#71 How to Leave a Great Voice Mail for College Coaches

USA TODAY High School Sports has a weekly column on the college recruiting process. Here, you’ll find practical tips and real-world advice on becoming a better recruit to maximize your opportunities to play at the college level. Jaimie Duffek was one of the top 50 high school softball players in Illinois who went onto play outfield for Drake University. Jaimie is just one of many former college and professional players, college coaches, and parents who are part of the Next College Student Athlete team. Their knowledge, experience, and dedication along with NCSA’s history of digital innovation, and long-standing relationship with the college coaching community have made NCSA the largest and most successful athletic recruiting network in the country.

Your student-athlete has done some recruiting legwork. They’ve researched a bunch of schools, created a list of 50-plus to target, and may have even reached out to the coaches through email. But it’s been a while, and you haven’t heard back from anyone. What do you do?

It’s time for your student-athlete to pick up the phone. In this era of texts, tweets and emails, the majority of college coaches receive fewer than seven phone calls a week. Taking the time to make a call can really set you apart from other recruits and increase your chance of a response.

Prepare a script

When calling a coach, one of two things will happen: they’ll either answer, or they won’t. You should be prepared for both scenarios. In case they do pick up, here are some tips for phone calls with coaches. However, coaches are pretty busy, and they likely won’t have your number saved in their phone, so they might not answer. In this case, you’ll want to be ready to leave a brief but informative voicemail.

Insider Tip: Calling coaches in the summer is a good opportunity to catch them in the offseason when they are a little less busy.

The best way to prepare to leave a voicemail is to write out a brief script and practice it before you call. This might feel silly, but it lowers the chance of calling and freezing up when it’s time to leave your message. Hey, it happens to all of us. Coaches expect athletes to be a little nervous, so don’t sweat it too much.

To help avoid that scenario, here’s some what you’ll want to include in your voicemail script:

• Your name
• Where you’re from
• The team you play for and your position
• Your graduation year
• Reason why you’re calling (you’re curious about their recruiting timeline, you want to see where you stand skill set-wise, etc.)
• A note about how you’ll be following up or how they can contact you
• A closing line thanking them for their time

Practice, practice, practice

Once the script is written, practice it out loud. A good tip is to call your own phone number and leave a voicemail to hear what you sound like. Would you recruit yourself if you were a coach? When you leave the actual voicemail, be sure not to read directly from the script. You will want to sound as confident and enthusiastic as possible. Reading a script can make you sound like a robot.

Here are a few other tips to help you leave the best voicemail possible:

• Make sure the student-athlete is the one calling. While they may feel intimidated to speak to a coach, coaches want to hear from the recruit directly, not their family.
• Check your surroundings, and be sure you’re in a quiet area without any distractions or background noise.
• Speak clearly, enunciating your name and phone number especially. It’s a good idea to repeat your phone number, just in case.
• Personalize each voicemail you leave by including the coach’s name and a couple of specifics about the school’s program.
• Don’t let the message go longer than 30 seconds. But don’t rush, either! Speak at a natural pace.

Insider Tip: Start by calling the schools on your list that you’re not as interested in. This type of practice will increase your comfort with leaving voicemails without as much pressure involved, and you will have a few calls under your belt before getting to your top picks.

What’s next?

After they have left a voicemail, your student-athlete should immediately follow up with an email restating the information from their message. If you don’t hear back within a week or so, it’s OK to call and leave another voicemail or two. Persistence is key. If you’re leaving multiple voicemails, it’s important to make sure each message can stand alone, as the coach may only listen to one of them. Also, shy away from referencing other voicemails you’ve left the coach. This can come off as passive aggressive.

Insider Tip: Your chance of making contact with a coach actually increases each time you call, so don’t get discouraged.

If you keep getting a coach’s voicemail, you should talk to your high school or club coach about facilitating a time to talk to the coach on the phone, as it might just be too early for coaches to contact you directly. Remember, student-athletes can contact a college coach at any stage of their athletic careers, but for Division I and Division II, coaches usually have to wait until their junior year to contact them directly. Here is more information about when college coaches can contact student-athletes.

Effective communication with college coaches is one of the best ways to stand out among other recruits. It can be awkward—and even scary—but the more you do it, the easier it gets. And, in the end, when a coach remembers you and reaches out because of the professional voicemail you left, it’ll all be worth it.

