One Man Wizadry

Is it just coincidence the Clippers haven't lost a game with Chauncey Billups back on the bench? Had he traveled with the team during the disheartening triple game road trip would there have been all the talk about L.A. threatening to denounce Vinny Del Negro as coach? Painting a picture of frenzy in the Clips locker room? Most likely. It's not as if the Clippers are blowing teams out of the water in these recent home wins, helping them to their first four game win streak since February.

But one thing's for sure. Billups makes them better. On the court. On the bench. Standing on the sideline. Just being there.

Chris Paul says it's no secret that Billups gives them an advantage. A sounding board. A winning presence. He needs to travel with the team.

Last night, towards the end of the tight battle between Portland and L.A., the ESPN camera caught a great angle of the Clippers huddle: Del Negro squatted in a typical coaching position, five players sitting in front of him.

But the one guy who was talking? Billups. And all eyes were pegged on him. The team was looking to him for advice -- and it's not the first time. At least once during each of the last several home games, it's apparent that he is a key cog in what L.A. is doing. (Hence a suggestion from Bill Simmons that Billups just take over as coach.) Billups is the Wizard of Lob City, only not hidden behind a giant curtain.

Kevin Arnovitz explains the scene on TrueHoop:

"In the preceding huddle (Clips down one with 13.9 seconds to play), Chauncey Billups, in street clothes and saddled with a boot, implored the team to forget about the preceding possession. With Randy Foye up in his face, Crawford launched a ... well ... Crawfordian, high-arcing contested jumper that gave Portland a one-point lead. With the Clippers' starting five and coach Vinny Del Negro listening intently, Billups also offered tips about how to free up Paul in the event the Clippers' point guard would be blanketed by the rangy Nicolas Batum."

Dynamics matter. One guy can very well make a difference between a win and a loss, whether playing or not. Much of it comes down to trust. Mutual respect for one another. A belief system within a team. It's great to see the Clippers execute strategy, but even greater to see them working together, particularly after a tough couple weeks of banter and cheap shots.

Oh -- It's nice to have Chris Paul, too.

From Somewhere, Arkansas to Springfield, Archetype

Growing up in Oklahoma during the '80s, there was no NBA franchise. Fortunately, we had cable. To double the fortune, our cable package came with WGN, which may as well have stood for What Great News, because that allowed me to be introduced to the Chicago Bulls.

Without a home state team to call my own, the Bulls at least seemed close enough in my mind. And with some kid from North Carolina -- who I distinctly remember a newscaster mentioning could be the next Doctor J -- I thought, "Why not? We (my dad and I) will tune in." Of course, to triple the fortune the Bulls later picked up this other skinny kid in Scottie Pippen, a much lesser known quantity, but from Arkansas, which was close enough to us. After all, I did have a friend who had moved to Oklahoma from there. The team was coming together.

Flash forward more than two decades, six NBA championships, multiple all league teams, and a gold medal later, and I find myself in a radically reminiscent state. Salivating with Michael's every move also meant being informed of his teammates. And the more I watched the Bulls, the more I was moved by Pippen. It was his development that intrigued me. A once fledgling, scrawny, timid athlete that matured into a bonafide, nourished, and all-around star. He battle migraines and Pistons and personal demons. He grew a 'fro and searched for his roots in cornrows and even went Mr. Clean. He dunked on Ewing. Ferociously. And he successfully jabbed at Karl Malone with a memorable line about mailmen not delivering on Sundays. He could do a lot. Glide. Dunk. Drive. And then, all of a sudden he could shoot. He could defend. And then he could do it all. He was everywhere doing everything.

Pippen's induction into the Hall of Fame this weekend forced a visit back to his accomplishments and how he captivated my mind. Below, a Scottie sojourn of sorts and ten reasons he was the man, even alongside Spike Lee's "main man."

