Being at the University of Virginia I was fortunate to meet Dena Evans and several of the Virginia players attended PGC over the past four years. For those that have not experienced what PGC can do for your players and your team, DO IT! NOW.
We’re not permitted to work with players individually in the summer. Having them just come to campus, take classes, lift weights and play pick up isn’t (on it’s own) going to get it done. They need PGC.
The below article is by Dena Evans and gives you just a taste of her mindset and the teaching going on at PGC.
Go to the PGC Website and listen to what the players and coaches say about their experiences. Trust me, it will help your players improve and your team win.
from Coaches Clipboard…
Point Guard College is very unique. It not only teaches the skills needed to become a great player, but goes far beyond that by imparting basketball knowledge and passion to players and coaches. PCG helps players to think and “play smart”. It is an intense, no-nonsense learning experience for high school and college-aged male and female student-athletes. Not like typical basketball camps, it’s called a “college” for a reason. The course curriculum is specially designed to teach basketball players to play the game intelligently, to train purposefully, to be “coaches on the court,” and to be true leaders during games, in practice, during the off-season, and in everyday life.
This article was written by Dena Evans, and discusses important concepts that will help good point guards become better… beyond skills and drills.” - Coach Gels
RACECAR: Seven Key Concepts that Every Good Point Guard Needs to Know by Dena Evans
Dena Evans was a truly consummate point guard, who in terms of sheer physical stature, probably did more with less than any point guard that ever played the game. Only 5’4″ tall, Dena became a star at the University of Virginia, where she led her teams to three NCAA Final Four appearances and a 118-17 record during her four-year career. As a senior at UVA, Dena was voted the Best Point Guard in the nation and received the Frances P. Naismith award as the country’s top collegiate player under 5’7″. In 2002, Dena was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Women’s Basketball Team. Dena is the Owner and Chairman of Point Guard College (PGC) (www.pointguardcollege.com), a series of basketball camps that use classroom sessions, video analysis, and specially designed competitive drills and games to teach sound fundamentals, smart basketball, and a complete package of leadership skills. The following article is excerpted from one of Dena’s talks at a PGC session in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) in March 2004.
We use a lot of acronyms at Point Guard College. This acronym—RACECAR—stands for seven critical concepts that every good point guard should understand.
1, 2) The “R” and the “A” in RACECAR go together. A good point guard will always Race the ball from Arc-to-arc. By ‘arc to arc,’ we mean between the three-point lines. A good point guard is always racing the ball up the court and trying to get inside the three-point line as quickly as possible. But “race” doesn’t mean “rush.” Instead, “racing” means bringing the ball up the court at a speed that makes the defense uncomfortable. You can race the ball up the court in two ways: (1) with a good, fast dribble, or (2) with a pass. But you shouldn’t always walk the ball up the court. A good point guard will always race the ball up the court and take advantage of a disorganized defense. You should always put maximum pressure on the defense.
3) The “C” in RACECAR stands for Control — control of your emotions, control of your body, control of the basketball, control of the game. Control is the number one point guard commandment: There’s nothing more important for a point guard than to be than under control.
I was watching a high school game a few months ago, and there was a point guard that was playing really fast and taking a whole bunch of shots. He was actually making some of those shots, but he was also making bad decisions, passing while in the air and throwing the ball out-of-bounds. And the guy sitting next to me said, “Man! That point guard is keeping his team in the game!” And I didn’t say anything out loud, but I was thinking, “Yeah, and he’s keeping the other team in the game too.” No coach wants a point guard who is keeping both teams in the game. When you have the ball in your hands, your coach should feel relaxed and calm and confident—not nervous and worried that you’re going to take a bad shot or do something off-balance.
You should start to be almost arrogant about your control; you should look for ways to race the ball up the court and still show off your control. And one great way to show off control is to use dynamic jump stops in the lane. Anytime you can race the ball from arcto- arc, get inside the three-point line and then jump stop, you’ll get a chance to make something good happen for your team.
4) The “E” in RACECAR means that you Eagerly Hunt the Paint. The word “hunt” means “to seek out,” “to go after.” A great point guard—Chris Paul, Steve Nash or Jason Kidd— will eagerly, constantly look for opportunities to hunt the paint. People always ask, “How does Steve Nash make those passes?” “How do Chris Paul and Jason Kidd get so many assists?” Well, watch them play. They’re always eagerly trying to get into the paint. They know that’s where they’re most dangerous to the defense.