#70 Tipping the Pot

You all know the song I'm a Little Teapot.  You know the line that goes...

When I get all steamed up, hear me shout, tip me over and pour me out.

This reminds me of what a lot of families are experiencing when they get on the phone with me to do an assessment and evaluation of their child's potential for recruitment.  They have spent thousands of dollars on equipment and registrations to camps, showcases, AAU and travel teams.  They have heard a hundred different answers from coaches and other parents to the same questions.  Their pot is absolutely full of frustration and doubt, and they are literally ready to tip over because they just can't add another thing to their over-flowing concerns and uncertainty. [And this not an exaggeration!]

The problem is that everyone tells them they are an expert...

I played college ball, so I know how this works.

Susie's parents did this and it got Susie a scholarship.  You should try that.

College coaches cannot recruit you until you are a junior.

If you come play on my travel team, we guarantee that you will get exposure from college coaches.

Does any of that nonsense sound familiar?

If you are feeling that your pot is truly to the point of tipping over, stop for a second and breathe.  You are okay.  Stop panicking.  Stop being manic about this journey and ask yourself some simple questions:

1. Is my child accountable for their future?
• Are they working hard on their academics to make sure they can get into any college?
• Are they loving playing their sport?  Can you call that love a true passion...something they won't be ready to give up when they go to college?
• Are they working hard on their bodies to be stronger and better conditioned?
• Are they working hard on their skill set to master their abilities?
2. Am I 100% committed to helping them accomplish their dreams?
• Do I feel like my child's passion inspires me to give them my best because I know they are earning my very best?
3. Do I want my child to be in control of their future?
• Am I tired of hoping that other coaches and parents will lead us in the right direction?

If the answer to all of these questions is an emphatic "YES", then you are ready to hand off the wheel of your child's future to your child.  It is time for them to start driving this car.

Here's what to do:

1.  Go to www.ncsasports.org and click "Parents Start Here" or "Athletes Start Here".

2.  We will immediately create the car for your child to drive.  [Metaphorically speaking]

3.  We will contact you and schedule a one-hour assessment with your entire family to make sure you have a plan and process that your child can use to manage their own recruitment. [Learn to drive the car!]

4.  We will give you the tools and resources you need to:

• Create exposure
• Find the right fit schools academically, geographically and athletically
• Get coaches excited about your son or daughter

I encourage you to stop fighting this journey.  We will take the burden off your family and simplify this path that you are on.  There is a reason that...

• 35,000+ college coaches (29 sports) use us every day to find their prospects.
• Thousands of families each week contact us to be evaluated.
• Our students' profiles were viewed over 5 million times last year by college coaches.
• We have placed over 100,000 student-athletes on college rosters at schools they LOVE.

Whatever you do, I hope you don't forget that this is the only time in your child's life he or she will have the opportunity to be recruited by anyone.  It should be fun.  It should be exciting.  And, both parent and child alike should feel that this is a journey they can do together!

Reach out to me any time if you would like direction, advice or just a sympathetic ear to bounce ideas off.  I'd be thrilled to give your child the journey that I wish I would have had at their age!

Coach Matt Rogers

Twitter:  @madcoachdiary

Email:  coachrogers12@gmail.com

Linkedin:  www.linkedin.com/in/rogersmatt16

Blog:  madcoachdiary.blogspot.com

Phone:  (312) 610-6045

Matt Rogers is a 20-year high school and college coach veteran.  He has led two teams to the NCAA National Tournament and one team to a High School State Championship.  His teams hold numerous school and one NCAA record. He has mentored and coached players at every collegiate level while serving as an athletics administrator at the high school and NCAA levels. He currently is the Head National Scout/Recruiting Specialist for NCSA - Next College Student Athlete where he has helped thousands of young men and women from around the world achieve their dreams of playing at the college level.  Coach presently lives in the Denver, CO area with his wife of 19 years and his two children. 

To request Coach Rogers to speak at your school or event, you can reach him through any of his contact information above.

#69 Sacrifice

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion. --Mia Hamm

Why do we play sports?  Watch the NCAA tourneys for the next 3 weeks.  Pain...tears...disappointment...yelling...screaming...national embarrassment...universal criticism and second-guessing...uncommon challenges...defeat...loss...End.  Sign me up, right?

