VISUALIZATION

I would anticipate that our Olympians are some of the best when it comes to preparing for an event mentally before you do anything physically. The amount of pressure they are under for one moment after four years of committment is truly amazing. The question for all athletes is how important is it to you? Whatever your answer is I will tell you your answer is how much time you put into it and then you can get a better answer. Your edge is in your mind when it comes to performance when you are able to step out there "in the zone" without distraction, without tensing up, and without worry of the outcome. Be in the moment, enjoy the present, be confident in your preparation, and rise to the opportunity. Oh, and one more thing, YOU GET TO DO THIS!! Coach Bin

February

The month of February is a very important month and I am not just talking about Valentine's Day. This is the month where teams separate due to their motivation and commitment to the process. If you are going to be successful and finish as a champion, how you practice, how you think today has 100% affect on your ultimate outcome. Questions to ask 1) What did you think about before practice? Champion Answer-Goals for practice, how am I going to get better, how can I make my team better, I am going to win this drill Second Place Answer-I hope practice is short or easy or we don't have that drill or I can't wait to do this after practice 2) What is your motivation today? (Not at the beginning of season, but the immediate) Champion Answer-To get better at...., To win ....., To get more playing time..... Second Place Answer-Hard to come up with an answer? Champions are process driven. They do not get detoured or burned out by the process or adversity of what is happening in their season. They believe they are the solution and don't blame others as the problem. They have energy, find ways to put in more than what is currently asked, and they are still 100% committed to making themselves and the team better. They are not satisfied but they are also not defeated. Go be a champion today and then repeat it again as if it was the first day you ever stepped onto the court. GO CATS! Coach Bin

Big Sky Conference - No. 10 #BigSky25 Greatest Moment "Spotlight on the Broncos and Lady Griz"

Big Sky Conference - No. 10 #BigSky25 Greatest Moment "Spotlight on the Broncos and Lady Griz"



The 1993-94 women's basketball season was one for the record books for both Boise State and Montana.

Both teams were ranked in the Associated Press Division I Top 25 when they met in the Big Sky Conference Championship game. The game ranks 10th on the Big Sky Conference's list of "25 Greatest Women's Moments.''

The regular season came to a close with Montana and Boise State tied for first in the conference with 12-2 records. Both were named co-regular season champions, but a host had to be decided for the Big Sky Conference Championship.

"I was also blessed to be a part of the co-Big Sky Championship Team," said Montana State head coach Tricia Binford, who was a junior on the Boise State team and went by Tricia Bader. "I knew we had something special by how competitive our practices, open gyms, and every workouts were. We also had a unique chemistry that couldn't be matched, and I feel so fortunate to have gone on this ride with such an amazing group."

Recovery Sessions

I thought I should blog about our recovery workouts since the media did a story on it last week. Now that basketball has become a year round sport, working our athletes out in the summer, fall, and begining practice in October knowing what it takes to recovery properly is just as important as practice. Here are a couple of things our team does beyond your traditional stretchdowns: 1) Ice Baths-Yes, our kids hate them but I LOVE them. Ten minutes is all it takes 2)Pool Recovery-You would think great athletes are all capable in the water but I am here to tell you that is not at ALL accurate as many still rely on the dog paddle or better yet, clinching of the edge of the pool in between strokes. However, I think the bigger issue for most is still whether or not their hair is going to get wet. 3) Lifting-Many think of lifting as strengthening but we also use it for recovery along with foam rollers. We travel with bands on the road that we can use in the doors of our hotel rooms. Last week I was totally disrupted in my room when I heard heavy breathing outside my door. So of course I had to open my door to see Coach Starr on all fours trying to simulate the team's workout. Coach Barney (red as an apple) was also with her along with our trainer Erin who was conducting the session. Ironically it doesn't seem to be that hard for our athletes. I would throw in nutrition but since our team's trend is In N Out Burger I didn't think I could walk the talk. Coach Bin

Heading Northwest

Finals are over! Our student athletes had a busy academic week and I am confident they finished well. With that being said they LOVE road trips without any study table or books to carry in their back packs. It will be a light load this weekend. Seattle is going to be a fun one for the Cats as we have A LOT of family in Washington so even though we are on the road we will have somewhat of a home reception with plenty of Blue & Gold still in the stands. There will be little downtime, however, with back to back games so thankfully we have a DEEP bench to keep running. The last time I tried to slow a team down was at the Baylor Tournament a few years back when we were low in numbers, on our third game in a row, and Rachel Semansky woke up that morning throwing up with the flu. I kept yelling at Katie Bussey to slow down in transition and finally gave up on the attempt. We won that game with six healthy players running for 40 minutes. I guess when transition is in your blood you can't fight it. We face to very good transition teams this weekend so if you like uptempo games we will see you in Seattle! Lace up the shoes & Go Cats! Coach Bin

Tourists

After our trip to Florida it is now clear you know you are a tourist when: You hand a parking attendant a $20 bill before he gives you the change. We never saw the guy again after he sprinted faster than Carl Lewis over to the 7-11 with our twenty. You have the entire beach to yourself. The locals stay home when it's below 80 degrees and raining. You buy magic "stuff" for your kids just because the clerk entertained them with his magic tricks. You walk around in your shorts and flip flops but everyone else needs sunglasses because your legs are so white. You sing along to a Neil Diamond impersonator at the restaurant. While driving by, you take a picture of a person lying on the ground getting handcuffed. We had a great trip to Miami, Florida, capped by the CATS remarkable comeback victory which was sparked by Jackie Elliott's bank in 3 to go into overtime. I have never seen such white eyes and a higher vertical in my career after that shot went through the net. I am proud of our ladies for showing such perseverance. Now it's time to bundle up, get back to work, and warm up by the fireplace. Go Cats! Coach Bin

Confidence

This week of mental training our team is focusing on confidence and what I find to be so simple is how you can build stronger confidence just by practice! The more you practice, the more time you put in, how many hundreds of shots, how many hours of ball handling is a reminder that you are prepared. So the next time you question your ability or have self doubt ask yourself if you have done everything in your control to prepare. Coach Bin