Every year I have a chance to work the Lebron James Skill Academy in Akron, OH.  We get a chance to work out the top 80 players in the country in H.S., and have a chance to spend some time with Lebron on and off the court.  Below is an interview he did with Jay Bilas of ESPN this year

Question 1

Jay:  “How did life change when you became famous?”

Lebron: “As a person it did not change me.  I’m still the same person now, as I was when I was broke.  I have just worked harder because there is so much higher expectations I put on myself.  I have gotten wiser and made better decisions.”
Question 2

Jay: “Where do you think you get your determination from?”

Lebron: “From my mother.  She had me when she was 16, she had to grow up fast.  I can remember from the time I was 9-12 or 13, it would seem like we would move every month to two months.  We would sometimes have 1 meal a day.  I’d come home from school and we would have no heat.  Sometimes there would be roaches in the cookie boxes.  But we moved forward.  We survived.  She would not let us fail.”

Question 3:

Jay: “What do you know now, that you wish you would have known back in H.S.?”

Lebron: “Well to have more fun.  Now we had fun in H.S. and I would like to think we cherished every moment and enjoyed the process.  When you get to the NBA its still fun but it’s a JOB.  Its competitive, there is a lot more at stake, a lot more distractions and sometimes I think “Did I embrace H.S.?”  Also, I wish I would have studied business more.  The stock market, economics, stuff like that.  But who does that in HS, you know?  All I wanted to do was play ball, hang out with friends, and talk tot girls.  My word to you young guys is be SAFE with your money, save it, invest it, don’t be careless with it.  So many NBA guys waste their money.
Question 4:

Jay: “Who is your financial trustee?”

Lebron: “Warren Buffett is my financial advisor.  His last advice he gave me about money is to trust my gut.  9 times out of 10 your first thought is your correct thought and right action.  The more you think about something the more you will begin to cloud your judgment.”
Question 5:

Jay: “We all know Jay Z is one of your boys, what’s the best advice he gave you?”

Lebron: “Was to keep working and don’t look back.  He grew up in Marcy projects, poor like me.  No one gave him a chance to move forward.  I can do anything!”

Question 6:

Jay: “What does working hard mean to you?”

Lebron: “Well what does that mean? Work hard at what?  So many coaches say “we got to work hard” but they don’t specify… to me its work hard on defense, fulfill your potential as a player.  Whatever you are doing at the moment do it with all the energy you got.”

Question 7:

Jay: “What is the typical offseason?”

Lebron: “I take 2 months of from the court.  During those 2 months I might cross train to stay in shape, Pilates, off road biking, yoga…  I then go into my summer workout with lifting, stretching, skill work, playing pick-up Monday-Friday.  I might go 3-4 hours a day.
Question 8:

Jay:  “What do you enjoy doing off the court?”

Lebron:  “I love to play softball, xbox 360, and NBA 2k 2010.  I won a championship with Oklahoma City thunder and now I’m the Lakers trying to win.  I also gamble but I don’t recommend it to young people (ha ha)
Question 9:

Jay: “What are your future goals?”

Lebron: “Simply to get better and win a championship.”
Question 10:

Jay: “What is your game day routine?”

Lebron: “I go to shoot around 10-11am.  Then I come back to nap for 4 hours 12pm-4pm.  I eat a light meal of rice and chicken or fish at 4pm.  I then head to the gym at 5:30 for an 8pm game.”

Question 11:

Jay: “What has changed since you got older?”

Lebron:  “My level of intensity has changed.  My approached to the game has changed.  I’m working harder and more focused.  I take 1 day off a week and I work the 6 days.  My will to work has gotten better.”

Question 12:

Jay:  “What is your Favorite Nike Commercial?”

Lebron:  “Man, I always wanted to have my own commercial since I was younger.  When I saw Jordans Nike commercials, I wanted to have my own.  I was so hyped when my 1^st one came out.  I just wanted to see it.  When I did I was BLOWN away.  My favorite is the Lebron character commercial I did for Nike.  The funny thing was, I stayed in character off the set and off camera as well.”

Question 13:

Jay: “What is your favorite meal?”

Lebron: “Thanksgiving meal.  I also love fried chicken and mac n’ cheese.”

Question 14:

Jay: “What is your favorite place to visit?”

Lebron: “South of France.  I also want to visit Rome and the Coliseum.  I love London and I want to go back there.  I want to visit Africa as well.”

