Reflecting on Reading What Made Maddie Run
I just finished reading Kate Fagan’s book What Made Maddie Run. One of my player’s goals this summer is to read this book, so I read it too. The book uncovers the months leading up to…
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Author: Mark Schruender
Don’t Do These 10 Things Coaching Basketball
The book Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann is required reading in many NBA offices. The book is a case study for the route that many NBA players are taking. It is helping NBA executives…
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Is It Student-Athlete or Athlete-Student?
I just read the book The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley. Ripley travels to Finland, South Korea, and Poland to compare the experiences of American students while…
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Faith and Effort: Two Goals to Accomplish Anything
At the urging of a co-worker I read The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod. Elrod argues that through unwavering faith and incredible effort anything can be accomplished. I read it through the lens of a coach…
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Teachable Moment: The Chris Webber Timeout
Dean Smith’s first national title came with Michael Jordan hitting a shot late to put Carolina ahead. The second national title was also a one possession game. And then Chris Webber called timeout. Webber put together…
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How Smith, Krzyzewski, and Valvano Delayed Instant Gratification
I just read The Legends Club by John Feinstein which documents the competition amongst interstate rivals Jim Valvano, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski. In addition to some interesting stories about that era, there is a consistent theme…
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Seven Steps to Less Stressful Coaching
After reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I found seven themes that will develop a less stressful coaching experience. These themes are probably all things you consider, but as with anything else in basketball it…
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Does Form Shooting Belong in Practice?
One of my favorite takeaways from Coach Jon DeMarco is his take on developing a shot. His current pinned tweet emphasizes the importance of players developing a shot on their own. In an ideal situation, this…
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Jon DeMarco: Five Basketball Lessons from the #GBetBBChat
Coach Jon DeMarco has been trying to grow his network and knowledge in basketball through the #GBetBBChat that he facilitates using his Twitter account (@Coach_Demarco). For very selfish reasons I wanted to know what the biggest…
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Balancing Work, Life, and Coaching Basketball
I recently spoke with a coaching friend Jon DeMarco. I personally coached against Coach DeMarco one season and his teams were always physical and disciplined. We found that out the hard way in two blowout losses.…
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