Only one team...only one group of individuals...only one set of fans will be happy at the end of it all.  Only a teeny-tiny percentage of those involved and those supporting will have a sense of joy when the late great Luther Vandross finally croons "One Shining Moment".

So why do we play?  Many of you will say "to find out who the best is."  Good answer.  Some may say "for the glory" or "for the win".  Another good answer.  The real reason we play is because of the sacrifice.

I dare you to find me one person on our planet who does the same thing over and over again each day and who is as happy as they can be.  Their efforts change no lives.  Their investment could be done by anyone with a specific knowledge base or skill, and their only purpose is to make a paycheck to pay for their own personal food, habitation and transportation.  What's missing from that life?  Sacrifice.

If you are a parent, your professional life may feel like this, but it is because of that sacrifice you are enabled to feel value in a monotonous professional existence.  You may be living an existence you didn't choose, but if you are doing it to sacrifice for your family, you have self-worth and value because of that sacrifice.  You are making choices that normally you would not have made if it weren't for your internal need to sacrifice for the love you have for others.

If you have never played a contact sport, watch 5 minutes of a game this weekend.  Focus on one player.  Watch everything they do for 5 minutes, and you will see more sacrifice than you can imagine.  They will run, chase, stop and go, hit and get hit, jump and fall, and they will do it all with a billion people watching them around the world.  Most would sprint from that type of sacrifice...that type of internal and external pressure.  These young people.  These coaches.  They do it because the sacrifice for each other is worth every possible bad thing that could inevitably happen...for every extraordinary disappointment that they know is completely expected for 99% of the participants.

Whether you are a soldier, policeman, or fire-fighter who is risking/sacrificing your life to save and protect others, or you are a parent, coach or athlete who is sacrificing their time and personal health to help someone reach their potential, it is sacrifice that drives us to become something bigger, better and more significant.

It is also why our deepest hunger as homo sapiens is the hunger for love, affection and companionship.  We have this unexplained yearning to connect to others, so we can connect to someone in order to sacrifice for that other soul.  In short, we need others in order to understand our own existence.

It is because of this amazing sacrifice that we are all so crazy about filling out a bracket and watching every second of every game.  Even when we are not the one doing the actual sacrificing, the opportunity to connect to the transcendence of another's sacrifice provides us with a euphoria that we will never really quite understand...but boy do we want more of it!

What is the moral of this story?   The NCAA Tournament is another vast reminder of the importance of living, connecting, and taking chances...even when we doubt our self-worth, value, and capability.  As you enjoy every second of the euphoria which will be these next 3 weeks of college basketball, I hope it inspires you to sacrifice to create your own.

Coach Matt Rogers

Twitter:  @madcoachdiary

Email:  coachrogers12@gmail.com

Linkedin:  www.linkedin.com/in/rogersmatt16

Blog:  madcoachdiary.blogspot.com

Phone:  (312) 610-6045

Matt Rogers is a 20-year high school and college coach veteran.  He has led two teams to the NCAA National Tournament and one team to a High School State Championship.  His teams hold numerous school and one NCAA record. He has mentored and coached players at every level while serving as an athletics administrator at the high school and NCAA levels. He has helped numerous players continue their careers at the professional level. He currently is the Head National Scout/Recruiting Specialist for NCSA - Next College Student Athlete where he has helped thousands of young men and women from around the world achieve their dreams of playing at the college level.  Coach presently lives in the Denver, CO area with his wife of 19 years and his two children. 

To request Coach Rogers to speak at your school or event, you can reach him through any of his contact information above.

#68 Your Season Is Over, Now What?

If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk? --Laurence J. Peter

Let's be honest...you are tired.  It's been a long season.  You've coached 70-90 practices.  You've coached 20-30 games.  You've taught.  You've encouraged.  You've yelled.  You've celebrated.  You've left the gym devastated.  You're darn right you're tired.  A basketball season is completely physically and emotionally consuming for a coach.  It's not just the practices and the games.  There's the player meetings, practice prep, film sessions, trips to scout your opponents, writing of scouting reports, more film, more one-on-one player meetings, administrative meetings, conference meetings, uninformed parent meetings...It goes on and on and on.

Whether you went 1-24 or you just won the state championship, your body is still running on adrenaline, and you are trying to figure out what to do with the massive amount of time that just fell in your lap.

