The Pro Training Center

making the nba

January 4, 2006

Ok NBA fans, let’s see just how closely you are following the “League” this year.

 

Quick question-who leads the NBA, as of

1/5/06

, in offensive rebounds per 48 minutes? I’ll give you 3, no 10, no 100 guesses. You’ll never get it, unless of course you are from Blue Devil Country. No, it is not Elton Brand, it is none other than…SHAVLIK RANDOLPH!!

 

Yes, Shavlik leads the worlds’ best players in that category, and is also 4^th in rebounding per 48 minutes and 17^th in steals per 48. That means for the 10 minutes per game he is averaging, he is very productive. Now rememeber, this young man was the poster child for “disappointing prospect” at Duke, and ridiculed and laughed at for even considering the NBA draft last June. Nobody took him seriously, including the NBA, as he went undrafted 6 months ago. The funny thing is, players that trained with me for the draft who were on the court with him during some team workouts last May and June always said the same thing upon returning to

Clearwater

the next day; “Shavlik was the best big man on the floor”. Some scouts whispered that to me as well as the daft process dragged on, saying he shocked them with his agility, touch, and toughness.

 

All this serves as a great teaching point-the NBA does not have a monopoly on talent evaluation or projection. Nor is the draft process about the top 60 draft eligible players. And that is ok. Teams clearly didn’t trust their own eyes over the stats sheet for Shavlik while at Duke, which were unimpressive at best. But now, more than ever, a prospect has ample opportunities to make a squad even while going undrafted. Sometimes it takes a journey overseas, or to the NBDL, before a team gives a player his chance. Or in Shavlik’s case, it was a strong showing in the training camp and pre-season, followed up by contributing once the regular season began. Once the games start, NBA execs care little about whether or not you were drafted, but how YOU ARE PLAYING!! And that is where Shavlik deserves so much credit-he ignored the negative comments and focused on his craft. People will argue that he is proving that had he stayed in school he would have assured himself of a draft spot. I would argue exactly the opposite-going back to school would have assured him of absolutely nothing other than another year of winning a ton of games at Duke. There are no guarantees for players, especially role players, that the NBA will eventually figure out you can play at their level. A player must do what is in his heart, as Shavlik must have done to accomplish what he has thus far. In the 17 games he has played for the 76’ers, they are 10-7. In the 15 games he has not appeared in, they are 6-9. So he is not just making plays, but helping his team win. That, my friends, is how you make a team and earn a living in the worlds best basketball league.

 

But it doesen’t always get you drafted.

lessons learned

January 4, 2006

Although I’ve been playing and coaching basketball for 35 years, this native Floridian will be glued to the TV tonight to watch the Rose Bowl. Floridians have football in our blood, so we’ll often watch the Tulip Bowl if it’s shown on TV. But this game has a chance to be special for a lot of reasons, none that need to be explained here.

 

In reading about the great players competing tonight, I’ve been thinking about the number of young men I’ve spoken with recently who are playing college basketball. Many of them are their teams’ stars, while some are just starting their careers. And it’s those young guys who concern me.

 

You see, in football, true freshman typically redshirt that first year, and hope to break into the lineup full-time by their junior season. But in basketball, even when playing behind solid veterans, freshman often complain about their lack of time and opportunities on the court. If they are not playing significant minutes from the beginning, they moan and groan and whisper of transferring. They have little vision, or understanding, of what is really happening. Imagine being Matt Leinart as a freshman at USC, playing as the 4^th strong QB  behind ultimate Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and 2 other guys with terrific credentials. Unlike basketball, where most players can play 2 positions because of the systems their teams employ, 99% of QB’s can only play that one position. So what does Leinart do? He just keeps working, thanks to his “alligator blood”, with a solid belief in himself. Could anyone have imagined he’d go 37-1 in his last 3 years, win a Heisman Trophy, and compete tonight for a 3^rd National Title (although one is shared with LSU)? Had he spent his first 2 seasons exhibiting poor body language and complaining about his lack of opportunity, he never would have achieved what he ultimately did.

 

I had the pleasure of sending many athletes to college on scholarship when I was a high school coach and as the director of a specialized training facility, and I always told them one thing about picking a school based on getting immediate playing time: “If you expect to play a lot as a freshman, be prepared to lose a lot of games as well”. Yes, some freshman are ready to play right away, but in good programs they still should expect to play BEHIND veterans. They should trust their coaches, focus on development, and do what they can to EARN more time. Just as Matt Leinart did.

 

But out of respect to my cousin Steve, and my partner Leigh,

 

HOOK ‘EM HORNS!!

a new year

 

January 2, 2006

It’s a new year, and resolutions abound. Of course, we all know that most of them slip quietly away by mid-February, so I want to discuss some hoops’ resolutions that are easy to follow, and guaranteed to deliver results to all players. Resolve to do the following:

1.Spend 5 minutes a day-that’s 300 mere seconds, doing some kind of game realistic dribble moves.

