#79 Keep It Simple

That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.  --Steve Jobs

One of the truly great positives about getting older is that you start to realize how much time you have wasted in your life.  The positive is not the wasted time, but rather the education that comes with learning from that lost time.

My three great flaws are over-thinking, over-talking and over-reacting.  Those three characteristics have led to lost time I will never get back.  I have a passion for justice and teaching things the "right way", so that passion often gets the best of me because I give too much information with too much enthusiasm, and often, the point of my passion and enthusiasm gets lost in translation.

Because of the ridiculous amount of time I have spent over-coaching in my career, I am slowly learning to be much more conscious of speaking and teaching with "conviction":  "say what I mean, and mean what I say."  For example, if I am going to teach a kid how to become a better jump shooter, I do not need to give him or her an oral  history on the great shooters of all-time.  That does not help anyone shoot the ball better.

I need to simply start and end with the importance of their feet.  If your feet are set, and your feet are square to the basket, and you have a center-of-gravity that makes you stable (a little bump won't knock you over), you are ready to shoot the ball and will probably make more than you miss.  If I can get a kid to consistently shoot the ball knowing how important their feet are on the catch, that kid will grow in confidence progressively over time.  As a teacher, I want that kid to learn that simple formula for success, but it requires the kid to be focused on doing it right over and over again.

The same goes for the young people I educate on developing themselves into the "ideal recruit".  If you are out of shape, I preach to them to start with a short run down to the end of the block and back without stopping.  Tomorrow, do it again.  If after a week or two of one trip down the block and back, it starts to get easy, now is the time to add a second lap to your run.  Focus on starting small.  Build your endurance, and then build on that endurance one step at a time, and you will see not only your shape improve, but your confidence will grow with it.

As Steve Jobs said, "simple can be harder than complex" because simple relies on discipline, routine and consistency.  When we teach simple concepts, we allow the student to focus on small things instead of big things they may not remember or may take away from their focus.

I am in the middle of process where I am going to make a pretty scary and dramatic career change (or career evolution as I am calling it).  I often find myself distracted by all the mistakes I have made in the past and all the things that could go wrong with the future.  My feet get caught in quick-drying cement, and just like that I am no longer moving toward my goals.  I worked hard today to create a simple daily process by focusing on what I want to do without worrying about yesterday or tomorrow.  I have made my process simple, and now I am focusing on repeating the work that needs to be done each day until I have a routine.  I know through experience that routine will lead to discipline...and from there, I will begin to the move the mountains I want to move.

So, whether you are teaching shooting fundamentals or trying to get into better shape or, like me, working to make a career evolution, I encourage you to focus on keeping it simple, and you will begin to move the mountains that seem so impossible today.

Matt Rogers

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

Matt Rogers is a 22-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 Senior 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 22 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.

#78 The Consequences of Waiting

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone” ― Pablo Picasso

I workout at our local recreation center at least 3 days per week.  It is an older crowd with a Senior Center connected to it, so I like the relaxed environment.  I can put my head phones on and focus on what I am there to do.

However, about a month ago, as I walking to the locker room after my workout, I heard someone shouting "Coach Rogers, Coach Rogers".  I looked up and it was a big 6'6' good looking kid that I coached at the high school level 2 years ago.  As always, he had great spirit and asked how my family was and what I was up to.  I gave him a hug and asked him why he was in the rec center playing basketball with all the older guys.  "Why aren't you at college practicing with your team?"

It seems that the one coach who recruited him resigned and took another job elsewhere back in April, and my former player now had nowhere to play.  He asked if I could help him (after prodding him for 2 years to get started with his recruitment), and I told him I would do my best.  I have since reached out to some friends of mine to see if they would be interested in a 6'6" kid who can jump out of the gym with good grades, and a few have since asked for this young man's information and reached out to him, but most coaches are not looking for a transfer in the middle of the season.

