Street ball is all about freedom. That's the one thing you need, to show your God-given ability/freedom. All a street player needs is a green light.

Aside from nba organized basketball, I originally fell in love with streetball . I loved the crossovers, in your face handles, moves, acrobatic dunks, no look passes, all that creativity and was what actually made me enjoy basketball. It surprised me even more when I found out a former And1 player, Rafer Alston, a streetball legend from Queens, NYC was from my hs, Benjamin N Cardozo. He even made it to the NBA which was even cooler. Plus, he played PG, so I loved all those handles and would try endlessly to imitate those moves. The confidence ball handlers demonstrate is amazing; in your face, never say die, fearless this and that, is incredible. He was traded to the Magic but had a decent run with HOU. When he played for And1, I don't think I even watched basketball. But watching those tapes on ESPN was exciting as ever. I also enjoyed guys like Philip Champion, "Hot Sauce" and Alimoe from And1, although I know And1 has changed and players have come and gone and its destroying the game because kids just want to do all the flash and hype of the game and not learn fundamentals, teamwork, etc. Regardless, streetball hypes me up whenever I see the ridiculous crossovers, behind the backs, etc. and I know I wanna do those too. Most importantly, its fun. Just enjoy yourself.

Skip to My Lou, Rafer Alston's NBA journey


NYC Basketball


Words from Alimoe


Original And1 Mixtape Volume 1


Skip to My Lou


Hot Sauce Mix



Streetball is entertaining and fun but lets not forget the only way these guys were good at what they did was practice. Ball handling is essential; taking care of the ball is instrumental to the game and if you can't handle the ball, you can't move on to anything else. Ganon Baker instructs us on some excellent ball handling drills. None of those tricks and flash are worthwhile if you can't handle the ball at all!

"The coaching philosophy I live by is that the young men in my care will be husbands and fathers much longer than they will be football players."

"I realized early in my career I needed to share something besides how to bounce a ball, how to shoot a basketball. I had to share some things with 'em that would pay off later in life." -- Ronald Bradley





NBA coaches are teachers nonetheless. NBA basketball is competitive and everyone takes their roles seriously. Yet, these professional coaches instruct us how to live life on and off the court. Not only are we taught basketball skills but we learn things like dedication, sacrifice, preparation, hustle, heart, desire, hard work, dedication, commitment, accountability, courage, teamwork, etc. all from the game. Everyone will not get into the nba and for hs and college coaches to guide their players, these young men and women must be prepared for life once the game ends. I remember reading about a hs coach, Morgan Wootten who led his Dematha Catholic hs to victories and produced a bunch of nba players.; not only did he win but he taught the importance of life lessons to his players. Other great coaches like John Wooden of UCLA, Lenny Wilkens, Pete Carril of Princeton, Dean Smith from UNC, Mike K. of Duke, Bob Knight from IU, these names stick out to me because they were so dedicated to the game and they made sure their players absorbed not only winning basketball but impt. life lessons. Too many to name, there are a bunch of great nba coaches, Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan, Don Nelson, George Karl, Gregg Papovich, Pat Riley, all these old school guys who know how to teach the game.


I was inspired to write this piece from Musselman's entry on great inspirational coaches.

Plus, I found the coaching book he was talking about, filled with great, motivational quotations.

See, there are ways to be successful and in order to get there, you must know what you are doing right or wrong; coaches, teachers, parents, friends, mentors, family, hs teachers or even college professors all have in impact on my life or on anyones, one way or another. Criticism is inevitable but a good sign. Like Randy Pausch said, "when you're screwing up and nobody saids anything anymore, they gave up. " Be grateful that your teacher not only wants to correct your mistake but to teach you how to properly be successful in life and beyond. Pausch said he was at a football practice once and his coach kept riding him and never gave him a breather, constantly getting on him; he thought it was tough but he learned that it was because he cared. It taught him not how to play ball but how to approach anything in life. Pausch also said it best, that

"the best way to teach something is to make them think they're learning something else."

Athletics, skills, basketball can be taught but carry a higher lesson: how to live well and healthy regarding work, family, relationships, school, life, dreams, etc. I'm sure everyone, like myself, has had a few teachers, hs, college, anywhere that we cannot forget. When a teacher goes beyond the classroom, above the curriculum, to teach you something that is more valuable, you know there's something special.

Don't try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed. ~Marva Collins


I feel like all these other guys, that winning is winning and the game of basketball is basketball but when the game stops, what will you do then? You need to be prepared and ready for family, work, relationships, growing up, etc. Teachers are invaluable and usually open up an ear or two.



When our instructors, mentors, teachers, friends, family members, etc. teach us more valuable lessons, we change for the better. If some people I have met have not said the things they've said, showed me certain things, or instructed me, taken me out, called me out, yelled at me, stopped me at certain times, etc, I wouldn't have been who I am; I would be thinking a different way and maybe not living the way I do or behaving rather differently or adversely towards life. Experiences change you, make you better; you grow, you mature, you learn when you sometimes don't want to hear it; the truth. It just shows what kind of a person you are and what other people are around you. Teachers will challenge you, only to see how you can give not to them but to yourself; sometimes, they want to see what you are made of and what you truly think of yourself.



