cross Over Movement brings up the question: do traditional training methods mean they have to last forever?

In the Coach's Network, when is the tough approach the one to utilize?

Musselman explains what 10 team are emphasizing -- everything from running to moving the ball to playing defense to creating chemistry.

Ah ha -- statistical analysis -- to use or not to use?

Positivity is great. Negativity not so great. Perhaps the priority is to be just plain real.

It's best not to reinvest, from a mental processing point of view -- otherwise, one chokes. (see previous post on pushing fast forward on the moment).