Question 15:

Jay:  “What is a typical day for you?”

Lebron:  “It’s unpredictable.  If I’m not working out, I play with my kids.  Some days I might just wake up and fly somewhere. “

Question 16:

Jay:  “If you would have gone to college out of HS, where would you have gone?”

Lebron:  “OSU… I would have played football too, I was a good wide receiver.”

Question 17:

Jay: “Of you would have played in the NFL, where would you have liked to play, Cleveland Browns?”

Lebron:  “Heck No, not the Browns, no way… Never.  I would have played for the Dallas Cowboys.”

Question 18:

Jay: “How important is your shoe brand to you?”

Lebron:  “Very important.  My goal is to have the best shoe in the NBA.  I think have won it in the last 3 years and we will win it this year as well.  M.J. had the best shoes in the NBA.  I’m talking about structure and the best looking.  I aint stepping out on no court with UGLY shoes.   I want ours to be the best.  Theres 1 thing I cant stand is an NBA player in Ugly shoes…  And there are some out there.  I am not stepping on the court with out my “Swag”  I want to always have sway.  I wear a different pair of Lebrons for every game.  Every gam I have to have a new pair of shoes.  I have over 200 pairs of shoes at home, I love shoes.  I have mine, Jordans, Air maxes, Ken Griffey’s, Bo Jacksons, Deon Sanders.

Question 19:

Jay: “What in your game, are you working on this summer?”

Lebron:  “My midrange game.  I want to improve the space between my 3 and the lane.”

Question 20:

Jay: “With free agency going on, what is the funniest thing that has happened?”

Lebron: “Well the N.Y. Knicks came in and pitched their program; Chris Rock said some funny stuff about Cleveland vs NY, about their helicopter stayed hovered over my house for 7 hours 1 day straight just to get a pic of my license plate.
Question 21:

Jay:  “What are some closing words you can express to these young men tonight?”

Lebron:  “Every one of you is the MAN at your school.  But your reputation or legacy won’t be GREAT unless you WIN and make your teammates better and make everyone around you better.  No one cares about you if you don’t win.  My teammates and friends careers are better because I made them better in HS .  We shared victories!!  You guys have no life responsibilities right now.  Work hard, be safe, and make people around you better.

Especially in the case of the Keys to a Quick Handle, it’s not enough to watch the DVD and do some of the drills here and there.  And it’s especially not a good plan to try to do the whole workout EVERY day! You have to take the drills and determine which ones NEED to be included in your weekly or monthly workout plan, and then plan it out and spread it out.

In this DVD, medicine balls are used as replacements for cones and replacements for tennis balls. That means you don’t even have to own a medicine ball to put this workout to action. However, if you have the resources to purchase a medicine ball along with the DVD, you have to understand the importance of organization to get the true benefit and the right amount of rest.

The medicine ball is the BEST TOOL ON THE PLANET for increasing hand strength, increasing explosion on the drive  by forcing players to drop low and explode with added weight, and adding resistance to a player’s hands and arms by simulating a defender’s reach-in and pressure on the drive.

However, if done EVERY day your forearms and hands will burn out. It’s like lifting weights. No one bench presses every day. Your muscles need to time to recover in order to build.  Your hands and forearms need that same kind of rest.

The Complete Medicine Ball Workout needs to be in your weekly workout, but you should only allow yourself to do it 2-3 times a week. Not the whole workout every one of those days either. The importance is doing the entire workout weekly.  So if you haven’t done it yet, this needs to be your game plan. Watch the DVD again and write down all the drills you need to incorporate into your workout. Then space out the workout into 3 days a week. MAX! Not only will you get the most out of the Medicine Ball Workout,  but you will have more time for everything else you need to do also.

Don’t underestimate the importance of having an organized schedule when it comes to training. Basketball is the most skilled game in the world! Footwork. Shooting. Finishing. Ball Handling. Driving. Passing. The list goes on. A plan is required for you to do all that needs to be mastered for you to find success.

So for any of our DVDs you own, the greatest value is with how you organize them. Take some time. Write down what you want to do and schedule your Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, and on. Then you will take our DVDs and turn them into gold for your game!

We just finished up our 2nd annual GBB Coaching Class. We had 53 coaches from 19 different states. We also had Australia, Canada, and Puerto Rico represented.  What an honor it was to be associated with such a hungry group of coaches. These are good people doing great things in their community.

