MARCH MADNESS WISDOM

The success factor

If you love basketball, now is the perfect time of year to be a student of the game.   We at NBC Central office have compiled a list of the most important factors for NCAA success the season.    Use this tool to see if you can determine who will win. Being able to identify the success factors are important for your own success. Print this list off.    Watch a game and keep track of how the teams advance.     From the list of important success factors, which ones do you need to work on for the year?

Preparation creates opportunity for great moments.

Being prepared allows a team to peak at the right moments.
1.  How prepared is a team to handle defensive and offensive sets?

Focus and eliminate distractions.

Too many teams get caught up in the hype, lights, nerves and glitz of the moment.   The great players and coaches never let this happen.  They stay away from the intensity of the media and glamour and focus on the task ahead.

2. How focused is the team?

Believe in the basics and remember what got you there.

Good nutrition, limited sugar, lots of H-2-0, good sleep all prepare you to play your best.  Teams which try and implement brand new offensive plays and defensive strategies without adequate time will face immediate challenges.     Fundamental basics: rebound offensively and defensively, hit your free throws especially at the end, play with great intensity, don’t get out-hustled, stop dribble penetration.

3.  How consistent is the team in doing what they do best?

Versatility and resiliency are crucial.

A successful team in the tourney has great depth and flexibility. The players can bring what is needed when it is needed.    They play better and better as the tournament goes along, with greater chemistry and flow.      Also, they are tough-minded and never get shaken.

4. How unshakable and versatile is the team?

Team-oriented and unselfish point guard leadership.

Personal goals of achievement need to be secondary to the overall goal of the team.  This is demonstrated by the team’s point guard.    A selfish point guard equals disaster.   The point is the success factor to the team. They dictate the tempo, turnovers, playing style, poise, shot selection and leadership of the team.

5.  How good is the point guard?

Fire in the Belly

"an unquenchable thirst for power or glory; the burning drive to win a race or achieve a goal." This old expression is believed to come from the "pot-bellied" stoves used to heat up homes. It now refers to teams who want to win, who have the intensity, passion, on-fire, willing-to-dive out of bounds attitude it takes to win games.
6. How hot is the fire in the belly of this team?

Believe you deserve to be there.
Legacy is huge in the success factor. The mindset that your team is a championship team and deserves to win is an important edge.

7. What is the team’s legacy?

MARCH MADNESS TRAINING TOOL

At NBC Camps we want to help you become a student of the game. Learning to play smart on the court requires intentional training and focus. During March Madness, get smart and use this tool to build your knowledge of the game.

Imitation: Find players you want to imitate and focus intently on the way he or she plays. Instead of watching all the players on the court, follow this player exclusively. 

Key questions to ask:

What difference does this player have on the game?

What does this player do when he/she doesn’t have the ball?

List 10 skills you could learn from this player.

Does this player match your future physical build and athletic ability? If not, what can you start doing to improve your strength, speed, vertical jump, and skill level?

Decision Making: Learn to understand what to do in pressure situations. The root word for decide means “to slay”. That is why decisions are so difficult. Become an expert at knowing the best choice for the moment.

When you watch the final minutes of tight games in the tournament—tell yourself or someone else what you would do and see if that is what happens. Can you predict the best outcome? 

Do you know: When to call time out? When to foul? When to go for the two or to shoot the three? How to run down the clock?

On average, the inexperienced players shoot too soon and create too much time for a potential conversion at the other end. Learn to internalize the clock and know how much time is left as well as when to shoot.

Transition: One of the hardest parts about basketball is transition, going from offense to defense or vice versa rapidly. Basketball leads can be quickly lost. Become a student of transition—learn how to change your mindset quickly from defender to scorer and how to maintain a lead once you’ve broken through.

Who are the best transition teams and what makes them better than other teams?

When a team takes a lead, what do they need to do well in order to maintain the lead?

When a team gets behind, how can they close the gap?

Watch how many turn-overs are connected to transition problems. What do you notice they did wrong?

4. Stats-- statistics can teach you so much about the game. Did you know one out of four basketball games are won because of free throws? Knowing that stat should motivate you to practice your free throws. Teams who can have a high percentage at the line are going to win more games.

a. Take one game and write down the stats for both teams. Have a sheet made up before hand to cover turn-overs, shooting percentage, rebounds. Learn to be aware of shot percentage.

b. Free throws-- what are you doing to perfect this skill. The three important ingredients for every free throw practice involves: rhythm, pressure, and percentage.

c. What is one stat you want to improve in your game this Spring? Get a game plan to help you improve.

Here at NBC Camps, we are working to help you be the best basketball player you can be. Need help answering some of these questions? Let us be a resource. 
Contact us at nbc@nbccamps.com with the subject line: Play Smart questions. We want to help train you to reach your basketball dreams. See you this summer!

HOW TO PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL

HOW TO PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL

If you want to play at the next level, here are several important points to consider. Deciding you want to play at the college level will require serious dedication. Most people underestimate the amount of time and intensity necessary to play at the D1 college level. This dream requires a life of discipline and sacrifice to make it a reality. Here is our advice.

Learn from Europe and Asia.
Most major coaches agree basketball fundamentals in the United States are on the decline. Though America’s athletes are getting more athletic, their skills, especially shooting, are getting worse. Just look at the shooting percentages and compare the statistics. One reason why the skills are declining is because American kids often hate repetition. Many view having to repeat a skill a punishment. However, if you want to play at the college level, you must change this mindset and begin to love repetition. One of the reasons Asian culture has so many people who excel at skill-based tasks is because repetition is extremely valued in that culture. A person who can repeat a skill thousands of times is revered. In America, many athletes want to learn something new, repeat the skill a few times and then move on to a new skill. The pursuit is forever seeking the new skill, the new experience, the new challenge. This thinking has its positive points but it needs to be merged with the discipline of repeating a skill thousands and thousands of times accurately.

10,000 hours to success.
Read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It explains very clearly the path to success is paved by hard work. There is no substitute. He even puts a number to it: 10,000 hours. Michael Jordan was not born a great player, he was made through being one of the hardest workers in the NBA. If you want to play at the highest level you can, you need 10,000 hours of intense, disciplined workouts – not only games, but mostly individual workout hours.

Summer time is crucial.
Make basketball your summer job. You need to be working out at least 5 hours a day in the summer. The three key areas to focus on are: ball handling, shooting and athleticism. DO NOT GET LOCKED INTO ONLY PLAYING GAMES. Get a work-out plan. Go to at least 2 or 3 camps- find camps which are focused and intense. You need intensive skill work during the summer.

Write down your goals.
The research is overwhelming about writing down goals but many of us don’t do this? WHY? Sit down today. Post the goals in your bathroom where you see it every day. Goals make your dreams concrete.

Sacrifice.
What are you willing to give up? Right now we live in a very busy time. We have so many choices and commitments. You can’t do it all. What are you willing to give up? No serious athlete in high school spends excessive time with a girlfriend or boyfriend. No serious athlete in high school can afford to slack in the classroom. Coaches want players who are hard workers on the court and in life. Limit TV and computer games. How bad do you want to achieve your dream?

We want to help you get there. If you have questions about what you need to do, we would love to help.