1. One of the first stories I recall hearing about Pippen was that he wasn't recruited to be a college basketball player. More, he became the team manager, just a six-foot-two child that would support and look up to the true players as he did his 11 siblings. And what's more, he was so weak that when first asked to take up lifting weights, he couldn't bench press the 45-pound barbell. Here's to becoming strong.
2. Given the chance, he became a regular member of the team at Central Arkansas and averaged 4.3 points per game. He kept getting better, improved his game each year, and by his senior year was a top scorer with 20-plus a contest. A four-year player who learned the power of performance enhancement.
3. Scottie learned to be tough, physically and even more importantly, mentally. His psychological progress as a player plodded along before our eyes. He developed from a wire of an athlete -- one who was able to accept a certain complementary role -- to one who was the best player in the league in 1994 (only to be snubbed out of official MVP honors though he was the All-Star Game MVP). Even after Jordan's first comeback, one which Pip publicly applauded, Scottie continued to prosper and elevate his game. In fact, his Win Shares per 48 minutes in 1996 (.209) and 1997 (.203) were career highs.
4. For those who forget or weren't old enough to observe, Scottie became the leader in 1994. He led his Bulls to a media-surprising 55 wins (Pip played in 72 games that season and the Bulls won in 51 of his appearances). He took them deep into the playoffs. The Eastern Conference Semifinals to be exact. Game 7. Yes, the one people say would have seen the Bulls win if not for a glaring controversial call. Regardless, that season was his personal best with a personal best PER (23.2). And remember he didn't get another chance to direct the Jordan-less team through the post-season again.
5. Players with versatility stand out to me. And Pip provided the Bulls with so much talent he may as well been called Multi Purpose. During the 1994 playoffs, his usage percentage was a lead-leading 31.9 while his regular season effective field goal percentage was above 50 percent, a sound accompaniment to his career best 4.0 steal percentage. And what doesn't appear on paper is how he directed the triangle offense and made his presence felt on defense.
6. To speak even more about his defensive prowess -- a skill the league certainly kept track of to the tune of 10 All-NBA Defensive honors -- just picture a guy that can guard any position on the floor. The popular image is the one of him guarding Magic in the '91 Finals and completely disrupting the Lake Show. But what about post D? Wing stoppage? Just watch the video to appreciate. On-ball steals and passing lane thefts. Blocked shots. Chase down swats (before LeBron was even a teenager). And a defensive coach's dream: taking charges. He understood how to get it down in every was possible manner and relished the role. His steal stats and defensive ratings only provide a brief of glimpse of his mighty brilliance as a defender.
   
   
   
   
7. What else could he do? Everything. And even more, some say, than Mike the Greatest. In David Halberstam's Playing for Keeps, the truth be told ... There was, though, one move Pippen could make that Jordan could not: If they both stood out of bounds under the basket holding the ball and leaped out on the court, Pippen, without ever touching the ground, could slam the ball through with his left hand, and Jordan could not ... I recall Jordan even talking emphatically about how Pippen could jam on people in traffic with his left hand while Michael had trouble executing the move.
8. Even more impressive is a fundamental drill I learned about long ago that highlights Scottie's explosiveness, balance, and length. He was able to pick up a basketball from the court, free throw line distance away from the rim, and dunk it without a dribble. Immediately after, he could scoop up another ball from the foul line and replicate the motion. It seems nuts, but he could do it 15 times in 30 seconds. That's 15 slams in half a minute.
9. The bank shot. Enough said.
10. Despite all of his basketball accomplishments, his mind-blowing artistry, his overcoming adversity at a young age -- and even dealing with and coming to grips with his own poor decisions that may have lasted but a couple of seconds -- Pippen-haters don't want to believe in him. They say he was not a winner without the other guy. Well, the other guy was not a winner without him either. Scottie always had to prove himself, and that mission motivated him to become not only great but one of the best players of all time. The Knickerbockers were slammed by him enough to understand. How nice for Bulls fans to know Pippen was actually obtained via an original 1987 first round Knick pick until New York traded the slot to Seattle for eventually, uh ... Mark Jackson?! ... and years later, after Pip's tenure with the Bulls was up, he was dealt for not one, not two, not three. Oh gosh. Not four. Not five. But six players to Portland. Perhaps that is the true mark of greatness. Judging worth with a simple correlation: every player we trade for you represents one championship ring.

