Vancouver Basketball: Coaches Corner
Author: Doug Plumb
Coach Doug Plumb is the Lead On Court Instructor for Academy Basketball, Inc. He has worked with High Level Athletes ranging from the NBA to youth basketball all across the world. In HS he was an All- State selection and an honorable mention McDonald’s All-American. He is a former NCAA athlete and CIS All Canadian at the University of British Columbia where he studied Psychology. Following his successful collegiate career Coach Plumb played multiple seasons playing at the professional level overseas where he was exposed to a multitude of coaching styles from across the world. He has coached professionally and won an NBLC Championship with the London Lightning. He currently is the lead assistant coach with the St. John’s Edge of the NBLC.
Please join us in welcoming him and his feedback for players all across our province and country.
Class is in session.
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Control the Controllable: 8 Ways to Improve Immediately
Hi everyone,
Looking forward to this column and sharing some information that I have learned along the way with players to help them avoid common mistakes that many players, including myself have had to learn the hard way.
In this day and age where people want you to believe that you can become an overnight success I wanted to chime in a little bit and set the record straight. Becoming great at anything takes years. That’s not rocket science in any sense of the word. However, there are things that you can do as a young player (for that matter any aged player) that will help you become exponentially better; immediately after you fully embrace it.
What I’ve learned on my journey through this game to this point is so much of what determines success actually has little to nothing to do with what people actually consider ‘skill’. It is much deeply routed than that. Most of it has to do with attitude and daily habits.
Instead of saying what is wrong with this day and age and how ‘social media’ is ruining the game I wanted to do something a little different. Share what I have learned about how to be different than the rest.
The best part about it? Anyone can do it. ANYONE. The caveat here is that it takes great discipline, perseverance and accountability to follow. These lessons below are things that can be applied to anything, not just hoops and I can promise you – you will be better for it.
I am.
Enjoy.
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1. Listen and Learn
Most people don’t actually listen. They simply wait for their chance to speak. Truly listen to what people are trying to tell you. With an open mind. A quote I heard from Tom Izzo at a basketball camp when I was about 15 years old really stuck with me. He said, “I believe nothing but am open to hearing everything”. This coming from a guy who has been at the peak of college basketball. If he can have this mentality and constantly be willing to grow and consistently add/ adapt his knowledge base. Why can you?
Further to that, spend individual time with your teammates and coaches. You don’t always have to like your teammates. That’s not real life. You do however, have to respect each other and be able to understand where each other is coming from, what their goals are, what motivates them. Listen to their story, get to know them as people. Simply listening to their story and putting yourself in their shoes will surely help to break down any perceived walls, enhance your level of respect for one another and dramatically increase team cohesion / chemistry.
2. Accountability
If you say you will do something, do it every time. No one cares about excuses. No one. If you say you will do something – do not sleep until it is done. Often is is as simple as that.
Be on time. Nothing says ‘I am selfish’ and ‘I don’t care’ more than disrespecting someone else’s time. No one cares if your dog ate your homework, or your mom was late, or the bus didn’t come. Wake up earlier. Sleep less. Always expect that something will go wrong. Manage your time in a fashion that you are bullet proof. Never late. Always Prepared.
Do not blame. Do not blame the refs. Do not blame your teammates. Do not blame the weather. Do not blame being sick. Do not blame anything. Accept what you can and cannot control. Do not feel sorry for yourself or anyone. Control what you can control. Re adjust your plan and attack it.
Self Police yourself. Be willing to self evaluate yourself. The best players analyze their performance not just when things are good but when things aren’t going their way. They are less interested in attention or accolades. Win or lose there is always something to improve. Be your biggest critic.
Immediately after winning the Superbowl and his fifth Lombardi trophy Patriots Coach Bill Belichick was asked how he felt. This is what he had to say:
“As of today, as great as today feels and as great as today is, in all honestly we’re five weeks behind in the 2017 season to most teams in the league.”
Keep yourself accountable. Everyday. No matter the high. No matter the low. Stay the course.
3. Study/ Rehearse
Know every position of your offensive and defensive schemes. Through and through. Often times people are forced to take difficult shots because they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing in that exact moment in that exact situation. Make sure this never happens to you. Draw out your plays. Film them. Study them. Never be ‘lost’ on the floor and have to chuck up garbage. Be able to know where counters/ backdoors/ slips are going to come so you can anticipate and make the right play.
Michael Jordan used to say even if he had never physically been in a situation before he had already been in it because he used visualization and watched so much film that it was like he had already been there.
When studying film. Study your opponents ahead of time. Know what they like to do. Take that away.
When you watch yourself on film. Don’t watch only your highlights. Be critical of yourself. Judge positioning. Judge and grade your effort on every play. Do you stay in a defensive stance the whole possession? Are you communicating through the whole possession? Do you set great screens? Cut with pace? Is your timing on point in every action?
4. Embrace Your Role / Do your job
People get paid millions of dollars in this game who do not score 20 a game every game. They are the best rebounders, they win 50/50 balls, they are great locker room guys. There are division 1 scholarships available for guys who set great screens and can stand up people in the post.
If you are a garbage man. Be the best garbage man you can possibly be. Keep it simple. No one looks at a box score and says ‘how did they produce’ they simple ask ‘ did they or did they not produce’.
Own your role. Be proud of your role. Strive to be the best at your role every single day. Every single rep.
5. Seek Truth
One of the most influential basketball people who I’ve been around is a coach Named Kyle Julius. Kyle is notoriously known for challenging players but for doing it in a fair no BS way.
His mantra is simple:
- Live the truth
- Tell the truth
- Be able to take the truth
Without truth there is no progress. Take nothing personally. Be able to stomach things that aren’t comfortable. Stand up for what you believe in – so long as it is routed in truth. Not ego.
The truth, as in every element of life, will set you free.
6. Write It Down
This goes back to accountability. Make a plan at the start of each week. How are you going to get better: on court and off?
Write it down and track it. Do what you say you will do. How can you keep yourself accountable and progressing if you can’t track it?
Do not sleep until you have done what you say what you will do. If you planned to make 500 a day. Do whatever it takes. Shovel snow to find a court. Shoot in the rain.
Do or do not. There is no try.
7. Next Play Mentality
Be resilient. Success isn’t linear. You will fail more than you succeed. Do not get discouraged. Win or learn and be ready to attack the next opportunity to get back to where you are trying to get to. Immediately. Dwelling on success leads to complacency. Dwelling on failure clouds judgement and affects confidence.
Focus solely on doing your job within the next possession. If that is screening. Set the best screen. If that is scoring. Do everything possible that you can control to make it as efficient as possible to score.
There is no time in the heat of battle to dwell. Next play. Refocus. Regroup. Attack the job at hand with great energy and focus.
8. Enthusiasm
Nothing great is accomplished without great enthusiasm. Show up with a great attitude each and everyday. People like people with great energy. I promise you if you show up with great body language, great effort and you communicate in a positive, proactive and enthusiastic manner you will be much better for it.
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All of these are things that can be controlled. There is no mention of being able to touch 12 feet or be the fastest player or be a world class shooter. Control what you can control. Do it everyday.
Do this everyday from here on out. You will shock yourself – and the world.
Good luck
- Doug
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