The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather


The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. ~Kahlil Gibran

The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself. ~Edward Bulwer-Lytton

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. ~Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"

"It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice and to ignore your example." -- Don Meyer


The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur
Ward

"To keep the lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil on it."

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at this rock perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow, it will split in two and I know it was not that blow that did it. But all that had gone before."




Earlier, I read Eric Musselman's blog and it talked about how the SAS Spurs posted this on their locker room door. These are words to live by when you just feel like giving up. LIke the popular saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Consistency, diligence, hard work, a steady work ethic, all are necessary for accomplishments. Most importantly, what you do today will be the result of what happens in the future; sure, fortune will come but the daily work you put in to anything will be more of a factor for your success than simple luck. Just like basketball, school, relationships, work, anything, you gotta work at it all the time, consistently, and not just sporadically in small outbursts. Eric Musselman also had an interesting article about the work ethic of a shooter, Ray Allen and Mike Miller. Ray goes into he arena like 4 hrs before the game, and this one arena's court was being used so he and a trainer had to find another smaller gym within the building. Luckily, they found one and as they were heading inside, he already heard a ball bouncing. It was Mike Miller on the other side of the court, his opponent for the game. But Ray continued to do his routine and it was extraordinary, that on opposite sides of this court, were not opponents, but shooters, who always practiced, shot, practiced, worked hard, and remained consistent. It's practice, and they know that the reason there shots go down, is not because of that early shooting session, but all the previous ones they had done, which got them to their current level. You wanna be good, you gotta practice, be consistent, keep on grinding it out, keep hammering away; back to the quote, Rome wasn't built from one day's work and that rock won't split after a few tries; it comes from faith in your ability and your work ethic. How bad do you want it?


Judging by his shooting skills and that nba ready body, you know he works hard.






























Some quick fundamental shooting tips.

"The brick walls are there to let us prove how badly we want things. They stop people who don't want it badly enough."

Taken from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, he spoke about achieving one's childhood dreams and the desire, dedication and commitment we all need in order to achieve our goals. I get deterred very easily but I must keep in mind that If I really wanted to accomplish something, it would be possible, as long as the desire was there. Basketball is so applicable to life because of the on the court and off the court things that take place. Working on your game not only makes you a better player but it teaches you hard work and a plethora of valuable life skills and lessons. When I was at AU's summer program, I remember learning the words "The dream must be stronger than the struggle", which I think cam from Stephen Covey Life is a struggle but only what you make of it and how you respond to it, like Pausch added. Not only basketball but life itself, in every minute that we live, we must reach our goals, never stop believing, never stop trying, live life with courage! Giving up sucks and especially afterwards, when you know you could have given that much more effort and ended up with different results. To add to what Pausch said, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." Of course, I will be met with disappointment but what I also feel is regret, which is a cliche but true, is that I've not regret things I've done but things that I haven't done. Regret is the worst feeling to me. Failure, I can accept because I learn my lesson but with regret, you don't get a second chance in life which seems fleeting. So, we must measure our desire, how focused we are and committed and passionate we can become, when we want to achieve our dreams and goals. Brick walls stop you only if you let them stop you. Ultimately, they make you better. Much like challenges make you better; your rivals make you better; your opponents make you better. They raise your level of how bad you want it, to win, to succeed, to outdo them, etc. Much like Magic and Larry Bird.






Like MJ said, "I can accept failure but I can't accept not trying." Exactly.

In addition to these brick walls, MJ said, "If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

How badly we want we want things can be demonstrated by our diligence, our desire, our hustle, our commitment, preparation, etc. Dennis Rodman, for ie, though criticized by everyone, always showed heart on the court.

How bad do you truly want it? Are you willing to mentally succumb to the pain, struggle, hardship or will you fight through it and rise to the occasion?































How bad do you want to achieve your dreams? Do you have the will, the desire to grind it out, to fight, to mentally conquer yourself?






















I read a good thing once, about mental toughness, in that "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." This ties back to impossible being nothing; if the desire is there, the confidence, the courage, the focus, the sacrifice, the heart, anything is impossible. Brick walls are able to be overcome. We reach our goal.

Don't forget MJ's performance, when he had that game with a stomach virus, during the finals, he played thru it and the BULLS won. That is a fine example of mental toughness and desire. Course, he could have given up but he reached within himself and that his desire to win, to compete was able to conquer the pain he felt. Like they say, the strongest muscle in the human is the MIND and the most devastating weapon is the WILL! Too many words to describe a performance like that. Eminem's Till I Collapse suits the topic beautifully.





Gilbert Arenas also exemplifies defying expectations and tasting success in the NBA. The desire is there, you just need to conquer yourself mentally! Ignore the pain, difficulty, the desire to give up and focus on the goal!



Conquer yourself. Impossible is nothing. How bad do you really want it? Remember, many people desire the same thing but there are only so few who can actually achieve what they want. HOw bad do they want it? The people who don't reach those dreams are those who refuse to work and those who don't want it badly enough. How bad do you want it?