But you’ve got to know what to do in the paint once you get there. Lots of players get into the paint and then HURRY. And there’s nothing that will make you look more out of control than hurrying when you get in the paint. Instead of hurrying in the paint, you should stop and get FEROCIOUS. I like the word “ferocious” because it connotes, not just something physical, but also a mental attitude. When you get to the paint, you’re going to get hit, you’re going to get slapped, you’re going to get bumped, you’re going to get knocked around. So the first thing that you have to do is to stop with one of those dynamic jump stops and get ferocious. Then you want to assess the situation. Instead of hurrying, I want you to HUPPPPY—that’s spelled with four P’s.
The first “P” in HUPPPPY stands for Powerful. You’ve got to get powerful, because you’re going to get bumped, you’re going to get knocked around. And, again, the best way to get powerful is with a dynamic jump stop, where you’re tough, you’re ferocious, you’re on two feet, and no one can knock you off-balance.
The next “P” stands for Purposeful. You must be decisive! You can’t try simply just to avoid mistakes. Dwayne Wade led the NBA in scoring this year, and Chris Paul led the league in assists. But both Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul were also in the top ten in the NBA in turnovers committed. This doesn’t mean that you should be sloppy or careless with the basketball; but you can’t be tentative. You must be purposeful and decisive when you’re in the paint.
And then, when you get into the lane, you want to Peek. That’s the fourth “P” in HUPPPPY: Get into the habit of peeking at the rim. A lot of point guards get into the lane and only look to pass. Instead, when you get into the lane, take your eyes up to the rim, and all of a sudden, everything will change: Defenders will start running at you; you’ll see all four of your teammates; passing angles will open up. So get in the habit of peeking at the rim.
The fourth “P” stands for fake—which we spell PHAKE at Point Guard College. A good fake in the lane takes only one-eighth of a second; but that one-eighth of a second will buy you the time to do something special for your team.
. 5) The next “C” in RACECAR stands for CLEVERNESS. Good point guards are very clever. They use a lot of fakes; they’re tricky and deceptive. The number one rule for fakes is to use more of them. I’m talking about pass fakes, ball fakes, foot fakes, shot fakes. Use fakes, fakes, and more fakes. Fakes don’t require any special athletic ability. You just have to remember to use them. Good point guards—players like Sue Bird, Tony Parker and Diana Taurasi—are always toying with the defense. These players can make their opponents look foolish, not with their athletic ability, but because of their cleverness.
7) The next “A” in RACECAR is also related with faking. This “A” stands for ARRUM—or ‘air ‘em’. Anytime you get into the lane and you have doubts about your ability to get your shot off, add an ARRUM and get a defender to leave his feet. If you stay low and on-balance, peek at the rim, and give one good pump fake, defenders will leave their feet again and again. That’s because most fans love shot blockers who can slap a shot into the ninth row. And because most players love to please fans, from now until the end of time, you will play against players that love to leave their feet on defense. You should be on a mission to make these big, athletic players look foolish. Add an ARRUM and get them to leave their feet. If you can get a defender up in the air, it’s easy to create all kinds of passing angles, draw a foul, or even get an ‘and-one.’
7) The last “R” in RACECAR stands for REMINDERS. If the only way you lead is to lead by example, then you are a very poor leader. At any given point in a game, there are at least thirty reminders you could give that will help your teammates play better: “He’s a shooter. Get your hand up!” “Watch the screen! Get over the top!” “She’s left-handed! Bring her my way!” But reminders are only useful if you give them before they are needed. Let’s say that Benny and I are teammates, and that it’s an important possession at the end of the game; maybe the score is tied and we need a stop. And let’s say that Benny is guarding the other team’s best three-point shooter, and that his man comes off a screen and hits a three-point shot. And I glare at Benny and say, “C’mon Benny! He’s their best shooter! Get your hand up!” Does that have any impact at all on the play that just happened? No! I’m not reallyreminding Benny; I’m criticizing Benny for not doing his job. A good point guard would recognize that situation before it happens. A good point guard would think, “Okay, this is a key possession, and Benny’s got their best shooter.” And, at that point a good point guard would say, “Hey, Benny! He’s a shooter! Get your hand up!” Now your reminder can have an impact on the play. Now Benny’s got it in his head, “Oh, yeah—he’s a shooter. I’m can’t let him get a shot off.” Get in the habit of giving constant reminders, but give them before the play happens, before it’s too late.