What's the Point?

Well, at this point in the 2009 NBA playoff race, the point position seems to be point production -- otherwise known as scoring at an unprecedented consistency. Through Friday, a dozen players listed as point guards in the league (via espn.com) were averaging 14.7 points or more, with Tony Parker leading the way at a 28.6 clip. It makes no difference that Parker and the next three at the top (Andre Miller, Deron Williams, and Derrick Rose) are now out of the postseason -- the point is, and has been, making more noise in the playoff scoring column than ever before.

The next point guards on the list are Chauncey Billups and Rajon Rondo. Billups is the mature and effective leader of the erratically entertaining Denver Nuggets, and the player behind coach George Karl's understanding that this particular homegrown point means more to his team than anyone. Rondo, of course, is arguably the most critical point in the league now, as he pushes his defending champion Boston Celtics with energy, versatility, will and weekly triple-double digits.

Rondo is averaging 18.3 while Billups is a shade higher at 19.6.

So what? Well, the last point guard to average an exact 19.6 points throughout the playoffs was Jason Kidd. That was in 2002. And he led ALL point guards in scoring that year. Guess how many other points averaged more than 14.7 ppg in Kidd's calling?

Two. The previously mentioned Parker with 15.5, and Darrell Armstrong with 15.3.

Since 2002, at least five point guards have scored at least 14.3 ppg each year in the playoffs, with an average of just under seven players hitting that rate each postseason. Stephon Marbury led the way in 2003 and 2004, with more than a 21 point mean in each of those years, while Steve Nash took over the top spot in 2005 with just under 24 points per contest. Nash was ahead of seven other points during that period, all who scored more than 16 a night. Marbury's mark of 22 ppg in 2003 began a 20+ point production streak by the PG leader. Gilbert Arenas scored a ludicrous 34 a game in 2006 -- albeit in just a few games -- almost double the leading PG in 2001 (Damon Stoudamire)!

2008 saw eight point guards in the high scoring column again, leading to this year's revolutionary 12. The others in the current span are Mo Williams, Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey, Mike Bibby, and Jason Terry. (Remember, these are players categorized as point guards -- they do not necessarily bring the ball up more often than some notable teammates, i.e. Williams on LeBron's Cavs or Terry on Kidd's and J.J. Barea's Mavs).

As I write, Aaron Brooks just dropped in points 28, 29, and 30 on the Lakers in his Houston Rockets' mothers' day romp.

So, with the three aforementioned point guards listed from 2002 and just three others the year prior above the 14.3 mark (Stoudamire, Sam Cassell, and Kidd), the point guard role has morphed into more than that of basic ball distributor, and it's happened at four times the rate. The game today is being led by plentiful point producers, or by lead guards, as some may now refer to them.

And why not? May as well put five out on the floor that can score; seeing how the game is now guard dominated with pace, penetration opportunities, and 3-point emphasis, it's no surprise. Further, the popularity and exposure of basketball at a young age, with year-round playing, AAU, and potentially ridiculous profits, has helped more prospects with guard-like physiques develop. Competition at the guard slot has produced a greater number of smaller and younger players that can flat out score and do everything else required of the extenstion-of-the-coach role.

Depending on who one talks to and what the situation is, Kobe, LeBron, and Dwyane Wade could be considered point guards in their specific offensive systems. The lesson from the pros: keep the ball in the hands of the scorer. If he is able to dribble the ball up the court under pressure, set-up, survey for open teammates, drive to the hole, pull up, and operate out of the pick-and-roll, it all makes sense.

As explained to me by one NBA executive, "Teams are terrified of turnovers, so do everything possible to limit passing."

Point pondered.

