Great Players
Most people get uncomfortable when they hear the word change. Some actually fear it.
But to be successful in any walk of life, from business to basketball, you have to learn
how to embrace change. Change creates opportunities. There are those who see
an opportunity & there are those who seize an opportunity. Successful people obiously
do the latter. The world!s changing on a daily basis, & if you don!t change with it, you!ll
be left behind"
#hy am $ harping on the concept of change% Because that was the deciding factor in my
decision to resign as the strength & conditioning coach with the basketball program at
Montrose &hristian & accept a similar position at DeMatha Catholic High School. $ was
ready for a change. $ was ready for a new enironment. $ was ready for a new challenge. $
was ready to learn from a new coach. $ was ready to take another step forward in my
professional deelopment.
$t wasn!t an easy decision, but one that $ ealuated thoroughly oer the past seeral
months. $ con'ded in, & listened to, my inner circle of family & friends. $ heaily weighed
the pros & cons. (nd in the end, $ decided that it was the right time to moe on. $ am
)**+ con'dent in my decision.
Montrose has been an oerwhelmingly important part of my life for the past , years. $!ll
always be eternally thankful for the opportunity &oach -etter gae me. $ got to work with
& deelop lifelong relationships with coaches & players. $ got to meet some ama.ing
people, go to some ama.ing places, & do some ama.ing things. Montrose opened a lot of
doors for me. /0ually important, $ got to learn, grow, & deelop as a coach. $ got to work
on my craft eery single day. $!m a better coach & a better person for haing been a part
of the Montrose program.
But it was time to moe on.
I have known Coach (Mike) Jones for several years and have a tremendous amount of respect and
admiration for him as both a coach and as a man. I am so excited to be a part of his staff and a
member of the tradition rich DeMatha Basketball Family. I look forward to bein an asset to their
already successful proram as well as bein a new chapter in my life and career. I have an
opportunity to be a part of another one of the nation!s top hih school prorams. I will et to see how
someone else does it. "hat can only make me better.
I et several do#en emails (as well as "witter$Facebook messaes) askin me %what it takes to be a
reat player.& 'ere are a few of my thouhts(
)ver the past three weeks I had the opportunity to work the nation!s two premier hih school
basketball *ll+,tar events - the McDonalds All-American Game and the Jordan Brand All-
American Classic. *s always. bein a part of such prestiious events is both an honor and a
privilee. 'avin access to the nation!s top hih school players for several straiht days ives me
valuable insiht into what makes them reat players.
/ith very few exceptions. elite level players absolutely love to play basketball. "hey want to play 01+
2. /henever possible they have a ball in their hand and they are always tryin to et up shots. "hey
would rather play basketball than do 3ust about anythin else (the only thin that even comes close is
chasin irls4). /hen they aren!t playin basketball. they are watchin it on "5. "he ame consumes
them. *nd most of them have been this way since they were youn. 6o you have the same love for
the ame7 6o you have the same passion7 I am not implyin or suestin that basketball should be
the most important thin in your life8 but it should be up there. If you truly want to be reat. you have
to enuinely love the ame.
I also noticed that the most elite level players are super competitive. "hey hate to lose. /hether they
are playin 9:* ;ive <=> or a ame of '+)+?+,+@. they always try as hard as possible to win. "hey
never concede. Winning matters. @specially when they are playin aainst their peers or when
brain rihts are on the line. 6oes winnin matter that much to you7 'ow hot does your
competitive fire burn7 If you want to be a reat player you have to learn how to compete. /innin has
to matter.
6espite bein the top players in the nation. most of them still fit into one of two cateories( those who
have a tremendous work ethic and those who are la#y. Anfortunately. many of the players who are
the most naturally ifted are also the la#iest because they haven!t had to work hard to be successful.
"hey have been able to rely solely on their si#e. strenth. Buickness and explosiveness. "hey aren!t
hard to spot. 'eck. I can tell in the first C minutes of warm+ups which uys like to work and which
uys don!t. ?eardless of how naturally ifted they are. it will eventually catch up to them8 at either
the collee level or the pro level. 6o you en3oy puttin in the hard work necessary to be a reat
player7 )r do you constantly look for short cuts and the easy way out7 "he best players look at every
workout and every practice as an opportunity to et better. *s Devin @astman of the :oston Celtics
says. %reat players look to et from the workout. not through the workout.&
*nother thin I noticed about the talented players that play in these ames are the intanibles of
attitude. enthusiasm. manners. punctuality. and appearance (how they present themselves). Most of
the players are enery ivers. not enery takers. "hese players think %we&8 not %me.& "heir attitude
and enthusiasm raises the level of those around them. "hey are polite. friendly. and enain. "hese
are the uys who will make it. I will admit the committees that select the players for these prestiious
events do an outstandin 3ob of takin character into account. It is very rare that a 3erk makes the
team. "his means if you want to be an *ll+*merican. you have to be an outstandin player and an
outstandin person. *re you an enery iver or an enery taker7 *re you always on time7 6o you say
please and thank you7 "hose miht sound like %small& thinsE but they aren!t.
)bviously. the players who have the best chance to excel at the next level (whether collee or the
9:*) are those who combine natural talent. solid fundamentals. an unparalleled work ethic. and a
fantastic attitude. Devin 6urant. the younest 9:* scorin leader in history. is the epitome of those
Bualities. D6 loves to play more than anyone I have ever worked with. D6 loves to compete. D6
works his butt off every sinle day. D6 is an enery iver. 6espite his money. fame. and success. D6
is as humble as the day I met him. D6 is pure class.
If you haven!t already done so. it is time to start thinkin about makin your off+season as productive
as possible. /hat you do this sprin and summer will determine how successful you are next season.
Championship prorams and elite level players are built in the off+season4 "hat is why THE BEST
PA!E"S A"E #$ THE BEST SHAPE%
/hether you are a coach or a player. here is a three+step plan to how you should approach this off+
season(
=) E&al'ate yo'r stren(ths and )eaknesses (athletically and fundamentally)
0) Create a com*rehensi&e *lan to im*ro&e (prioriti#e **A vs. individual development)
F) #m*lement yo'r *lan )ith e++ort, enth'siasm, and consistency (deserve success4)
"rain hard. "rain smart.
*lan ,tein