Dick DeVenzio’s legacy lives on in the programs at Point Guard College (www.pointguardcollege.com), a series of basketball camps that use classroom sessions, video analysis and specially designed competitive drills and games to teach individual development, smart basketball, and a complete package of leadership skills.
(Copyright© 2006 by Dena Evans.)
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 2:01 PM. 2 comments
The WNBA Draft is today! For Monica Wright, her family as well as a host of others, today is a special day. In a little less than an hour, everything Monica has known as a player changes. There will be pay checks, endorsements, appearances, media, pictures, travel. Exciting times! Congratulations to all, enjoy the moment and the day – it’s special. Follow the DRAFT HERE. See our 2010 WNBA MOCK DRAFT HERE.
From By DAVE UTNIK
On the rare occasions when she allowed herself to look beyond the goal directly before her, Monica Wright imagined what it might feel like to walk onto the court for the first time as a professional basketball player.
She’s never been one to assume anything. The University of Virginia’s all-time scoring leader has spent her entire career pursuing one small milestone after another.
Looking too far ahead isn’t her thing. Wright prepares for the moment and then moves on. It’s a personal rule that has worked out well because everywhere she goes, success ultimately follows.
But even Wright has day dreams.
Monica Wright's Draft Day
And her happily-ever-after visions have usually involved playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Even as a high school sophomore, when she was just beginning to discover her potential as one of the nation’s elite women’s basketball players, it was assumed by everyone around her that Wright would play in the WNBA.
Her talent was that obvious.
Almost everything Wright has accomplished over the past decade—two high school state championships at Forest Park and first-team Associated Press All-America honors at Virginia—has led her to this afternoon’s draft in Secaucus, N.J., where the best player in Prince William County history is expected to be among the top five selections. She won’t get past the second pick.
“I can see myself around the perimeter playing maybe one through three. That’s where I have been playing throughout my whole career,” Wright said. “But I feel the most comfortable at shooting guard.
“As I have heard and learned, this draft is going to be guard heavy so it’s going to be exciting to see where everybody goes.”
Pre-draft buzz has Wright reaching the podium within 10 minutes, most likely as the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick—shortly after the Connecticut Sun select UConn center Tina Charles with the first pick.
Here is a quick look at where Wright could be headed:
Connecticut Su
1st and 7th overall pick
After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference last season at 16-18, the Sun had a busy offseason. They acquired 2009 first-round pick Renee Montgomery from Minnesota in exchange for the first overall pick. On Wednesday, they traded guard/forward Amber Holt and center Chante Black to the Tulsa Shock to get the No. 7 pick.
Connecticut, which desperately needs a center, is expected to select Charles. The last two No. 1 selections—Angel McCoughtry and Candice Parker—went on to win rookie of the year honors.
The Sun would certainly choose Wright at No. 7, but she probably won’t last that long.
Minnesota Lynx
2nd and 3rd overall pick
The Lynx seem to be a perfect fit for Wright, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring and was named the NCAA defensive player of the year.
First-year coach Cheryl Reeves wants defense to be a priority after Minnesota gave up the second-most points in the league a year ago. And that is Wright’s forte. ACC and National Defensive Player of the year, check.
The thing about Wright is that she also creates match-up problems with her speed and versatility. She’s started at point guard, shooting guard and small forward at one point or another in her career. The Lynx appear to be set in the backcourt after acquiring Lindsey Whalen from the Sun to play alongside Candice Wiggins.
Chicago Sky
4th overall pick
The Sky nearly made the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2005 and Wright is just the kind of athlete who could finally lead them there.
If the Lynx don’t select Wright with one of their two picks, then the Sky almost assuredly will despite five guards on the active roster, including point guard Kristi Toliver, from Maryland, and Jia Perkins.
The Sky bolstered their front court by getting center Courtney Paris from Sacramento in the dispersal draft and Shameka Christon is a trade with the Liberty.
What they need now is an impact scorer. With one pick in the first two rounds, Chicago will have to draft wisely.