Now, I know there is equipment and uniforms to collect.  There's a banquet to plan.  There's stats and film to organize.  There's weights and conditioning and summer camps and leagues to create.  There's college prospects on your roster that need help with their recruiting, and there are letters to write and phone calls to make.  I get it.  However, you've got no more practices to plan for 8 months...no more games to prep...no more x's and o's to build.  It's time to breathe.

As Mr. Peter said above, it's time to clear your desk and time to clear your mind.  Today you are a phoenix.  Today is the start of your next renaissance.

You need time to start fresh and for a few weeks, you need to think about you and your family and let basketball be a foreign country a billion miles away.  Make yourself establish some new routines for a while.  Meet a friend for coffee or breakfast once per week.  Start hitting that treadmill at school 3 days a week...even for just 10 minutes.  Take your wife or husband out for dinner on a Tuesday or Friday night.  They don't even know you exist on those nights.  Start a book you've been meaning to read.  Eat dinner with your family every night and actually have a family outing once per week.  Whatever you do, replace the loss with routine that gives you peace and joy and a reminder that you are a human being.

If you are one of those coaches whose desk is always clean and immaculate at the end of the day, I applaud you.  That's impressive.  If you are like the rest of us, you want that clutter created from needing the days to be longer than 24 hours to go away.  Clean your desk.  Clean your office.  Then step back and feel good that you have a clean canvass to start painting your next season again when you are ready.

What's nice about the end of the season is that you now have the power to re-invent yourself.  You can explode from the ashes of last season, and come out flying as a completely new creature.  

Maybe you are finally getting some seniors to graduate who weren't the best leaders.  Maybe you finally will have some size or speed or shooters or scorers or a team committed to running or defensive pressure next year.  Whether you won ZERO games or you won them all, step back, breathe, and start thinking about who you want to be next and what tools do you have to create your very "first" team for the upcoming year.

If you need that guy to have a coffee with or just a chat that will lead to a lot of laughter, give me a call.  Enjoy this time.  You've earned it!

Coach Matt Rogers
Twitter:  @madcoachdiary
Email:  coachrogers12@gmail.com
Linkedin:  www.linkedin.com/in/rogersmatt16
Blog:  madcoachdiary.blogspot.com
Phone:  (312) 610-6045

Matt Rogers is a 20-year high school and college coach veteran.  He has led two teams to the NCAA National Tournament and one team to a High School State Championship.  His teams hold numerous school and one NCAA record. He has mentored and coached players at every level while serving as an athletics administrator at the high school and NCAA levels. He has helped numerous players continue their careers at the professional level. He currently is the Head National Scout/Recruiting Specialist for NCSA - Next College Student Athlete where he has helped thousands of young men and women from around the world achieve their dreams of playing at the college level.  Coach presently lives in the Denver, CO area with his wife of 19 years and his two children. 

To request Coach Rogers to speak at your school or event, you can reach him through any of his contact information above.

#67 The Great Wall

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.  --Mahatma Ghandi

I believe that every person on the planet has a characteristic that defines them.  I do believe mine is empathy.  Having empathy as the center of your character is a blessing and a curse.  I often think of others and their feelings before I think of my own.  My parents raised me to walk in another person's shoes before I make judgments about them or their actions.  That leads me to sometimes forget to sleep and eat and be on time when I promised my wife I would ready.  Empathy has made me a lot of friends, but it also gets me in trouble.

For example, and many of you may think less of me for saying or feeling this, but September 11, 2001 is one of the most vivid memories I have in my life.  It was one of the most heart-breaking and devastating days in our country and in my time.  When word started to circulate what truly happened in those planes, my first thought was "what could we have possibly done to those men to create such hate in their hearts that they would even think these thoughts, let alone act them out?"

I was married and 26 years old at that point.  8 years earlier, my first thought would have been to enlist and immediately join the army.  Their hate would have been met by mine.  At 26, though, I had lived a little.  I had perspective.  I had been married for 4 years and had learned that the world did not revolve around me.  I knew that I had a choice to be a part of the problem or I could choose to be a part of the solution.  My empathy for those who were viciously murdered was overwhelming for months, but my empathy for the families of those who acted out those awful plans was equally overwhelming.

As I look at the landscape of our world, I instinctively worry about my children...and yours.  With those thoughts, I begin to think about those who shaped me.  Outside of my family, I have had two great role models in my adult life.  One is "Mr. Dave", a Dean of Students and an openly gay man, and "Mr. Christopher", an old school college educator and my African-American big brother.