This experience frustrated me to the point where I decided to brush off the cobwebs of the "Diary of a Mad Coach" and do some motivating.  For you families who have never gone through the recruiting process or you continue to rely on naive friends, parents and high school coaches who think they have advice for you, I have some questions for you:

• What are the consequences of waiting to start your recruitment?
• What are the consequences of waiting too long to buy an airline ticket for a trip?
• What are the consequences of waiting too long to ask that pretty girl or handsome boy out on a date?
• What are the consequences of waiting too long to apply for a job?

AND

• How much do you value your time?

So, what are the consequences of waiting to start your recruitment when you are a junior or older?



1.  You could be that kid playing at the rec center at 20 years old with no options because NO ONE knew you were available to recruit.  You did not exist at 15 and now at 20, you still have ZERO exposure to college coaches.


2.  You could be that family who ends of paying $20,000-$40,000 per year for college because you did not start the financial aid and scholarship process early enough (once college coaches use up their full allotment of scholarships, they are done!  They have nothing left to give you!)


3.  You could be that kid who a coach finds your senior year, and the coach says "You can really play.  I wish I would have known you were available a year ago before I filled my roster."

College recruitment is a marathon.  There is no easy fix or shorter route to go.

When a family tries to skip the process or delay the start of the race, they end up paying a hefty price...literally.

So, what are the consequences of waiting to start your recruitment?  

Not much...just money...and time...and opportunity...disappointment...regret...and much, much more.

Whatever path you decide to take on your recruitment journey, PLEASE, PLEASE don't wait.  I don't want to see your child playing rec ball with the older guys trying to hang on to that long lost dream for one more day.  Take control of your future.  Own it.  START NOW...and don't look back!

Best wishes!  I hope whatever you do, you find it early and have every opportunity to do it right.

Coach Matt Rogers

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

Matt Rogers is a 22-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 Senior 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 21 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.

#77 Problem or Solution

The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again while expecting different results.  --Albert Einstein

About 10 years ago a young man (we will call him Eddie) came to visit one of my practices.  He was a friend of one of our star players (we will call him Tim), and he was visiting us during our season because he had decided to quit playing at the the college he was presently attending.  He and his family had gone through the necessary NCAA paperwork to allow him to actually visit other schools and start talking to other college coaches.

Tim had given me some background before Eddie's visit, so I had an idea of what he was going through.  In all honesty, it sounded very similar to what I went through as a college player, so my level of empathy and sympathy was pretty high.

When I sat down with Eddie the first time, it was obvious to me that he was very intelligent, but I could tell that he could be the type of kid who could get bored quickly.  He loved to play, but he talked with very little emotion and was a little too laid back for my taste.  Although I empathized, I was already wondering if he was a good fit for me.

As a D3 coach at the time, I never got too excited about transfers no matter how much I liked them or we needed them because the decision always came down to money.  Our financial aid packages were not great, and they were even worse for transfers.  So, when Eddie's family got their package and Eddie called me and told me that he was all in, I was a little surprised, a little excited, and a little concerned all at the same time.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long that next fall when the returning players started talking about his talent with me and how he could help us.  He was a top tier high school player, so I started to get very excited and a little relieved that maybe we had something very special land in our lap.

When our official practices began that October, it wasn't long before my initial thoughts about Eddie after our first meeting started to rear their ugly head.  As talented as Eddie was, he was not disciplined in his game.  He simply did not play the game the way I wanted and expected it to be played.  He was sometimes lazy on defense, especially off the ball.  He took shots outside of the flow of the offense, and when he drove to the basket, he would often throw up erratic shots when he had a simple pass available to an open teammate.  Very quickly, two hard-headed people began to clash, and I began to understand why his last coach pushed him closer and closer to the end of the bench before giving up on him altogether.

My problem was that I needed his talent because we were lacking any depth of high level ability or skill on the roster at that point.  So, I did what any "serious" college basketball coach would do with an undisciplined kid, I pushed him harder and harder and started taking playing time and reps away from him.  Boy was I bright!

