Virginia Independent Schools State Champions!

The Paul VI Lady Panthers Varsity Basketball team captured an amazing fifth consecutive Virginia Independent Schools State Championship with an incredible overtime win, 48-41, over Flint Hill.

Freshman forward Ariana Freeman was fouled as the regulation game clock expired and sank two free throws with no time left on the clock to tie the score 37-37 and force overtime.  In OT, the Panthers momentum rolled as Sophomore Guard and State Tournament MVP, Marlena Tremba, hit a three pointer, made 4 straight free throws coupled with a lay-up from Freeman outscoring Flint Hill 9 – 2 in OT, sealing the 5^th consecutive VIS State Title for the Panthers.  Senior Devan Fitzsimmons and Freshman Ariana Freeman were named to the All-Tournament team.  Sophomore Marlena Tremba was named State Tournament MVP.  Senior Devan Fitzsimmons ends her basketball career at Paul VI going 4 for 4 in state titles.

The road the the finals began with a 65-25 Quarter-Final win over St Gertrude’s.  PVI then faced rival # 4 seed Bishop O’Connell in the State Semi-finals at Benedictine High School in Richmond which hosted the State Championships.  The Lady Panthers came away with a 71-51 win setting up last years finals rematch against Flint Hill.

The State Championship win tops off an amazing season for the youthful Lady Panthers, who’s roster consists of three freshman, six sophomores, and two seniors.  PVI returned only captain Devan Fitzsimmons from the 2009-10 season and featured ten new faces that have never played together.

PVI finishes with 21 wins which includes 10 WCAC conference wins on the season.  The 21 wins is the second most wins in PVI girls basketball history as well as the ten conference wins.

I remember sitting in my basement with the ladies and listening to them speak about “how” to get to where they wanted to go.  What “sacrifices” it would take of each individual to get there and how excited they were for this team, it’s roster of new players and the journey that was in front of them.  Congratulations ladies!

The future looks very bright and exciting!!

If you have a quote that you would like to us to share, please send it to us at: ideas@allbasketballreview.com.

Any quote shared and used on out site will receive FREE shipping on any Mental Toughness for Basketball book purchased.

Today’s quotes come from Coach Bryce McKey, the Associate  Head Coach of the Hathaway Brown Girl’s Varsity basketball team and the Head Coach of the SportsCity U AAU girl’s program.

Thank you Coach McKey for sharing these!

“When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”

-Jacob Riis-

“My basic principle is that you don’t make decisions because they are easy, you don’t make them because they are cheap, and you don’t make them because they are popular; you make them because they are right.”

–Theodore Hesburgh

This clip was taken from Stan’s time with the Miami Heat.  There is an outstanding message here.  I believe the emphasis on skills should be taken on by every coach, regardless of level – but completely embraced at the youngest levels.

Do NOT sacrifice skill development for WINS!

I am currently helping coach my son’s 7 year old team and I can echo Stan’s sentiments more.

Also, I have been fortunate to become involved with the Virginia Basketball Academy here in Charlottesville.  VABA takes the high emphasis of skill development and teaching even a step further.  The Mission of VABA is teaching, real teaching with building character and shape lives through the game of basketball.

Character development.  Skill Development.  Core Values.

Don’t miss the opportunity to teach and impact the lives of young basketball players… it will be some of the most rewarding days of you life.

Today’s Play of the Day comes from Berlin Hiland High School in Berlin, OH… home of the Classic in the Country.  The Classic it easily one of the top 5 scholastic high school girls basketball tournaments in the country.  Meticulously run, exceptional talent, first class treatment of players, fans, college coaches, VIP’s… everything.  If you have never been to Berlin, OH or the Classic… do yourself a favor and go.  Every year, Martin Luther King weekend… it is more than just basketball in Amish country.  There’s a purpos and a message…  READ THIS.  The real story behind the Classic in the Country.

