Show the World How GREAT You Are!! Thoughts on Triple Threat Game Day Camp
Posted by Ganon Baker at 12:21 pm
What a wonderful experience I had Sunday Nov 7 2011 in Central PA at the Triple Threat Camp. Coach Mike Bailey (2 Time HS State Champion and Allen Iverson’s former HS Coach), Rob Butterworth and Mark Natatez organized a unique experience for me and the players. We had a pre-game game day talk with the kids. A radio host introduced me. He was from Lewistown PA, Dave Burman, what a great voice he had!! It was supposed to be an interview but I took the stage and “lit candles” before we played. What I mean is:
• I got into their hearts before I got into their heads.
• You can’t create a winner if they don’t believe or “BUY in” to the coach. Once they believe the Coach, the Coach can help them believe in themselves.
I had 4 short hours to get them to respect me and listen to me. The pre-practice, during practice, and post practice “huddles are crucial times for me to captivate my players”. Must I say, I had them at hello (lol).
We met in the Auditorium and I laid out my DNA and my expectations for them:
• As a coach and leader they HAVE to Know who and what they are getting.
• Players and Coaches – Let your light/candles shine! Unconsciously you allow everyone in the room to let their talents, gifts and light shine as well. You empower people you uplift people. You share and teach the power you have. You impart knowledge. To do this you have to have street credibility with players. Amare’ Stoudemire and I call it “NIKE MAFIA”. You let people know you are connected! You are not bragging or name dropping
•Coaches I will repeat this again. It’s OKAY if you let your players know about your previous achievements and what YOU have done. It builds trust with Players. I say be transparent and seep them into VEINS
V- Build the Victor Attitude in your Players not Victim
E- Enthusiasm is contagious and you better have some
I- Implant Intensity in all they do
N- Nothing negative. You are correcting mistakes; you are not making your players feel like they are one.
S-Spirit- It’s your spirit that gives life, so as a leader you better spend time building that. Your spirit has to do with
•Your spiritual walk with God
•Your energy
•Your health mentally and physically. Basically you give them your Heart and those intangibles I mentioned above seep into them through “your veins” in everything you do as a teacher.
You see Coach Mike Bailey has his VEINS in kids. He loves his players, lives for his players, will step on a grenade; will take a blade or bullet for his CREW.
That’s why he had Pre-GAME. I am going to start to do that. That’s why he had ALL the equipment ready, all the water ready, every coach at every basket 12 coaches all dressed the same. Music, chairs for parents. Film and post game room set up like an ESPN studio, big screen TV. I love it when people are ready, then the TEACHER shows up.
Not Triple Threat. I mean the logo of Triple Threat was hot and above average. Derek Machado of FIVE19creative.com impressed me. I might even hire him on my TEAM.
We had a great workout, 3 hrs of work with the 111 kids who showed up. PLAYERS READ below:
•HARD WORK beats Talent when Talent gets comfortable
•HARD WORK beats Talent when Talent gets ungrateful
So many kids are not grateful for what coaches, parents, and even myself and staff does for them. Hell, when I grew up, I had daily clinics in my back yard. My dad, my brother, mom, and my grandparents told us to go home.
This Triple Threat camp was in awe and SOOO grateful for what we did. 1 kid yawned and ALL were engaged. I did not want to leave. These kids literally, in front of my eyes started to change their lives. Read below of emails we got-
Coach Baker:
Just wanted to give you a HUGE thank you for coming and doing the clinic at the Bald Eagle High School in Central PA! You made a comment that your basketball wasn’t going to change the world, but you were so wrong with that. You are such an inspirational speaker to the kids that you can be a huge influence in the way they live their lives. You have no idea how much your speech meant to my husband, my twin boys, and myself. Just that morning my husband and I were trying to get the message through to the boys that they need to be thankful for what they have, they need to be respectful, and that they need to take charge and be responsible for their lives (and to think this all started over a fight over some Nike socks and who was going to get to wear them to your clinic–and them both being “grounded” from the socks for awhile). Of course being 12 year olds, our talks that morning were falling on deaf ears. I wanted to get up and cheer and yell “thank you” during your morning speech when you hit on the exact same things we had being trying to beat into their heads that morning. At some point during the day you touched on the very subjects we have been trying to get into them for the last several months. Last evening they were talking about what you said and how they understood what you were saying to them so thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a great coach and mentor to the kids of today!!! I am so glad we took the time and money to attend yesterday. My boys have to try out for the Junior High basketball team this year and we have been trying to get them all the extra help we can because they are not even close to being the best players trying out. Your talk and skills really showed them that they can achieve great things if they put the effort and time into it. They have been trying to work out hard on their own during their football season, but get frustrated because my husband and I know nothing about basketball and can’t help them. You showed them that they can do it on their own if the keep drilling the drills they’ve learned at the clinic and keep working hard. Again, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to come to work with our kids. We’d love to see you back in our area some time—the boys would love to get the chance to work with you again.”
• Players- every practice every repetition is determining your value. It works into your DNA. Basketball can be a vehicle that you use to set you up for a successful life
• That with repetition and hard work you will achieve your goals, just don’t expect Instant results. As I told the players I worked hard from 8-16 and did not reach my goal of a Division I College Scholarship. 1 year later 31 offers…
• With that said if you believe in yourself and you have a work ethic, then that’s all you need!!
• Success only comes after pain. A champion has power that comes from his pain, but many people don’t want a Champions Pain!
At our camp every kid was Hungry, every kid VALUED the second of every drill.
Non-elite players (because at age 12 I started out as one)
•You are in a fight! Fight every day for your respect in this game.
•You got to be willing to Die “metaphorically” for your respect.
•Success has to be as important as Breathing! When it is, you will reach your basketball goals!!
•No one can make you practice every day, YOU have to!!!
•If you don’t give all you got every day Your Dream of playing at the next level will DIE because you don’t have the TALENT and athleticism to survive!!
• Unfortunately ALL players say they want to be Successful but they don’t WORK to be successful. It’s all Talk! Triple Threat and I showed them, what to do. Will they believe? Will they really change their lifestyle? Mindset? Approach to rejection?
•Players have to work in the moment so one day they will BECOME! It’s a Process!!
•Try to keep going, try to keep fighting, don’t Quit! You are already frustrated and in Pain. Now you deserve a reward.
•You have to be able to say that no matter what, I will SURVIVE!!
•Be like Harriet Tubman- make yourself so strong that you survive and then you go back and bring a “Team with you!”
•Pain is Temporary but eventually it will go away! But if you quit before you learn and master the fundamental, your pain will last FOREVER and then you quitting, mediocrity and fear will creep into your Life!
•You not gonna die cause you face Pain
• GO FOR IT!!!!
I know this! I left and I was moved!
Mike- We got to do this Again brother!!
God bless
GB
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