If you haven't guessed yet, I quickly turned Eddie into a blob of insecurity, depression and doubt.  He had lost all faith in me and me in him...at least that is the way it looked.  Luckily for me, Eddie is much smarter than me and much more determined than me.  He wasn't going to let the same story of his basketball career repeat itself.

 About 10 games into the season, he came into my office and asked to talk.  I don't remember the exact conversation, but I know that he wanted me to know that he had lost all confidence in his abilities, but it was very clear that he had not lost confidence in me (at least not completely).  He told me that although he wasn't as disciplined as I expected him to be, he understood everything we were doing and believed that we had enough talent with the system we were using to win more games and win the conference. He explained how he saw the game and why although he might look slow to close out or rotate back to the rim-line at times, he really was thinking and re-acting 2-3 plays ahead of what was happening.  He also let me know that he understood my frustration that he sometimes did not swing the ball to an open man quickly enough or throw to that open man at all because he knew he had a better chance of scoring than making that extra pass or decision. 

We continued to talk about my experience in college and how depressed and sad I was that "my game" had been taken away from me, and I was not allowed the skills that had made me a half-decent high schooler.  I told him that I would watch film and work harder on practice and game planning to integrate his strengths into our game plan and focus less on the perceived weaknesses I was seeing.  In short, I decided to give him more rope and work to give him more isolated opportunities to help us put more points on the board.

It may not have happened over night, but it didn't take more than 2-3 games before he was not only consistently our leading scorer, but he began leading our team in steals, turnovers created, all while frustrating the hell out of the other team's best player and defender.  Within the first 4-5 games of conference play, it was clear that he was a legit All-Conference player if not the best player in the conference.

He went on to have two dynamic years with us, and he became not only a great leader in our program, but to this day, a young man whose life I envy and his friendship I cherish.  He has traveled the world, made great, life-long friends wherever he has been, and he has consistently lived his life to the fullest without boundaries or prejudice and with an astounding respect for all people, cultures and walks of life.

I decided to tell this story today because I am presently having some problems with people attempting to coach me, and it has made me think a lot lately about how I initially coached Eddie.

If you are going to take anything away from this blog, please let it be the difference between a great coach and a great player.

A great player can take a game plan and consistently execute that plan.  If a great player begins to struggle with the execution (for instance his jumper stops falling), that player will begin to address the problem.  He or she may ask "what do I have to do to fix those missed shots?"

A great coach will NOT look at the problem and ask "How do I fix that?"  A great coach will ask "Why is that happening?" or "Why is that a problem at all?" or "What am I doing to create that problem?"

As coaches, teachers, parents, etc., we often get so focused on the problem that we forget to look inward and realize that the problem may actually be us.  Have I been engaged enough?  Have I been overly critical and not supportive enough?  Are my "problems" (i.e. fear, depression, concern, self-doubt, sadness) bleeding into those I love and care about?

We are all human.  We all have amazing flaws.  Even when a person externally looks and acts with such joy and composure, his or her flaws and concerns are never too far away.

Give yourself a day, a week (a month if you can) and try to start looking more at the good and much less at the bad.  Be a bigger cheerleader today for those around you and far less their biggest critic.

Change your personal narrative, and don't be surprised if your story doesn't have a much happier ending than you expected when you first started to write your book.

Coach Matt Rogers

Email: coachrogers12@gmail.com
Twitter: @madcoachdiary
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 Senior 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 20 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.

#76 Distinguishing Between Committed and Focused

Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Focus on your character, not your reputation.
Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

As I have written a lot about lately, I am back coaching high school aged young men.  I very much enjoy coaching this age group because they are so hungry to get better and have the most to gain by being coached the right way.

Unfortunately, with that desire to get better comes some "fun" baggage:  teenage hormones and insecurity.  It is literally like trying to coach a flock of hummingbirds.  They cannot sit still for more than 2 seconds, and their little brains never stop churning or settling on one thought at a time.