“Pesky” Berlin Hiland would not go away in the second half vs. Columbus Africentric.  Down a bunch, Hiland hit three straight 3′s with these two beauties.

Fantastic job, wide open looks.

Today’s Basketball Plays is a brand new website.  It’s a phenomenal resource for coaches at any level.  Simple and precise… it’s a “Play a Day” from an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced basketball coach.  Bookmark it or come back and access it from my “A-List”.

Bill Pope

Bill Pope is an assistant coach/advance scout with the Detroit Pistons. In his current position, Pope assists the coaching staff during training camp and the playoffs, serves as advance scout and was an assistant coach for the Pistons’ 2010 summer league unit. Pope joined the Pistons as an assistant coach/video coordinator in 2004.  Bill sees over 100 live NBA games a year, watches countless hours of video and has been around the league for nearly a decade.

I had the good fortune to meet Bill in the early 90′s while at Jacksonville University through another member of our Jacksonville staff, Glynn Cyprien. Bill is very down to earth and great to talk basketball with.

Prior to joining the Pistons, Pope spent 15 seasons as a college coach. During the 2003-04 season he was an assistant coach at Youngstown State after serving six years as head basketball coach at NCAA Division II Lincoln University in Missouri. He was responsible for a dramatic turnaround at Lincoln as the school’s head coach. His 2000-01 squad shared the Heartland Conference Championship and Pope was named Heartland Conference Coach of the Year. Additionally, the program was named NCAA Division II’s Most Improved Team by virtue of winning 20 games following a two-win season as an independent.

Pope graduated from Kansas in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in education, where he also served as a manager for the Jayhawks basketball team and head coach Larry Brown for five seasons. His time at Kansas included five NCAA Tournament berths, a Final Four appearance in 1986 and a National Championship in 1988. He joined Brown’s staff with the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.

The simple purpose: to raise funds and awareness as well as increase the donor registry – all to benefit bone marrow research & transplants around the world!

VDBL teams played basketball as long as they could… and found people to pay for each hour that they played (or they made a flat donation). The

Defensive Teaching at the Marrowthon

2nd annual Marrowthon was a fun and fit activity for the VDBL (a.k.a. “D” League) that helps support a wonderful cause.  Not only was it a great fitness event, but it further supported the vital mission and core values stressed by VABA.

There were up to 12 hours of basketball available to all players (1:00 – 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 6^th & Sunday, November 7^th).

Ball Handling at the Marrowthon

The team’s hours counted for the time they spent on the court.   Whether it was the 60-minute scrimmages, 30-minute clinics, Skills Challenges, 3-point Contests or 1-on-1 Challenges with UVA Players, VDBL participants set realistic goals based on age and development.

Each player received a certificate of participation.

The goal: to help families raise the balance of their league fee, and in doing so, help the VABA Fundraising Committee raise at least $7,500 to fund the VABA Scholarship Program (which funds VABA programs to those who cannot afford them).  If each family raised $150, VABA will have achieved their goal.  If each family raised up to $320, the families will have zero left on their league participation balance.

And, the best news is… someone could SAVE A LIFE! How?

All adults, eighteen years and older, were encouraged to join the registry for bone marrow tissue typing…and possibly save a life.   It’s easy to join!  There are no needles or invasive procedures.   The technology has been vastly simplified in recent years, so there is no reason not to join!   To join, anyone could simply stop by a “Donor Booth” at the Basketball Marrowthon and have their cheek swabbed – that’s it!  Then, each new registrant was placed on the registry for a patient desperately in need of a match.   VABA also made a contribution towards the laboratory testing cost for everyone that joined.

If you haven’t registered… DO IT!

To find out more about registering or hosting a “Be The Match” registry event look HERE.

Thank you to everyone in the Charlottesville area who attended, volunteered and became a potential match!

Parents are a vital part of the college athletic recruiting process, whether it is in basketball or any other sport.  Unfortunately, many families struggle to fully understand the process and what their role should be.  This can end up having a negative impact on their child’s chances to maximize their recruiting potential.

