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Living Trophies Zoom – Tommy Amaker

  • It’s more about being an educator/teacher/leader than it is about being a coach
  • Everything about us is done inside out
    • If there’s a problem we need to solve we can use the resources on our campus
    • What resources on campus can help you become a better teacher?
    • A better public speaker, etc.
    • Maximize the resources that are on your campus
    • People will share their time – they are willing to help
    • This will strengthen bonds on campus
  • You can ‘t be a great coach without being a great teacher
  • “Basketball is overcoached and under taught” ~ Pete Newell
    • Can you connect to players and deliver information in a manner that makes it stick?
  • “The best preparation for tomorrow is to do good work today.” ~ Tommy Amaker
  • The Breakfast club and other positive culture characteristics at Harvard didn’t occur because they won games, they won games because of the relationships and the culture characteristics they worked to build
  • Don’t just talk – show players the way you feel through action
  • Elderly Seton Hall worker: “I can never judge by looking at you whether you won or lost”.
  • Maximize who we are, not who we are not
  • Coach K on recruiting: “we want guys who know their game & know the game”
  • Not having AD during his hiring at Seton Hall helped his relationship with school president. Talking about the landscaping at the school’s entrance made his AD think positively about him because he was concerned about the school not just the athletic department. He was part of the community
  • When scheduling: make trips to local sites. Be a part of your kids development away from basketball.
    • Visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in ATL
    • Don’t let it take away from basketball but if there’s time available take advantage of it
    • Your resources on campus can help you set these up
  • Know your philosophies an all aspects of running your program before you have your program
    • How to manage practice schedule, build staff, how you want to play, etc.
    • Things to keep in mind: what was it like for you as a player
    • Recruiting: Would I want to be a teammate with this kid?
  • “Think like a Head Coach, act like an assistant”
    • What really matters is what happens after you know it all
  • Staff Identity: what do we expect?
  • Loyalty – be committed to this group
  • Outwork competition – understand who your competition is – Not Duke, or Kentucky – use your resources to win
  • Have great follow-up & follow-through. This matters!
  • Attention to detail
  • Have fun! “We work too hard at this not to have fun at it.”
  • Staff roles: embrace them, not just accept
    • Embracing means running to it
    • You can accept reluctantly – that doesn’t do anyone any good.
  • Does your HC have a clearly defined role for you?
  • “I don’t know what he wants from me” would make Coach K blow a gasket. You may not like what he wants from you but you know what he wants from you.
  • To make Breakfast club successful
  • You need a linchpin – don’t think you’re the linchpin (need someone that’s connected that will make people want to be there)
  • Have someone in charge of the organization, set up & info distribution
  • “Often times our greatest rejection can lead us to our greatest direction”
  • Check out Oprah Winfrey’s Harvard commencement speech
  • Random thought – he uses each person’s name when he answers their questions
  • Bo Schembechler on recruiting:
    • “I never evaluate my recruiting class until 10 years after they’ve graduated”
    • What did these young men do with their lives after you helped them develop?
  • Teach / Lead / Serve
  • Define your own success
    • It’s not healthy to let others define your success
    • “The scoreboard will take care of itself” ~ Don Shula
    • “We don’t talk about winning a championship we talk about becoming a championship team!” ~ Tommy Amaker
  • How does the Breakfast Club tie into recruiting?
    • Game changer when talking to recruits
    • They know they’re going to have access to talented, intelligent, well connected people
  • Leadership on your team
    • Paul Pierce is the Captain but Kevin Garnett is our leader
    • You need to be able to influence the influencer
    • Who can influence the leader?
    • Know how to manage the relationship with those guys
  • Goals, identity, standards – keep them consistent – guys should be able to recite them
    • Harvard ID: Defend, box out, sprint, be unselfish, have fun
  • You should know what you believe in & how you want to play – more importantly – are you able to teach effectively to create buy-in?
  • Take inventory – step back and examine situations
    • Survey to current players: 3 things you like and dislike about program
    • Survey to freshmen: 3 thinks you liked/disliked about your recruiting process
    • You cannot be afraid of the responses you get – this info makes you better
    • You can gather tons of info from all sorts of people but you should only implement what fits YOU.
  • Priorities when becoming HC – 1st 30 days
  • Building your staff
  • Current players
  • Recruiting
    • Everything else comes after that
    • Must prioritize or it’s easy to get your head spinning
    • Paul Hewitt would visit the families of his current players 1st & foremost
  • Ivy league doesn’t have summer school workouts
    • Strength coach gives them a workout packet
    • Harvard believes it’s better to go do something in the summer than it is to be in a classroom
    • Good for coaches and players – gives them a break and they come back excited
  • When thinking about philosophies:
    • What was the hardest thing for me to guard as a player?
    • The more passes a team made the harder it was to defend in his mind
    • Hence, his offense is built around that thought
  • Coach K was never afraid to change something mid-season, stick with it and make it work
    • Referenced Saban QB change in championship – that takes guts
  • Big difference between a system and a philosophy
    • You can use multiple systems within a philosophy
  • What legacy do you want to leave when you are done at Harvard
    • Hopes the players can say “I’m glad I went there and I’m glad I played for that guy.”
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Living Trophies Zoom – Kevin Eastman