Plummeting Minutes, Enthusiastic until the End

It’s the second half and the players just walked out of the 16:00 time out. Duke is down to Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen, 38-26. Greg Paulus, after not playing in the first half, is in. He immediately drains a three. Next time down, while setting up a play, the senior guard drives to the left sideline in order to produce a jump skip pass to an open Kyle Singler, who bangs another trifecta. A Duke stop and a crisp pass to Scheyer off a baseline screen opens up another one from behind the arc. And then, off a catch and square on the right wing, he punctuates the Blue Devil run with a stop and go elbow jumper. Duke spurt, TO Nova.

All of that happened on Thursday in Boston…except, almost all of it. What was true was the first shot Paulus hit. And the TO, though it was Duke who called it. Paulus actually threw the skip pass out of bounds, miscued on the pass to Scheyer which left the ball short and not in shooting position, and was stripped on the next possession.

For some reason, though, I found myself rooting for the lost Paulus, and for the Duke program to generate another miracle comeback. It’s had plenty, but, like a movie that continues to build for that Oscar climax, I was hoping -- if for only a 4-minute sensational span cued by the former starting court leader -- until the next break in action.

Actually, the TO that Paulus himself called came on an order of his mentor, the one who decided to confine him to the pine. Now, we don’t really know what it’s like day in and day out in the program. Or if Paulus remained coachable and was a programmed citizen in practice. We can only go by what we see, what quotes we read, and the reasons the coaches give. It seems the senior captain who started for three consecutive years and scored more than 1,000 points while shooting just under 40 percent from 3-point range for his career was outplayed in his final season as a Duke baller (perhaps he’ll become the next serious assistant?). He couldn’t do the things that were needed. He didn’t have the length or the athleticism or the penetration ability or the defensive lockdown skill.

But, it appears, he did understand the system – and, he bleeds white and blue. In the form of Wojo. Collins. Dawkins. Another in the list of highly aggressive, slap-the-floor, swearing point guards who went on to coach. As his minutes dwindled, time became scarce, and his fading career turned into a double-digit loss in a half-as-happy season. I know that he reluctantly tasted his role and hesitantly gulped the tragedy that was his to become. Just watching him on the court Thursday evening, attempting to lead, it was apparent that he was out of sync. He was trying to stay within himself, but it looked as if he wanted to explode and let loose a season of frustration.

Despite the newly obligatory position, he was still the one crouched next to the coaches on the bench, and remained the exuberant teammate that stood up to slap five to his substituted playing peers. He maintained the fireball of energy that allowed him to rumble in and out of the backcourt in Cameron Indoor Stadium -- and the QB pocket in high school. If anyone is looking for an image of a competitor and a developing leader, by the looks of Paulus on TV and in the paper, he is it. Congratulations to him on, what is becoming more less likely for a consistent starter in college basketball, the closing of a 4-year career. He dealt with a difficult personal situation, but stuck with it and gave it his all in his last game.

Cerebral Matter - March '09

Elite scientists are well-rounded... I like to believe this, knowing that my basketball players and other student-athletes at Caltech are talented in a number of areas. It's math and science first and basketball (hopefully) a close second. And many are expert musicians and artists as well:

"Some of the best scientists recommend looking for breadth of skills and talents in a variety of endeavors beyond the sciences.

In two previous posts, we argue that training in the arts benefits scientists in a variety of different ways. The best scientists are much more likely to be artists, musicians, actors, craftsmen, and writers than are typical scientists, or even the general public. Scientists draw skills, knowledge, processes, concepts, and even inspiration from their non-scientific avocations. Many are well aware of these advantages."

Leading and listening are skills. And being able to change one's mind is as well. Malcolm Gladwell explains.

Where are your thoughts? The past, present, or future? And are you now concerned that you didn't enjoy yourself when you had the chance? Some people could be suffering from hyperopia:

"They’re so obsessed with preparing for the future that they can’t enjoy the present, and they end up looking back sadly on all their lost opportunities for fun."