Mr. Dave taught me courage, conviction, and patience.  He also taught me the power of tolerance while showing me that my potential was far greater than I could ever imagine.  He put me in positions of leadership that no one else on our campus wanted.  People ran from the role he asked me to take on.  As hard as it was to be who he wanted me to be, I quickly learned from his guidance and reassurance that I really had no idea who I was and where my values were capable of taking me.  He made me look in the mirror and see that I was not the tiny little village where I grew up.  I was not the majority.  I was not someone who was capable of abusing my power or god-given traits.  He taught me to care for and respect everyone equally whether they were different from me or disagreed with me.  I learned that everyone could become my friend, and I could become theirs.

Mr. Christopher...well, I lost him in a tragic car accident 16 years ago...almost to the day I write this.  You see, there were not a lot of "Hicks" (as I called him) where I grew up.  There were, however, a lot of "hicks", if you know what I mean.  There was not 1 person of color in my high school...not a student...not an educator.  I was lucky to have parents and siblings who made friends with people from all over the world and of all color and faith.  I was raised to have open eyes and to treat everyone equally.  Hicks was my first real boss.  He gave me my first opportunity to lead and teach at the college level.  Just like Mr. Dave, he taught me how valuable tolerance is in every situation and how important it is to always think and ask questions before acting or reacting.  Hicks became my brother.  His strength of conviction and patience and calm in the face of the worst storms will be something I will never let go of.  Of all the people I have lost in this world, he is the angel that is always on my shoulder.  When things get tough, he is sitting there reminding me that no matter how big the storm, the rain and the wind will soon pass, and the sun will show itself again.

If those two people are my professional role models, Rosa Parks is my hero.  I often ask myself if I would have had the courage to sit in the chair next to her.  My empathy tells me that I would.  My brain tells me that she needed to do it alone to truly change the world the way she did.  Do I have the strength as a father to teach my children to be as strong in their convictions and values as Ms. Parks?  I can assure you that I work at it daily.

I am blessed.  With that blessing, I cannot and will not take my blessings and gifts for granted.  Most of you are reading this to learn about college recruiting or becoming a better basketball coach or a better teacher.  My question for you is "Does any of that matter if we allow the weak to be harmed by the strong?"  Can we truly call ourselves educators if we choose not to act?

As you read this, I plead with you to join me in building the greatest of walls.  When we see hate...  when we see fear, will you join me in building a wall around those who can't protect themselves?  Will you join me in being a shield against hate, intolerance, and bigotry.  Will you join me in demonstrating to those who were not raised better that we are willing to sacrifice our blessings, so every person has the right to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

I promise to always be at the center of that wall.  I promise to be your rock when you are not sure if you are strong enough.  I promise to be your voice of courage and assurance that you are capable of standing strong in the face of that storm.  I promise to still be standing with you when the sun comes back to warm us and greet us with a new tomorrow.

What a wall WE could build...

Matt Rogers

#66 Building a Basketball IQ

The world is not limited by IQ. We are all limited by bravery and creativity. --Astro Teller

I'm sorry if these blog entries often ask you to be my very inexpensive psychotherapist, but I feel like I am usually venting to those who can relate to me as a coach, parent, present or former athlete or maybe just an aspiring one of those.  Any way, I appreciate that so many of you come back and listen and sometimes share your thoughts or own experiences.

I will paraphrase Matthew McConaughey from Dazed and Confused, but the older I get, the younger [my players] seem to get.

It is amazing to me how little basketball a group of young men aged 15-18 actually watch.  When I was their age, I knew every player, what college they went to, their stats, their height and weight, their favorite moves, etc.

I memorized the details because I wanted to be those guys playing D1 or in the NBA, so I would not only learn about them as people, but I would go outside and mimic every move I learned the night before.

I don't think I was born any different than the average Joe, but I worked terribly hard to soak-up every ounce of wisdom from any person I looked up to.  I don't know when that changed or if it changed, but of the 15 young men I coach day in and day out, I only see 1 of the 15 as having the desire to grow and engage with anyone older than them that may be able to steal something to make their future brighter.  This young man is not the fastest or quickest.  He is probably the worst athlete in our program.  However, he is far and away the one with the brightest basketball future with real potential to play on TV some day and make money dribbling, shooting and passing a basketball.