2. Make 10 shots (layups are fine for beginners, move out 5’ when you master the shorter shot) each day with your “weaker hand”.

3. Jump as high as you can 25 times a day-do it while bouncing as if you are on a trampoline.

4. Drink at least 16oz. of water-pure water (not kool-aid!) a day.

5. Perform 50 sit-up crunches (or any solid ab drill) a day.

 

These 5 “goals” require approximately 10 minutes (at most!!) of free time. Yet consider what they produce. Assuming you do as I suggest Monday thru Friday, or 260 days, by

December 31, 2006

, you’ll have:

 

Worked on your dribble moves for 1,300 minutes, or 21.6 hours

Made 2,600 shots with your formerly “weak” hand

Worked on improving your vertical jump 6,500 times

Consumed 4,160 ounces of the healthiest beverage for an athlete to drink

Performed 1,300 sit up crunches-a great core strenghener that also improves jumping

 

There is no way you will not improve your game if you, at minimum, follow those guidelines. You can always increase your reps, and don’t forget all of the games and practices you will be playing in as well. Consider my resolutions your homework. Just for your frame of reference, here’s what I asked Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings) to do when he was still playing at

Western Carolina

during the school year after the season

 

KEVIN MARTIN-SPRING WORKOUT PLAN

 

MONDAY,WEDNESDAY,FRIDAY;

9am-2:15pm

  school

2:15-4pm

5 minutes-full ct ball handling-100 made pull up j’s (dribble and jab)-25 reggie  millers (run to one corner, then to the other corner or wing for the shot)

4pm-6pm

5 on 5 games with teammates-play some point guard-dominate every game

EVENINGS  study- spot shooting from nba 3-ten shots per spot ( get up at least 100 shots per   night-but aim for 1,000)

 

TUESDAY,THURSDAY

9am-3:30pm

  school, rest

4pm-6pm

5 on 5 games with teammates (if not games, then 45 minute cardio + weights)

EVENINGS  study- weights-100 driving dunks- spot shooting from nba 3 (get up at least 100   shots, but aim for 500)

 

SATURDAY

ALL DAY study- weights-100 reggie millers x 2 sets-100 driving dunks-45 minute cardio

 

SUNDAY

ALL DAY study- spot shooting in free time

 

GOALS

Make an “A” on every test

Eat very healthy, gain 10 lbs of good weight

Be a great leader EVERY DAY

Stretch constantly, drink lots of water

Work on shooting form-same mechanics every time

Keep your handle tight-everything below waist with quick hands

Guard other teams best-toughest player every game-try to win every game

Keep track of your spot shooting

Free time=more shooting

REMEMBER-LEADERSHIP MEANS “TO BREATHE SPIRIT INTO THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OTHERS”!!

 

Kevin’s goal was to shock the experts and go from sparsely recruited high school senior to an NBA first round pick in a mere 3 years. Making resolutions was a start, but actually FOLLOWING THRU was the challenge that I laid out for him. In the 2004 NBA draft, Kevin was the only player from a mid-major school selected in the first round. People credited his talent, but he, and I, knew better. I doubt there was a single mid-major player who did what Kevin did each day to get better.

 

Set your goals, then create a plan to reach them. It’s as simple as that.

 

Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

Alligator blood

12/24/2005

One expression I often use when I’m talking to my NBA players, young coaches, or even to teams, is “having alligator blood”. As all of us Floridians know, alligators will stay submerged, tracking their potential prey, for hours and hours. In the end, they don’t always get the opportunity to strike, but when they do it is often successful. Players who dream of getting to the “next level”, much like coaches, must take on this same trait. One never knows when an opportunity will arise, but you have to be prepared to jump at it when it presents itself. If you spend all of your time chasing it, you can’t be preparing at the same time. If you are a backup player itching for more playing time, then you must keep working on your game(both ends of the floor), and when the guy in front of you gets in foul trouble or tweaks an ankle, then you will be ready to make the most of your opportunity. Waiting but not working is the recipe for failure and disappointment. It is the same for coaches who want to rise up the coaching ladder-they often spend so much time chasing the “better job” that they forfeit opportunities to grow as a coach or to develop the team they have. It is important for teams to do this as well. Championships are not won in November or December, yet many teams who lose often early tend to resign themselves to a bad year and stop working for improvement. Of course we all know that history books are filled with successful teams and players that got off to poor starts. What is a common thread to those teams and players? Their blood ran a little “green”, like an alligators, they stayed focused on their objective and pounced when the time was right.