San Antonio Silver Star
5th overall pick
The Stars are the first 2009 playoff team to make a pick in this year’s draft. After nearly upsetting eventually champion Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals, there aren’t many weaknesses.
They addressed a need for rebounding by trading for center Michelle Snow, signing Tasha Humphrey and getting forward Laura Harper in the dispersal draft.
All-Star Becky Hammon and shooting guard Roneeka Hodges are the likely backcourt starters, but Wright has a way of blending in almost anywhere.
Washington Mystic
6th overall pick
It’s probably wishful thinking. As wonderful as it would be for Wright to play—and star—in her hometown, there is very little chance of her landing in D.C.
The Mystics are one of the league’s up-and-coming teams after a string of successful drafts and the recent signing of all-star guard Katie Smith, who should play along with Alana Beard and Lindsey Harding in a three-guard backcourt.
After reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, the Mystics could still use another versatile small forward. Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to find Wright still on the draft board at No. 6. It’s not likely though.
Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago at 1:07 PM. 1 comment
I was forwarded an interesting email while in San Antonio. With the economy and every school’s ever-crunching budgets, I found this very interesting. The cost of success and the cost of running quality programs continues to skyrocket. Now deficit’s are mounting for many, many schools.
According to forms filed with the federal government, these schools reported the largest deficits for their women’s basketball programs in regard to the 2008-09 season:
School Deficit
1. Kansas $3,177,605
2. South Carolina $3,155,424
3. Arkansas $3,120,026
4. Texas A&M $2,996,821
5. Virginia $2,933,888
6. Auburn $2,874,009
7. Duke $2,836,386
8. Auburn $2,761,504
9. Oklahoma $2,677,885
10. Northwestern $2,652,529
11. Texas $2,639,111
12. Georgia Tech $2,479,525
The cost of Big 12 basketball
As this chart shows, one-third of the Big 12 schools lost money on basketball during the 2008-09 season, largely because of the massive deficits associated with their women’s teams. The revenues and expenses listed for each school were taken from forms filed with the federal government. The revenues listed for Baylor, a private school, may include subsidies from the university.
Texas
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,918,013/ 14,770,278/ 16,688,291
Expenses: 4,557,124/ 7,891,661/ 12,448,785
Profit or loss -2,639,111/ 6,878,617/ 4,239,506
Texas A&M
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,049,951/ 8,984,818/ 10,034,769
Expenses: 4,046,772/ 6,219,442/ 10,266,214
Profit or loss: -2,996,821/ 2,765,376/ -231,445
Texas Tech
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,746,714/ 6,479,893/ 8,226,607
Expenses: 2,734,893/ 3,831,828/ 6,566,721
Profit or loss: -988,179/ 2,648,065/ 1,659,886
Baylor
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 4,082,782/ 4,595,742/ 8,678,524
Expenses: 4,082,782/ 4,595,742/ 8,678,524
Profit or loss: 0/ 0/ 0
Oklahoma
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,448,696/ 6,753,149/ 8,201,845
Expenses: 4,126,551/ 5,409,808/ 9,536,359
Profit or loss: -2,677,855/ 1,343,341/ -1,334,514
Oklahoma State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 427,816/ 11,052,293/ 11,480,109
Expenses: 2,118,334/ 5,166,055/ 7,284,389
Profit or loss: -1,690,518/ 5,886,238/ 4,195,720
Colorado
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 389,436/ 3,993,889/ 4,383,325
Expenses: 2,710,495/ 3,951,423/ 6,661,918
Profit or loss: -2,321,059/ 42,466/ -2,278,593
Iowa State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,541,423/ 6,197,669/ 7,739,092
Expenses: 2,996,712/ 4,296,701/ 7,293,413
Profit or loss: -1,455,289/ 1,900,968/ 445,679
Kansas
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 315,529/ 15,737,145/ 16,052,674
Expenses: 3,493,134/ 8,219,362/ 11,712,496
Profit or loss: -3,177,605/ 7,517,783/ 4,340,178
Kansas State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 765,006/ 5,656,041/ 6,421,047
Expenses: 2,513,866/ 4,608,889/ 7,122,755
Profit or loss: -1,748,860/ 1,047,152/ -701,708
Missouri
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 354,849/8,857,828/9,212,677
Expenses: 2,028,463/4,528,720/6,557,183
Profit or loss: -1,673,614/4,329,108/2,655,494
Nebraska
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 695,026/6,297,232/6,992,258
Expenses: 2,247,575/3,961,218/6,208,793
Profit or loss: -1,552,549/2,336,014/783,465
Posted 5 months ago at 10:49 AM. 4 comments
The 12 finalists for the 2010 Wade Trophy, the “Heisman” of women’s basketball, were announced today by the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).