What makes this young man "special" you ask?

The answer is not what you would expect, but it is the thing I cannot get past:  "His eyes."

His eyes are so very humble.  Without saying a word to me, I know he is listening; he understands; he is hungry for more; and he is very much appreciative of the information the coaches have to share with him.  Isn't that amazing?

I have been coaching for over 25 years.  I have been a Head Coach at some capacity for that long, and this is the first time I have truly understood why a kid will thrive or won't thrive on the court.  Many kids have those eyes every once in a while, but this young man shows those same humble eyes whether I am chewing him out or praising him in front of his teammates.

The big question comes back to #14 Significance vs. Success.  How do we teach kids to grow or build their basketball IQ, so it truly becomes a part of who they are?

You may write me (and I hope you do) with a much different perspective, but I have boiled it down to 4 major components:

1.  EARLY FAILURE;  Too many of us parents don't make our kids try new things.  We don't challenge their self-worth and then allow them to fail.  If a kid fails enough at something, they begin to realize that the failure isn't the end of the world.  And, if they keep trying, they learn from their mistakes and begin turning those failures into successes.  If we don't learn to fail, we can never really learn to succeed.

2.  HUNGER:  The great Hall of Fame college basketball coach, Al McGuire, once said "If they have grass on their lawn, I don't want them."  He was referring to kids who didn't know when their next meal would be or if they would have a place to sleep next week.  He knew that kids who knew what it was like to be hungry would work harder than anyone else because they never wanted to be in that position again.  I have learned that philosophy does not need to be as extreme or absolute as Coach's perspective.  A hungry kid could just be one that has such a big dream that they don't see obstacles in their way of achieving it.  Those kids will do anything to get better and fight for the next opportunity that presents itself.  How do we create that?  If your child says that they really, really want something, show them how to earn it.  If you just give it to them, they won't find a way to earn it when they can just come back to you each time.  [See signs in the forest that read "Don't Feed the Animals"]

3.  OPPORTUNITY:  If you take a dry sponge and throw it in a sink of water, it will quickly fill up and ingest every ounce of that water it can take.  Kids need the same.  Put your kids in situations where they can ingest.  This happens not only by putting them on teams and in leagues, but by taking them to games (HS, college, pro).  Show them what the best looks like.  Give them a chance to be inspired.  Put them in front of people who have done what they want to do.  Teach them to ask questions and expect answers and fight for those answers.  Be a sponge!

4.  FEED THE FIRE:  If your child wants to go to the park or go outside and shoot baskets or play catch, find the time to do it.  You don't have to be an athlete yourself to go for a run or shoot some baskets or just sit down and watch a game together.  When there is a fire in your child, you must nurture it or find someone who will.  I see so many kids with that fire and they quickly see me as the gasoline for that fire, but I can't go home with them.  I can't be their fuel every day.  I wish I could, but my family likes to see me every once in a while (I don't know why, but they do.)  So, bend a little.  Break a bit, but do all you can to feed the fire...no matter how small the flame!

Coach Matt Rogers
Twitter:  @madcoachdiary
Email:  coachrogers12@gmail.com
Linkedin:  www.linkedin.com/in/rogersmatt16
Blog:  madcoachdiary.blogspot.com
Phone:  (312) 610-6045

Matt Rogers is a 20-year high school and college coach veteran.  He has led two teams to the NCAA National Tournament and one team to a High School State Championship.  His teams hold numerous school and one NCAA record. He has mentored and coached players at every level while serving as an athletics administrator at the high school and NCAA levels. He has helped numerous players continue their careers at the professional level. He currently is the Head National Scout/Recruiting Specialist for NCSA - Next College Student Athlete where he has helped thousands of young men and women from around the world achieve their dreams of playing at the college level.  Coach presently lives in the Denver, CO area with his wife of 19 years and his two children. 

To request Coach Rogers to speak at your school or event, you can reach him through any of his contact information above.

#65 Three Drills to Create Toughness

Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love. --Vince Lombardi

There is not a team that I have coached that I didn't love.  I don't have a former player who I don't look forward to our next conversation.  It makes my day every time one of them calls or writes. Although I am extremely proud of all my players, I have had very few kids over the years who came to our program who I would call naturally tough.  Toughness HAS to be taught.