Coach Kevin Eastman

Relationships are important. You never know when an old relationship will come in or out of your life and play a critical role.

How do I become one of the people that doesn’t fall into the W

The W – waste this time or wait for it to break

2 Questions to ask every day

  1. Did I waste yesterday
  2. How will I feel if I waste today?

Daily reminders

1) Appreciation – make sure the people who help me

2) Empathy – 2 pairs of shoes (the one you wear – comfortable) (The player or the people you lead)

3) Others – in leadership, it is always about others first

Let’s all of us walk our talk – it’s uncomfortable for us too (this pandemic)

  • We tell our players all the time to be comfortable being uncomfortable
  • Time for us to live out our words
  • The medium has change but if our message was good before then the message should not change. Figure out a way to accomplish things in difficult circumstances.

Controllable Commitment List

3 parts

  1. Myself
  2. That’s all about me personally: attitude, energy, effort, reactions, choices, words
  3. Now more than ever in leadership positions, our words matter immensely
  4. My day (needs to fit you)
  5. My best buckets: if I can fill these 7 buckets I’m at my best
  6. Family bucket
  7. Work bucket
  8. Faith/spiritual bucket
  9. Exercise bucket
  10. Think time bucket (only allow silence, me, my thoughts, a pad, pen)
  11. Reading bucket
  12. Sleep bucket
  13. My job (needs to fit you)
  14. # of people I help
  15. Communication I have
  16. Content I create (work on how you can teach in fewer words – talk in bullets not paragraphs)
  17. The preparation I put in