I have 12 young men on my team this year, and I hand-picked each one for very different reasons.  They all have the ability to be very good role players or better on the varsity in the next year or two, but each has a defining characteristic that I was immediately drawn to.  For some, it is their humility and respect for the game, their teammates, and me.  For others, it is their hunger to find out the true depth of their potential.  And for the rest, they have a special talent.  The game comes easy to them if they can continue to find discipline in their abilities and skills.

With that said, they are all genuinely committed to our team, our philosophies and the direction I've laid out for them.  The problem is that they all struggle with understanding the difference between committed and focused.  A dog can be really committed to getting a bone buried in the ground.  They will dig for hours trying to extricate that bone, but if a rabbit were to run through the lawn, that dog will quickly shift their attention from the bone to that rabbit in an instance.  That's a pretty crass analogy, but that basically defines a teenage boy in a lot of ways.

So, as coaches and teachers, how do we help the committed develop an unbreakable focus?

I have to admit that this is one of my major weaknesses as a coach and as a parent, so I'm writing today's blog as research and therapy as much as helping you solve your own problems.  I just hope through what I figure out, it helps you with some solutions of your own...and maybe you can throw me a bone and help me get better.  Here are the 3 things that I've come up with to help move the needle from committed to focused:

1.  Keep It Simple
As a System coach, I can focus our practice plan on shooting drills, running and passing drills, rebounding transition drills, and transition press drills, and I can see growth in who we are each and every day.  The more we do simple drills that accomplish 2-3 goals within that one drill, the better we get at them and the better the System gets.  I make sure that we have foundation principles that transcend from drill to drill and philosophy to philosophy.  For example, we do a lot of shell drill (i.e. man-to-man, press run and jump) in the half court almost every day.  One of our foundation principles is "up and on the line defense".  No matter what defense we are in, we want to be on and up the passing lane one pass away, and we want to be on the rim-line two passes away.  No matter what defense we are in, that principle will always put us in a position to protect the basket, be aggressive in the passing lanes, and be in a fantastic position to rebound.  That principle never changes.

2.  Teach in Context (more)
I grew up in a high school program where we would spend the first 90 minutes of every 2 hour practice doing drills (see Hoosiers movie).  We might get the last 30 minutes to scrimmage and put the pieces together.  It is extremely hard for me to let the idea of drill, drill, drill, drill, play out of my existence because I know how better it made me as a player.  Things are different now...yes, I choked on those words a little as I wrote them.  You can't do the things to kids that my coaches did to us (i.e. locked gym doors and put trash cans in each corner...I'll let you fill in the blanks.)  What I am trying to get better at is letting kids play and then fixing things that are broken instead of making every kid work on things that may not be broken for them.

We do a lot of 1-minute scrimmages.  Some days the goal is the first team to 7 points in 1-minute.  Other days, we are looking to get a team to 7 possessions in that minute (encouraging faster pace and steals to create more possessions).  And then we have days where I get creative in context with points only for offensive rebounds or forcing the other team to take a mid-range jumper..  The more my guys can learn to accomplish in 1-minute of play, the more that translates to bigger positive differences on the scoreboard.  If I see that we are doing a poor job of defensive block-outs in transition, I will put a drill in that mocks that concept, so we can work on it repeatedly in a 7-10 minute drill.

In other words, let the kids performance dictate the drills you teach and work on.  I am basically flipping the plan that my HS coach used.  Let them play, and then teach where it is needed.

3.  Position Kids to Their Strengths
I'll be honest.  This a cop-out answer. It is still significant, and I will explain why in a bit, but I'm still working on this one.  I need to figure out how to get that kid who, no matter how much drilling in context we do, can still not remember to block out or at least get to the rim-line every single time they are supposed to.

Offensively, putting a really good shooter who cannot dribble or defend in the 2-hole where it is their only job to run the right-side of the floor, catch, and shoot the ball off the pass, is a simple way to keep them on the floor and help them be productive.  Teaching a big whose only strength is their length to be in a position to only focus on screening and offensive rebounding and telling them that they get to shoot every offensive rebound they get is another great way to hide a kid, but very much keep them productive.

