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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Wyman Back

I ran into Jimmy Carr at the Streaks football game on Friday night. After Jimmy and I exchanged information about our replacement parts, Jimmy told me he is going to be reunited with Jim Wyman. The two of them go clear back to the 1970's when they were broadcasting boys basketball games on local radio.

Jim Wyman went off to be an English teacher in the Chicago suburbs. He is presently a college teacher at Joliet Jr College.

It will be fun to have them paired up- and I am confident never a dull moment.

Around the Corner- Mon Oct 29

The start of the high school season is around the corner. The first IHSA girls basketball practices can begin on Monday, October 29.

We had a very good summer- large numbers of participants and very committed players. As our enrollement at GHS continues to go down, our numbers in girls basketball have continued to go up.

This past week, we gave girls an opportunity to order basketball shoes. We had over 40 girls from freshmen thru senior who ordered shoes. It is exciting to see such a large number of girls interested in playing this winter.

Our numbers have also been good this fall in open gyms and the weight room. We regularly have 20-25 girls come to play, to shoot, and to get stronger.

On the varsity age level, we have 9 players who are not out for a fall sport and have been working out. Their commitment has been outstanding, and you can see where they feed off of each other. It is a lot harder to work hard when you turn and see how hard your teammates are working.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Peoria Slams Galesburg

People who were wondering why Galesburg was not excited about being thrown in with the Peoria schools in athletics need look no further than today's Peoria Journal Star. In the preview of the Galesburg vs. Peoria Central game, the Central coach offered the following quote--
QUOTE: “Playing at Galesburg is like having a football game at halftime of a band concert.” — Central coach Tim Thornton

Great professional respect!!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Navy Seal Quote

This quote from a Navy Seal is in the locker of Dallas tight end- Jason Witten...

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Kevin Eastman- Leadership

This is a great lesson on becoming an effective leader. It is must reading for every "star" on every team, and for every player who wants to be viewed by their teammates as a leader.

Show Your Leadership
...Don't Just Talk It


Leadership comes in all sizes, all colors, and all forms. No matter how it comes it has as its foundation “example leadership." No matter what your captains say, what your managers say, or what your CEO says, your staff will not consistently follow words. Words are just sounds from someone’s mouth if they aren't followed up by action and example.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Jeff Janssen- Team Culture

As coaches we talk about creating a "culture". This is sports psychologist Jeff Janssen spin on team cultures.

1. Corrosive Culture

A Corrosive Culture is highly toxic and is characterized by a lot of conflict, negativity, frustration, cliques, gossiping, distrust, and selfishness. It is obviously not one that is fun to be around and the turmoil and tension off the field/court almost surely affects the team on it. From a relationship standpoint, cliques will often develop that divide, distract, and destroy the team. Rather than battling your opponents, your athletes spend more time battling each other and the coaching staff because no one is on the same page working toward the same goal.
From a results standpoint, people become apathetic or even resistant toward team goals because they lose respect for their coaches and/or teammates. In Corrosive Cultures there is a lot of selfishness because in such a negative and dysfunctional environment, members basically must look out for themselves because they don’t trust their teammates and coaches. As the name suggests, Corrosive Cultures eat away at people’s attitudes, commitment, and chemistry much like a caustic acid. Ultimately, people just seek to endure in this kind of culture or escape it whenever possible.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Paul Westhead- The Mad Maestro

Posted by on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012



Here’s a riddle: What do Magic Johnson, the WNBA, Loyola Marymount University and Oregon women’s basketball have in common? The answer: an eccentric basketball philosophy, called “The System,” and the fascinating architect that brought it to life: Paul Westhead.
Oregon point guard Nia Jackson goes up for a lay-up during the first half of Oregon's 53-49 loss to the Arizona State Sundevils on Saturday afternoon. Jackson had nine points of the day. (Aaron Marineau/Oregon Daily Emerald)
In its four-decade lifespan, The System has left a trail of shattered record books, dropped jaws and depleted players. At its best, The System results in a beautiful blur of fastbreaks best described as controlled chaos. At its worst? Well, when the losses (and points from the opposition) pile up, let’s just say the coach can quickly fall under fire.
“(The critics) all come out,” says Westhead. “They all come out screaming.”