Coach Eastman’s Journey

  1. It’s not only about networking
    1. Networking is just a number – how many people you meet
    1. Networking can easily turn into not working if you focus on meeting everyone
    1. You need to make the relationships strong – nurture them
    1. How do you build relationships:
      1. When around 1st time or 2 ask sparingly about things they like
      1. Once I know that answer I can use that to nurture the relationships
      1. I will send people things they like
      1. Relationships aren’t about give and get
      1. It’s give, give, give, give, give and potentially eventually receive (Goodness gods)
      1. Did not get in the NBA until 46 or 48 years old
  2. Be intentional
    1. What you do on purpose to fulfill your purpose
    1. There’s a difference between intentional and intention
    1. Intentional: front of mind, priority
    1. Intention: If I get to it?
  3. Know it all or learn it all?
  4. Seek and find mission
    1. On the journey to learn new things
    1. The separator is once you seek and find you have to “think and apply”
    1. Knowledge is not power, until you apply it. The application turns it into power
    1. Success leaves footprints: 3 F’s
      1. Find them, follow them, Fit them
  5. Big eyes, big ear, small mouth
    1. Watching coaches, learn from the best
    1. Who can you meet with? Whose brain can I pick
    1. I already know what I know, if all I know is what I know then I don’t know enough”
  6. Never pass up a basketball opportunity
    1. I don’t win an NBA Championship if I didn’t say “yes” when I was driving down the interstate and got a call to be a fill-in at a clinic
    1. Gives talk on skill development
    1. George Raveling was in the stands – gets Coach to work the Nike All-American Camp
    1. Gets hired by Nike to work out best players
    1. Gets asked to work out a HS team
    1. Doc Rivers son was on the team
    1. Doc hires him to be the skill development coach
  7. Win the challenge of the room
    1. Be the most prepared person in the room (know about the speakers)
    1. Be the best note taker in the room
    1. Be the best question asker in the room
    1. Be the best listener in that room
    1. Be the most respectful in that room
  8. Always have a pen and a notepad
    1. Sometimes you have the title of basketball coach and you never coach basketball
    1. You can still coach (do you coaching when guys get out of the drill or when practice is over)
    1. Took notes in Celtics practice, typed them up and gave them to Doc
  9. Be better than most at something in the game
    1. This is how you get noticed
  10. What’s my reputation out there?
    1. A good rep, a bad rep or no rep
    1. Bad rep or no rep don’t help you at all
    1. Went to clinics to meet new people and learn
    1. Be courteous / be respectful
    1. Workout to look the part
  11. Can separate yourself through “depth”
    1. The questions you ask
    1. The relationships you build
    1. The knowledge you possess
  12. Be authentic
  • 3 Sets you must master
  • Skill set (expertise),
  • mind set (energy, optimism),
  • reset (mistakes you make/how you react)
    • How do you treat failure? Devastation or education
    • Know it all or learn it all
    • Never waste a failure
  • 3-Dimensional look at success
  • Learn from the past
  • Produce in the present – be an all-star in your role: DeAndre Jordan
  • Prepare for the future – “be there, before you get there”: Ray Allen story
    • Ray Allen already took the big shots he made in games thousands of times on his own

What I learned in the NBA

  1. The power of relationship building
    1. When you’re coaching the best, you have to have a relationship
    1. You can’t drive them without that relationship
    1. What’s important:
      1. We cared what makes them talk
      1. What makes them listen
      1. Now you know what makes them tick
  2. The importance of truth
    1. The truth means 3 things
      1. Live it – actions match words – this gets buy-in – your players are watching
      1. Tell it
        1. Relationship & communications are about 2 things: Who & How
        1. There is so much more positivity in the NBA than negativity
        1. You can be demanding and not demeaning
      1. Take it
        1. Don’t run from the truth – it’s good for you – develops you
  3.  Have to get buy-in, this is how:
    1. You better know your stuff
    1. Trustworthiness
    1. Work ethic – players need to know you work
    1. Can’t be in it for yourself
  4. Two critical words: “Next”
    1. “Next”
      1. Next level thinking
      1. Next scouting report
    1. “Every”
      1. When we lost we talk about what we didn’t do
      1. You realize that every day counts when you coach
      1. They all add up to the results you get
  5. You want expectations
    1. That means your fans care
    1. That means people think you should be in the fight
    1. Don’t shy away from expectations

Questions:

Communication: how to improve it?

  • Questions to ask – Coach to player
    • “Other than your family, who in sports do you respect the most?”
    • “Tom Brady”
    • Read about Tom Brady all year and sent anything he read to the player
    • At some point every player asks “why did you send me that article”
    • Once they do that, I’m in. They just let me in the door with their curiosity.
  • Player to player
    • You can’t lead without listening
    • One way communication is not leadership

Decision making: how to improve it

  • Hesitation causes it: must find out what is causing the hesitation to fix it
  • Knowledge of the game: must improve understanding of guy’s game to improve him
    • Watch film on great players
    • Have discussions about why this guy is great
    • What did this guy do that made him great?
  • Drills: Put drills in to reinforce proper decision making
  • An assistant coach should never give up on a player
  • If he’s not listening to you pass him onto another assistant and let him take a crack at it
  • The HC decides when to give up on a player

How did your time as an AD help pull you?