So, players DO think during the game. But not too much. And sometimes not at all. But then a little bit to help them later. Actually, it's all about having a really quick mind... which is an effect of practicing and playing and understanding the situations that may present themselves. Vince Carter summarizes:

"It’s all about memory through repetition and memory throughout the course of the game."

In-depth statistical analysis of the NCAA and NIT tourneys.

Even Bill Simmons is thinking like a coach. He wants details, man. Details about the inner game of statistical analysis. Simmons, like yours truly, was at the MIT Sloan Sports Business Conference, and the Sports Guy was seeking answers:

"I want to know Wade's percentages on contested, wide-open and clock-saving threes. I want to know how many uncontested jumpers LeBron creates for teammates. I want "mega-assists" (passes that create a layup or a dunk) and "half-assists" (for each made foul shot). I want "unforced turnovers," like in tennis (Tony Allen would be Wilt Chamberlain in this category), and "nitty-gritties" (some combination of charges taken, deflections, balls saved from going out of bounds and rebounds tipped to teammates). I want "Unselds" (a long outlet pass that leads to an assist for a layup or a dunk) and "Russells" (a blocked shot directed to a teammate)."

Basketball instituted a 3-point line, a shot clock, replay, and a host of other changes as player development made the game too easy. Now, how about an adjustment in Scrabble?!

Themes of Teams

It's been quite the unique experience this year -- one that encompassed the completion of a college head coaching season, and the fortune to view another very special program put it all together after years of maturation, sacrifice, and commitment. MIT clinched its first ever NCAA tournament berth with a conference tourney championship today, and I was able to witness the win in person. Knowing what the team has been through and understanding what it took to get to this historical point is extraordinary. Being a part of an exclusive club, one that is dedicated to the highest standards in academics and one that competes on the court, is truly incomparable.

I am very proud to be a piece of that precious moment -- to not only have been through battles alongside the same players, but to also share in the celebration. To have the seniors on the team call me out to the court to cut down a string of net symbolized noteworthy admiration and appreciation. A true team, a group of individuals who epitomize energy, excitement, and work ethic, is what was in Worcester this weekend. Fusion like that does not simply occur. It happens as the result of dedication, discipline, and a distinct understanding of how to maximize every player and coach.

As a spectator, one could recognize the trust and teamwork on the floor. Players were looking for each other, either to drive and kick or help out on defense or recover, box and board... play after play was picturesque from a team standpoint. Although not perfect, there was an overall sense of direction, as if every baller was connected to the same soul. The three seniors commanded competitiveness and underclassmen stepped up in their roles. There was no way the team was to be denied.

Understand that the process was not instant -- it took years of team building and imagining ways to enhance the culture of the program. Unparalleled off season practice, senior leadership, and an unwavering collaborative effort produced a team that otherwise could have been flaky and shaken. Development was apparent and devotion dominated.

Recently, there have been other stories of team building:

Joe Girardi is advanced and aware. He is not afraid to put away the bats and take in some pool.

Kenyon College created a sensational swimming program, one that is both creative and conventional.

The championship run of Trinity College's squash teams is unbelievable -- both in numbers and know how.

In all of these examples, it is shown that a program is in constant construction -- in setting new foundations and constructing stronger ones from what is already solid.

Sometimes, it's amazing how quickly a hired crew can assemble a building -- yet it's more astounding to comprehend the actual time it took to communicate the overall vision and locate the ground to dig.

Development and Devotion - A Program Needs Both

Posting Time

It's been as tough to find time to post as it's been tough to win another game. Since my arrival at Caltech in late September, I have tried to play "catch up" as the program has instituted several new approaches that will hopefully help its development -- everything from new gear to a new recruiting philosophy to community involvement. We have placed an emphasis on enhancing the culture of athletics and forced a focus on commitment. One of the major challenges, as I was told before moving 3,000 miles away from Boston, was the constant issue of maintaining solid practices due to the rigorous Caltech course load and unavoidable, yet unfavorable, sleep patterns. I am proud to say that these have not been noticeable problems. Though many players may stay up much later doing work than the average college student, they also sleep in longer. There has not been an identifiable fatigue factor in practice this year because we emphasized time management and allegiance to our team -- and the responsibilities that accompany the role of being a citizen within our program.