The problem is that both of those kids still have to turn around and defend and rebound.  Well, you can say, put him on the worst shooter on the other team.  That still doesn't help us if that "worst shooter" never gets blocked out by our worst rebounder, or that "worst shooter" goes by my "worst defender" every time for a lay-up and/or puts my big in foul trouble.

The true problem is that I know the old "lock the doors and put trash cans in the corner" philosophy fixes the focus problem.  I just like my job and these kids too much to go there.  I have to find a happy medium where drilling that weakness and having consistent punishment over and over again until the weakness becomes a strength.

With that said, I would love your comments and ideas, so we can make this blog what it should be.  I'm all ears, and I look forward to hearing what you are doing to improve your team's focus issues.

Coach Matt Rogers

Email: coachrogers12@gmail.com
Twitter: @madcoachdiary
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 20 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.

#75 A New Year's Wish

I'm finally holding what I've been hoping for.  --Charlie Worsham


Happy New Year!  As we start fresh in 2018, I thought I would write about MY wish for all of you rather than drone on about some obligatory New Year's resolution that most won't follow.

Outside of my wife and kids, coaching, and my scouting responsibilities, my free time is usually consumed with my three favorite hobbies:  books, movies and music.  I would consider my library for all three extensive, and I hope to pass down all three of my hobbies (obsessions :-) to my kids.  All three media genres have inspired and motivated me throughout my life.  My writing has often been the result of that inspiration and motivation.

With that said, I decided to use quotes from one of those three mediums to express my hopes for 2018 for specific groups of people who I think need a wish or two to come their way this next calendar year.

For the Young, Lost and Lonely
My wish for you comes from country singer, Mr. Charlie Worsham (and the quote above)

My family had a challenging year in which some things were thrown at us that we were not prepared for.  We had to make some changes and sacrifices as a family, so we could continue to stay in a home we love and be near great friends and family.  The inspiration for today's blog came from me thinking not about those obstacles and challenges we have faced, but for the things that I was blessed to have this year.  

The best part of my day is when these two little, giggling "monkeys" (as I call them) crawl into our bed each morning to snuggle.  For about 10 minutes everyday,  I realize that my whole life is in my arms.  Whether or not I wished for it years ago, every day I am blessed to be "holding what I [was] hoping for."

My wish for the young, lost and lonely is that you remember all of those blessings are out there waiting for you, too.  My challenge to you is to not complain about not holding your hopes and dreams at this moment, but to put yourself out there in the world and be seen and be heard.  A job, a career, a mate, or love isn't going to just fall in your lap.  Be open to new things.  Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone.  Take a chance every day.  Surprise yourself with gumption, determination and make it joyful.  Whatever happens in the result of that chance, laugh about it when you are done and make a decision right then and there that you will take another chance tomorrow.  The world is your oyster.  Don't let the ocean ever make you feel small.

For My Present and Former Players
My wish is for you to never forget You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman

I'll keep this short.  I love you all, and I could not be more proud to know you and to call you family.  Whether we talk once every 10 years or once per week or you played for me for one season or four, know that I am always a phone call away to talk, help, laugh or cry when you need it most.  I am impressed with how each of you are making the world a better place to live.  Trust me when I tell you that I'm watching and cheering loudly!  Please keep the pictures of your precious babies coming my way!

For Our President and Government Leaders
My wish is for all of our "leaders" is to embrace the definition of humility by the great writer C.S. Lewis
True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.  
From the book Mere Christianity

You can call me naive.  It won't faze me.  You can call me ignorant.  It won't make a dent.  No matter the naysayers, I will never stop seeing our world, our children, our people and our nature as one big family we are all responsible for protecting.  I hope that 2017 triggered a renaissance of hope, generosity and (as another President once said) audacity in our world where leaders will stand up and say:

"We can do better, and it starts with me TODAY.  This is who I am going to be from here on out, and it is our World and our People that I will fight for before everything else.  Populism?  Nationalism?  Those words mean nothing to me.  If you meet me in the street...if you are reading my words...if you are in need of help...you are my friend...no matter your color, race, religion, creed, nationality or sexual preference...you have something positive to give to this world, so I have something positive to give to you."