We ran into a snag.  Our gyms AC broke so for Friday (4 hours) and Sat (7 hours) we had zero air- conditioning. Thus my zealous butt got severe heat exhaustion and dehydration. I had to be transported to the hospital for treatment and multiple IVs.  Tyler Relph, our new pro staff trainer, stepped in for 3 hours Sat afternoon, and did a great job!! By 7 pm Saturday I was back at it! You know what I always say, “Pain is weakness leaving the body!”

I think the highlight of the weekend was our session Sunday morning. We had an alternate gym, matter of fact; it was the same gym we used for the Nike Vince Carter Skills academy 2 years ago. We had coaches demonstrating on the court. Mike Kennedy and Terry Drake proved they still got Game.  They were destroying the HS girls out there.  

Overall thought it was an unbelievable weekend.  Next year, we will have two clinics, one in May in Orlando and one in August in Dallas. I enjoyed the passion and genuine love for the game our coaches had.  I think everyone involved left inspired, re-energized and feeling rejuvenated, ready for their next workout!!

That is the question. Do you think we can get 7 high school basketball players to dunk after 10 weeks of training? Please visit www.CanHeDunk.com to find out!

In early April we selected 7 high school basketball players who could not dunk a basketball to participate in a rigorous 10 week training program. We documented their progress by filming their weekly dunk attempts. We were looking for the answer to one question… Can He Dunk?

The purpose of this project is to show the world the realistic results you can attain from proper training.  We aim to discredit the folks that claim they can help you get a 50” vertical or add 12 inches to your vertical jump in 6 weeks.  Those programs are bogus.

Our goal is to show real players attain real results.

We partnered with www.ESPNRise.com to document the 10 week program. We will feature 5 webisodes that will include footage from the workouts, the weekly dunk attempts, and player interviews. This is reality TV at its finest!

The first webisode will air next week (the week of July 12, 2010).  We will air one webisode a week for 5 straight weeks.  So you need to check back each week to see… Can He Dunk?

After the final webisode airs, and you see how many of the 7 players actually dunked, we will post detailed notes on each player’s journey.  We will share their increase and improvement in bodyweight, strength, and (estimated) vertical jump.

Check out www.CanHeDunk.com!

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

Just wanted to let everyone out there that follows Ganon Baker Basketball know that I have an opinion on where Lebron James is going.  I don’t comment much on drama off the court like this and this has nothing to do with instruction, inspiration, or motivation, but I thought it would be fun to give my opinion.  I did spend the last 4 days at the Lebron James skill academy and I have come up with my own opinion.

Let’s look at the options first

1) L.A Clippers – There is no way he is going all the way out to LA to play for a bad team  There is no way that their owner is going to pay the money because they are known for their stinginess.

2) New Jersey Nets – There is a slight possibility that he goes here, they definitely have the money and Lebron’s boy is a minority owner, but the reason why he is open to other teams is because he wants to win a championship.  NJ does not have the personnel, nor have they signed any talent yet.  I do love Avery Johnson.  I think he will win there, but Lebron wants championships.

3) Chicago Bulls – There is a strong possibility he will go here, they have a great coach, great point, and they are starting to surround the program with talented players (addition of Carlos Boozer was huge).  I do not think Lebron will go to Chicago because he wants to create his own brand and not rejuvenate Chicago who has already had Michael Jordan’s footprint on it.  Michael Jordan is his idol and he would like to go somewhere where he can build a program like Jordan did, this is one of the reasons why he is changing numbers as well, to be his own man and to create his own brand.

4) Miami Heat – There is a strong possibility that he could go here.  The players are in place, I just think they need a good bench.  Coaching staff is phenomenal along with Pat Riley overlooking the program.  Lebron grew up in snowy, icy, winters his whole life; I think he is looking for a change.  There have been reports that he has already committed to Miami and the word on the street is that he told his boys at the skill academy one evening that if the team he committed to leaked out before he announced it, then he would not go to that team, so I am not picking Miami.

5) Cleveland Cavs – If he was staying in Cleveland, then he would have already mentioned this, he is looking to win a championship and not just games.  I do not think he enjoyed playing with Shack, because Shack was so immobile.