  • Mike Rhoades was the HC at the time at RMC
  • Got an appreciation for what the coaches go through in all different sports
  • Learned from Rhoades: he was continually working on his craft
  • Helped me learn about leadership

Where you intentional in the formation of your “Power words” (From his book)

  • Started with “truth” and ended with “talent” out of 25 words
  • He was – those 2 words were the only ranked words out of the 25
  • Catch them doing something right
    • “truth” doesn’t mean negative, it can be positive too
    • “talent” every NBA team has it
    • Players with “talent” lose
    • NBA teams want “talented” players
    • The “E” and the “D” stand for extra dimensions
    • What are the extra dimensions?
      • Could be resiliency
      • Could be detail
      • Could be preparation
      • Could be the realization that failure is a learning opportunity

How to you network to build relationships so they aren’t solely about basketball?

  • Coffee meetings
  • Sending things they are interested in
  • I don’t force relationships
  • I give and if it’s supposed to be returned it will be
  • I’m not offended if people turn me down

How do you manage the thin line between resetting/moving on & making sure players know you care that the team has lost or failed?

  • “What I’ve learned in the past is that moving on is better than hanging on”
  • “What you don’t know is I watched the film 3 times last night”
  • “I never want to say something right after the game that I have to apologize for tomorrow”
  • Avg length of time of Doc Rivers post-game talk: maybe 47 seconds
  • “The good coaches never have to apologize the next day”
  • So much of this comes back to the “who” & “how”

The best way to get to their mind is through their heart

  • The stronger the relationship the harder you can coach a guy

Comparison is the thief of joy – is there an appropriate time to use comparison?

  • Yes, but it comes back to the “who”
  • Chris Paul story: “They say” booklet – i.e. “They say Tony Parker is better at finding open guys than Chris Paul”
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20 Characteristics of an Elite Defensive Team

by Kevin Sutton Assistant Coach at URI 


Elite level Defensive teams have these 20 characteristics  in common:
1. They recognize their opponent’s offensive actions/tendencies while they are in the flow of the game. 


2. They play defense with their voice, their eyes, their brains, their chest and their feet. 


3. They are excellent in their rotations and avoid putting themselves in scramble situations. Rotations are intelligent movements in relation to the offensive players and ball movement. Scrambles are panic movements made in reaction to the ball movement, usually after there has been a defensive breakdown. Scrambles are inevitable but they can be lessen by executing rotations properly.  


4. They are constantly communicating throughout the entire possession. They are active listeners as well. This brings about a high level of trust which leads to a collective confidence. 


5. They give “multiple efforts”, giving the appearance that there are ten guys on defense. Examples of  “Multiple Effort” can be: close out on the ball and then doubling post, or closing out and taking a charge as you help your teammate that has been beaten off the dribble, or hedging on a ball screen and securing the defensive rebound etc. 


6. They finish every stop with a rebound. They have a W.A.R. (We All Rebound) mentality toward rebounding. 


7. They defend without fouling.


8. They understand and believe that there is no such thing as “50/50 balls” . They believe that loose balls and errant passes are “100%” theirs. 


9. They execute their coverage’s/slides based on the scouting report. 


10. They take pride in stopping their opponents. 


11. They wear their opponents down mentally and physically with their commitment on the defensive end. 


12. They force the offense to start further from the basket than the offensive team wants to and/or is use to. 


13. They keep the ball on one side of the floor. They limit the number of times the ball is reversed. They know that ball reversal hurts their defense. They “load” to the ball (mid line in college and 2.9 in the NBA). Loading is a term used to describe the actions of the help side defenders. Loading also helps to shrink the floor, limiting the operating area for which the offense has to work. 


14. They do not allow “paint touches”. They know “paint touches” hurt their defense. 


15. They are very good in their “late shot clock” defense. They are disciplined to complete the stop, they are calm and their communication increases. 


16. They don’t give up Transition baskets. They understand and execute the 4 parts of Transition Defense: -Sprint back with their chin on their shoulder. -They locate and get the ball under control. -They communicate to “load ” to the ball. -They run down rebounds. 


17. They play with their hands up. Average defensive teams play with their hands out.  Bad defensive teams play with their hands down.


18. They develop and chart stats that reinforce the most important elements of their defensive philosophy. These stats are talked about constantly with players and visible for the players to see and  embrace their importance. 


19. Elite level defensive teams create offense from their defense.  


20.Elite level defensive teams truly believe that team defense is 5 players defending as one. Us 5 on defense vs the ball. 