Though one may not be able to tell by the outcomes of our games, we are gradually developing skill sets and evolving as an entire unit. I knew patience and persistence would be values of which to take hold, even tighter than imagined, yet the development (especially of our younger members with no previous experience) is truly fascinating. And the fact that we come back, day after day, for two-plus hours of practice, ready to work and sweat, is a testament to our players' personas and strength.

Keep it Going

This is an exciting time as we anticipate our last half dozen games and await word of our recruiting efforts. It will be our pleasure to host the first men's basketball alumni event this weekend while the university's president and wife serve as our honorary coaches. And, in a couple of weeks, we will honor the six players who will graduate this year in a pre-game ceremony on senior night.

In our best road game this year, and perhaps Caltech's last several years, Travis Haussler scored his 1,000 point -- and it was great to have his father in the stands as he did so. There are so many moments that bring joy to this club, despite not putting up outstanding team numbers. Only one who is with us everyday can truly understand the impact the team and its values have on each individual student-athlete. These are players who make up some of the brightest minds in the world. They go out to compete to the best of their abilities. Can we improve? Absolutely. Especially with a clear vision, an understanding of the system, and tremendous leadership -- from the seniors onto the underclassmen who will take over when a new crop of players arrive in the fall.

Fortune in Southern Cal?

If we're fortunate, we'll eventually have a Jimmy Bartolotta, as we were lucky to get at MIT. He is the consummate competitor and one who will drive a program to be good with a work ethic that cannot be topped. We knew how good he had become -- and now the New York Times does, too. When I first saw Jimmy in a high school video, it was not necessarily his basketball skills that grabbed my attention -- it was his mindset, his leadership, his focus. I could see all of those characteristics in the way he played the game. By the time he came for an overnight visit in Cambridge, we had spoken many times. He already had the basketball knowledge and determination we needed -- he was a true student of the game who had already experienced success in high school. We needed his mental and physical prowess in our program -- I even made a home visit to his house in Colorado to demonstrate our utmost interest in him.

During his first year at MIT, he told me that he wanted to be the best player from the institute -- ever. Well, he has accomplished that. He now has more than 2,000 career points, easily the most by any Engineer, and he also recently set the all-time steals record. Besides those categories, he ranks at the top in almost every other one as well. How many players do you know that shoot over 50 percent -- from 3-point range? Oh, and also are at the top of their conference in blocked shots?

It's not the statistics that tell the whole story, though. It's his attitude and mental toughness. He works more than anyone. He studies film. He reads about competitiveness. He makes others play and practice hard. He will not take "no" for an answer. That is why his team is on its way to the best mark in history.

Practice Preparation is Deliberate

The folks at OpenEducation.net informed me of a couple articles recently written about deliberate practice, a concept that has long been studied in relation to expertise and talent development. The beauty of the work, originally from the mind of Dr. K. Anders Ericcson, is that becoming really, really good in a field is a grueling task for which many people are not willing to sacrifice their time and energy... or they are simply afraid to attempt. A summary from Time Magazine suggests the discipline one must have in order to nurture true talent:

Ericsson's primary finding is that rather than mere experience or even raw talent, it is dedicated, slogging, generally solitary exertion — repeatedly practicing the most difficult physical tasks for an athlete, repeatedly performing new and highly intricate computations for a mathematician — that leads to first-rate performance. And it should never get easier; if it does, you are coasting, not improving. Ericsson calls this exertion "deliberate practice," by which he means the kind of practice we hate, the kind that leads to failure and hair-pulling and fist-pounding. You like the Tuesday New York Times crossword? You have to tackle the Saturday one to be really good.