6) New York Knicks – This is my choice, I think he is going to NY.  I think NY needs one more high level player and great defender.  I think NY has everything that Lebron wants, with an eventual chance to win a championship, exposure to him and his brand, and it is the best place for him to continue to build his empire and become a billionaire, if not making a billion dollars excites him, it’s just achieving that goal of being a billionaire.  There is a rumor that he has already turned down one NY or NJ team for 40 Mill a year.  I am not sure how true that is.  I do not follow the salaries of players or know much about the salary cap is, this is just the rumor we heard swirling around camp.

Anyway, this should satisfy those who have been texting and e-mailing me about where Lebron is going.  Now you have my opinion.  I think it is great that ESPN will donate all of the sponsor proceeds tonight to the girls and boys club.  I learned how to compete and be tough on the court at the Shell Road Boys Club in Hampton, VA.  Where ever Lebron goes, it is guaranteed that he is going to play tough and compete.

-Ganon Baker

1.  Players must have a tremendous Swagger!
This is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. For example – On the court when a teammate argues with you or questions your play, you have to stand up to them with an aggressive attitude and body language. When you dribble the ball, square up vs. pressure and shoot free throws, you must protrude confidence. It must be obvious in your body language when you play!!

2.  You don’t give any crap but you don’t take any either!
What I mean by this is if an opponent talks trash, through your game shut him up! For example – a jumper in his face, pressure him into a Turnover, beat him off the dribble, take a charge on him and just look dead in his eyes!! Your stare will silence him!  Let the scoreboard and your game do all your talking. My point is take all challenges personaly and let your game speak for itself.

When you are playing pickup or scrimmage vs your team, and your teammate who you are competing against is fouling and bumping you hard, then you foul and bump them hard back!!  If a teammate is freezing you out, won’t call out screens, or won’t help, then you have to let them know! If they won’t listen, then you may have to get stern with them! DON’T just take it!!

3.  Play with a chip on your shoulder, like you always have something to prove!!
This means you are never disinterested in practice, in the locker room,or in timeouts. You are always engaged waiting to prove the haters, critics, and doubters wrong.  Every time a coach tells you that you are wrong, or can’t do something, you can’t wait to prove them wrong and get better!  Any teammate that doubts you, you are quickly ready to challenge them to find out whose right and what you are made of!  You never back down from any challenge or fight on the court!
4.  Lastly YOU have to be a KILLER.
Bobby Knight always said you have to “kill an ant with a sledge hammer!”  Kobe and Michael Jordan always knew when and where opponents were injured. They would hit and attack, legally, that body part in the game!!  That’s not dirty, that’s how you Battle.  Larry Bird would intentionally attack and get Rookies in foul trouble because he knew they were nervous and inexperienced. They never felt sorry, ever, for their opponents. If they were playing 1 on 1 with a person and were up 10-0, going to 16, they would never let them score. They would win 16-0.  Teams and people had to earn their points and stops!!  This is a Killer.

In practice you have to know how many points you scored, how many the other team and man gave up, and how many games you won that day! A Killer takes everything seriously!!

These are intangibles. You have to be Tough, you have to be Aggressive, you have to Attack. But what separates the pack is the Killer Instinct. This is what most coaches are talking about and demand from their players!!

You need talent, luck, and persistence. Pick any two if you want to be successful.

Whether you are a basketball coach or player, you can reach your (realistic) goals and achieve a high level of success with just two of those three.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look…

Talent

To some degree, what most people refer to as talent, is nothing more than passion.  If you love to do something… you will do it every chance you can.  And the more you do it, the better you get.  Now obviously there are several uncontrollable factors that determine someone’s ultimate talent and success on the basketball court (height, athleticism, etc.), but in many instances, talent comes from non-stop, obsessive practice. I have never met a lethal shooter who didn’t practice all of the time… who didn’t shoot thousands and thousands of shots every single week.  Being a talented shooter is 100% controllable.

There is no debate that Kevin Durant was born with numerous physical gifts. But so are a lot of people.  So how come KD is an NBA All-Star and the league’s youngest leading scorer of all time and other 6’9” guys don’t play passed high school or college? Because KD has an unparalleled passion for basketball and he works on his craft every single day.  The same can be said for Greivis Vasquez.  I met Greivis the day he got to the United States (from Venezuela) in 2005.  He spoke very little English and weighed 150 lbs.  Now he is about to be picked in this year’s NBA Draft.  How is that possible? He made himself talented by working on his game every single day.