Make no mistake, recruiters in all sports will find out about your child.  If he or she can play… recruiters will know about them.  With all the Social Networking avenues out there, the days of the “hidden gem” or “totally unknown” prospect are gone.

The “under the radar” player, the one’s that are late bloomers or are not quite the star on their team… they may still be some what hidden, but not totally.  This usually only occurs if they do not play their sport outside of their area or on a travel type team.  I may also mean the student-athlete has never attended a camp or a clinic or larger tournament.  Other than that… someone, some where will have seen them and written something on the Internet or Tweeted about them – you can count on it.

It’s a college coaches job (sometimes the #1 job) to find players.  Great talent, great players make us all better coaches.  College coaches will find players no matter where they are, no matter what the sport.

I have always used the comparison… Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin may be the two top NASCAR drivers right now.  But stick Jimmie and Denny in a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle and give me their cars… I beat them hands down every single race!  You have to have players.

Let’s look at a few parent questions I cam across…

Becky Says:
October 27th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

Since recruitment (efforts permitted on students/parents part by NCAA) is starting so early, is it okay for me , the parent to do the majority of the communicating with coaches until my athlete enters high school? I would like for my athlete to focus on her game, schoolwork, etc and let me research, identify good schools/coaches, etc until she is mature enough to do so. Will the coaches frown on this?

Great question Becky… It is absolutely OK (and encouraged) for you to take the lead and do the majority of the communication with coaches for as long as you and your family deem it – not just until she enters high school.  Remember, you are in charge of this process – not the schools or the coaches.  This is your daughter’s life: academic career and athletic career, you decide the rules – not the other way around.

There are specific NCAA guidelines on contacting prospective student-athletes and their families.  Those guidelines can be found at the link below.

Most school / programs, ones that are credible and where you would want your child to attend, will NOT frown on this… they will encourage it!

I would start by establishing your families own “recruiting process”… email me at: recruiting@allbaskeballreview and I’ll give you some more ideas on setting that up.

Mary Says:
October 27th, 2010 at 11:11 pm

As part of Becky’s question. This is the time to start applying to colleges. With applications in process, would it be wise to have the player instead of the parent ,to contact a coach and let them know you still have an interest in their football program as well as what the college offers? I’m unsure as a parent if I should be contacting coach?

Mary… you can always contact a coach.  The NCAA allows families to contact coaches almost any time they want on their own.  (*There are a limited number of “NO CONTACT” days, but don’t even worry about that.)

Regarding your question:  It is actually LATE in the process!  By the time it is application time, the majority of recruiting is done.  Depending on the level of recruiting (Division I, II or III) usually determines that.  I would call that coach today!

This link NCAA RECRUITING GUIDELINES provides you with links to all of the NCAA bylaws.  They aren’t totally easy to understand or find.  If you need help, email me at:  recruiting@allbasketballreview.com and I will walk you though it.

Stephanie Says:
October 28th, 2010 at 9:13 am

What can I do as a parent that has a child that attends a school where the coaches does not have any interest in exposing their athletes to college coaches (track and field)? Am I able to record the events and send off to schools?

I’m sorry to hear that your track & field program is not helping your child with their exposure to college coaches and universities themselves.  That is unfortunate.  As educators, we should all strive to help all of our students with any of their pursuits, especially ones with potential academic advancement opportunities.

First, if your child competes in track & field activities outside of the school (a club, AAU or Y type program) approach those coaches and see if they have any interest in helping to support your child’s exposure efforts.  (i.e. contacting coaches, making recommendations or assisting in any of the recruiting process.)

You can always record any competition or practice events and send them to any school you like.  How much that helps or doesn’t help a prospect has always been a great topic of discussion.  The recruiting services out there, the services that charge you money to “get your son/daughter recruited,” will tell you to pay them and let them handle it for you.  I can’t say that those services don’t work because for some I’m sure they do.  I only know from my years of recruiting I NEVER recruited ONE player from any of those services.  NOT ONE.  As I said, I wouldn’t say they don’t work, but I have not personally seen it.

