DETAILS, CONSISTENCY

You are probably hearing coaches use the words "details" and "consistency" alot at this stage of the season.

One of my favorite challenges as a head coach is to get my players to buy in to the importance of having GREAT habits as they are the catalyst to consistent performance. The other challenge is helping our student athletes figure out what habits they need in order to clear off the unnecessary stressors in their lives as they already have enough stress to begin with. Understanding your stressors are your own internal obstacles can sometimes be easily recognized but not easily overcome.

Let me tell you the major internal road blocks that coaches see daily.

1. Fatigue-The organized athlete who has their "routines" down is able to get around 8-9 hours a sleep at night. Sleep does affect performance & your ability to focus. Stress is also an energy drainer whether it's the stress of your schedule, studies, or even practice. 
2. Conditioning-Think about your number 1 strength. How many times in a row can you do it? The elite athletes are in premier shape which allows them to repeatedly attack over & over again.
3.  Mental Toughness-Some have it naturally, others develop this skill over the course of their careers. When you don't have it, you focus on how tough the drill is, how stressful the environment, the call that didn't go your way. When you have this skill you turn every obstacle into your advantage, "bring it on," "I want the ball in my hands," "what call?". The great have short term memories to begin with, block out the outside, and focus on the only things that allow them to get from point A to point B. Work on this daily, your inner voice. Put yourself in these situations to work through how you WANT to handle the situation. Visualize the way you should and want to respond. 

Our team has been in the middle of the mental challenge as we went through the storm of 7 straight wins to 6 straight losses. We were able to survive the run by Weber State last Saturday to get off that "streak" but that was the problem. We were focusing on the "streak" rather than the details.

Dan Hughes, my former Head Coach for the Cleveland Rockers, used to always say "play hard, play smart." I have used that line so many times with my team as it really is as simple as that. If you are able to compete consistently & you're able to focus on the details of execution at both ends, then you aren't losing focus mentally, you aren't losing composure with the play, and you aren't stressing about the situation.

Our team has seen both sides. We have seen what happens when we keep it simple & focus on the details, and we have been in the storm of unnessary burdens. All I can say is that I'd rather keep the umbrella at home & put on some sunscreen.

Coach Bin

Round Two

Can you believe it's already the second round of the Big Sky Conference race? It's as competitive season as ever. For coaches, it's a great way to keep your athlete's attention as every day matters. Here are a few tidbits for Round Two: More shooting. Yes I know that one's easy since we aren't the best perimeter shooting team YET. Fundamentals make a huge impact in the second round. More carbs! If you have athletes like ours you have to do what you can to keep the weight on. We got described as "wiry" once. I took that as a complement. More ice tea. That just sounded good. Less reps in the weight room. Less is more certainly pays off when you still maintain the strength while lifting a strong percentage of your max. The motivated, the focused, the hungry, & those that don't get bored with the process will finish on top. Habits of Excellence shine in round two! Coach Bin

Fun Matters

Maintaining "court" conditioning is a challenge when you only play 5 players at a time and maybe have a bench of 11-13 athletes. Our rule at MSU is that if you don't play 15 minutes per game you have to do an extra cardio workout the following day. Our athletes do a great job of motivating each other during their extra workouts as they understand the importance of being ready when their opportunity comes. With that being said, I have been in their shoes when I played in the WNBA and did a few extra workouts of my own which can get monotonous. So to change it up on Friday in between games I decided our staff should play against our players who didn't get many minutes in the game instead of them doing their usual bike & treadmill routines. I figured Kalli wasn't playing so I wouldn't end up with two stitches again. The result?? Coach Barney with a fat, black and blue lip from Peyton Ferris. (Barney is also her position coach so I am wondering what that was all about). Coach Starr concussed twice. One by a brick that came off the front rim, her cat-like reflexes are a little slow these days. And one ultimately by herself as she got wrapped up with Kayla Dewit and paid the price. The first game was played until the coaches actually scored. I won't say how long or how many points the team had before that occurred. The second game I started to get my feel back and made my first reverse lay up without hitting the bottom of the backboard. The third game our trainer brought out the stretchers. By Saturday we couldn't move. Kellee said the only thing on her body that didn't hurt were her eyes. Lindsay Stockton said I had a "dirty jumper" and then informed me that was a compliment. The good news? Our players and coaches had a lot of fun and remembered why we love this game so much. I think in another two weeks I will be over being sore and then we'll try it again, Go Cats!