For My Mom and Dad
My wish to you comes from the band Blues Traveler
The Mountains Win Again

I woke up yesterday morning and there was a thick blanket of clouds engulfing our community, yet the Rocky Mountains floated above the clouds like a Castle in a sea of blue and majestic sunshine.  It felt, like it does most days in Colorado, like we were given our own little piece of heaven.  This wish explains itself.  :-)

For My Nieces and Nephews
My wish to you comes from one my all-time favorite comedians/actors, Robin Williams, from the movie Good Will Hunting

Some people can’t believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first.

I don't get to see any of you enough, but the pride I have for all of you consumes me.  How impressive you all are in your own way.  The gifts you have given all of us who love you are innumerable.  Whether it is the way you have chosen to live your life or the partners you have chosen or the 11 beautiful babies you have brought into our family, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be your uncle...and mentor...friend...confidant...or whatever you need me to be...ANY TIME.  I believe in you!

For My Babies

My wish for you comes from one of the great leaders of the cinema, Gandalf the White, from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

Your mom and I pepper you with love, challenges, wisdom, direction and discipline every day.  When it is all said in done, it is that quote above that means the most.  

How you choose to live your life each and every day will define you.  Don't ever let the definition of YOU be the days you wasted to do something good.  You have two stone walls of love, passion, and unbreakable truth behind you.  We will always be there to protect you and make sure that you never give up on the path to your dreams.  Whatever that path may be!

For The Love of My Life

My wish for you comes from my all-time favorite band, The Beatles

"I Will" from the White Album [I recommend that you all take some time to re-visit what I think is the greatest album of all-time]

"Who knows how long I've loved you..."  I know for sure that it has been a lot longer than the 20 years you've been my bride.  You've made all of my wishes come true.  It would be terribly selfish to wish for anything more for myself.  So, for you, my love, I wish that the next 20 years are defined by you finding your path in this world outside of being the best mother and wife we could imagine.  Whatever you want to do, we've got your back every step of the way.  I can't wait to see all that you will do and become.

...and For The Rest of You

My wish for you is, of course, from Dory and Finding Nemo

“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.”

Coach Matt Rogers

Email: coachrogers12@gmail.com
Twitter: @madcoachdiary
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 20 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.

#74 Our Doubts are Like Traitors

Our doubts are like traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.  -- William Shakespeare

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. --Vince Lombardi

We are now 5 games through our season.  We played twice last week (in my absence) and won the first game 98-47 and lost the second by 4 while missing 16 FTs.  We played poorly again tonight, but we still won by 24 and pushed our record to 4-1 on the season.  When I say we played poorly, I mean we missed a minimum of 20 lay-ups (I quit counting in the 1st half after 16), and we again fouled our way into allowing the other team to rest and put our best rebounder on the bench with 5 fouls for the full 4th quarter.  Our opponent scored 14 of their 20 points in the first half at the FT line.  We simply cannot help ourselves from reaching and fouling players as they drive to the basket.  It is a problem, and one we will correct by the 1st of the year.

The title of today's blog comes from the many phone calls and emails I have been getting recently from high school coaches all over the country.

Most coaches call me, and they start with telling me that they have a lack of talent and are tired of getting beat, and they want a cure to their lack of talent.  I'm very happy these coaches are calling and looking for help, but I am frustrated with the reason they feel they need something like the System.  If the System was good enough for kids who don't have certain skills and experience, why is not good enough if you have kids that do.  Nevertheless, I digress, that still does not explain today's blog post.

The biggest problem I see with HS coaches is that they do not want to commit.  They like parts of the system.  Some, it is the pace.  Others, it is rotations.  For a few coaches, it seems they just don't think they can teach the kids they have how to play the "right" way.