Email me at recruiting@allbasketballreview.com and I will give you some ideas on creating video clips, contacting schools and establishing a recruiting process for your child.

Thank you all for your great questions.  Keep them coming!

Over 50 coaches attended the two-day coaches clinic at St. Leo the Great School in Fairfax.  Thank you coaches for your participation!  A special thank you to the members of the PVI High School team members for their help and participation.

Ball Handling at the PVI Coaches Clinic

A huge variety of skill development, offenses, defenses and planning concepts were shared and discussed.  The 26 page coaches packet and all notes are available from Coach Scott Allen as well as DVD’s of the clinic.

Email Coach Allen for any information at coachsallen@aol.com.  You can also feel free to post a comment and we will reply with any information.

ABR Program Review

With the Fall brings my annual Practice & Team Evaluations.

Beginning on Monday October 18th I will be on the road almost until the end of the month, with November requests coming in as well.

Spots and spaces are filling quickly.

It is easily the best professional development tool in the business, both for myself and for the programs I consult with.

In 2009 – 10 I was able to sit in on over 75 live practices, games, film sessions, staff meetings, recruiting meetings and recruiting trips; following it up with a detailed report for the head coach and their staff.

SAMPLE REPORT.

I’ve already been to nearly a dozen individual workouts, practices and film sessions in 2010 – 11!

Many times during the 2009 – 10 season I was asked to provide a scouting report for a team by their own staff – again, helping the program to improve.  I wrote the report from the opposing coaches viewpoint… what would I do to beat you.

SAMPLE REPORT. (*without diagrams)

A confidential, unbiased eye with 25 years experience to review your practices, film and offer insight, recommendations and hands on work to help the program improve.  Your own personal “Quality Control Coach.”

I’m excited to get started!

]]> http://www.allbasketballreview.com/practice-evaluations-consultation/feed 1 http://www.allbasketballreview.com/recruiting-communication-snail-mail-vs-the-digital-world http://www.allbasketballreview.com/recruiting-communication-snail-mail-vs-the-digital-world#comments Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:31:14 +0000 Jeff http://www.allbasketballreview.com/?p=4025 Continue reading →]]> adapted from TCS

I recently read Dan Tudor’s evaluation of Snail Mail vs. the world of Digital Media.  It’s safe to assume that everyone follows Dan and has visited his site, but the the record… check it out – it’s worth it.  Whether you agree or disagree with him, there is enough stuff there to at least make you think.

I wanted to take it a step further and add to his points.

With Fall recruiting nearly over (I am hearing many sighs of relief right now!) how are you going to follow it all up?  Email?  Facebook?  Hand written notes? Faxes? Twitter?   All of the above?

I’m an old-school recruiter.  I have always believed that a handwritten letter, though more cumbersome and time consuming, are of great value and worth the effort.  The physical act for the prospect of walking to the mailbox, removing all the letters, deciding on which one to open first, opening it, holding it, reading it and deciding what to do with it all stimulates an emotional experience for the reader.  All the technology, Social Media and networking options are vital, but not at the expense of writing someone a handwritten note on your school’s stationary.  It also doesn’t command the emotional attachment that a letter does.

Take for example this scenario.  How many of you have sent an email and had the meaning misinterpreted?  Everyone.  How many times has that happened with a hand written note?  Almost never.  Why?  Studies say there is something about the physical nature of paper, the actual look of the hand writing, how it feels in the person’s hand and smells that attaches itself emotionally to the reader and helps convey the message and meaning better than the computer, phone or PDA screen.

Over the past few years the evolution in the recruiting thought process has been: these kids mainly communicate through PDA’s, Social Media and networking, etc… I better get on it and on it fast.  You’re right.