“This is definitely a time of year that I look forward to annually as I get to announce the 12 finalists for The State Farm Wade Trophy,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “The prestige of this award goes without saying, and I can only imagine how excited these 12 student-athletes are to be on this list. We wish them the best of luck in the remainder of their seasons.”
The short list includes last year’s winner, Maya Moore of Connecticut, as well as her teammate, Tina Charles. Ohio State (Jantel Lavender, Samantha Prahalis) and Stanford (Jayne Appel, Nnemkadi Ogwumike) also had two players apiece on the list of finalists.
The complete list of 12 finalists includes:
| 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy Finalists |
| Player |
School |
Position |
Class |
| Jayne Appel |
Stanford |
Center |
Senior |
| Tina Charles |
Connecticut |
Center |
Senior |
| Alysha Clark |
Middle Tennessee State |
Forward |
Senior |
| Kelsey Griffin |
Nebraska |
Guard |
Senior |
| Jantel Lavender |
Ohio State University |
Center |
Junior |
| Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
Forward |
Junior |
| Nnemkadi Ogwumike |
Stanford |
Forward |
Sophomore |
| Samantha Prahalis |
Ohio State University |
Guard |
Sophomore |
| Danielle Robinson |
Oklahoma |
Guard |
Junior |
| Jasmine Thomas |
Duke |
Guard |
Junior |
| Courtney Vandersloot |
Gonzaga |
Guard |
Junior |
| Monica Wright |
Virginia |
Guard |
Senior |
Posted 5 months ago at 6:47 PM. Add a comment
There are moments in coaching for all of us, many moments, when you feel just so damn proud. Like the look on Sheri Coale’s face last night when she was being interviewed after her team’s win over Kentucky. Same feeling. Those are the moments we coach for. People, media and the rest can say what they want about dollars, levels, wins and loses, ego garbage – but, in the end it’s these moments that are really what is good in intercollegiate athletics.
This is one of those moments… Thank You Monica.
Monica Wright
Virginia senior guard Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) has been named to theAssociated Press All-America first team, the organization announced Tuesday (March 30). Wright becomes the first Cavalier to earn first-team honors.
Wright is joined on the 2010 squad by Tina Charles (Connecticut), Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) and Maya Moore (Connecticut).
“This is a tremendous honor and I can honestly breathe a sigh of satisfaction knowing that four years of hard work has paid off,” Wright said. “To be mentioned in the same breath as some of the all-time great players at Virginia is wonderful. I obviously would like to thank my coaches and teammates but also a big thanks goes out to my family for all their support throughout the years.”
Wright wrapped up her illustrious career at Virginia as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer with 2,540 points, a total that ranks third on the ACC’s all-time scoring list. This past season, Wright set the UVa single-season scoring mark with 734 points, breaking her own school-record of 696 points set in 2008-09. She averaged 23.7 points per game, which led the ACC and ranked seventh in the nation, and she tallied eight 30-point games and 22 20-point games in 2009-10.
She was named the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year on Monday (March 29), and averaged 3.6 steals and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. Wright tied the school-record with 10 steals in a game vs. Liberty on Dec. 29.
Wright was named the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-ACC as a senior. She was also named to the ACC All-Tournament second team and was tabbed the Richmond Times-Dispatch State Player of the Year.
Wright has started and played in every game during her four years with the Cavaliers. She was a State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team regional finalist as a junior and sophomore and was the ACC Rookie of the Year her freshman year. She is majoring in sociology.
Associated Press All-America First Team
Tina Charles, Connecticut
Kelsey Griffin, Nebraska
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Maya Moore, Connecticut
Monica Wright, Virginia
Second Team
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Nnemka Ogwumike, Stanford
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State
Third Team
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Amber Harris, Xavier
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Jasmine Thomas, Duke
Posted 5 months ago at 9:19 AM. Add a comment