Same goes for coaching.  Who are some of the most talented coaches in college basketball? Coach K? Tom Izzo? Jay Wright? Do you have any idea how much time and effort those guys have put into their coaching skill sets? They love the game of basketball and work relentlessly at becoming the best they can be.

And talent doesn’t have to be all encompassing.  You don’t have to be good at everything.  You just need to have a specialty… a specific talent that makes you stand out.  It might be defense (Bruce Bowen), it might be rebounding (David Lee), or it might be shooting (Ray Allen).  Working on your weaknesses is important, but so is making your strengths even stronger!

Talent is the ability to make the most of what you have with where you are.

Luck

Honestly, I don’t believe in luck.  I think unsuccessful people use luck as an excuse. I believe luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I love the quote, “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” There is so much truth to that statement. So that means, in order to be lucky, you need to be well prepared when opportunity knocks.

Do you even know how to prepare?  Players, what do your daily workouts consist of?  Do you just jack up 300 shots or do you take game shots, from game spots, at game speeds?  Do you practice ball handling drills looking down at the ball or do you force yourself to look up (even though you may lose the ball initially)? Do you visualize a defender in front of you when making moves to the basket or do you just do the drill? Do you have a solid strength & conditioning foundation or do you just play pick-up? Equally important, are you a great teammate? Are you the type of player other players like to play with and coaches like to coach? Trust me… you’ll be a lot luckier if you are!

Coaches, do you just study the X’s and O’s or do you work on communication and leadership?  Do you put all of your focus on your out-of-bounds plays or do you spend time learning how to most effectively communicate with every member of your program? Do you reinforce great work habits with your players 365 days a year? Do you read, watch film, and network with other coaches?

I realize many resources cost money… camps, clinics, DVDs, and trainers, which can be a limiting factor for some.  However there are numerous resources that don’t (like this blog or my YouTube channel). Find them. Use them.

If you want to be lucky, you need “to be in the right place at the right time.” Instead of waiting for that to happen, you need to make an effort to create real value in every place you go and every person you come in contact with.

When opportunity knocks, will you be prepared to answer?

Persistence

This one is pretty obvious.  Don’t give up on anything you can’t go a day without thinking about it.  Never quit. Keep practicing.  Keep working.  Most people think they are persistent, but in reality, they give up after a couple of “no’s” or a few minor failures.  Be too stubborn to quit.  Don’t be so pig-headed you won’t try to new approaches or make adjustments along the way… just don’t quit. Ever.

My twin sons, Luke and Jack, will be 3 months old next week.  They have an unyielding persistence. They don’t stop until they get what they want! They are relentless and they don’t take no for answer. While that has certainly caused me a handful of sleepless nights, I hope it is a quality they never out grow.  If they apply the same persistence to the game of basketball as they do to wanting to be fed… they will indeed be McDonalds All-Americans in 2028!

Bottom line is this. If you want to be successful, on the court, or in anything in life:

Make your own talent.

Make your own luck.

Never quit.

If you want to see some impressive drills from three action packed days at the 2010 Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp, please check out http://TinyUrl.com/CP3Camp2010.

My intense summer camp circuit is in full swing.  Stay tuned for blogs, videos, and Tweets with behind the scenes insight from the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and all of the Nike Skills Academies (Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Amar’e Stoudemire, and LeBron James). It’s going to be an epic summer.

Speaking of which, we have officially wrapped up our 10 week long Can He Dunk? Project.  I will post the highly anticipated promo video, along with a ton of content, at www.CanHeDunk.com in early July.  ESPN/Rise is editing the final webisodes which are scheduled to air a week or two after the site launches

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

PS: I sincerely apologize, but I have had to discontinue the 100 Exercises in 100 Days promotion because of technical issues.  However, I will be posting some valuable content in its place as well as adding a weekly Coaching Nugget downloadable PDF (free!).  You can find these resources in the Media Gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com.

I worked out Harrison Barnes recently in Ames, Iowa.  As a player he is very skilled, has a great understanding of the game, and really loves basketball.  Of course I found some flaws, and things he needs to work on but more importantly he represents everything I could ever want my future son to have when he turns 18.  This guy “Gets it!”

He realizes that being a McDonalds All American and a future NBA player does not entitle him to anything in life without respect and kindness.  He understands that regardless of his basketball status, he has to follow and abide by the same rules the rest of us have to follow every day.  Outside of his basketball talents, I was impressed by his punctuality.  He actually picked me up every day with his mom, and he even carried my bags (who does that??) on time!!