Defend 2 WIN! 

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Pro vs Professional: There is a Big Difference

By Coach Kevin Sutton

When people hear the word “Pro” they often equate it with a positive image of a successful individual in a specific field without fully understanding the distinguishing characteristics and evolution it takes to develop into a true professional. 

While these two words, “pro” and professional are often used reciprocally, they should not be given equal weight.

Although both words are associated and often used freely in athletics, the matter of fact is that we are surrounded by both “pros” and professionals every day, in all walks of life.

Whether you work in business, medicine or education, we all know the feeling when working alongside a professional. These professionals have mastered an absolute and authentic approach to their work combined with their natural skill to positively impact those around them.

Often times the 9 additional letters in the word Professional separate and determine who is highly regarded and who is not, ultimately determining who will be successful for the long-term.

While it is admirable for anyone to want to become a “pro” it is the constant pursuit of new skills, honorable values and moral excellence that allows someone to elevate to the level of a consummate professional.

Unlike “pros,” professionals are able to have lasting influence, using their experiences to impact others and influence change.

In the coaching field specifically, professionals understand the importance of longevity and how important the second and third contracts often are to enabling them to have a lasting career and impact.

While a first contract may allow an individual to have a job and become a “pro,” this is just the first step in a long journey of what it takes to become a professional.  

The continuing process of growth and understanding that a person goes through during their journey will allow them to hopefully transform from a “pro” into a professional, displaying these cultivated characteristics in all that they do with a great sense of pride and professionalism.

Professionalism is how a professional act and it comes with a great deal of respect and admiration.

Excelling as a professional also lends credibility to creating a platform and using that platform to cross cultural, racial, social, sexual and economic barriers while staying authentic to oneself.

Professionals understand that the following attributes matter in order to have a positive impact:

-Longevity

-Relevancy

-Accountability

-Sustainability

-Marketability

-Charity

-Respect

-Competency

-Legacy

-Integrity

-Grit

-Discipline

-Humility

-Responsibility

-Kindness

As we are all on our own journey to become the professional, we have set out to be, ask yourself this question:

What makes you a professional?

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It’s More Than a Game

By Olufemi “Femi” Akinpetide

“To whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48).” As a young athlete at Montverde Academy, a private college preparatory school located near Orlando, FL, I remember Coach Kevin Sutton would frequently quote this verse during basketball practices. Fifteen years have passed since I first heard Coach Sutton quote this scripture and I can honestly say that it is one of the most impactful lessons I learned through the game of basketball.

In the summer of 2005 I left my home of Sydney, Australia to attend Montverde Academy to further my education and pursue my dream of one day playing professional basketball. I had no clue that as an athlete for Coach Sutton, I would learn valuable life lessons through the game of basketball.

When we are young, we are heavily focused on making it professional and minimally focused on the realities of life after athletics. When sports end, there are transitions that every athlete has to make. It could be from athlete to coach or from athlete to pursuing a professional career. My transitions led me to becoming a husband, a father and beginning the pursuit of my career.

All of my transitions posed significant challenges. Some of which were close to breaking me. It took me two years to land a job after I decided to end my athletic pursuits. After the first few months of searching, I was on the verge of depression. I could not understand how someone with a Master’s degree could not land a job. The job search became a huge weight crushing my spirt as each day passed.   

I remember putting the job search on hold to give myself a mental break. I realized that the process was consuming me and I needed to break the cycle of negative emotions. I started thinking about all I had and how much time I had been spending on myself. I needed to live outside myself and find ways to be a blessing to others. I volunteered in my church’s media department and at the local university in the athletic department. It wasn’t long before I realized that I was beginning to live out the verse (Luke 12:48) that Coach Sutton would often to quote in basketball practices. Shortly after focusing on being a blessing, I landed my first job as a guest service agent at a hotel.

What I learned on the court is no different in life. I was blessed to be given the athletic ability and coaching to get a division I scholarship that paid for my college education. My tough job search awoke Luke 12:48 within me. If we spend a moment to take inventory of our blessings, then we will realize that we have a lot to give and there are so many that can be blessed by what we have.