The challenge of deliberate practice from a coach's or teacher's perspective is the actual design and implementation, especially when the so-called leader has such a wide range of players or students in his or her classroom. Some students have no experience with the topics being taught, while others have years of mature skills. In order to take on an approach to teaching and learning that entails personalized goal setting -- individualization that actually promotes the overall team vision -- teachers and coaches need help. They need great assistants, daily practice plans, and even guidance from within the classroom via the students. In our basketball practices, which are deliberate by definition -- with organized time slots for down to the minute drills and challenging work second to second -- we provide leadership and team building opportunities for the players on a regular basis.

The enjoyment comes at the end of the day, when we have worked so diligently to achieve daily goals. The process may not always seem fun for the players, but on another level, they know the physical and mental work has to be rigorous -- deliberate -- to get one step closer to the program's vision. Expertise at the highest degree, as in the elite, is something that has been nurtured through devoted training sessions, coaching, self-reflection, and hours upon hours of physical and mental effort. Yes, there may be natural aspects in brain or body type that allow the greatest to enhance potential, but those individuals still must have the appetite to eat away their days through focused and intense practice and preparation. In a sense, they immerse themselves in the activity of choice to become the absolute best.

The Value of Mental Toughness

Comparisons are natural. People size up people they like, they don't like, they want to like, they want not to like...and those that are like them or not like them or they want to be like them...ugh. Critics and fans love to analyze past and present athletes with the "who is greater?" dilemma.

Regardless of the motivation, I like the insight Michael Jordan provides about Kobe Bryant's development as the most complete basketball player in the world. To become the best (MJ talks about his philosophy in the sidebar video ->), athletes take aspects of other people's games and apply those characteristics and skills to their own. It's an equation of observational learning, modeling, vicarious skill building, and dedicated application.

Further, the talk of mental toughness is an exceptional truth that embeds the star as it hovers the basketball universe. Lindy's Pro Basketball 2008-09 has the story via BallerBlogger and 20 Second Timeout:

...it becomes quickly obvious that Jordan respects Bryant, without even a hint of condescension. After all, Jordan respects anyone who does the work, who has the mental toughness, to climb the heights. Bryant's done the work and displayed the toughness...

...Winter has repeatedly emphasized that Scottie Pippen's role in the success of the Bulls cannot be overestimated; on the flip side, Winter and West both criticized the lack of mental toughness of Bryant's current supporting cast, a weakness that became glaringly apparent during the 2008 NBA Finals. "The Lakers just are not mentally tough"...

The last comment reminds me of the Bulls gallop to greatness in 1991, which showcased the basketball antithesis of this past season's runner-up from LA. David Halberstam writes in Playing for Keeps:

Winning in the NBA more often has to do with psychological qualities than physical ones. Veteran coaches and players know that the margin of difference comes more than anything else from superior mental toughness. Quality players on great teams know how to win, how to finish a game, how to block out a hostile crowd on the road; they speak of the ability of great teams to bend the will of lesser teams to their own. If these phrases sound to the outside world like clichés, within the league they have achieved the status of gospel. In a season as long as the NBA's, where one game runs into the next, where mental fatigue is often greater than physical fatigue, what sets the great players apart is a capacity, in the dogs days of February, on the road, when their bodies ache, to see a game against a lesser opponent as being important and to bring a high level of preparedness to it. Greatness in the NBA does not just require great skill, it demands the ability to go out and play hard night after night, and the ability to inspire one's teammates to play hard as well. That was what set players such as Bird, Johnson, and Thomas apart -- not only their fierce will but its effect on the their teammates. By 1990, the Bulls and the Pistons looked about even; in fact, if anything, in terms of pure talent, the Bulls looked superior. But so far, the Pistons owned the Bulls because they managed to get inside the heads of the Chicago players.

The one thing a championship-level team liked least to do was to give off any sense of vulnerability to a contender, particularly one that imagined its fortunes on the ascent. And so issues of mental toughness were critical: Were you mentally strong enough to expose the weaknesses of a rival team and emphasize to that team its own weaknesses before that team exposed your own vulnerabilities?

