What coaches want offensively

There is a huge gap between high school and college, and I think one of the toughest aspects to grasp is decision making. As a player in high school you are competing against players who may not have the same skill level as you, which means you may probably be able to execute plenty of different moves whenever you want. However, in college there are a lot of different factors that prevents you from doing what worked in high school. The players in college are bigger, faster, stronger,  different styles of defenses, and coaches preferences, with all that being said one of the hardest aspects of competing in college is understanding what your coaches want from you offensively. I am providing a list based off my experience as an athlete and coach:

Understand your position
Understand the demand and expectation of your position
Understand the offense
Understand what is a good shot
What style of offense
Is it a guard orientated offense or a Post orientated offense
Understand the purpose of possessions
Understand the best shot available

What college coahes want from their players

As a former Division 1 assistant coach there are so many qualities you want your collegiate athletes to posses.  In the women's game there are so many fundamental attributes that are key to a player possessing some qualities that coaches want. There is no simple answer as to what is the best quality, its just what quality does that particular coach want. Here are some qualities a player must posses to be able to withstand the demand of the collegiate athletics.  In my experience as a player and coach these are some of the qualities I believed was necessary to compete as a player whether in practice or games,and  qualities I thought was necessary to compete as a coach.

-Mental Toughness
-Work -Ethic
-Coachable
-The ability to let go of mistakes
-The ability to be your own motivator

Stay tuned we will review offensive and defensive qualities coaches want.

Kevin Durant discussing Confidence with Steve Nash

Please check out this link...
http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/kevin-durant-steve-nash-discuss-road-greatness-video/

Self Confidence

 NCAA Basketball is on its way, and its an exciting time. I remember as an athlete having those pre-game jitters, wanting to take out some frustration, and showcase some new moves on people other than my teammates and practice guys. This is where all the off-season training showcases itself. I know this first game has either increased or decreased confidence. I know players are checking stat sheets or comparing your play to your teammates. As an athlete you are your worst critic, and when you do not perform the way you are capable and expected it steals your mind, and you replay those possessions in your head over and over, and the only satisfaction you can attain is to play the next game and perform well. If affects your self-confidence, and the crazy part about it is only YOU can give or take away your self confidence.  When I was a graduate assistant, their was a player who was not happy with her playing time, and she wanted to transfer as I listened to her feelings and argument, it became apparent that she lacked self-confidence. She no longer believed in her abilities, and was under the impression the coaching staff did not either. She made a decision 3 games into a 30 game season to transfer, because of Self Confidence. We will visit 6 steps to growing your confidence


What can you do to grow your SELF-CONFIDENCE.........

Confidence comes from doing something well over and over again

1.) TRAIN –Self-confidence comes out of a solid base of physical training. If you’ve trained in the off-season it is your God-given right to feel confident. If you’ve regularly slacked off, trying to feel confident is a joke and it’s on you! Confidence comes from knowing you’ve trained longer and harder than your competitor.

2.) REMIND YOURSELF- The nervousness of competition can sometimes cause us to forget how well you prepared. Remind yourself daily of how hard you trained, and remind yourself of your capabilities.

3.) DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF... FOCUS ON YOU!

4.) FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

5.) DWELL ON THE POSITIVE- You have to take it easy on yourself.. you are doing the best you can in the moment that you can. Remember the positive of the day, remember the positive you accomplish.

6.) BE A GOOD COACH TO YOURSELF- focus more energy on catching yourself doing things right


https://www.competitivedge.com/self-confidence

Brandon Jennings Fake Pass

Great fake pass by Brandon Jennings!
I love point guards that display a lot of creativity

Signing Day

NLI (National Letter of Intent) this is the official letter that ensures your scholarship. This was one of the most relieving days for me, the recruiting process was over, and I was committed to LSU. This is when I finally knew what my future was going to be. It was biter sweet, because my best friends who were also very talented basketball players were extremely excited for me, and I was excited for what was to come for them. Enjoy today and remember it for the rest of your life.

What I didnt know?

                 What Questions to Ask?

If you are unfamiliar with the recruiting process it can be kind of scary "the Unknown" The unknown is the factor that prevents us from asking the right questions. The right questions start with yourself? Who are you?  It's a question we will ask ourselves for the rest of our lives...so do not panic! Here are some important questions to ask:

• What kind of player are you?
• What do you want to major in?
• Are you an athlete 1st, player 2nd?
• Do you want to play professionally?
• What do I  want to major in? 
•      -Does the school have my major
•       -Does practice time conflict with my core classes when I get into my major.
•       -Are there any alternative major and minors
• How many players are at your current position? 
• How many are being recruited at your position?
• Style of play
• Difficulty of offense and defense
•      -Understanding a college offense requires dedication
•      - It requires you becoming a student of the game
• Do you receive  a full scholarship?
• Will the program schedule a game close to home?

We will periodically review questions to ask! We are just starting at the beginning.

Intro video

Welcome

My name is Khalilah Mitchell and I started this blog to help student athletes gather the information necessary to make an informed decision about choosing a college. Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions of your life. As a 17 year old student athlete I was in uncharted water, it was stressful,I did not know anything about the recruiting process, what questions to ask, what is important to know, what am I going to study, where am I going to live, do i get stipend, can I drive my first year, what happens if I get hurt etc etc. I just went with the flow of my teammates and the university. I played at Louisiana State University from 2003-2008. I tore my ACL my first year of college and received a red-shirt year. We will discuss what a red-shirt year means later on throughout the blog. After I graduated I wanted to get my Masters Degree, and the University of Central Florida awarded me that opportunity, and upon graduation the head coach hired me as an Assistant Coach. Becoming an assistant coach had been my dream for the past 4 years, only to realize it was just a goal I set to accomplish, and I did! I was not satisfied, it did not give me the passion that i desired, which was skill development and helping the youth understand the process of getting to college. I made a commitment to myself; I wanted to aid  young student athletes get to college and share with them what I did not know in hopes of them making an informed decision, and being prepared for the demand of collegiate athletics. My commitment is to you, stay confident and disciplined