There is no question about that.  Do it.  Get on the technology, understand it and use it.  If you don’t – you are behind.  Technology, such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook make interacting with recruits a lot easier and very effective.  Name one of your recruits without a PDA or cell phone.  Is there one?  Email has become secondary and in many cases obsolete.  I conducted an informal survey / test.  While at an event I had a third person send an email to a prospect in plain site of the two of us asking them to call the third person.  I watched.  Then I had the same person “Facebook” them and ask them to call.  10+ seconds later… the prospect called.  When asked why they called… because “You Facebooked me.”  When asked if they checked/got their email… they replied, “I never check email anymore.”   When asked if they got email on their PDA they responded, “sure.”  WOW!… Is email outdated already?  I don’t think so, but it’s not as effective as it once was.

Personally watching the prospect I witnessed it unfold before my eyes.  The prospect never budged on the email “buzz”, but immediately checked the Facebook hit.  In repeating this test over and over, the resounding result was the same.  Even more, mail has made a come back and replaced email in many situations.

I’d also beware of the Facebook trap in recruiting.  To many, me included, it’s a little creepy.  Friending 15 – 18 year old prospects for the adult recruiter is very touchy.  Especially in women’s basketball or any other women’s sport for that matter.  Personally, I’ve never gone the Facebook route for that reason.  I wouldn’t want recruiters Facebooking with my child (son or daughter), I’m not going to do it with some one elses.

If you are going to use Facebook I would discuss this in great detail amongst your staff and get on the same page with what everyone is comfortable with.  Decide on what and how it will be used.  Also, see if your department/university has a policy or concerns with the use of Facebook in recruiting.  Understand the NCAA bylaws governing it’s use.   First rule: speak to the prospect’s parents.  Make sure they are comfortable with it and want it to happen.  Don’t assume it is different for male prospects than female prospects.  That is the trap.

A recent study will give coaches who still love the look and feel of the good ‘ol fashioned recruiting letter some good news:

Mail outranks electronic media when it comes to some important areas.

Physical media, such as recruiting letters and other creative materials, caused more emotional processing in the brains of those tested.   The same physical media left a deeper footprint in the minds of the recipients.

The bottom line of the study, which you can read in full here, is that physical mail and media seems more “real” to the reader.  That’s an important fact to pay attention to because the areas of the brain that are engaged during this processing are some of the places that make the deepest impact when it comes to our emotional connection with the sender.

There are some really effective ideas that are NCAA compliant that you should consider when it comes to making the most out of your snail mail recruiting:

1. Pay attention to the stock and quality of the paper you use.  The study seems to indicate that the weight, brightness, and other quality factors are noticed by the reader.  For example, what if you wrote about wanting to talk to your recruit about an offer, and did so on a heavier card stock?  The look and feel of the paper you use helps to underscore the message you’re talking to them about.
2. Since paper registers deeper with our emotions, save your more emotional messages for the printed page. Things like your vision for your program, an official invitation to campus…the messages regarding the things you believe to be at the heart of the prospects decision.
3. Get creative with your envelope. Does an envelope need to be an envelope?  Get your compliance office to approve everything first, but think outside the box on this one.  When a prospect receives 20+ pieces a mail a day – what makes them decide which letter to pick up first.  First impressions matter, even more so with your envelope.

Any good, well structured recruiting communication system must contain all forms of electronic communication, hand written communication, phone calls and faxes and be well thought out and organized.

I believe it is dangerous to move totally away from hand written mail and solely into the digital age.  Balance, creativity, organization and consistency is the key.

It’s an easy lesson:  Do what is right, not what is easy.  After you lose a recruit, it is impossible to push the rewind button and do it all over adding in things you left out the first time.  You never know what it will be that helps put your program over the top for any given prospect.  It won’t be any one thing every time.  Stay omnipresent to cues your are getting back.  Diversify your recruiting portfolio and give yourself a broader foundation for potential success.