Outside of working out Harrison, I was hired to work out the Iowa attack program as well.  Harrison helped me and did NOT miss a minute.  He stayed in the gym the entire time.  That is responsible!!

When parents talked to him, he looked them in the eyes, answered every question with dignity, was articulate, and would carry on a meaningful conversation.  That’s Class!  Not one time did he complain about the long hours in the gym, not once!  He had a “give back” attitude towards his program.  That’s loyal.

Being around Harrison was very refreshing.  It showed me as a coach that regardless of how talented a player or person is they just want to be normal just like us.  Regardless of their celebrity status you can and should hold them accountable for being a good human being and the best player they can be.  If you are a good person, with an education, and you have “star power” well then you can really help all of us make this world a better place.  And it’s fun doing it too!

More often than not – a poor coach is a box coach.

A box coach is a coach who makes a choice, whether purposely or unknowingly, to put their players in a box with the expectation that they stay in that box. Don’t practice one handed passes, only shoot floaters at the rim, don’t train to shoot the 3 ball, and so on. They give players ONLY’s and DON’ T’s. This results in a couple of choices that a player must make. It makes each player choose to fall into one of two categories. On one hand, they can choose to be a coachable player who allows themselves to be placed in a box. Or they can decide to ride a thin line of being both coachable and uncoachable. Why do they have to make that choice? Because if they truly are to listen to their coach, they would actually be choosing to limit their own potential.

Do we really want to force our athletes to choose the team that much over self, that they would actually forfeit their God-given potential and ability as individuals?

THE COACH

Several years ago, when I first began as a skill development trainer, I came across a player with great potential. He was a 6’6 three-point specialist at a NCAA Division II university. I was immediately intrigued by his untapped abilities. Here was a phenomenal three-point shooter with good size and great leaping ability, but he could only handle the ball at an average level. He could not play with his back to the basket and he could not put the ball on the floor to attack the rim. He couldn’t even pull up for a mid-range jump shot. Although he could shoot the three-ball, his athleticism went unused.

So I went to Mike and offered him my services. “Let’s get you to be able to take the ball to the basket, let’s get you the ability to stop on a dime and hit the mid-range jump shot, let’s get you the skills needed to play in the high post – turning over either shoulder and knocking down jumpers. Let’s expand your game!”

Here was the problem. Mike actually wanted to improve those areas but explained to me that his coach would not allow him to practice those things. An actual rule – he could not practice anything but his spot-up shooting! I, of course, thought he had to have misunderstood his coach’s wishes, because this was a coach I had known for several years.

But when I finally caught up the this coach, his answer was scary, “Why would I have my shooter focus on his weaknesses when he could be maximizing his strengths!!??” Here I was just getting my start as a new skill trainer in the game of basketball, thinking innocently that people thought the same way I did. I have since realized that this unbelievable philosophy is actually prevalent in the minds of many American coaches.

This is the philosophy. That if a coach can only assemble enough players on their team that are all great at specific tasks, eventually they would have a TEAM ready to compete. My questions is this: What can be said to the players that come to these programs wanting to become the best players they can be?

THE PLAYER

Now let’s look at how Mike handled this situation. See, Mike had made the decision to be coachable. He decided that if he was coachable and did what his coach said, he might be able to get some decent playing time in college, and his team might even win in college (it didn’t). But what happened to Mike’s dream of playing professional basketball overseas? It had to die. There’s no way he could have taken his game to the level it needed to be…that is if he were to remain coachable!

It is this decision that so many coaches are constantly forcing their players to make. Are they going to choose to listen and risk their personal goals and missions? Or will they refuse to be coached in that way and risk being labeled an “uncoachable” player?

I believe more often than not, the players who succeed individually in today’s game are the players who refuse to be coached in boxes. They are the ones who reach their goals. They are the box-cutters. At Ganon Baker Basketball, we have found success in skill development for three main reasons – we give players solutions instead of exclusions, options rather than limitations, and a future instead of a present. Our players can find success in all systems and all programs, because we never place a box around their skills! And it’s time for us all to cut up the boxes!!!

We teach NBA skills to elementary players, it is appropriate, the kids love them, and it motivates them.  If a kid does an NBA move congratulate them don’t suffocate their talent and potential by making the wrong call.