Regardless of differences, we strive shoulder to shoulder... [T]eamwork can be summed up in five short words: "We believe in each other."

Like MJ once said, talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. Great NBA teams can score and there are go to guys on every team. However, you can make up for lacking a scorer by playing within each other and the system, the team. Play for each other. Don't let egos hinder the goal of getting a win. When there's too much talent, players rely solely on the ball being in their hands and they disregard how to use each other effectively, on offense and defense. Look to pass before you shoot and include your teammates in what you do and do everything in relation to them and the team's goal of getting a W; disregard the stats if all you want to do is win!



Team USA had great talent but they also had discipline, leadership and exercised teamwork. Skill was there, like the 2004 USA team but sometimes, you need to sacrifice your game for the greater good of everyone.








Doc Rivers' play of ubuntu, "there's gonna come a moment when you face unreal adversity and you must play together, play with ubuntu, a person is a person thru other ppl, I can't be all that I can be unless you're all that you can be." For the sacrifice and togetherness of the group, best summed up by BOS and KG, who sacrificed his game along with others to get the W. Chemistry is vital to a teams success plus is even more entertaining to see teams willingly give up the ball and know where each other is at all times. DET and SAS were and is great team basketball. They don't necessarily have great scorers but they play with each other and have been successful for years, playoffs and regular season. There cohesiveness and bonds are a key to their success as winners.

Also, PHX was a great team, when the offense revolved around Nash and his great passing and court vision. He's a superstar who passes first, shoots second. With an unselfishness to pass and share the ball, they flourished, not to mention they had great team chemistry.


DET had stars but they didn't need to go and score 30/game. They had roles and all played defense as a requirement. When you play as a team without flashy scorers and just hard-nosed defense, team basketball is at its best; no one lets up and you all defend as a team, like in 04 when they won a title. This is also demonstrated by SAS for a long time.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford

The ratio of We's to I's is the best indicator of the development of a team. ~Lewis B. Ergen






















In union there is strength. ~Aesop


Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. ~Alexander the Great









Don't pull apart but pull together!

We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand.

The game of basketball translates to life on and off the court. The game requires sacrifice, preparation, desire, hustle, heart, skill, talent, teamwork, intelligence, etc. There are many nba stories, where players grew up with little but made the most out of their situations and are where they are today. In regards to life, attitude is the biggest factor; you can do something about your situation or you don't. Like Pausch's comment, "We just have to decide how we're gonna respond to what we're given." Randy Pausch was a CMU professor who had pancreatic cancer, found out he had 3-6 months left and gave a last lecture on achieving one's childhood dreams. Inspiring and insightful, his speech can be applied to even basketball and the adversity that we are presented with, and the way we deal with it.



I remember hearing about Leon Powe of the BOS Celtics during the finals, and how he faced tremendous adversity growing up. He is just one of many players who have had to fight on and off the court to be successful today. Adversity is unavoidable. It just depends on our disposition, our mood, our attitude, our response to it. What are you going to do then? Ultimately, rise above it and succeed. You can accept it or you can do something about it.



BTW, take for ex. the Celtics in last yrs playoffs, when Paul Pierce injured himself and Doc Rivers reminded BOS to embrace each other, drawing on ubuntu, meaning sometimes you will face tremendous adversity but you must give up for one another; "I can't be all that I am unless you are all that you must be." Pick up for one another. Adversity is faced but is possible to overcome. Plus, you are always stronger for it. Look at BOS last season; they embraced each other, stuck with it and eventually won number 17.


A bad grade is only one letter in the Essay of life. ~Lee Drake


There is no education like adversity. ~Disraeli


We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. ~Frank A. Clark


Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive. ~Josephine Hart


Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them. ~Hugh Miller

There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you. ~Woody Hayes

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. ~Truman Capote

Once you choose hope, anything's possible. --Christopher Reeve

In the nba, you have teams which pull away with great leads and games that seem impossible to overcome. Obviously, you can't outscore someone and expect to narrow the lead. You gotta buckle down on defense, take possession by possession, handle the ball carefully, and grind it out. You need heart, determination, hustle and faith in upsetting the team thats ahead. It's all heart. The 08 finals, game 4 was amazing. I remember my dad stopped watching cuz BOS was down 20 pts around the 3rd quarter.




Then, BOS grinds it out and they won. It was the greatest Finals upset. Also, lotta ppl consider the NJ-BOS 02 playoff game the greatest comeback, when BOS came back from a huge lead and won.



Furthermore, I remember watching the PHX-DAL double overtime game a few years ago, when they were powerhouses. PHX was down by a huge margin at the half and the following morning, the highlights were incredible and PHX won.









You gotta believe in your teammates and yourselves. You need to have this dogged determination and belief that you will not lose. I once heard, "Either we win or they lose," you need this kind of unwavering mindset; when the crowd doesn't believe in you and it seems bleak, embrace each other and believe in your teammates, your 12 guys and you'll catch up, little by little.

This is another video, of a former player named Rodney Rogers and his explosive and amazing performance in a matter of seconds. You need to believe!



"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. "