Monthly Archives: July 2012

by Alan Stein 

“Do you know the difference between training and workout out? Training is when you have a progressive plan with measurable goals and continual challenges. Working out is anything that makes you sweaty and tired but not necessarily better because it lacks consistency, direction and specificity.”

 I couldn’t agree more. This concept is so applicable to your off-season summer training program because it lays the foundation for your success next season. Picture a pyramid. A wide base (foundation) yields a higher peak. Your strength & conditioning foundation gives you the ability to perform your basketball skills at a higher level, perform them with more efficiency, and perform them for the entire game (without letting fatigue play a factor).

 That is why the best players and the best teams are in the best shape!

 I am certainly a staunch believer in working hard. Intensity and consistency are the keys to success in anything… especially training. But you have to be working towards something to make it effective. You have to have a plan. You have to have goals. You have to make progress towards those goals every workout.

 Working out just to workout, with no direction, will give you mediocre results at best. Puddles of sweat and aching muscles are only valuable if they are taking you closer to where you are trying to go.

 Which means you must work out with a purpose. Every rep of every set of every exercise of every workout must be done for a reason!

Excerpts taken from Alan Stein

It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish that matters most.”

That sums up my thoughts on the fixation with Player Rankings in youth and high school basketball. Too many players use rankings as a barometer of their value on the court, parents wear it like a badge of honor, and coaches use it to pump up their own prowess.

Kids should play basketball for 2 reasons: 1) They truly love the game 2) They can use it as vehicle for a free education and for unique life experiences My eyes opened to the Player Ranking cult numerous years ago when the Washington Post ran a story claiming a Baltimore kid was the ‘best 10 year old player in the country.’  “Really?” 10 years old? First of all, how could you possibly claim a kid was the best 10 year old unless you had seen every single 10 year old play (and if you have, don’t you have anything better to do with your time)? And what is the point of even trying to determine who the best 10 year old is? Who does that benefit? What positive could possibly come of that? Why would anyone want to burden a 10 year old kid with the pressure of being ‘the best’? Or 12 year old. Or 14 year old for that matter? These are kids we are talking about! Now, I am fine with naming All-American teams or even publicly ranking players right before their senior year in high school… but I believe in doing so as a way to recognize them for what they have already accomplished.

Can you tell me what 2 things these players have in common? Shaheen Halloway and Kenny Gregory 1) Both were the MVP of the McDonalds All-American game (Halloway in ’96 and Gregory in ’97). 2) Both went undrafted in the NBA (and I bet money you have never heard of them)

Publicized internet Player Rankings are polluting youth basketball. If a player is ranked really high, they often become complacent and get enabled by a swarm of vultures and hanger-on-ers who see this kid as their conduit to riches and fame. Everyone in their entourage becomes a ‘yes man’ and kisses their butt. How does that help their development and growth? If a player is ranked low or not ranked at all, they often become frustrated and question the hard work they have already put in. Oftentimes they become selfish players in order to ‘Go for mine’ when playing in tournaments and events. They start playing THE game instead of playing THEIR game. This selfish mentality happens to highly ranked players too… they know that if they don’t fill up the stat sheets their ranking will suffer. The result is selfish play at most youth tournaments and AAU events. Too much dribbling, forced shots, and no extra passes – the exact opposite of how the game is supposed to be played! Going hand in hand with this infatuation with Player Rankings is the need for exposure. After all, you need exposure to get ranked, right? How can you get ranked if no one ever sees you play? I get a dozen emails a week asking me “what is the best way for me to get exposure?” My answer? Become the best player and teammate you can be, the exposure will follow. If you can play; they will find you. According to ESPN’s Dave Telep, Anthony Davis was not ranked in the top 100 in April of 2010. In January of 2011 he was rated the #1 high school player in the country. Soon to follow he was the College Player of the Year and won an NCAA Championship (and is expected to be the 1^st player selected in the 2012 NBA Draft). Players, parents, and coaches… I challenge you not to get caught up in the Player Rankings. Focus on development and daily improvement. Focus on getting better every day. Focus playing because you are passionate about the game and you want basketball to help you earn an education, make lifelong friends, and travel to new places. Focus on the purity of the game. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.