So few kids are raised on farms anymore.  Even kids from the city with tough economic conditions aren't as tough as they used to be.  I can't tell you how many families I talk to who are struggling to pay next months rent, but the 15-year old in the family has an iPhone and a pair of Air Jordans.

Toughness has become how big of a bully we can be on Twitter.

For those of you who are in the same position I am where you are just trying to give those kids who have never been hungry; never been without; have never had to get on their knees and put a hard days work in, here are a couple of drills that I think will help.  I have split them into 3 categories:

WRESTLEMANIA

Have your kids partner up with a teammate who is similar in age, size and strength.  Let them pick their "opponent".  It will be good for you to see what they think is a good match for them.

Have one player hold a ball with their hands to the sides.  Have the other player hold the ball with their hands at the top and the bottom.

Blow your whistle or say "GO".  This is basically tug-of-war with two people and a basketball.  Do a best out of 7, and see who comes away with the possession the majority of the time.  The losers have to do 25 push-ups.

Once you say go, they can use their bodies and arms in anyway, as long as they don't kick, throw elbows, bite, etc.  Let them learn through repetition how to use their leverage to win that ball.

They will hate this drill, but they will learn to crave it.  Take 2-minutes and do it daily for a couple weeks.  You will find that you will stop losing all those loose rebounds and jump balls.

UNBROKEN

This is a great drill that Coach Shiomi taught me a few years back.  I cannot remember what she called it, but to me, the drill reminds me of the movie "Unbroken" because of the resilience it takes to win the drill.

Put one player in the paint as a post defender.  Line-up the rest of your roster at the top of the key.  The first offensive player runs into the paint and receives a post entry from a coach.  The play is then live 1 v 1.  The offensive player only gets 2 dribbles, but the play goes on until the offense scores or the defender gets a rebound or a steal or forces a turnover.

Once there is a score or a stop, the next offensive player dives to the post.  The defensive player stay on until they get 3 stops in a row.  The coach picks a new defender if there are 3 stops before the 10 minutes runs out.

CAUTION:  Start with your weakest kids on defense.  There will be tears.  There will be sympathy.  Don't let your offensive players take it easy on the exhausted kid who has had to play defense 10 times in a row.  Let that kid find their will and might and resilience.  They will get the job done if you let them.  I have done this drill numerous time for 10 minutes and only one player got to play defense the whole time.  They will be the saddest person in the gym, but they will NEVER let themselves be put in that position again.

300

Yes, another one of my favorite movies.  300 vs. 100,000.  Seems impossible.

This is a simple 3 v 3 half-court drills.  However, much like "Unbroken", the first 3 defenders must get 3 stops in a row.  If they foul, the count goes back to zero (same for Unbroken).  Make sure your offense attacks.  Once the defense gets a stop or the offense gets the score, the person closest to the ball must pass it out to the next offensive player at half court IMMEDIATELY, and those next three players IMMEDIATELY ATTACK the 3 defenders.  The offense can screen, cut, dribble, post, shoot however they want, but they must attack.

Once the 3 defenders get a stop, the coach picks 3 other defenders and you go again.  Coach Brase made us to do this at Coe the practice before every game, and I have used it ever since [I think Coach actually called the drill "Warrior"].  It is a great drill to build toughness, but it also builds teamwork.  The 3 defenders must work together or they will play defense for the full 10 minutes and be exhausted at the end.

Good luck with the last few weeks of the season!  I hope these three drills can help give you an edge your teams have been missing.  As always, please call with questions.

Coach Matt Rogers
Twitter:  @madcoachdiary
Email:  coachrogers12@gmail.com
Linkedin:  www.linkedin.com/in/rogersmatt16
Blog:  madcoachdiary.blogspot.com
Phone:  (312) 610-6045

Matt Rogers is a 20-year high school and college coach veteran.  He has led two teams to the NCAA National Tournament and one team to a High School State Championship.  His teams hold numerous school and one NCAA record. He has mentored and coached players at every level while serving as an athletics administrator at the high school and NCAA levels. He has helped numerous players continue their careers at the professional level. He currently is the Head National Scout/Recruiting Specialist for NCSA - Next College Student Athlete where he has helped thousands of young men and women from around the world achieve their dreams of playing at the college level.  Coach presently lives in the Denver, CO area with his wife of 19 years and his two children. 

To request Coach Rogers to speak at your school or event, you can reach him through any of his contact information above.