Resolutions & Reality

Hopefully you all had a chance to see the best FRIENDS episode ever on New Year's Eve when Ross and Monica did "the routine." For those of you who didn't I suppose you had bigger plans for your evening. My New Year's Eve was spent with my "adult" kids on the court preparing for conference play this week. I am sure they will tell you that's exactly who they wanted to spend it with as well. Don't worry. It's not like I had them on the court for Midnight Madness. New Year's tends to bring on many new resolutions but let us be reminded that change does not occur without the greatness of habit. Much like I tell my team, you can't show up game time and expect execution if you haven't seen it all week. Proper habits don't get their due appreciation. I think it's because of their consistency that people overlook their importance. In our world today, we get thrills off the glamour, excitement, but true success is the result of basic, consistent, and powerful habits. Ask yourself today what your habits are. We all have them. Is it a habit that over time produces excellence or do we need to replace it with something else? Happy New Year Coach Bin

THE PERFECT COACH

This Christmas was an amazing reminder of HOPE in celebrating the birth of Christ. When I think about Jesus's birth, His life, His sacrifice, and love for all of us I immediately reflect on what kind of coach Jesus would have been. How about a coach who sees your full potential, who is loving, forgiving, strong, always present, who does not ever give up on you or walk away. He is the only coach worth playing for! Coach Bin

Conference

Big Sky Conference opens tonight, a good 2 weeks earlier than in the past. With the addition of Southern Utah and North Dakota we now have 20 conference games on the calendar which means every game counts from here on out! The Cats open with the Hornets in the Fieldhouse and those are two perfect descriptions of our teams. The Cats are aggressive, relentless, and the best news of all is that we have a deep bench full of them. The Hornets buzz all over the court and are scrappy, quick, and tenacious. I can't think of a more exciting game for our fans to get out and see as the conference begins. Besides, you all need a break from Christmas shopping! The Big Sky is strong, with wins over conferences such as the Mountain West, WAC, Pac 12, ACC, West Coast, and Big West among others. Check these ladies out. They play hard, together, and never give up. Go Cats! Coach Bin

Home Sweet Home

After 3 weeks back and forth on the road we get to be on our home court for the rest of the month of December and we are thankful for that. Why is it so nice to be at home? #1 Our Fans & Cheerleaders- We have had great support so far this season and have as a goal to PROTECT HOME COURT. Our fans help make that happen. We even have the "cookie club" starting once conference begins and I am not talking about who can eat the most cookies. That would be Coach Close. #2 Our Band- Talk about rockin the Fieldhouse. Our band tends to be the loudest and craziest. I think we should move them closer to our opponent's bench. What do you think? #3 Less Driving- Although Margreet thought I was the bus driver on our last trip to Logan, driving is exhausting regardless if you are the driver or not. I am ready to be done with the GPS for awhile as it seems to get us lost more times than actually finding our destination. #4 Kellee is much more pleasant to be around at home. She is in charge of our team travel and nearly ripped her hair out when National gave away our vans on our trip to SMU. Then the restaurant in Logan forgot to have our pre game meal ready before Utah State. I just asked for an ice tea and was fine when they brought out a pitcher and family portions of bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs. #5 Last but certainly not least, I get to drive home every night to our tiny little decorated deer outside, beautifully decorated Christmas tree by our kids, and read stories of Jesus's Birth and listen to Christmas carols before resting in my own bed. Home Sweet Home.

Coach Bin