The "right" way is my term, not theirs, but I get the drift that they have commitment issues.  They are in doubt of what the System is and what it can actually do for their program.  Coach Lombardi hit it on the head with his quote about individual commitment to a group effort.  NO basketball system/philosophy will work if the individuals do not all buy in.

The problem if that if a coach doesn't buy-in...panics when the going gets tough...pulls the press off and slows the pace when there are too many turnovers or lay-ups given up...the coach immediately rips the soul of his team from their bodies.  When you quit on the system, the kids feel an overwhelming sense of failure.  Not only has coach given up on them, but they are now wondering if they might just deserve the coach giving up on them.  Does anyone want your kids to feel that way???  I didn't think so.

The System is like marriage.  It is not all roses and rainbows all the time.  [I feel like I have some licence to talk about this with my wife and I celebrating our 20th Anniversary this week, so bear with me].  There are tough times and great times, and then there's a lot of whatever is in between tough and great.  Marriage works when you simply wear-down Father Time.  That old son-of-a-gun will throw obstacle after obstacle at your marriage, and after a while, it is really easy to say, "it would be a lot easier to just deal with these obstacles on my own."  For my divorced friends, that is often a regrettable decision.

They System isn't about good play or bad play.  It's not about chaos and "run and chuck".  The System is about making a commitment to your players and expecting them to make a commitment to each other that you will ride that system through the good and the bad and not give-up on it when it seems the bad is coming more often than the good.

Above, I told you that we played poorly tonight.  What I didn't tell you was that the team we were playing against was stronger, more skilled, more athletic and had more talent, and they completely ran out of gas with about a minute to go in the 3rd Quarter.  They could no longer keep up with our 12-man rotation with 5 fresh bodies coming at them every 45 seconds.  The last 8 minutes, our press worked better.  We got more steals and offensive rebounds that led to easy lay-up and wide-open 3s.

We didn't give up on each other tonight, and we certainly didn't give up on our commitment to the System.  

If you are going to play in the System and be a part of the System, it requires every member of that family to fully commit to making it work...for better or worse.  And, Coach, that means you too!

Keep the comments and questions coming my way.  I hope these types of blogs help you through more than just your next game.  

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and Healthy New Year!

Coach Matt Rogers

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

Matt Rogers is a 21-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 20 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.

#73 Rebuilding the System From the Ground Up

That last page turned is a perfect excuse to write a whole new book. --Toni Sorenson

I love this quote, and it is a perfect analogy for where I am in my coaching career. A friend of mine motivated me out of semi-retirement last year to be his lead Varsity Assistant at our local high school. It was a fun yet bumpy year for a lot of reasons out of our control, but it very much reminded me that I had a lot left to give and that the game still had a lot left to give to me. The kids still made me hungry to teach, and they still made me laugh. As tired as I was after last season, I felt a renaissance of sorts.

With a busy scouting schedule and both of my kids playing sports, I really did not want the intensity of long practices six days a week and a full late night and weekend game schedule this season, so I asked our Head Coach if I could take over the Sophomore Team this year and help develop his lower levels and get the young guys better prepared for the rigors of varsity basketball. He thought that was a good idea; and fast-forward, we played our first game tonight.

We only had 9 practices before tonight, and we never had the same 10 players at the same practice (i.e. holiday travel, injury, illness). With that said, I had to accept some limitations and get creative in how we are building a foundation of significance.

My first thought early this fall was to teach the kids what I saw Mark Edwards do at Washington University for many years. Mark does not get near the credit he deserves. I would put him up against any of the top D1 coaches in the country, and he would give them all a run for their money. His multiple NCAA D3 National Championships give him the respect he deserves from us small school coaches, but he's as good as anybody. Mark is a master of the 1-4 High Offense. Watching his teams play reminds me a lot of watching really good NHL hockey right on the glass. I'm not a very big hockey fan at all, but seeing it live and right on ice level is like nothing else. Hockey is fast. Explosive. Powerful. Yet, it is extremely graceful and the talent at that level is effortless. Hockey at that level is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel at NASCAR speed. Its beautiful, but hard to keep up.