Dissecting QB Development

Great quarterbacks are a special breed. One of the toughest positions to learn and play in all of sports, a quarterback has to be mentally tough enough to handle pressure from all angles, both on and off the field. Saturday's New York Times article about USC QB Mark Sanchez highlights many psychological components of performance, from his father's creative development activities to his ability to learn from mistakes.

On focus:

When Sanchez took batting practice as a teenager, his father quizzed him on the periodic table as each pitch was about to arrive. While gauging the speed and location of a fastball, his brain was also attempting to recall the atomic weight of magnesium.

When he was younger, he dribbled a basketball while wearing glasses that blocked his view of the ball — all the while facing rapid-fire questions on multiplication tables.

And when he dropped back to pass a football, working on his touch by lobbing the ball over a goal post, he had to know who the 13th president was. Answer: Millard Fillmore.

On leadership:

This focus on leadership comes easily for Nick Sanchez. A former Army sergeant, he is a captain in the Orange County Fire Authority and a member of the national urban search and rescue team. The search-and-rescue duty took him to New Orleans after Katrina, to New York after the Sept. 11 attacks and to Oklahoma City after the bombing of the federal building.

“In a sense, it is like football,” the elder Sanchez, who is a regular at U.S.C. practices, said of his rescue efforts. “The group I’ve been with has been very successful. We live together, we work together. You can call the same play 50 times, and there’s always a different result. It might be a traffic accident, a residential fire — you have to function, react and deal.”

On personality:

His arm may be strong — he threw a ball 60 yards to Ronald Johnson in a season-opening win over Virginia — but it is matched by his personality. Sanchez plays with a let-it-all-hang-out vibe, always eager to look for a big play. During the week, he bounds around the practice field, pumping up teammates or peppering coaches with questions. His teammates have dubbed him the Mexican Jumping Bean.

“Leinart and John David were very methodical, in-control guys,” said Jeff Byers, a fifth-year senior guard. “Mark knows what’s going on, but he’s got a much higher energy. He’s very charismatic. The O-line, we love him.”

The Psychological Ingredients of a Coach

The Crossover Movement recently reviewed research by the United States Olympic Committee that centered around coaching. Interestingly, sport psychology was found to be the fourth most important area in "understanding body of knowledge", preceded by skills, strategies, and teaching. Meanwhile, twenty insights signify coaches' emphasis on topics in sport psychology (see below, with corresponding sport psych topics in blue).

It seems, despite what coaches are trained in, or what the results show as most important, the mental game and the psychology of performance are underestimated -- yet highly significant, thus highlighted throughout. Perhaps, at the very least, sport psychology needs to be considered a major component of the "skill" category.

1. Ability to instill belief/trust/confidence in athletes - self-efficacy
2. Big Vision, balanced by ability to set and adjust goals - goal setting and extrinsic motivation
3. Care about others more than self - cohesion
4. Perseverance and a sense of humor - personality
5. Attention to skills development of athletes; tailored to athlete needs - attentional zones
6. Precise training techniques and coaching on a daily basis - attentional zones and flow
7. Ability to filter - attentional zones
8. Problem solving orientation - decision making
9. Ability to observe without judgment - perspective taking
10. Desire to improve through knowledge - intrinsic motivation
11. Quality Decision makers under pressure - decision making and anxiety regulation
12. High level of integrity and fairness - character
13. Ability to multi-task with equal amounts of high energy - attentional zones
14. Knowledgeable and with an ability to transfer knowledge simplistically - effective communication
15. Focused on the process - attentional zones and flow
16. Creative, open minded to new ideas and approaches - personality and intrinsic motivation
17. Having thick skin - resiliency, anxiety regulation, and mental toughness
18. Flexible, but decisive - leadership ability and personality
19. Excellent instructional skills, ability to deliver messages - effective leadership and communication
20. Understands critical zone training - information processing and flow