GarrettWinegar

Indiana Elite - Director of Training, Varsity Assistant - Warren Central High School

[coachwinegar]

11 Habits Great Players do EVERYDAY!

1. BRING INFECTIOUS PASSION TO THE GAME EVERYDAY – Great players don’t have “off” days. They may have off shooting nights, or have a bad game, but their energy and passion is always ON! Great players lift the energy of the entire team.

 2. LOOK THEIR COACHES AND TEAMMATES IN THE EYES– If you have been to one of my workouts you may have heard me say, “Give me your eyes!” Great players do this every practice, every game, every walk-through and every film session. They look their coaches and teammates in the eye and give them their undivided attention.  

 3.  CONTROL WHAT THEY CAN CONTROL – ATTITUDE/EFFORT/ENERGY - Too many players waste energy focusing on things out of their control: fans, referees, or mistakes they made in practice yesterday. Great players control what they can control: Their attitude, energy, and effort, and can accept any outcome knowing they gave all they had.

 4. PLAY PRESENT: Great players focus 100% of their mind and energy on the present play. Worrying about a mistake you made last play, a call you disagree with, or over-celebrating a big shot you just made takes away from your ability to focus on the next play. Great players have short memories and focus on the PRESENT!

 5. TRAIN MISTAKE DRIVEN – AREN’T AFRAID OF UNCOMFORTABLE - Soft players go half speed to avoid mistakes. Soft players worry about how they look and fear making a mistake. Great players embrace mistakes and know that when we are uncomfortable we grow!

 6. TAKE AND WANT CRITICSM –Great players want to be coached! They seek out criticism because they are hungry to improve. Soft players ignore criticism or blame the coach for picking on them. Great players know that if a coach is criticizing them it’s because he wants them to get better! When the coach stops coaching you, that’s when you need to worry.

 7. NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE – GET BETTER DAILY - 95 % of the players I see in the gym on their own waste their time. They don’t go game speed, they don’t take game shots, and waste a majority of the time goofing off and shooting shots they will never take in a game. Great players use every opportunity to improve! Before practice, during practice, after practice, great players make every rep count and have a goal to get better everyday!

 8.  COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE!! – Great players talk to their teammates. They talk on defense and are loud! Too many times I hear a player say, “But coach, I called out the screen.” If I didn’t hear it, then you didn’t call it, so speak up! Great players are vocal leaders on offense and extensions of their head coach on the court. If you are not saying at least one positive thing per minute in practice you aren’t talking enough.

 9. MAKE TEAMMATES BETTER : One of my angriest moments as a coach came when a player asked me how many points he had… After a loss. Great players understand that what they do to make those around them better matters. They value the success of the team as a whole and improvement above all else, not personal glory or stats.

 10. DO NOTHING TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT THEMSELVES OR THEIR TEAM -  Great players understand how they act on and off the court impacts their ability to compete and reflects on their team, coach and school. Great players take care of business in the classroom and don’t do anything before considering how their actions will impact their team.

 11. TAKE CARE OF THEIR BODIES: Great players act as professionals in all facets, including diligently taking care of their body. They eat, sleep, drink, stretch, foam roll and behave in a manner that preserves their body for the grind of a long season.

[coachwinegar]

Youth Basketball Development: America’s Backwards System

[coachwinegar]

Indiana Basketball: The Glass is just too Big

[coachwinegar]

Lebron Fooled You All

Dear Intelligent People, First off, I am not criticizing the decision. Lebron made the right basketball decision. The Cleveland Cavaliers were hands down the best basketball option for Lebron going into next year and moving forward for the remaining 6-10 years he dominates this league. With that being said, If I believed a word of that announcement letter I'd actually respect Lebron's decision, but this has NOTHING to do With, "going home to Cleveland," or his “relationship with Northeast Ohio being bigger than basketball.” Absolutely NOTHING to do with him feeling his “calling in Cleveland goes above basketball,” or his “responsibility to lead, in more ways than one.” NOTHING to do with him “wanting kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up.” It's Cleveland son, who are you trying to fool? Drew Carey is the current face of your city. Though Lebron very well may have earnest intentions to do all those things, and I tend to believe he does, this was purely a basketball decision. Lebron is a smart dude, and this was a calculated decision based on his best opportunity to win titles and build his legacy. He is a sensitive cat, who is very aware of his legacy, and this is an opportunity to repair whatever was supposedly tarnished through the "decision" and leaving the Cavaliers originally. If Lebron wins a ring in Cleveland he will be a God in that city. He already is. Yes, he could of pursued other teams with more talented rosters, but leaving Miami and going somewhere besides Cleveland would of only done more to hurt his legacy in the eyes of the general public. It was Cleveland or Miami and basketball wise, it wasn't even close. He knew Wade would never consistently be the player he once was. He knew that if he and Bosh signed deals the Heat wouldn't of had enough cap room to significantly improve their roster, and he knew he and Bosh weren't enough to carry a starting lineup with a one-legged flash, no legitimate post presence, and Mario Chalmers at the point. I didn't buy the media's stance that the Heat were confident in Lebron staying either. At least Riley tried something, bringing in Mcroberts and Granger, but Mcroberts is more focused on the next time he can get baked and watch Space Jam than winning rings, and Granger is one slip in the shower or a strong sneeze away from a career ending injury. This is about leaving an old, slow, one-injury-away from having no chance at a championship team, and heading to a young, athletic team with a top tier point guard, a ton of upside and the flexibility to go get another top 15 player in a trade. This is about going somewhere where he can build a team that will give him the opportunity to compete for rings for the remainder of his career. This is Lebron running to the best chance for him to win the first chance he got, just like it was in 2010, and he had every right to do it then, just like he did now. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME." But, please don't tell me that this is about the kids of Northeast Ohio, or being the savior to a struggling Cleveland community. If Dwade put up 25, 8 and 8 last year and played 82 games, and the Heat beat the Spurs for a 3-peat, you think Lebron is leaving? Like I said, Lebron had every right to make the decision he did, but don't let him fool you into believing it's about something more than it is. Lebron is a basketball player, a damn good one, and this was a basketball decision. Nothing more, nothing less. Sincerely, G