Coach Edwards kids play with similar balance, power and grace...and sneaky speed, and they understand how to counter every little thing you throw at them as if they already knew what you were going to do. What I learned is that 1. I'm not near the coach Mark is, and 2. I don't have near the patience he has.

So, I very quickly scrapped the idea of running the 1-4 High with a bunch of kids whose skill set and court discipline would take me much more than one season to develop them and teach them the way I'd like. I also realized I didn't want all my hair to turn Gandalf white by the end of February.

Here we are...rebuilding The System from the ground up.

Ok. What have I learned after nearly 18 years of running this crazy basketball philosophy? Unlike 99% of learning in life, The System is one of the few things that you should start running at full speed before you learn to walk. Let's get right to the WHY:

1. If kids get a glimpse that The System can be slowed down or sets can be added or the defense can become passive for a while, they will lose their entire focus on what The System is designed to do: wear down the opponent, so there is nothing left at the end, and your opponent simply gives up.

2. As I have said many times before, you cannot do The System half way and expect positive results. The more you slow down, the more the other team plays with a thankful glee, and their energy levels explode back to life once they see you have allowed them to breathe. It's like a charging, barking, snarling dog all of a sudden stopping right in front of you, rolling over on its back, sticking out its tongue and begging for a belly a rub. You sort of go from complete fear to letting your guard down a bit. I want my kids to learn how to put a team away right from the gates and never let up until the other team quits.

3. Also, its just a lot more fun to teach when you just let them go with a few basic lessons and philosophies and then tweak where needed. I literally spent 25 minutes in 9 practices on our very simple Diamond Press. We had kids that had never ran it before, and we created 25+ turnovers tonight. What was amazing, as the game progressed, the kids started to shift and read and adapt the way I would have eventually taught them. They just figured it out and started simplifying.

Alright then, so what do we do in practice every day?

1. We shoot a lot. I probably have 10-15 half and full court shooting drills where we are running, cutting, setting up defenders, passing at game speed and getting up tons game type shots.

2. We do a ton of 45 second and 1 minute scrimmages where we make them attack and score every possession in under 6-10 seconds. We want that possession time to drop as the season progresses. If you are practicing getting the ball up the court faster and faster every day, it becomes so ingrained in you that you don't ever want to go backwards.

3. We do a ton of continuity drills (i.e. 512/513 Break, Princeton Lay-ups, 3v2, 2 v1, etc.) where every member of the team is constantly moving, reacting and attempting to hit a goal in a short amount of time.

4. When we do shoot free throws, and we don't shoot many in practice, they are all under great duress and pressure. I want every free throw we shoot to be the difference between saving your team from a sprint or causing your team to run sprints. We don't shoot for repetition. We shoot to win the game.

5. We defend and rebound with the same type of pressure. If my team doesn't get to 7 defensive rebounds before they do, we lose. Every close out. Every block out. Every decision is the difference between celebration and disappointment.

6. Don't get me wrong. Discipline. Skill development. IQ progression. Sacrifice for the brotherhood. Respecting the game and playing with integrity. These things are the core of who I am as a coach, so most of our lessons and drills are bathed in those principles.

So, why The System for me? Why do I have this infatuation and addiction to it?

Well, you should have seen the smiles on these kids tonight. We shot maybe 30% from the field. We may have executed our routes properly 4 times. We had at least 2 kids each time they shot forget to even consider blocking out and going to get the rebound. Nobody played well enough individually to feel excited about their stats. And, you would have thought we won the World Series, Super Bowl and the NBA Championship after the game. They simply loved playing TOGETHER this way, and can't wait now to get back at it and learn more tomorrow. I simply do not know how NOT to give that gift to every kid who plays for me.

Coach Matt Rogers

Email: coachrogers12@gmail.com
Twitter: @madcoachdiary
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 20 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.